Dw i'n hoffi
Liking: Dw I'n Hoffi
To say what you like, use bod + yn + hoffi: Dw i'n hoffi coffi (I like coffee).
How It Works
Say it, deny it, ask it:
- Dw i'n hoffi coffi. — I like coffee.
- Dw i ddim yn hoffi te. — I don't like tea. (See Present Negatives With Ddim.)
- Wyt ti'n hoffi nofio? — Do you like swimming? Answer Ydw or Nac ydw. (See Yes and No in the Present.)
Liking things and activities. After hoffi, put a noun (Dw i'n hoffi caws, I like cheese) or a verb-noun (Dw i'n hoffi darllen, I like reading). Neither one changes its first letter. With "the", use 'r: Dw i'n hoffi'r ffilm.
Other people: Mae hi'n hoffi cerddoriaeth (She likes music), Maen nhw'n hoffi pêl-droed (They like football).
Regional words. Everyday speech also uses licio (North) and lico or leico (South), in exactly the same way: Dw i'n licio caws.
Compare eisiau. Hoffi needs yn, but eisiau (want) does not: Dw i'n hoffi but Dw i eisiau. See Wanting. To say "I would like", see hoffwn i; for "I prefer", see mae'n well gen i.
Examples (6)
- Dw i'n hoffi coffi.
I like coffee.
- Dw i ddim yn hoffi te.
I don't like tea.
- Wyt ti'n hoffi nofio? Ydw!
Do you like swimming? Yes!
Hoffi + a verb-noun: nofio (to swim).
- Mae hi'n hoffi cerddoriaeth Gymraeg.
She likes Welsh music.
Cerddoriaeth is feminine, so Cymraeg softens to Gymraeg after it.
- Dw i'n licio pêl-droed.
I like football.
North: licio.
- Dw i'n lico caws.
I like cheese.
South: lico.
Common Mistakes
Leaving out yn.
Dw i hoffi coffi.Dw i'n hoffi coffi.Hoffi is a verb-noun, so it needs yn ('n) after bod. Only eisiau goes without yn.
Softening the thing you like.
Dw i'n hoffi goffi.Dw i'n hoffi coffi.A noun after the verb-noun hoffi keeps its first letter.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Hoffi is used as a verb-noun inside the bod + yn present.
Related Patterns
- The Verb-Noun (Berfenw)
Hoffi is a verb-noun, and so is what you like doing.
Level 1 - eisiau / isioWanting: Dw I Eisiau (Isio in the North)
Compare wanting, which has no yn.
Level 1 - hoffwn iI Would Like: Hoffwn I
Say "I would like" politely.
Level 2 - Mae'n well gen iPreferring: Mae'n Well Gen I
Say what you prefer.
Level 2 - Ydw / Nac ydwYes and No in the Present: Ydw and Nac Ydw
Answer Wyt ti'n hoffi...? with ydw or nac ydw.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice Dw i'n hoffi in Bubblegum
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