On the other hand, I just tried lessons 24-25 of Course 3 speeded up today, without taking a run-up or doing any stretches first (so to speak) and it was brutal. I think it’s going to be worthwhile going back and doing a wee bit more of course 3 at a sane speed…
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Or to do the same thing with 24/25 a few more times and keep your ears open for signs of neural adaptation… 
Well, it’s not too fast to understand, it’s just trying & failing to dig out short forms of the future & past of cael to order, when I haven’t practised them, and the gaps were already horribly short. My feeling was that if I just repeated the same I’d end up knowing at least some of the answers off by heart, rather than coming out with them for myself, which is why I thought I could try again with a run-up.
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By the time you’ve got a strong, wide foundation, there’s a lot to be said for learning a good collection of phrases off by heart - it gives you an edge in the prediction skills that are such an important part of fluent-speed interactions…
Well, I can see that, but I’m not so sure when I’m likely to use 'Dewch i ni gysgu yn y tacsi
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Life has a way of taking you by surprise… 
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Yes Anthony,
For anyone ‘chomping at the bit’ having finished Level 3, the Old Course is worth a whirl too because it offers a different ‘structure’ in the way the material is presented, so could prove an interestng revision as ‘patterns’ you already know are reinforced.
From the start, I did both courses in parallel because I have hearing difficulties, so wanted to cross-reference what I could not figure out. It became a game, but when I got completely stuck, folk on the Forum came to the rescue by spelling out the sounds I still could not pick up.
For new learners, I recommend the New Levels, but for anyone wanting some revision, why not romp through the Old Courses—at least the last 10 minutes of each Lesson plus the whole of the final two Lessons in each Course? You will soon know if some extra light-bulbs go on 
Have fun!
Marilyn
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Thanks, everyone–I figured out how to use Audacity to speed up the lessons without the chipmunk effect, and I’ve been doing the old course 2 at about 25% faster… I don’t think I could do 50% faster without blowing a fuse, but maybe I’ll try that next… and Hinterland is in my queue, but I’m not sure if Y Gwyll proper is available in the States…
It looks like the uploading of questions and answers has slowed down over the last month, but maybe I will jump in on that if the conversation picks up or I find the courage to make up a few strange questions… Right now I’m still pleased with my ability to talk/understand at least a little, but feel constrained by my vocabulary… I’ve found a funny site, for anyone who is a Harry Potter fan, that puts you through (occasionally inaccurate) flashcard drills of all the vocabulary in the first chapter. I can’t believe Aran never taught us how to say “owl-less…”
Best,
Josh
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Thank you! It’s kind of you, and I may take you up on the Skype offer soon. Is this a “PM, by the way?”
Josh
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LOL! No, a PM is a personal message. If you click on a person’s little icon, a window will come up and one of the options there is Message. It’s a good way to share personal messages (like email addresses, etc.) without broadcasting them to the whole group. This is fine for now, though.
Sure! Give me a shout via PM whenever you want to start. I already Skype with a couple of friends in Welsh every week. They’re both much better than I am, so it will be nice to “pay back” and help someone who may be a little less experienced.
What I found really helpful was to start small. I started off with at least one of my friends (maybe both, I can’t remember) with just a 10 minute Skype. I remember looking at the clock on the first one and thinking, “Only 5 minutes has gone by?!?!” By the end of that first ten minutes, I was completely worn out from the mental effort; but it was enough of a victory that I’d gotten over the nerves of just trying. After a while, we bumped it up to 15 minutes, then 20. Now I Skype with both of them for half an hour, and think nothing of it. The time just flies past!
Take your time, and let me know when you’re ready. I’m in the Central time zone, BTW.
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