No your Welsh sounds a lot better than mine - for some reason I thought you were doing southern and the efo is pretty much northern, so I go a bit confused, but understood perfectly. I miss watching the kids programmes - haven’t done that for a while now, but the catchy songs, expressions etc all buzz around in my head even now. If you can bring yourself to watch any of those that is - tywysoges fach and Ben a Mali were quite grown up in that there is a sort of scripting for parents in a pantomime sort of way.
Believe me my welsh is very poor! I am ok in private and on the courses I reckon to get about 75% correct when I did the level 2 lessons but I’m finding the getting confidence to speak very very difficult.
I think I am more likely to watch sport and cooking programmes - I’m not sure I can watch kids programmes!!!
Living near Mold means even this far east I hear a fair bit of Welsh spoken and these days I spend a fair bit of time in the Menai Bridge area. I did summon up the courage to say a little bit in welsh the other night…its the replies that get me…I can pick up the odd word here and there but the speed just isn’t there yet.
I’m going to plough on regardless. If nothing else I feel a greater awareness of the Welsh language and that in itself has to be good.
Could I ask what courses you have done? I’m just tryin gto get a feel I guess for how long it takes to learn. Obviosuly different for different people. I estimate now I’ve done between 70 and 100 hours in total…I’m finding the old course 2 really easy so far which is hardly surprising I guess and I love the use of “methu” - hee hee - makes it so easy to say things! Equally I do feel I am lucky in that I can still remember stuff from when I was in school and I’ve seen already that in the next few lessons many words I remember are going to be used
eg.
Nofio
Chwerthin
Edrych
I might try a residential too. I wonder if anyone has any suggestions? What would be useful is knowing the sort of level to try
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Don’t follow my example - if you get yourself on those residential courses and bootcamps - definately do it - at the end of the day speaking to people is essential in any language.
I started SSIW in 2014 - did the old courses in 3-4 months and recently came back and decided to do the levels. I’m quite a bit older than you and did what was ‘O’-level Welsh at that time at school - but it wasn’t the type of Welsh that I heard people speaking so I didn’t really engage and certainly couldn’t say anything meaningful when I finished…I haven’t done Welsh for adults and doubt that I ever will.
I’m looking forward to skyping with a few people, other SSIWers have very kindly offered to help me this week and I will be doing this in the near future, but being a perfectionist and a procrastinator, I keep putting things off.
I’m determined one way or another that by the end of this year, I will be out and about talking a lot to other people in Welsh.
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Nope, not yet (nor for the north) - but that’s next on our list after we get the last few sessions published… 
Get yourself up to the Saith Seren in Wrecsam - @gruntius will be able to let you know what nights - because you absolutely need to be throwing yourself into live conversations now as often and for as long as possible (and yes, a bootcamp would certainly be transformation for you) - you’ve done all the hard work, you just don’t fully realise it yet…
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Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Dwi’n dechrau teimlo’n dda am siarad hi i fod yn honest, ond weithiau dwi’n meddwl bo fi’n methu deud unrhywbeth!!!
Dwi’n gwybod bo’ fi angen siarad mwy a felly dylwn i fynd. Syniad da? Hmmmmm
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You’re a Welsh speaker, chief - you just need enough time speaking Welsh to realise it!
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Hi Peter, there is a session in Saith Seren every Monday night from about 19:15 till whatever time you’ve had enough. There are loads of chat seasons in the area to be honest, including one on Wednesdays 11 till 1 in the theatre Clwyd I think. Definitely come along to Wrecsam though, there are loads of people from all backgrounds and of all abilities. You’ll love it.
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I can see that I’m going to have little choice in the matter!!! I might get the train - so a little dutch courage can be used!!
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[quote=“petermescall, post:28, topic:5107”]
going to have ZERO choice in the matter
[/quote] Fixed that for you. I can’t get there every week because I work shifts (nights this Monday but I’ll be there for the next few weeks) but I can guarantee a warm welcome.
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I might just pop down on Monday - or failing that the following week.
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That’s interesting, because I found Course 3 a bit boring and thought it was more traditional in that it ran through the different short forms ‘in order’. Which just shows that it’s not only building up the sentences in sections the SSiW way, but the order in which it’s done and repeated (and the humour) that are important. That said, I’m currently repeating Course 3 after having finished Level 1 and 2, almost exactly a year after I did it for the first time and it falls into place much more easily! And there are some gems in there too - last night I enjoyed Lesson 8, because it had sentences that mixed the future and the past and positives and negatives: “I will do x, because you didn’t do y…”. Very useful.
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You got to love the whole programme - simply brilliant
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Well now on level seven of the old course two.its been good expanding my vocabulary. Though not sure how odten i will talk about sailing!
Saith seren yfory? Dwi ddim yn siwr. Pam? Dwi ddim yn meddwl bo fi’n gwybod digon o gymraeg i fod yn honest. @gruntius yr wythnos nesa dwi’n meddwl ar ol i mi fwyta yn borthaethwy.
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I’ll be there next week (20th?). Don’t let the nerves get you, you know a lot more than I did on my first night there I’m sure. 
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Thanks.
I’m feeling a bit more confident as I got through the old intermediate course - started lesson 8 this morning - though I’m still not too sure when I will use the word for sailing!! Ha ha…though I do like anobeithio!!! It’s how I feel about learning to speak another language sometimes!!
Thanks to everyone for the encouragement too.
It’s just possible that Geraint might have some comments on that particular topic…
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Strangely I’m now quite enjoying duolingo - just to reinforce stuff I guess and to expand my vocabulary.
Faint? Mae’r gwin yn ddrud!! Dylet ti yfed dwr!
(Dwi’n ymarfer sut i deud pethau am y penwythnos)
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The old course three was great, I thought, but the new courses, 1 and 2 are wonderful, and I am really really looking forward to the new course three!
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yes me too - I’m enjoying the old course 2 at the moment - finding it very useful to be honest. Currently up to lesson 10.
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Diolch yn fawr iawn! Level 3 is inching ever closer…
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