'Limiting' vocabulary content in SSIW Infinite Play?

I’ve now completed Black Belt on the app and have for a couple of weeks been in Infinite Play, and enjoying it very much.

Just one frustration.

As I go on, it’s great that there is good evolution and varation in the sentences, in terms of tenses, subjects and objects. It’s great that I can perceive sentence evolution, keeping you on your toes, with subtle changes to make sure you’re listening carefully, practising new sentences, and avoiding too many sentences identical to those you’ve done before a number of times.

However, I am a little frustrated at the seemingly narrow vocabulary used, as you continue in this mode. The earlier belts, and indeed the Classic Challenges, contained overall a much wider vocabulary than seems to be being used in Infinite Play. I remember only too well on my multiple goes through both the Old and New courses getting to a Challenge that contained, for example, a whole host of new verbs, many of which I had ‘forgotten’ since I last went through that part of that course!

The verbs used in Infinite Play, as an excellent example, are a fraction of those contained in the two Classic courses. And so, whilst I know I am benefitting enormously from improvement in grammar, sentence construction, fluency in tense use etc, I don’t feel that I am learning a whole lot of new words to add to the personal vocabulary with which I’m really confident.

Does that make sense?

As I continue my journey as a really keen Welsh language learner, I feel my biggest challenge is continuing to develop that bank of words needed to speak more fluently. Not being exposed to them, in the platform on which I spend more time learning than any other, is slightly frustrating. I realise that there are only finite resources at SSI to continue to develop material for each language, but given that Welsh was the thing that started the whole thing off 17 years ago, I wondered if there was any likelihood of Welsh Infinite Play material being expanded?

Has anyone else found this to be something that has occurred to them during their Welsh learning?

Saying all of that, I remain a committed and dedicated SSIW learner and advocate. I just need you to help me to learn more Welsh words!

Ben :slightly_smiling_face:

1 Like

I agree. It would be nice to see further development of the course as we are paying a sub for it.

1 Like

This was Aran’s post from Dec 2025 in the Big News - Exciting Times thread:

With the Welsh, I’m keen to replace Level 3 entirely - I think we’ve got some much better stuff now - and then I’m hoping that our new approach to listening is going to help bridge exactly that gap to a more C1 level of comprehension :crossed_fingers::slightly_smiling_face:

3 Likes

Just a thought - have you been through the Original Course material? There are some different words and structures there that you could incorporate into your practice with the new app, plus Vocab Units. They’re very much the older ‘drill’ style of learning, but still could be useful to you.

2 Likes

Thanks, as ever, for your helpful reply Deborah.

Yes, I’ve done both the Old and New Courses several times, before the new app was created, and enjoyed them very much. I have downloaded lots of the challenges (the Old Course vocab units are particularly useful…), but the beauty of the new app and Infinite Play is that you feel you are ‘still progressing’ on a single platform that (when I have adequate reception here in the Black Mountains!) works well and is very easy to use - just start it off again, and off you go.

As I said, I can very much perceive how, as I continue, the complexity and variations in the sentences are developing, which I welcome. It’s just that the vocabulary content is a little ‘restrictive’ and seems not to employ many of the ‘actual words’ we encountered in the New (and Old…) Course challenges.

If, as you suggest, Aran is replacing Level 3, then hopefully that will bring with it new vocab material that will be incorporated into the app and Infinite Play.

I hope this feedback is helpful. I’m sure many, like me, love SSIW and want only to get better!

Take care

Ben

4 Likes

Thanks Ben - yes, that is all very helpful, and thank you for taking the time to go into detail. We’ve got a lot of stuff coming down the pipes for this year - I’m particularly excited about our next set of solutions for listening work, but we will also be able to do a lot of stuff with wider vocabularies as well :slight_smile:

1 Like

Hi Aran and thanks for your reply.

That sounds great!

As I’ve said above, I really love being in Infinite Play and, alongside the dysgu.cymraeg Canolradd course and opther platforms, it forms an essential part of my learning.

Knowing that there are new features and content in development is great news.

Pob lwc gyda phopeth!

Ben :slightly_smiling_face:

2 Likes

Diolch! :folded_hands: :heart: