How good is your Welsh?

Welsh General / Questions
1

How long have you been learning, what means have you been using, and what level is your Welsh at now? Can you, for example, happily listen to the radio or watch the TV in Welsh and understand all / most / some / the odd word of what’s being said? Can you speak fluently native speakers / get the gist of conversation / answer and ask simple question? Can you read books in Welsh and at what level?

I’m just curious, really.

I started learning Welsh last October, started SSIW in about March or April and I can get the odd sentence from radio Cymru and can usually understand the topic of conversation, but not what’s actually being said. I can generally follow the traffic and weather reports! As for reading, I’ve finished the Mynediad section of Lois Arnold’s “Ffenstri” and haven’t had any problems with the first Sylfaen level story. As for speaking… well, only my dogs can tell you how good that is!

4 Likes
2

I’ve been learning (this time round) since April 2017. Before that, I learned in school to GCSE (actually it was a something called a GCE which was only offered for one year between O levels and GCSE). I also spent a bit of time trying to learn when I was 18 (30 years ago!) using a teach yourself welsh book and watching Pobl y Cwm with subtitles. Forgot most of that, but it did give me a background, certainly during most of course 1 with SSIW the words were not new to me, and I retained quite a lot of passive vocab - couldn’t have spoken a sentence to you 2 years ago though.

I’ve used quite a few things!

  • SSIW (completed all the new and most of the old lessons for the South, most more than once)
  • Duolingo (completed the tree to gold under the old system)
  • Watching Pobl y Cwm with subtitles (first in English, now in Welsh). Other S4C programmes at various points
  • Downloading Radio Cymru programmes to listen to on the way to work
  • Since Jan, weekly lessons during term time at the London Welsh centre, and I usually stay to chat a bit afterwards
  • Reading, books for learners, Lingo Newydd for a year, and now on to “the real thing”
  • Slack hangouts every now and then.
  • Since June I have been using the Goldlist Method to increase vocabulary using words I get from the book I’m reading and those I pick up on tv and radio.
  • Last but very much not least - bwtcamp last September, the party in the summer and bwtcamp therapi weekend in July.

I am happy with my understanding. I feel like I can get the gist of most items on the radio or tv, and often now if I don’t understand I can pick out the word I don’t know and look it up. Sometimes there is a long patch where I feel like I understand nearly everything. With reading, some books are easier than others, at the moment I am reading “Hi yw fy ffrind” by Bethan Gwanas, and usually underline in pencil between 1-6 words on each page to look up later, but don’t need to look them up at the time to be able to follow the story. With a real life first language speaker I might have some trouble if they talked fast in Northern Welsh, but some I think I’d be OK with.

Speaking lags behind as I have less opportunity to practice. Lessons start again in a few weeks and I need to get back on Slack and arrange more 1-2-1 conversations. I haven’t actually had a conversation in spoken welsh since the end of July. I find it hard to judge myself speaking. The feeling of launching ahead with something I’m not sure of, struggling to express myself, and realising all the mistakes afterwards, is very much the same as when I first went to bwtcamp nearly a year ago. But common sense tells me I must have improved a bit since then!

5 Likes
3

Thank you for such a thorough answer. It’s very interesting to see the different methods you’ve been using. Bethan Gwenas seems to keep cropping up. I’ll try the Blodwen Jones books when I finish Ffenstri, depending on how I get on with that.

4

Hello Stephen,

I start learning Welsh in August 2015 with SSiW, I attended the Sylfaen Cwrs in Cardiff that year too. The November to January (roughly) I did the then available Duolingo Course, in July 2016 I went on a bwtcamp with Iestyn and Cat in Tresaith.

I started trying my stuttering Welsh with Emma (I will become her husband a week Saturday) and her mother fairly early but daily from February 2016 onwards (I was giving her Mother a lift to work). I’d say that in April - May 2016 I started to really understand the conversations I was having. Then bwtcamp accelerated that.

