A common phrase that many Welsh learners start out with is dw i’n hoffi coffi (I like coffee) since a lot of people are amused by the fact that it rhymes. It certainly makes it easier to remember!
Coffi is a masculine noun. It can be pluralised, and the plural form is coffïau or, informally, coffis. You don’t hear these too often though because when counting in Welsh, the singular form of the noun is used, so Can I have two coffees?, for instance, is Ga i ddau goffi?
coffi
coffee
Coffi in Welsh is obviously borrowed from coffee in English, but how did it get to English in the first place? Well, it was a rather long journey. The root is the Arabic qahwa, but it had to pass through Ottoman Turkish kahve, Italian caffè, and Dutch koffie before finally reaching little old Britain.
Interestingly, in the 18th century, there was an attempt to create a ‘native’ word for coffi in Welsh, resulting in crasddadrwydd. This never caught on – I can’t think why…
Easier just to stick, like the rest of the world, with coffi, a word which in countless languages refers to both the beloved ffa coffi (coffee beans) that grow ar y llwyn coffi (on the coffee plant), as well as to the rich, caffeinated diod (drink) that can be made by roasting and malu (crushing) those ffa before trwytho (infusing) them in dŵr poeth (hot water).
Soft mutation
goffi
Nasal mutation
nghoffi
Aspirate mutation
choffi
Coffi grows in over seventy different gwledydd (countries), with the biggest producer being Brasil (Brazil). It first reached Prydain (Britain) and therefore Cymru (Wales) in the 17th century but was usurped by the popularity of te (tea) a couple of centuries later, although it may now be reclaiming the top spot.
Initially, one of the things that attracted many consumers to coffi (coffee) was that it was thought to be very iachus (healthy). Today research on the effects of coffi on the corff (body) and iechyd (health) is inconclusive – tentatively, there do seem to be some benefits, particularly for the calon (heart), but it can worsen gorbryder (anxiety) and may be unsafe during beichiogrwydd (pregnancy).
Of course, if you drink your coffi with a lot of llaeth (milk) and siwgr (sugar) like I do then all of this is probably irrelevant as the coffi itself is negligible!
Cer i ofyn i Sioned a yw hi isie bisged gyda’i choffi.
Go and ask Sioned if she wants a biscuit with her coffee.
Interestingly, in Cymru specifically, the importance of the eglwys (church) as a cornerstone of culture and community may have contributed to the poblogrwydd (popularity) of the drink – the movement for dirwest (temperance) meant that eglwys-based boreau coffi (coffee mornings) were popular as social events since coffi could serve as a sort of stand-in for diodydd meddwol (alcoholic drinks).
Verbs that you might want to pair with coffi include:
- yfed = to drink
- rhostio / crasu = to roast
- prynu = to drink
- gwneud = to make / to brew
- paratoi = to prepare
I am quite lazy and usually go for coffi parod (instant coffee), but those who are more particular about their brew might prefer to use a peiriant coffi (coffee machine) or a caffetier (cafetière /French press) to paratoi their caffeine hit in the bore (morning).
It all depends what kind of coffi you like to yfed; simple coffi du (black coffee) or coffi gwyn (coffee with milk) is easy enough to paratoi in various different ways, but a peiriant may be necessary if you like proper espresso, or more complicated diodydd (drinks) such as coffi iâ (iced coffee).
Most espresso-based drinks have names that come from Eidaleg (Italian) so you won’t need to worry about learning a new version in Cymraeg (Welsh). Sometimes a different spelling might be kicking around, like moca for mocha, but you’ll probably see various versions on menus from one siop goffi (coffee shop) to the next.
‘Nes i adael fy llyfr ar y bwrdd coffi yn y gegin.
I left my book on the coffee table in the kitchen.
By the way, you can call a cwpan o goffi (cup of coffee) a paned (cuppa), but unless it’s already clear from context you mean coffi, people might assume you’re talking about te (tea). Paned o goffi is specific while still sounding more casual and fun than cwpan o goffi.
My last word of advice about coffi is that when you’re expressing your fondness for the drink, don’t just limit yourself to the classic dw i’n hoffi coffi.
Yes, the rhyme is fun, but variety is the spice of life! Dwi i’n licio coffi (I like coffee), dw i’n hoff iawn o goffi (I really like coffee), and dw i’n dwlu ar goffi (I love coffee) are all great options.
