Hi,
Does anyone know when to use or what the difference between ‘dw i’n dwli ar’ and ‘dw i’n caru’ as both seem to mean ‘I love’? e.g Dw i’n caru hoffi teledu.
Thanks,
Andrew
Dwli is more of ‘to dote on’ / ‘go foolish over’ . Caru is the more direct ‘to love’. They can be interchangeable in some contexts, but not all!
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I was once told that Welsh speakers don’t use caru in the casual way that English speakers do with love - “I love a choclolate biscuit with my tea!” - but maybe it’s one of those things that has changed in recent decades as the power of English language popular culture (and hyperbole) has increased.
I’d like to think that the use of lyfio by the younger generations is a result of a cultural reluctance to use caru in a casual manner, but that’s probably just wishful thinking.
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thanks both …
so “I love a chocolate biscuit with my tea!” would require use of “dwli ar” as its more casual? not heard of “lyfio” …
yes, that’s a perfect example.
Another expression you might hear that can be loosley translated as ‘love’ in this sort of context is “wrth fy modd” - e.g. dwi wrth fy modd yn dysgu Cymraeg (I love learning Welsh). Handily, that one can also be used for things like the English expressions “in my element” or “over the moon”.
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Yes for some reason Wrth fy modd feels right to me, but takes a bit of confidence catching the correct form of bodd for dy ein etc without hesitating. Obviously I’d never admit to it here, but under pressure, I’ve been known to resort to rili lico or similar sacrileges. So, for loving a thing, such as tsiocaled/chocolate, is it OK to put the noun straight after the word modd?
Or should it be …modd gyda/efo tsiocaled?
yes John, you’d need a gyda/efo in there for it to make sense 
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Common amongst first language speakers, as you probably know, so not really a sacrilege at all.
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