I then started to use my Welsh with a patient and their family in December 2016.
April 2017 I was interviewed by Gary Owen on Radio Cymru about how important tutors are in learning Welsh.

I’ve read a series of different books. Bethan Gwanas, T Llew Jones, Harri Potter, Manon Steffan Ros (teenager through to Blasus), I tried Dadeni by Ifan Morgan Jones - understood a lot but not enough.

I’ve had a bit of a lull this year with speaking Welsh. Emma and I are very fluctuant with how much we use Welsh together. Mostly English. This is an ongoing plan to transform this and I still hold confidence that it’ll happen one day. Unfortunatley this means that if you asked me now how good my Welsh is compared to this time last year I wouldn’t feel as confident.

I met with Dee recently in Cardiff and could really feel how much I was struggling but, then again, into context, I had a 3 hour chat with Dee and couldn’t have done that a little while ago. We’ve also conducted a lot of our wedding planning in Welsh, including ordering the flowers, which I’ve not felt the need to switch back to English. Our ceremony will be bilingual (we will both be doing bits in Welsh and English). My speech will also have a bit in Welsh. I still use my Welsh when I can in work - tough in Cardiff at times.

I understand a lot of what is on the radio but don’t speak Welsh enough. I’ve had a bit of a kick up the arse because I didn’t take advantage of the Eisteddfod being on my doorstep (due to a lack of annual leave). We’ve already booked a bwthyn in Betws-y-coed for the Llanrwst Eisteddfod next year and the week is in the annual leave diary.

How good I am - depends on how confident I feel. It’s confidence that stops me from speaking Welsh.

7 Likes
5

Llongyfarchiadau!

And thanks for the detailed reply.

1 Like
6

I started learning a bit over 2 years ago now, using mostly SSiW with a tiny bit of memrise right after finishing everything SSiW offered at the time. I probably got tired of memrise after a week or two. I also tried duolingo and other free language learning apps but I really didn’t like them so didn’t get past the “____ dwi” :smile:

I obviously couldn’t have gotten anywhere without actually using Welsh. I spoke to other learners on Skype, changed my computer’s language to Welsh, listened to Welsh music, read the lyrics, played Welsh language video games, wrote a diary in Welsh, read books, read news, wrote all my school notes in Welsh, listened to the radio, watched S4C, talked to myself, started every conversation I could in Welsh… etc etc

(You probably need some background information for the next part. I grew up speaking Finnish to my mom and Italian to my dad, then learned English at school.)

I don’t think there’s anything I can’t do in Welsh (as long as it’s not something I can’t do in any of my other languages, obviously :D) . In terms of vocabulary size the ranking goes 1. English 2. Welsh/Finnish 3. Italian, while for how comfortable I am speaking it’s 1. Welsh 2. Finnish or English (depends on the situation) 3. Italian. Writing formally doesn’t feel as natural or turn out super correct (though formal writing feels weird in all my languages anyways).

I still make mistakes, but I’m pretty sure I make the same amount of mistakes in all my other languages so I don’t really worry about it. I don’t have a “first language” to compare my Welsh to because I’m pretty bad at all my langauges :smile:

7 Likes
7

Forgot to say above, I’ve been writing a diary in Welsh for nearly a year - I’m on the third year of a 5 year diary so most days I read what I was doing a year ago and two years ago, and I’m looking forward to when that’s written in Welsh!

I was thinking I should switch the phone and computer to Welsh (I’m sure someone’s explained on here how to do it) and start writing notes and lists in Welsh.

What video games did you play in Welsh?

4 Likes
8

Haha, I never want to read my diary entries :smile: I think I’ve probably deleted them by now!

The only game I know that has full voice acting in Welsh is Enaid Coll (Master Reboot). It wasn’t really my thing as I think horror games tend to be pretty boring but I actually ended up liking the story (and it wasn’t very scary if anyone’s thinking of trying it but is scared of horror games!)

