I have two major problems in learning Welsh. The worst is that, whereas I can usually Say Something in Welsh, the prospects of actually understanding what someone else is saying are remote. Despite ‘advancing’ to Level 3, I can’t even comprehend fairly simple spoken sentences in Level 2 without lengthy pauses and repetition. And I’m giving myself a generous allowance for dullness.
The second problem is distinguishing the variety of ‘not’s. Should I say ‘so’ as in so fe (it’s not) or ‘nag’ as in ‘nag’n’nhw’ (that they are not) or should I give’ dwy ddim’ (it’s not) a fling.? Where does’ sai’ (I do not) come into the story? Or should I just preface any negative sentence with ‘does dim’ and a sad shake of the head?
problem number one, from my experience, it’s just a matter of listening practice. With any language, really: when went to England for the first time after studying English for 9 years in school, I could understand almost nothing of what people said.
But after two weeks constantly trying to communicate, and having no other chance since nobody spoke Italian, I could understand maybe 30% more than when I had arrived.
Of course same in Wales, but after studying 6 months with SSiW before going there - so much quicker!
Then again I have the impression of not understanding anything, then again a lot…it kinda goes up and down a bit, but every time it’s a bit better.
My favourite ways of practising listening is:
listening to songs with lyrics
watching S4C with and without subtitles
audio books+books (like those by Colin Jones)
I’m starting to enjoy/understand radio more now, but for a long time I could only get scattered words!
For the variety of not’s, I’ll leave it to the grammar experts.
Well I would say it’s good news on the ‘which not to choose’ front because in this aspect of the conversation you are totally in control
The main reasons for the variations in SSIW is so that they don’t throw you when someone else uses them in conversation. You, on the other hand can pick your favourite and stick to it!
If you are able to have Welsh conversations in your area it probably makes sense to line up with what people use around you but at the end of the day, something you feel comfortable with initially, is always a good choice as others will understand you regardless.
The ‘sa’ and ‘so’ thing is very ‘south and west’ - but the people who use it tend to use it all the time (it is actually quite short and neat once you’ve got your head around it!).
So it’s a classic example of where, even when you’re Welsh listening skills were otherwise perfect - if the variant wasn’t covered - you’d miss half their conversation!
I agree with what @gisella-albertini has said on the listening practice side - in some ways speaking and listening skills are quite distinct - and develop at different speeds depending how much you practice each.
However if you are on level 3, you are rocking and rolling!!
Have you tried listening to Deg Y Dysgwyr in the Advanced listening?..these are not too fast with people who are comparatively recent listeners. Worth a go…remembering that understanding what someone else chooses to say in a language has got to be the hardest part…and therefore probably the bit that will take the most practice and take a bit longer…
