Morning everyone. I am not only a new learner of Welsh, but a bit of a technophobe, so who knows if I will upload this question properly and anyone will ever read this post…anyway, just a quick question for today - I have done challenge number 1, and I started out really well - I can say I want to learn/ try to learn/ practice Welsh, but about 2/3rds of the way through my brain started to ache and slow down 
…have people found it best to go over the vocab list and go over the challenge to get the whole lot in the head in some way, or press on with following challenges?
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Press on, press on. When you reach challenge 5 go back and do challenge 1 again, and it will seem really easy.
Welcome to SSIW, welcome to the forum, you are in very safe hands here
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Thank you 
- I’ll be able to say that in Welsh soon!
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Welcome to Welsh!!
I didn’t look at the vocab lists at all. Just finished the session. If you got 2/3 of the way through you’re definitely ready to push on 
as Margaret says, you can always go back.
The lessons recap as you go
Are you doing the new levels? If not, I’d recommend them.
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Ooh, what new levels?? I guess that will be obvious when I go back in to do challenges 2-5?
Welcome! I’m another fairly new learner, I’m not far ahead of you, doing the Southern Level 1 challenges since the new year.
The new levels thing: I think if your lessons are called “Challenges” that indicates you found your way to what is also called “the new course” around here, which is the current version of the course. It’s called that because there was a switch over from a slightly different format a while back and it’s still possible to find the old course material on this website, but the sessions are called lessons or gwers instead and the music at start/end is different.
I have found that 20 minutes of new material a day is good for me, that’s about 2/3 of a challenge. But some people are doing much more, several a day even if trying to learn fast. I think you need to find what works best for you. Sometimes if it feels like my brain is melting I have a break and a cuppa and try again later. Best wishes with your learning.
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Definitely press on. There’ll be plenty more moments when the brain is reeling from the flood of Welsh but this way of learning works really well. After about 30 challenges I started to write down interesting new words and phrases in a book, but they were bits I found elsewhere (listening to Radio Cymru and watching S4C on iPlayer) but were unrelated to the SSiW course. I’ve now done 60+ challenges/lesson on this site and am only now starting to really look into vocab lists.
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And was complimented on his Welsh by first language speakers in Menai Bridge.
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ah, but that was due to being inspired by a walking dictionary![quote=“aliceyaxley, post:6, topic:7644”]
Sometimes if it feels like my brain is melting I have a break and a cuppa and try again later
[/quote]
Yes, it’s amazing how a break helps the brain focus as sort things out. I’ve found that Welsh that was proving difficult to me suddenly pop into my head perfectly formed at the strangest of times! Brain saying, right got that lot worked out, move on to the next jumble of words!
Knowing words and knowing how to use them are vastly different!!
I’ve actually taken two days off! (well i have had radio cymru on in the car). Back to learning today.
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Ah, thanks everyone - what an encouraging bunch. I will get back to it this evening and see how I go…my family will have to get used to me talking to my mac in Welsh and then sometimes staring blankly at the ceiling, followed by my mac saying Welsh words back to me!
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Hello @Cally Welcome! The others have all answered your questions. If you have any technical problems, try typing @tat at this point the word @tatjana will appear! Click on it and type your question! Far away in Slovenia, when next logged in, a lovely helpful lady, the only Welsh speaking Slovene we know of, will either be able to answer your question or tell you who can! Putting @ before names flags them up so the person will know you mentioned them! It should cause their Forum name to pop up, but sometimes you have to type quite a lot to find the right one! Also, look at FAQ!!! Have fun in Welsh! Oh where are you? There are groups who gather for chats and help each other.
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Well done for coming to the forum!! The staring at the ceiling, that’s so common, we all do it
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Yes, press on, as people have said. We can all relate to the headaches I think.
In fact, rumour has it that the first generation of SSiW pioneers were given free discount vouchers for Ibuprofen (if not something stronger…), although this rumour has never been confirmed or denied… 
But seriously … re: vocab lists: the only reason for these is for people who genuinely can’t work out what is being said, e.g. not being able to distinguish the soft sound of the Welsh “dd” from the soft sound of the Welsh single “f”, which happens sometimes.
If you can manage without looking at the vocab lists at all, so much the better.
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Congratulations - that’s an excellent sign that you were doing it properly…
Yes, as others have said, don’t worry about what you think you can’t remember - press on, and trust the system to build the memories for you…
And a warm welcome to one of the loveliest communities on the entire internet…
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You didn’t type it, @Cally, I’m sure, but word “tatjana” appearad … There must be this forum is upgraded to automatic levels - haha!
Now siriously, warm welcome to the forum @Cally and @aliceyaxley from me too.
All on here said it all so I’ll add just one more thing which might be of high use to you both. Here’s the topic Really useful ‘How to’ stuff and other great posts where there are many useful “how to” on the forum things and also some other useful bits regarding this site, learning resources and more. So, you are warmly invited to cruise around this topic and explore. As @henddraig says, if there’s any question still unanswered here I am to take a question or either answer it or tagging one who can.
Croeso yma eto!
Hwyl!
Tatjana
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Croeso / Welcome
The thing is we have all been there, all us SSiW people. Most of us are still there in fact. Your brain is supposed to hurt, it mean you are learning! The more you do it, the easier it gets. One day and soon, you will look back at the first lesson and go: why did I find this hard?
Just press on is the best advice. If you want to have a peek at the vocabulary list, you can, but just letting the course do it’s thing, does amazingly work!
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Thanks there. Done challenge 2 just now - as predicted by Aran, it’s harder just remembering the longer English sentences than some of the newer welsh words! Does anyone else find that random Welsh words float into their minds through the day? dysgu siarad kept floating into my mind after lesson 1…wonder what it will be after lesson 2?
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That is an excellent sign that the new synapses you’re forming are starting to fire… 
Just to answer your earlier question, although I am Welsh by birth and my mother’s side of the family, I live in Surrey…why do I have a feeling there may not be many people learning to speak Welsh in Surrey? But just in case there are, or indeed over the border in North Hampshire, hello there!
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