That would be fine Aran, please use whatever you want.
Hwyl,
Mari
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Gwych - diolch o galon i ti! 
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I dont think its a waste of time… I’m in North Wales and Welsh is very much in use here… People get to concerned about the ‘Why do it’ when really it should be ‘Why not do it’… It’s far from dying out as a lot like to say…
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I had missed this one! 
I hear people saying they’re learning (or at least trying to learn!) Italian all the time - and I have to admit I’m surprised myself in some ways.
And I also hear people telling me “why are are you studying Welsh and not (any widely spoken language of choice)”?.
This is what I thought:
Italian speakers in the world are about 90 million vs about 600.000 of Welsh - which certainly makes a difference in perception of uselessness.
But I think the second main reason is: learning Italian is not necessary, today. But if you live or plan to move to Italy or often come here on vacation, it’s going to be very useful: Italian is the first language here, most things are written in Italian only, and a whole lot of people speak little English or no foreign languages at all.
This, I would say, is the real big difference and a sort of bad luck for Welsh language:
you can go on vacation in Wales all the time or even live there without knowing a word of Welsh and it’s not really going to make a big difference, in your everyday life.
It’s not the first language, and even worse, the main language is English - that everybody else on the Island and a lot of people around the world speak as first language and more and more people learn as second language since a very early age.
More subtle but still relevant - from what Italian learners say - a lot of people appreciate Italian music, art, literature, films (Italian or with Italian and Italian-whatever characters), fashion and food. Or even just the sound of the language.
Wales and Welsh are not that well-known, and - even though I absolutely love the way it sounds, I understand Romance languages just have a catchy, easy or even just more cliché appeal that attracts people from all over the world.
But well, can’t complain about this! 
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OK, so this morning over a coffee (not Welsh related), I had a really meaningful chat with a friend of mine totally in Welsh. OK so my vocab is slightly limited, but we discussed a number of real life situations. There was no need to change back to English at any point.
So, the answer has to be “No, it’s not a waste of time, at all.”
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I should point out that when I say things like this, I am being slightly tongue-in-cheek!
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Sure, and by the way, I wasn’t complaining!
It’s just that there’s something true in this, and I’ve been spending time reflecting on the differences and I thought I might as well share them!
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Looking through a lot of the replys… There is one thing that wasnt mentioned…
As a person living in North Wales i will probably see it different from those abroad (including england 
)
The question ‘Is it a waste of time learning Welsh’… No. - It’s a bilingual country by Law!
The Public sector has to employ welsh speakers by law. As it you have the right to be dealt with in your own language in your own country…
I have a friend who lives nearby… and he was thinking of standing as a Councilor in Angelsey…
I asked him how much Welsh he spoke and he thought it was funny… He said he had enough ‘charm’ to get past that. I told him that would get him to the other side of Menai Bridge but after that he’d be on his own. 
He has the attitude of many that i meet here - that the Welsh language is something that’s quaint and kept going for the holidaymakers… But a quick run over to Bangor or Caernarfon, or even the other way to LLanrwst, and you’d start a fight in a pub…
But there are certain occupations that you will find hard to get in if you dont speak it well enough.
I have been very surprised to hear just how much Welsh isnt spoken in the South. I honestly thought that would be more than the North. But it seems no…
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Maybe if he can learn to say " Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch ) he might be in with a chance.
Edit: Here is one fun way of approaching it:
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LOL… 
It reminds me of a joke I heard this week on my Suzuki forum… (from a guy in Porthcawl) about 2 bikers comming on holiday to Wales to LLanfairPG.
They had been trying to say Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch all day and got nowhere…
So they decided to grab a couple of burgers before the trip home… and they asked the waitress to tell them where they were and to say it really slowly…
and she said… “Buuuur guuuuur kiiinnnnng”!
(I am making the assumption that everyone know that we dont really say the whole name… It’s known as LLanfairPG).
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There is lots spoken where I live in Gorslas near Crosshands, Carmarthenshire
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Aren’t we lucky we live in such a hot spot.
We are indeed Margaret. Even though a few people have moved in and out of my road, we still have 10 out of 14 properties natural Welsh speakers. In the whole of our area, If we go out every day, we will hear Welsh spoken. And you Margaret are amazing! 
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@annmoore @margaretnock can I stick my nose in? My dad and his family are from the Crosshands/Tumble area, my uncle still lives in Gorslas and my auntie still lives in Cefneithin. My auntie practically lives her life completely in Cymraeg and is super proud of that (and super proud of me for having learnt it). My uncle isn’t quite so forthright but speaks Welsh very often, daily even. It’s a wonderful area and I always feel a connection whenever I’m there, maybe through all the stories my dad told me from when he was growing up.
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Quite a lot of people here are proud of their Welsh.
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Thank you for 'sticking your nose in Gruntius. Lovely to hear your story, I wonder if we know your Aunt and Uncle? I must say that we love the area, people are warm and friendly here. One sad thing for me is that we no longer have a Co-op. I used to go there often and there were many Welsh speaking staff and customers.
I used to go to the Co-op cafe for coffee and enjoyed listening to the locals speaking Welsh. It was a really good exercise in listening. So sad that it’s gone
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Maybe you do know them. My uncle, Gareth Scourfield, lives on Black lion road and is (I think still is) a market trader, married to Linda with a daughter, Rhian, who lives on the same road. My auntie, Iona Thomas, lives in Cefneithin (where Heol-y-Panc meets Heol-Treventy) and is widowed from Lyn Thomas who used to drive the mobile library around the area. Maybe too much information but if you do happen to know them it would be lovely to say hi. I don’t go down that way nearly often enough.
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I’m reminded of that line in the film Zulu: “This is a Welsh regiment, though there are some foreigners from England in it, mind!”
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Im going to have to find that film now… There’s a few i could wind up with that…
(I am english myself by the way… )
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I wish i lived there
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