On the grandmother theme, one of mine would use ‘leave’ and ‘let’ similarly to each other but the other way round. As a child, if I had pestered some poor creature I would be told to ‘let it alone’ or even ‘let it be’, which brings in your ‘sydd’, too!
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Snap!! But more on the lines of her objecting to my never ending “Why?” about everything!!! I didn’t have any creatures to pester, except the rabbits raised for food…(war baby mailing!)!
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This is a great sign that you’re testing your own limits, and moving faster than you would be doing if you weren’t putting yourself under this kind of pressure 
And as Margaret says, you’ve done a HUGE amount in 4 months, so you should be feeling hugely proud of yourself 
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Hi all
I’m feeling kind of deflated. I’m REALLY struggling with the Course 2 (Northern) Vocabs. For the first time since I began learning, back in March, I’ve actually missed quite a few days study. Just finding it so difficult , I actually CAN’T remember quite a lot of the vocab words although I’ve struggled up to Vocab 5. The last 2 Vocabs especially, it’s all a blur, I’ve no idea what I was listening to! How can I get my mojo back? I feel as though my brain is so fogged up with trying to grasp the Vocabs that I’m forgetting everything else I’ve learned too. Any advice greatly appreciated.
Try doing the last lesson of Course 1. Just completing something you know and are confident in (and comparing it to how you were when you started!) can really help with a motivation boost.
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Thanks Rachel. I did lesson 17 of Course 2 today, as you suggest - just to see if I knew ANYTHING from when I could do it, those happy days …sob. I could do it. But it isn’t progress is it. I’m really disliking my current Cymraeg Brain Fog.
Although it may not be the true SSiW way, I like to write down the words I learn in each lesson. I attempt to spell them on my own first, then I type my attempt into Google translate and see if it’s right, if not I try again. I always use translate Cymraeg -> English. The process of writing and figuring out the spelling seems to fix individual words in my head, then I use the lessons to learn how those words slot together to form sentences. Might be worth a shot?
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Shwmae Ruth,
You could regard it as consolidation.
However, if you are getting a bit fed up of the Course 2 vocabs, maybe you could try something completely different for a while, like watching some fun TV shows on S4C, giving yourself permission to use subtitles if you wish 
(Just checked your profile to see if you are in the UK and should have access (at least via Clic), and I see you are, and have an ambition to live in Anglesey. In that case I might have suggested “Rownd a Rownd”, (made in Menai Bridge), but unfortunately, they are on their summer break until Mis Medi, I believe (can’t wait for them to come back, myself). My thinking here is that you’ll get access to a whole lot of different vocabulary in the (semi!) wild. You don’t need to worry about trying to learn the new words you come across in that way. Just take it as it comes and some will stick. And with a bit of luck, you might spot some “SSiW vocabulary words”, and you can give yourself a pat on the back for each one you recognise.
Pob lwc a hwyl,
Mike.
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Diolch yn fawr iawn Rachel & Mike. Yes Rachel, I agree that a good way to ‘fix’ words is to look them up once you have heard the correct pronunciation a few times. That is something I’ve let slip in doing the Vocabs, as I don’t have the written Vocab words downloaded as you can with the Course Words. I’m struggling to remember what words I covered in order to look them up!(I do my lessons out walking the dog). I must try to look them up as it does really help to see them on paper.
Yes Mike, I am looking forward to the return of ‘Rownd a Rownd’ . I can’t catch a lot of it but it’s enjoyable anyway!
Thanks for your encouragement both. You’re extremely kind.
Shwmae Ruth
I’m afraid I’m “guilty” with Rachel of writing words down, but ONLY for the vocabs (I’m on Course One Southern vocabs).
For the course itself, I religiously followed the SSi way of NOT writing anything down, because I can see the sense of it - I’m personally a bit of a junkie for the written word, so I could so easily become hung up on it.
