Ditto - and I can’ t help thinking that all fans of the Fawlty Towers episode which features John Cleese uttering the classic line “Don’t Mention The War” might also add:
" SSi has ways of making you talk! "
Justin
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I might have phrased that as “Michel Thomas on steroids”…
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Definitely so - plus “may cause addiction”.
When I stumbled across SSiW some three or four years ago, I had been trying to learn Welsh, on and off, for almost four decades, using various editions of Teach youself Welsh, tapes and records and little language guides like “Fun with Welsh” (?) by Heini Gruffudd, etc. All these books are very recommendable, but being somewhat lazy and easily distracted I didn’t make much progress and didn’t dare to try out the little Welsh I had learnt in “real life” , i.e. on holiday in Wales.
Then, SSiW did the trick.
I think the method is very effective because it makes you speak and use the words and phrases and chunks of language. Constant repetition and practice help to recognise them in Welsh conversations or radio programmes - very encouraging! - and, even better, when I try to scramble together a Welsh sentence, they seem to be popping up ready to use. Great.
Sometimes they even pop up just like that, in my dreams or thought.
When we went to Wales again, I had managed about a third of Course one, I think.
So I got into contact with the (SSiW) meet-up group at Hwlffordd and went there twice during our holiday and at long last had the courage to use the language.
It was amazing to see how much you can say even at that early stage.
So, in short:
- SSiW is a very enjoyable and friendly way of learning to speak Welsh.
- The words and phrases are definitely (the) ones you need in real life.
- Saying them aloud again and again seems to encourage using them in real life.
- Somehow I don’t care about making mistakes when using the language - I try my best and hope people will understand.
- Reading and writing Welsh seems to be much easier now, too.
- Availability of SSiW through the internet is a huge advantage, I find.
You can listen, learn and practise whenever there’s time or opportunity.
(There are no Welsh classes available anywhere near where I live, as far as I know.)
Diolch yn fawr iawn i chi, Aran ac Iestyn a phob pobl arall.
Trying to speak Welsh in Wales has opened many doors and we have met many very friendly people and found new friends.
SSiW is an ingenious invention. Life-changing and life-enriching.
Charlotte
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I was thinking of “Michel Thomas on Speed”, but thought that a little too risquê… 
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I really can’t top what’s already been said as to why this system works so well but I can certainly vouch for its addictiveness and life changing properties. I haven’t used any other way of learning officially and it hasn’t done me too bad up until now.
It’s really great to read all these statements and to be part of such an amazing community which just keeps on evolving and changing with new names coming to the fore on a regular basis. All the old names are still here, we haven’t “moved on”, we’re simply not needed because of the vast numbers of helpful people on here 24 hours a day. Incredible.
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SSiW has made it possible for me to make amazing progress in learning a language–which is truly amazing for two reasons: firstly, I am hearing-impaired, and secondly, before deafness set in I had had to study eight languages (five modern, three classical) as part of my schooling, university, seminary and work requirements–and never before has it felt so effortless, nor has it been so successful. Better still, it is fun!
I really am enjoying it thanks to the encouragement offered at the end of each lesson and through the forum. Challenges are recognized, named, then put in positive perspective as simply part of the learning process with the promise that ‘all will become clear’ as you practice and move onwards. I was skeptical at first, but soon learned to trust the process–and it works. So full credit to the designers of the course.
The building blocks feel natural, and quickly create a range of useful, everyday conversational components which soon allow actual use of the language. Bravo.
My only regret is that I had not known about SSiW earlier.
Best wishes on your new venture,
Marilyn
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It’s no good, I’m sorry for my ignorance, but who is Michel Thomas? Curiosity is killing me!!!
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Meanwhile, this thread is continuing to be enormously moving - I appreciate you all so much.
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Well, before I found SSIWelsh I never thought I would really be able to speak Welsh so quickly! The lessons are such fun to do , and the course really delivers the goods so soon! After just the first 20 lessons I was able to spend the week in Tresaith with not ONE word of English the whole week - and it worked! It was, and is, such a thrill! Someone said it is like being handed the keys of a Porsche, and I know just what he meant. I would certainly endorse that. I live in England, and there are no Welsh lessons nearby, so this method is a real blessing. I would say if you want to learn to really SPEAK a language, then this is the ideal method!
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Well, I’ve been told off today because of this apparently lack-lustre response, so just to clarify … SSiW has given me the jump start needed to get me well on the way to the elusive “fluent” stage that we all crave. I’ve made a whole bunch of new, super-supportive friends and now belong to an increasingly thriving Welsh speaking community in Wrecsam. My life has changed a lot since first talking to Iestyn in a tent in the 2011 Wrecsam Eisteddfod, and all for the better. I’m proud to call myself a welsh speaker. Yes, I am a learner, and always will be, but I can easily hold a conversation in Welsh which must count for something, right? 