Minecraft is also available in Welsh so I played that for a bit, helps you with general vocab I guess, stuff like shovel and seeds and different types of trees :smiley:

3 Likes
9

Mine are actually quite boring, usually just what I did that day, what we had for dinner etc! OF course now they are in Welsh I know that no-one else in the family can understand them, but I don’t think any of them are the slightest bit interested in my secret thoughts!

I’ll have to look that up, it’s ages since I played any games properly, probably Portal was the last. I prefer more puzzley games, my son is trying to get us to try Obduction.

10

Enaid Coll feels like a puzzle game with a bit of horror, so that’s good :smiley: Portal is very good!

11

[/quote]

…which shows that you’re doing very well.

And congratulations to both of you on your marriage!

2 Likes
12

You and I have been adult learners for the same amount of time, Stephen. I’ve had a year at a Welsh class, and done some of the early SSiW lessons, but have put these on hold until I have more competence. My tutor told me that I am at the level of a three-year-old first-language Welsh speaker.

After a year, my experience of daily listening to Radio Cymru is the same as yours. I can pick up what the subject matter is, follow the grammar, but not always the content owing to an insufficiently-large vocabulary bank. As the latter grows, you and I should pick up more of the Radio Cymru content.

In your darkest hour, remember that Radio Cymru is for fluent speakers. It’s an ordeal by fire for the likes of you and me, so I think you’re doing very well with it.

Another point: After a year, I have reached a point where I can hold rudimentary conversations with myself. Worth a go, if you haven’t done it already. It gives you an idea of what you’re capable of at any one stage in your learning.

Pob lwc beth bynnag.

6 Likes
13

Thank you. Funnily enough, I do this already :slight_smile: Not surprising as I converse with myself in English too…

The other main way I practice is to see if I can say something I’ve just said in English in Welsh. It usually happens if I’ve said something short and fairly simple in English (in the supermarket, to the dogs, to the children, etc) and I think “ooh, I think I know all the words for that in Welsh!”. Something like “Shall we get dinner?” to the dogs - “Beth am i ni gael cinio?” or “Does neb yn hoffi’r gath ofnadwy” when the cat shows up at an inconvenient time (again!).

Yes, it’s easy to forget that. Some mornings are better than others. Sometimes I can get part of (or even a whole!) sentence. Others I can hardly pick out a few words. Still, it’s become part of my routine to have it on in the car in the morning, just to get used to the rhythms of the language.

6 Likes
14

Dw i wedi bod yn dysgu Cymraeg am tua tair flwydd rwan.
Yn anffodus ddim llawer pobl siarad cymraeg yn stoke on trent ar hyn o bryd.
O wel rhaid i mi trio mwy
Hwyl fawr tro nesaf

2 Likes
15

I’ve heard Welsh all my life (from my mum) but I only started learning properly at Xmas. I pushed myself through the three levels pretty fast (maybe too fast) and then was excited to discover the Slack hangouts, which I try and join once or twice a week. (I don’t live in Wales, so that’s my only chance to speak Welsh). When I first started, I would get lost very easily, but gradually i am I understanding more - though I still struggle with folks who can speak fast and fluently!

I try and listen to Radio Cymru as often as I can. News programmes I catch enough words of to have an idea what they are talking about. I do better with drama, partly because the language is usually more “homely” and colloquial, rather than formal/technical, but also because I listen over and over ( not sure if that’s a good thing.or not).

I’ve discovered that my reading comprehension isn’t too bad ( see my thread on Un Bore Mercher!). Easier when speed of listening / speaking isn’t a factor!

I’ve written a few simple messages to Welsh speaking friends, but I can’t imagine.doing.an extended piece of writing yet. I’d like to though. I’m a story teller and I’ve written Welsh-themed stories in English so would love to.be.able.to do the same yn y Gymraeg. (I also bought Hanging in Chains so I have high ambitions - haha!)