BUT, I’ve found that the vocabs are a slightly different ball game, and (as you have found) it’s so difficult to remember all these new words that are thrown at you. So, for what it’s worth, here’s how I do it… I write down the new words (phonetically, so that I don’t get hung up on spelling) on a piece of card. I carry the card in my pocket when I take the hen gi for his daily walk, and I practice the new words out loud, incorporating them into sentences, and talking to myself. It really works.
(It’s a good thing I live in a rural area where there’s few people about when I take Gizmo for his walk, otherwise I’d have the Men In White Coats following me in no time!!)
Don’t despair, you’re certainly not alone in getting immersed in these Brain Fogs and feeling occasionally overwhelmed. Press on and have faith that the fog will clear. :Pob lwc!
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Shwmae Gavin
Thanks so much for your good advice. I really do think it will help if I write the words down. I am always careful to hear them several times before checking how they look, but yourself and Rachel have reminded me really that this is the missing element. It does work for me to match what i’m hearing with what it looks like. I wish we could download the vocab words! I must sit down today and go through the vocabs and copy them out.
Diolch yn fawr iawn
I have a problem if I learn two things at the same time!! I always had it!! 2 new people, remember both names, cannot put correct name to either!! (One had red hair and the other was tall & dark!) So, if I learn two words, I come out with the wrong one so often I want to scream!!
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Ruth, instead of switching to a reading approach, I’d encourage you to leave the vocabs for the time being, and to move on to Level 1.
The vocabs aren’t particularly well-written - or, if you want to be kind, you might say that they were how I found out about the limitations of a vocab-heavy approach for SSi. They’re also not all that important - you’ll fill in the vast majority of what you need from them just by getting yourself into conversations.
Level 1 takes you on to the new (better) material, and will also have some nice moments of familiarity for you, while easing you into the short forms - so I think that’s where you’ll do best for now
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Diolch Aran. I am grateful for permission to swerve the Vocabs! I wouldn’t be too hard on yourself about the Vocabs in general. I flew through the ones at the end of Course 1, with none of my current difficulties. I think for Vocabs Course 2 it’s the combination of new words + much more complicated sentence structures that have really mashed my head! I shall start Level 1 as you suggest…you have always been right so far!
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I’ve completed lesson 1&2 of Level 1 and of course, apart from some occasional different/new things it is lovely to do because i know most of it already! One thing though…is it possible to have a link to download the course content? I only use it AFTER I’m completely comfortable with pronunciation, but I’ve always found it useful to have in the old courses. By knowing how words sound first, then later seeing how they look it seems to really cement it for me.
I agree with Ruth’s comments, @aran. I really do think you are being too hard on yourself here. I can only speak for myself, but I’ve personally found the vocabs very useful, interesting and relevant. I’m about three-quarters of the way through the Southern Course One vocabs at the moment, and am really enjoying them. (Well, I’ve really enjoyed the whole course, apart from Lesson 25!!). Pob hwyl.
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I agree with GavinM. I found the Vocab sections very useful and relevant, but it is unrealistic to expect to have 100% recall. There are just so many words. But I did find that when I heard some of those words later in real conversation, I had some passive recollection, which helped cement my learning.
Maybe the best way to use the vocabs would be something like
- go through the lessons
- try to use your favorite amongst the words (for me I fell in love with sylweddoli immediately – don’t know why)
- speak and listen as much as possible
- go back to the final wrapup vocab lesson after a month or so and see which words have gotten stuck in in the meantime.
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Craig, I can’t see a link for the Level 1 course words, only the old Course 1& 2 course words which ive already got.?
Diolch yn fawr iawn Jeff. Thanks for that. Yes perhaps I have expected too much! As I said I found the Vocabs after Course 1 not difficult at all and they just seemed to gel much quicker. Perhaps, I should try your approach with the Course 2 Vocabs. I’ve started Level 1 as Aran suggested and I hope to move through it fairly well so I may leave the Vocab completely til I finish the Level 1 and then have another stab at it!
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