Started learning Welsh because my girlfriend is from north wales and it’s her preferred language. Decided lockdown would be a good time to start and i’m really enjoying learning it. Did the first week on duolingo which helped with some sentences/vocab/grammar but doesn’t really get you talking in it all, so thought I would try this to actually get my brain moving fast enough.
I’ve got another week of isolation to see how much I can learn on here before I’ll be distracted by people again.
Hello, I’m Sara and I’ve lived in north Wales all my life. Although, I studied Welsh in school, I didn’t continue to learn or use it after leaving school. The local community were not Welsh speaking so I didn’t bother but I have wanted to learn for a long time now. So far this course is great and I’m really enjoying it.
Hello, I’m very pleased to read many of these posts. I’ve completed day 5 today of say 1 sentence and will wait for my next email. I’ve been doing some Duolingo and though it has whet my appetite I agree it doesn’t really give you confidence to speak.
As with others on here, we were positively discouraged from taking Welsh at school (admittedly many years ago). I’ve decided to try and have some fluency by my 70th birthday as my great nephews have started Welsh medium education and I volunteer at WMC. So bring it on😊
Hello from North Carolina, US. I’m new and excited to attempt to learn to speak Welsh. I wanted to use my enforced home time during the Covid 19 outbreak to do something useful. I hope when this quarantine is over I can use the Welsh on a trip there. Thank you for the opportunity to learn it.
*Well, it’s fun. I’ve just done the first five sentences. I had a Welsh girlfriend for a while and she drilled some Welsh into me but I’ve forgotten most of it. I also had to sing Calon Lan in Welsh at a funeral in Ceredigion - I managed, just, but it made me think I need a lot more. I can’t be the only one who likes hearing Welsh hymns / feels shut out from Welsh conversation in a pub Andy
[Mind now blown after trying Challenge 1 with no pause buton - OK but pushing the envelope ]
Hi, my name is Colin. I’ve always wanted to learn to speak Welsh it was something my father always wanted his children to do. I once tried audio tapes but as there was no translation I got lost and gave up. So far I’m finding this easier than I expected because it’s easy to follow. Don’t get me wrong though, I’m still struggling to remember the right words
Second day and just getting a grip, my mum is from a small village in North Wales but never spoke Welsh and she grew up in the 40’s/50’s. Always loved Wales and a frequent visitor every year and feel a part of it so over the years i have been trying to decipher road signs and any other signs and finally learning the alphabet and pronunciation.
Dwi isio dysgu siarad Cymraeg achos dwi’n caru Cymru!
Hello! Sorry is this is the wrong place for it but…
Only up to challenge 3 so far and have found that listening to the challenges 3 times works for me. (Loving it.) 1st time I have to have the vocab screen open so that I can see the words, I must use visual learning more than I thought! Run through 1 is like ‘I’ll never remember this, panic!’ Run through 2 (no vocab) is better and have cracked it by the 3rd attempt. The problem I’m having though, isn’t remembering the Welsh, but remembering the English sentence I’m supposed to be translating! Any top tips?
That’s a problem a lot of us have had!
Although maybe not so much of a problem, if we say something in Welsh which corresponds to what we think the English sentence might have been. A bit like ordinary conversation really - sometimes we mishear what someone has said and respond to what we think they’ve said rather than what they’ve actually said. There’s the difference with the challenges that we’re trying to repeat in Welsh rather than respond to what’s said, but the principle’s the same(-ish )
Hi!
I’ve really enjoyed my first few learning experiences and found them surprisingly easy to follow and being told to embrace your mistakes is such a good feeling! I’ve loved practising what I’ve learned with my partner (who is a first language speaker) and I’m still surprised how I’ve picked it up so quickly!
How does the whole Live video chat things work? I read it somewhere when I signed up, although I Don’t think I’m ready for one yet but would like to join in very soon!
Hollie x
Hi Hollie, glad you’re getting on so well
The live chats are done through two groups - there is the 6/6 group (only for people on the structured courses) and the WSP (Welsh Speaking Practice) group (open to anyone), both through Slack. They both work by giving a platform for people to make 1-to-1 calls or join group chats and it’s all very relaxed - absolutely any level of Welsh is welcome (so yes, you are more ready than you think! ) and people are very patient and encouraging, so it’s a great way to practise your Welsh.
If you’re signed up to either the 6-minute-a-day course or the 6-month course, you should already have been given access to the 6/6 group. If you want to join the WSP group too, just send an email to admin@saysomethingin.com for an invite.
Thank you so much!
I’m not very good technically wise but I’ve emailed them to get an invite to the video chat as I’m subscribed to the 6 minute a day course.
Thank you so for your help! I think I might just go for it and join the first one I can then!
Bore da bawb, I only started SSI Welsh a few days ago. This is not my first attempt at learning the language as I have attended formal evening classes. However, some health issues, a bereavement and moving house resulted in my missing a huge amount of learning. Not attending classes regularly is a serious drawback to learning so I decided to follow another route - this one! I want to go back to basics and start all over again so that I can build my knowledge at my own pace and, hopefully, let it sink in to this ageing brain of mine. I am retired, live in Llandaff, Cardiff and am learning Welsh because, as a passionate Welshman, I want to feel part of that wider Welsh society. Will I ever be someone who ‘speaks Welsh’? I don’t know, as the memory plays little tricks on us as we get older, but I’ll certainly give it a go.
Hi, well I have taken the plunge and I am going to begin / “try” and learn the language whilst we are in this lock down period and working from home. My name is Kevin I am 53, have always wanted to speak Welsh because I feel the “need” to, I have done really ever since I can remember. I have many friends that speak welsh from the west, but being a Rhondda Valley boy I didn’t get the opportunity as a child , apart from singing and the odd phrases. I MUST learn.
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) and people are very patient and encouraging, so it’s a great way to practise your Welsh.