3 Likes
16

How good is my Welsh? On the conscious level, that would depend on who you ask.
But in the realm of the subconscious… The SSiW 6-Month Course starts its weeks on Mondays, when we get our new weekly assignments. Well, I am in the final (26th) week of the course, and I celebrated the start of the week, three days ago on Monday, by having my first dream in Welsh. Appropriately, I was in a room listening to some people talking Welsh, and there was a Welsh conversation about who in the room could speak Welsh. As I was about to join them, alas, I woke up. When I read this week’s assignments, which included listening, talking and doing lessons, I searched in vain for a requirement to have a dream in Welsh. Guess I’ve gone the extra mile…

5 Likes
17

Congratulations on completing course Baruch. I hope the dream comes true and soon you will be able to join in that conversation for real.

2 Likes
18

How bad is my Welsh is more appropriate, maybe? :grin:

How long have you been learning?
With SSiW, two months.
But, hey, in my curriculum I have more than 10 years of singing along Datblygu songs in what I call “fake Welsh”; that means, just copying the sounds and without having any idea of what I’m saying - just like I did as a child with songs in English.
It all started by chance during a long trip through France, when I noticed I really loved the way this strange language sounded and it was just so much fun - I’m pretty sure my boyfriend seriously considered leaving me in a faraway land to stop hearing me trying to say “hollol” for the millionth time!
Anyway, those songs, a bunch of YouTube videos and a tiny bit of Duolingo (see below) is the ONLY Welsh I had ever heard in my life before SSiW. it seemed quite an interesting challenge, so…here I am!

What means have you been using?
A YouTube series to learn the alphabet.
Duolingo, for about 3 days, with the first and shorter version of the course, then maybe a week with the longer version, and right before starting SSiW - in fact it’s in Duolingo that I found the link to SSiW.
SSiW, that I believe is really the only method that can work for me right now because…well…I really don’t NEED to learn Welsh, so I can only succeed if I enjoy myself in the process!

What level is your Welsh at now?
Uhmmmm…very basic? I really need more words in my vocabulary. However, it’s astonishing how much I can already understand and say in such a short time!
I certainly didn’t expect such a fast progress, with a language that sounded so weird and different from anything I know.

Can you, for example, happily listen to the radio or watch the TV in Welsh and understand all / most / some / the odd word of what’s being said?
“Happily listen to the radio”, definitely not. “Frustratingly listen”…yes!
I tried just a few times, but I’m exhausted after a few minutes and after all, what can I understand? Only the words from SSiW challenges and a few more I heard in the songs!!! Which I do but it’s almost never enough to understand what they’re talking about,
it’s really annoying, so I’ll try again in some time from now.
As for TV, it’s a bit better because I can at least see and kinda figure what’s going on. I’d enjoy Becws/Beca show but I don’t think I can easily see it in Italy. (I’ll find out).

Can you speak fluently native speakers / get the gist of conversation / answer and ask simple question?
My experience with fluent speakers so far was only via Slack and well…it was an interesting experience, but I can tell for sure I can’t really understand much or make complex sentences. But I definitely can ask and answer simple questions, that’s already great!

Can you read books in Welsh and at what level?
No way! I’m starting to understand spoken Welsh, but written Welsh is simply dreadful. However I do enjoy following lyrics while I listen to the songs and it’s great also cause it can definitely take my singing-along to a whole new level! :wink:

2 Likes
19

I really don’t NEED to learn Welsh, so I can only succeed if I enjoy myself
[/quote]

That’s so important! I imagine that it applies to nearly all of us. In fact, one of the things that attracted me to SSiW when I just happened to stumble across it was the fact that it was fun. Anyway, despite your opening words @gisella-albertini, it seems that you’re doing great. [quote=“gisella-albertini, post:18, topic:13771”] But I definitely can ask and answer simple questions, that’s already great.
[/quote] … which says it all. Keep at it!

2 Likes
20

P’nawn da Jim.

Dw i’n dod o Gymru on dw i’n byw yn Staffordshire rŵan. Dw i’n newydd dechrau dysgu Cymraeg. Not enough for a conversation yet - mae’n ddrwg gen i - but hopefully soon!

2 Likes