Croeso! Welcome to 1 sentence in Welsh - how is it going for you?

Welsh General / Questions
#766

Hello! I was born in Dinbych-y-Pysgod, unfortunately Welsh was not taught in our schools when I was growing up there. My mother and sister taught themselves Welsh and did their best with me, but I didn’t get very far. I moved to Canada 25 years ago, but want to move back to Wales soon. My Canadian husband and I follow all the club and international rugby and occasionally get to see games on S4C with commentary in Welsh. We are both determined to learn! Tried Duolingo and I think for writing and reading, it is good, but for speaking and listening I think this is better. Doing both now! Love the positivity of SSiW! Diolch!

Jill

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#767

Haia. Pip dwi a dwi wedi bod dysgu Cymraeg ers talwn! I live in north Wales, in a Welsh speaking community and want to improve my conversational skills. I have had taught lessons, which I enjoyed, but find this much more relevant. My partner is first language Welsh and says I speak “book” Welsh and not how people really speak. I like the way you just dive in and the dreaded mutations are not mentioned, just thrown in. Diolch yn fawr!

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#768

Croeso! Great, you will have a good understanding and practical experience already, so just a matter of fine tuning to a more colloquial way of speaking with your partner and neighbours.

The stuff you already know will be a great help to why you are saying various things.

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#769

Hello from Sydney everyone! I want to learn Welsh to honour my forebears (great, great grandfather David Williams with his wife and four sons), who came to Australia in December, 1852, all the way from Brynmawr. I think they probably came to look for their fortune on the Victorian goldfields, but ended up mining for coal in Newcastle here in New South Wales, just as they had back in Wales. Their courage in travelling to the other side of the world - and surviving against the odds - makes me very proud. Also, I think it’s likely that they only spoke Welsh when they arrived, which will have made life here even more difficult. So it’s time for their great, great grand-daughter to “dysgu siarad” the language of our ancestors. I hope I’m up to the challenge . . .

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#770

I went to university in Cardiff and then returned to work in Wales three years after finishing uni back in the 90s. Encouraged by some Welsh-speaking friends, I did an evening class and a couple of Sadwrn siarads though not a lot really. Eventually I moved to London and lost touch with the language. Earlier this year, with not a lot going on in terms of work because of the pandemic, I was looking for something to fill my spare time and noticed that the usual Cardiff Uni summer course was online. I wasn’t sure if I’d need to do entry level but did a bit of reading to refresh my memory and was able to join the foundation course which was about 120 (I think) hours over six weeks. I started the intermediate course in September and have found it a bit tricky motivation-wise as it’s just four hours on a Friday so a bit of a culture shock after the intensity of the summer. Obviously living in London isn’t ideal for practice either although I now have an online chat buddy through the Uni’s Siarad scheme which helps. The main thing I’m trying to do now is build up vocabulary as a lot of the basic sentence structures are there. I’m also trying to watch one or two programmes on S4C each day as sometimes I find listening difficult… especially if the person is speaking fast or is from the north. I guess my main motivations are that I like Wales and want the language to survive and prosper. Also I’ve always wanted to learn a language but because of work etc I’ve never been able to commit to any traditional evening class in the past.

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#771

It promises to be helpful

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#772

Hello! I am new here and looking forward to learning with you all. We’re hoping to move to Wales later this year!

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#773

Maggie dw i! I’m 72, and can’t believe I’ve waited this long to try and learn Welsh! My Mum was born in Dolgellau, and did speak at least some Welsh, but she wouldn’t teach me when I was small as she wanted to be able to gossip with her friends without me understanding. My Dad came from London, and I was born and brought up in North Harrow.

The highlights of my year were the weeks I spent at Easter and in the summer hols with my Grandparents in Dolgellau. I loved the countryside, the views, the seaside (Barmouth and Fairbourne usually) and to be able to roam in the wood behind my Grandparents house. Mum would put me on the train in Paddington Station, and ask the guard to keep an eye on me. After my first solo journey when my Grandparents met me in Ruabon I managed the whole journey, even changing trains, on my own. I guess I would have been about age 8 at that point! Can’t imagine any parent doing that these days!

We moved to West Kirby when I was 13, and my Grandparents followed us, so that was mostly the end of my times in Wales for a while. As soon as I was old enough to leave home at 21 (it wasn’t 18 back in those days! LOL) I moved to a flat in Liverpool. And I’ve lived in Liverpool ever since.

I married a man whose parents had a caravan and a boat near Abersoch, so holidays in Wales were back on the agenda. We still have a caravan on the same site, but it’s a lot more comfortable than that first one that I visited nearly 50 years ago! Back then it was dig a pit as soon as you arrived for disposal of the contents of the Elsan (chemical toilet) that was in the shed behind the caravan.

Nowadays we have running water and central heating, and are attached to the local sewage system. So all mod cons! Including TV, phone and internet - we spend a lot of time there in normal times. In 2020 we had to leave twice to come back home, and I don’t know when we’ll be allowed to go back to Wales again. Fingers crossed we’ll be back for the Summer.

