Out of all the myriad good reasons that there are to learn a new language, the one that’s perhaps most important is simply that you find it diddorol (interesting). Without that, no matter how disciplined you are, you’ll seriously struggle to keep up the motivation to go on learning!
diddorol
interesting
I chose this adjective to write about for today’s word because out of this word family, it’s the one that most people will use most often. But the older form of the word is actually the verb, diddori (to interest). Didori itself comes from an even older verb, darbod, which meant something similar. Darbod probably ultimately originates from the same root as the word deuruot (to wish), which is recorded in middle Breton.
Let’s look at how diddorol could mutate:
Soft mutation
ddiddorol
Nasal mutation
niddorol
Aspirate mutation
N/A
As is the case with many words, not all of the mutations that are technically possible are commonly observed. This is true of the nasal mutation of diddorol.
We still give them, though, for two reasons. Firstly, it’s to help you familiarise yourself with the patterns of how different initials letters mutate.
Secondly, different forms of the word might still be subject to that mutation. In this case, an example would be fy niddordeb (my interest), a mutation of diddordeb, which is diddorol’s noun form.
The soft mutation of diddorol, on the other hand, is most definitely one that you’ll see and use a lot – not least in the adverbial form yn ddiddorol (interestingly), or in any case where you are describing something as interesting, as in mae’n ddiddorol (it’s interesting). You also need to use it when describing feminine nouns, so an interesting woman is dynes ddiddorol, whereas an interesting man is dyn diddorol.
It’s easy to trip over the two successive dd sounds; try repeating it a few times in a mirror until you get the hang of it!
Dw i’n gweld hynny’n ddiddorol iawn.
I find that very interesting.
Diddorol is a word we use when something codi awydd (causes eagerness / causes a desire) in us to gwybod (know) or deall (understand) more about it. It’s a fairly unique word in Welsh; it doesn’t have any perfect synonyms that mean exactly the same thing. Some similar adjectives, however, include:
- cyfareddol = fascinating
- annisgwyl = unexpected
- gafaelgar = gripping
- difyr = entertaining
- rhyfedd = strange
- cyffrous = exciting, also excited
- nodedig = noteworthy, also noted
And you can always add variety by simply being more emphatic. For example, diddorol could become diddorol iawn (very interesting) or hynod o ddiddorol (extremely interesting).
Two more adjectives that aren’t synonyms of diddorol, but that are useful to learn at the same time as it, are chwilfrydig and anniddorol.
The former means curious – since chwilfrydedd (curiosity) is surely the natural result of coming across a ffaith (fact) or digwyddiad (happening) that one finds to be diddorol.
The latter, anniddorol, is our word of the day’s antonym, uninteresting. A very common synonym which you may have already encountered is diflas (boring).
Mae diddordeb mawr yng ngwleidyddiaeth gyda fi.
I have a strong interest in politics.
I mentioned earlier the noun and verb forms of the word, diddordeb and diddori. Let’s now discuss them in a bit more depth.
Diddordeb is particularly important in Welsh because it’s one of the most common ways which people translate hobby. (The other options are difyrrwch, which really means amusement, or simply borrowing hobi from the English). So the phrase fy niddordeb which I mentioned earlier could mean my interest or my hobby.
Diddordeb is a masculine noun, with the plural diddordebau.
Here are some more expressions which rely on diddordeb or diddorii:
- cymryd diddordeb = to take an interest
- ymddiddori = to take an interest
- colli diddordeb = to lose interest
- diddori rhywun yn… = to interest someone in…
- ennyn diddordeb rhywun yn = to interest someone in…
- o ran ddiddordeb = out of interest
- diddordeb cyffredinol = public interest
Can you use one of these three words – diddorol, diddordeb, and diddori – in a sentence to tell us about something that’s o ddiddordeb i chi (of interest to you), or that you think is diddorol?
