Hi Lorna. Is it 10 months already?! Wow! Yes, I can confirm that I’m still happily bonkers and making slow but steady progress with my Welsh learning! I hope you are feeling similarly encouraged 4 months on?..
Last week I completed the final lesson of course 3 (after first doing level 3). I really enjoyed combining the high intensity of the levels with the more structured, repetitive approach of the old courses, and likewise, the fast pace of the accelerated listening exercises with the more in-depth ‘old’ vocab units (great for revision too).
As I really rushed through both level 3 and course 3, I’m now going to revisit every 5th lesson of these, maybe at 1.5-2x speed, and maybe some of level 2 and the vocab units whilst waiting for the new advanced material (very excited about that!!). I’d really like to start reading and speaking more too, but that’s less easy to combine with other activities than playing ssiw in the background (living abroad with 4 kids and working adds to the challenge!). In the meantime I’ll continue to do some other Welsh-related activity every day e.g. Duolingo, listening to radio Cymru etc… And then next year I hope to get some real immersion to boost my speaking skills (and confidence), e.g. a long weekend staying with first-language or fluent speakers or maybe even a bwtcamp!..
I am coming back to the forum after a long absence and I am going to start with Level 1. I was wondering why the old course is still on the website if the Levels are an improved version.
Yes, the Levels are better for learning than the old course. Still, many people like to keep the old material too because it has additional useful vocabulary, and we sometimes like to go back and use the old lessons for a change.
If you are starting again, then I think that you are right to use the Levels.
Because even though there are very few people who start there, we’ve got lots and lots of learners who are very attached to them, and who have (in large numbers) threatened us with pointy things if we ever actually delete them entirely…
The old courses are still useful and very useful if you’re learning with a normal night school course as well. I don’t have a pointy thing Aran but I do own a hurl, be warned.
I just finished level 1 and started Course 1 just to see the difference. I am really happy with the vocabulary I am learning. It is also enjoyable to use the extra lessons (months, numbers and so on) and it is improving my Welsh. So I am quite glad they are still there!
Ingrid…it is encouraging to know that I’m not the only one who has been battling for years (8+!!!) I got to 13in the old course…stopped for a time and started again. I’ve also done Level 1up to 13 twice but although I have moved on to 14, 12 &13 haven’t stuck. I haven’t given up but it is frustrating,
I’m no expert, but I’d definitely move on. You’ll prob come across the material again later in the course. Even if not, its probably something thats causing you grief and wont be stopping you from actually speaking Welsh.
That’s partly because you’ve only just done them - moving on not just to 14, but to 15, 16, 17, 18 etc is what you need for the spaced repetition to work…
Hello Kathrin
On Android operating system it seems to be one speed but on my iPhone 6 you can get 1/2 speed and all speeds up to double speed which can be useful but because I tend to repeat the challenges I stick to normal speed
Are the old Course materials still available anywhere? I can’t see them on my app?
(I’m onto level 3 and terrified at the prospect of running out of SSiW content one day ).
I studied the old course, only because it was a few years ago and the new challenges weren’t complete at the time.
There is some great stuff in them; notably short forms of verbs, which are quite normal with native speakers. Also the challenges 24 and 25 of each level are a great summary of patterns.
However, the old course was slightly harder going than the Challenges, so try not to get a head ache with the speed of learning.
I’d probably leave them until after completing the three levels of challenges and then perhaps do a whistle tour through them before going on to the advanced content.
I’m in a similar position, on Level 3 Challenge 19, and wondering what to do next. I must admit I’ve found much of Level 3 so far a bit more difficult than the previous Levels, so I thought I’d do the old course (hopefully fairly quickly, having already done the new) and then do Level 3 New again. It sounds good in theory; I hope it works out as planned in actual practice. Anyway, you’re not alone. Keep at it!
That’s what I did Terry. I found the old course a brilliant follow up to the new one. I then planned on repeating level 3 but actually repeated from level 1 challenge 12 on, and found it helpful to go over it again. I’m now at the end of my repeat of level 3, and wondering what to do next! Wondering whether to try the northern course, or if it’ll confuse me.
Thanks. Am I right in thinking that it will be relatively easy and quick to do the old course, having already done the new one, or is that just wishful thinking? Also, did you find Level 3 New a bit easier the second time around after a bit of a break?
I’m doing the North course (being from North Wales originally), having completed the Duolingo Welsh course twice before discovering SSIW. It seems to me that Duolingo is heavily biased in favour of South Wales speak, and I survived the switch, so I don’t think you should find it too confusing. The main differences seem to me to be vocabulary, and there aren’t that many words that are different. Anyway, just give Gog a go. You can always change to something else if you find it confuses you. But, having said that, I’m not sure what else there is after Level 3.
I hope you are feeling similarly encouraged 4 months on?..