Thank you SSiW.
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Well, what do you expect if you drive the whole way across Wales to bring us Christmas presents, like a bearded Santa Claus (oh, hang on…)? Some kind of a welcome?
[Just to be clear to other readers - Geraint is the kind of close family friend to whom we can be affectionately rude…;-)]
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Yah, but to be honest … old names are missed … at least what concerns me …
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I’ve moved to my second home on the Spanish board.
I try and get back to the Welsh board when I can, but it depends on cheap flights. 
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You can’t hide. - hehe I’ve set Spanish board to “Watching” so nothing is missed out and I know when you’re on. 
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I have to agree 100% here and reiterate what Geraint has said. What amazing posts! You don’t need anything more than this course and you WILL become a Welsh speaker…guaranteed!
Sorry I’ve been so quiet Aran, still trying to get back into the swing of things after the recent difficulties. However, if there is anything that I can do to help you and SSi with this current very exciting venture, then please don’t hesitate to ask!
Briefly, I started learning Welsh with SSiW about 4 years ago. I hardly knew a single word before I started, but after 3 months I had finished the 1st course and posted this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGuJyLlMc58
Then…after some arm twisting from Cat Dafydd, some 9 months later, after 1 year of learning, I competed in the Learner of the Year Competition in the Eisteddfod, where I was interviewed in Welsh for about 10 minutes on my experiences with using the Welsh language.
A year later I agreed to be interviewed for the Welsh S4C news…here’s a clip…
…you wouldn’t believe that that interview took over an hour to film and they only used a tiny bit.
After 3 years of learning, I finished the 3 SSiW courses, attended a SSiW Bootcamp where I spent a week in North Wales only speaking Welsh!
I’ve spent the last year watching Welsh TV and I have started reading in Welsh. Although I don’t consider myself to be fluent, I am happy to speak to anyone in Welsh and I would feel happy to spend any amount of time in a Welsh only environment. I am now comfortable having conversations in Welsh and I frequently spent a few hours with a fellow Welsh learner as we discuss various topics including rugby, culture and our favourite subject, the brilliant writings of Manon Steffan Ros…
My goal was to be able to have a relaxed chat in Welsh (and understand the S4C rugby commentary) but I have achieved so much more with the help of this course and the ongoing help and support from amazing people like Aran and Catrin, Iestyn and Cat and everyone on this wonderful forum! I have now experienced a whole new world I previously never knew existed. To experience the culture of the Welsh language…what a bonus! 
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I can inagine this perfectly. I was in radio interview once (not Cymraeg and not in Cymru though) and from all being said (also about almost half an hour in total), they used roughly 3 or 4 minutes of it …TV and radio, eh …
But I’m “jelously” excited about your story. Da iawn ti! And I love videos you’ve included. (I’m extreamly happy when I ponder thoughts at myself what would be awesome to do and then one just makes my thoughts come true!)
You’re one more of those who cheered my day today!
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Over the past few years I’ve made several attempts to learn basic Welsh, purely for interest’s sake and because I find Wales and Welsh history and culture really fascinating. But I found it an extremely difficult language to learn by “traditional” methods, i.e via the written word. I made very little headway over the years and at the end of it all could only come up with a few words, simple sentences and phrases in Welsh - nowhere near being able to speak it!
But then I discovered SSiW and it was as though a light had gone on inside my head. It’s a wonderful system in that it concentrates entirely on the SOUND of the language and in fact, actively discourages any reading or writing at the early stages. This, after all, is what language is all about - sounds first, and writing/reading afterwards! The SSi system must surely be the future of language learning.
I made more progress with learning Welsh through SSi in three months, than I’d done in three years by traditional methods!
In addition, SSi is a very friendly and informal way to learn, especially through the amazingly helpful and supportive forum. And the person presenting the course has a really warm, friendly, humourous and encouraging approach, and makes you feel that you are in the same room as him, not sitting at home alone in front of your laptop!
SSi deserves every success in the future, and I hope it can expand massively into other languages (especially endangered minority ones).
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Vaughan, Gavin, thank you so, so much - really fantastic - hugely inspiring, encouraging, motivating and directly valuable… 
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SSIW is a fantastic way to learn Welsh in your own time and at your own speed I have been to my partners home town in north wales and have even had the courage to try my little bit of Welsh with great success and a lot of appreciation from Welsh speakers
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