The other day someone on Twitter asked about good places to learn a new language. I’ve been trying to learn Welsh via Duolingo since last Spring, so mentioned it. Had a couple of Tweets back to suggest I came here to learn - I think the mix of listening and speaking here, and the grammar (now that really does my head in!) on DL etc will be good for me.

Really looking forward to getting back to Wales to practise speaking to some of the local people - it’s a strong Welsh Language village for the locals, though has many second homes.

Sorry this is so long! :hugs: from Liverpool

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#774

Shwmae, Marc dwi. I am new here, I can speak very limited Welsh but desperate to learn our language. I was born in Aberdare, brought up in Merthyr and still live here although I do work over the border in England as a Nurse for the NHS.

I have heard really great things about this course/method of learning so thought I would give it a try. I have also picked up a digital subscription to lingo newydd which I heard is good for learners. As I say I am fully willing to throw myself into this and learn to speak/read/write in Welsh. Nice to meet you all! :slight_smile:

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#775

I am yet to do day 2, going to do it after work this evening but I just had a sneak peak at the vocabulary, and, from what I learnt yesterday how does this sound?

dwi moyn dysgu siarad cymraeg achos dwi caru

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#776

Thank you @Debora-Louise and @jill-ramsay for your welcoming messages. :grinning:

I just completed Lesson 5, and my hair is still in place, though I did have to take a break half way through! I now find myself wandering around the house chatting to myself about how much I love Wales, and how much I want to learn to speak Welsh! :rofl:

Have to say that I’ve found the lessons I’ve done so far have been hard going, but not in a bad way I hasten to add. I sit here trying to remember the words, and rolling my eyes upwards in a (useless!) attempt to read them off somewhere in my brain! :roll_eyes: :upside_down_face: :slightly_smiling_face: :rofl: But I do get the feeling that this stuff is going in, other than I can never get the pronunciation right for I want (dw i eisiau). Just takes more time - I’m determined to get it correct more often than not! :slightly_smiling_face:

I think I’m going to explore the forum rather more than I’ve done so far. I’m keen to continue, but with Lockdown and so on I’m not sure now is quite the time to commit. I have limited cognitive abilities, and often have difficulties finding words in English, let alone Welsh! One of the “benefits” of having ME/CFS.

So suspect I’ll take a break after what has been a hard working week Welsh-wise, but will hopefully be back. Can’t wait to get back to our caravan in Wales and chat with some kind Welsh speakers who I hope will correct me when I get things wrong. :smiley:

I’ve definitely enjoyed this approach to learning Welsh.

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#777

Ok, ready for lesson 5! I have learnt more Welsh in these last few days than I have ever managed to before! I love this course!

Dwi moyn dysgu siarad cymraeg achos dwi caru cymru a dwi moyn yr iaith cymraeg parhau!

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#778

I have just joined this forum and completed my first week. I am from a welsh background and have wanted to learn for a long time so here I am. I am really enjoying this approach to learning welsh and look forward to learning much more and taking part in this community. Diolch

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#779

Hi!

I’m revisiting Welsh and really enjoying it! Back in the mid-90’s I was an Erasmus exchange student in Lampeter (from Sweden) and did some Welsh credits. I’m actually a language teacher (in Scotland) nowadays, so I’m getting general language learning and teaching inspiration too. Diolch yn fawr!

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#780

I will be starting an online course to learn Welsh next week so am trying to understand a few of the basics first. It’s great to find a forum to support the journey.

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#781

Dw’in mwynhau y cwrs. Dw I wedi bod yn dysgu Cymraeg am sawl fflwyddin ond does dim Hyder da fi i siarad Cymraeg atta pawn arall. I’m not even sure if what I just said makes sense. I would love to continue as not only do the practice sessions help but also the videos

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#782

Hello :slight_smile:
This is my very first day on SSIW and I find it very interesting :slight_smile:
I’m French so learning Welsh through English. This is challenging because my brain is sometimes making knots (that is a French idiom if you were wondering but sometimes the struggle is real :stuck_out_tongue: ).
My maternal grand-mother was Welsh, met my French grand-father and married him in the Isle of Wight during World War II and came back in France with him.
I still have family in Northern Wales in the area of Rhyl and I wish to meet them one day AND being able to speak Welsh with them :slight_smile: Or at least try :wink: I’m on a mission :slight_smile:

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#783

Bonjour, Benedict.
Welcome to the forum.

You will be fine. I think there are some French speakers on the forum and possibly Breton /Brezhoneg as well as Italian, Spanish and German speakers, so you will fit straight in.

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#784

I learnt Welsh briefly as a child. Forgotten it all!
My parents both came from the Swansea Bay region - and many Welsh speakers in the past!
My father frown the Mumbles and my mother from Briton Ferry.

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#785

Welcome Adrian. That’s where I live. Skewen, just up from Britton Ferry. I am linked with a cycle track :smiley: