It’s worth noting at this point that you can download the MP3s to play with the audio player on phones and tablets, instead of using the app, if that works better for you. People tend to use the apps on mobile and MP3s through the website on laptops/desktops, but the MP3s will work anywhere, and then you’ve got pause and the scrub control and whathaveyou.
(If playing through the browser as Gisella suggests doesn’t work as you’d like)
This was an interesting and useful discussion. I’ve only completed 4 challenges so far and was also unsure about the “80% without pause / don’t repeat” apparent contradiction. As the method of learning was a key pull for me I didn’t want to compromise it by doing it wrong!
Anyhow, so far I’ve done each challenge twice, once each on successive days. The first time I make liberal use of the pause. The second I banish myself from it. I find if I have it as an option then the split second debate that takes place inside my head on whether to use or not is enough to let Catrin in! With this I’m just about hitting the 80% target and feel like I’m flying by the seat of my pants / hanging on by fingertips (select metaphor as appropriate) but most definitelt learning far faster than I have at other languages before. It also keeps it within the 45 mins per day max / 5 days/week I can feasibly dedicate.
From above discussion I’m getting the impression this largely aligns with the spirit of the approach but would be interested to hear anyone who feels it better to jump on after the first listen regardless of pause usage.
Yes, it sounds like a great approach - and if you’re near or at 80% on your second run, you’re doing superbly - and the combination of one session with heavy pausing and then one session where you put yourself under pressure to produce in time is great.
The key thing here is that we’ve been experimenting with accelerated acquisition for a good few years now - but speed isn’t everything. If you start pressing on after your first session, without the repeat, you will definitely go faster - but you’ll also increase the level of uncertainty in yourself, and all the connected emotional challenges.
If you’re happy and comfortable (and extending yourself) with your current approach, then that’s the long term gold standard - and for most people, it makes precious little difference if their first real conversations come after 3 months or 6 months… 
Thanks for the reply @aran. I’m in no doubt current approach ticks the “desirable difficulty” criteria - comfortable but most definitely extending - so will stick with for now.
Hi @aran! Just started last week and I think I must be missing something. If we are supposed to do half an hour per day but we are not supposed to repeat the challenges, what do we do for the other 5 days (assuming there are 2 allocated challenges per week and they’re about half an hour each like in weeks 1 and 2)? I’m a little confused by how it all works!
Cheers,
Kate
Hi @kate! If you’re on the 6 month structure, then you have your weekly set of tasks (including the lessons) to do - once you’ve done them (in whatever kind of lump of time suits you) then you’re good - you don’t have to do something every day! If you want to put in extra time, then I’d usually recommend the habit of increasing the amount of time you put into the listening exercises (although of course you can do extra runs through the lessons as well if you feel like it)…
Hiya @aran! Then I’m definitely missing something as I haven’t seen a listening task yet! Do you mean the Danny De Vito Clip? I’m only on week 2 - should there be something else? Kate
That’s the very first toe-in-the-water piece of listening - they’ll gradually get more challenging over time - so no, you haven’t missed anything - just work on the basis of doing what it says in the emails/control panel, and repeating stuff if you want to put more time in, and you’ll be fine. You don’t have to do ‘half an hour per day’ - we say not to take the 6 month course on unless you can put in 3 to 4 hours a week, but some weeks are lighter than others…
Hi Judy here,
New to this, just on exercise 3 and as I often panic, Catrin is in there before I have a chance to remember. Therefore like Dave I have used the pause button heavily on round one, and then repeated it using it sparingly for round two.
Signing it off as done, after the repeat.
Hope this is OK.
Will the panic go?
Yes, using the pause button is perfectly okay, if it helps you feel more comfortable with the material. The panic is normal and will generally fade away as you get accustomed to the method. Good luck!
Hi, thanks for the response. So surprisingly I have found exercise 5 easier. Maybe the panic is going. However I can’t seem to sign it off. I did the exercise twice and then stupidly set it to start again. Can’t seem to sign it off now.
Impressed with your motivators.
Do you mean you can’t tick the box to confirm that you’ve done it? @kinetic might be able to help with that - could you tell us a little more about the issue? Are you seeing the box, but can’t click it? Or can’t see it? Or something else?!
And well done for pressing on through to challenge 5 - that’s excellent work 
Ahh. All sorted now - thank you
Have just done challenge 3. I find that for me running through a challenge using pause when I feel I need it then re doing challenge next day without the pause button, I find on this second run through that about 60% of the time I finish speaking before Catrin starts ( thankfully getting it right) and about 20% of the time getting it right and finishing my speaking my bit just before or at same time as Catrin finishes hers. I feel like I’m progressing.
I’d say that’s 80% right is a very strong profile, so this is definitely working for you…
I’ve been reading your blog. I’m doing the whole 30min challenge (finished 2 of Level one) in one session with lots of concentration and some pausing, then revisiting it two times several days later, whilst walking or cooking and getting lots of the sentences out before the speaker comes back with it- not all the longer ones I admit. I’m getting confused when to use Mae dal and Dw i’n dal mixed up but I’m impressed with my own progress as a complete beginner. 
Sounds as though you’re doing excellently, Christine - everybody has something that they get mixed up, but if you just let it slide, it will sort itself out for you - hang on in there and well done so far!
Now Ive read all this I am totally confused! as to whether I should move on to the next challenge or repeat until I am word perfect! Im on challenge three & sometimes feel confident but other times feel like the school dunce lol. Im going to keep pressing on though because Im stubborn & I want to speak Welsh.
I just do it twice. Once it doesn’t stick. Lately I’ve been looking over the vocab too. I make the same mistakes but I’m sure in conversation and over time it won’t matter as it’ll improve