For the Level 3 lessons, I have got lots of sentences wrong because there are new patterns introduced that I have no previous knowledge of.
My question is, is this how it’s meant to be, or am I missing something?
One example would be in Lesson 5 near the beginning: ‘He’s been slower than we thought’. I had no idea what ‘than’ was in Welsh so I just said the first part of the sentence.
Another example would be distinguishing between ar gyfer and am. I’ve looked on the forum for an answer to that one now and hopefully it will sink in eventually, but I wondered if I missed the explanation somewhere.
I’m finding I’m getting a lot wrong (or not saying anything at all) first time because I’m trying not to translate literally from English as we’re always discouraged (in Dysgu Cymraeg courses also) from doing.
Should I be getting them right first time or is this the way the new patterns are taught?
I’ve recently said in anther thread: I think level 3 should really be level 4 and there is a missing level inbetween that fills in some fundamentals that are missed and lays the groundwork for the impressive structures practised in the level.
Yeah I know how you feel- if that’s the way it’s meant to be and we aren’t supposed to get things right first time that’s fine, but I’m not sure if that’s the case.
Glad to know I’m not the only one though.
I think I’ve missed the reasoning behind why so fe was the only accepted form in earlier lessons, whereas now only dyw e ddim is correct. I thought they were interchangeable!
Definitely not “right first time”, but the idea is to prepare you for being able to pick up a lot more Welsh from being in conversations, listening to the radio etc, where there will often be words that you haven’t come across before so you need to intuit the meaning. Sometimes you’ll be right, sometimes you wont, but with experience you’ll get better at it.
So fe and dyw e ddim are totally interchangeable, so whichever you use is fine. In different parts of South Wales different versions are used (e.g. smo fe in some places), so just practise varying them yourself, then go with what you hear around you the most.
Also, the jump in difficulty between Level 2 and Level 3 is the reason that some people do some of the original (old) courses for extra practice, revision and some new structures and vocabulary before carrying on into Level 3. That’s always an option if you haven’t tried it.
Thank you for clearing that up. I get on OK with working out new words and grammar in conversations, but SSiW is so much harder as there is a time pressure to respond.
I’m in awe of people who could work out on their own when to use eisiau ARNOT ti vs. eisiau I ti! I just don’t have that aptitude for grammar!
It’s just a matter of hearing them the number of times that you personally need to work them out, and that varies from person to person. There are some structures that are harder in the south and could do with more examples in the course, and some that are harder in the north, but both get around the same amount of practice.
Never feel shy to ask if you’re not certain about something. You can be absolutely sure you won’t be the only person!
Sorry to ask another question but what do you think I should do in the following situation:
Did Lesson 7 of Level 3 yesterday and struggled with the first part (i fod).
Have done 10 minutes of Lesson 8 today and I am having to pause after a lot of sentences to write down and work out what the answer might be as it isn’t coming to me quick enough to speak it out loud.
Would it be a good idea to do the Old Courses? Or start again a few lessons back.
Thanks again and sorry for all the questions! - I’m always I but unsure how/when I should move on, but up until this last lesson I’ve been doing 1 lesson a day for the last 30 days and managing OK-ish.
There really is no right or wrong here. The important thing is that you feel comfortable with what you’re doing, and at which pace. The old course has some overlap with the newer challenges, but overall it also means more variation in how things can be said. And in comparison it is more fast-paced than the challenges (at least that’s what I remember).
There is nothing wrong in skipping back a few challenges to get the material in there to sink in.
You could always give the old courses a try, and if you feel overwhelmed, just come back to the challenges.
I stopped about a third of the way into Level 3 and started again with the old course. Personally I think it is the best choice I could have made - the old course filled in a lot of gaps for me, and the vocabulary lessons have finally given me the ability to express myself. When I get to the end of old course 3 (I’m now about as far into that as I was with new course level 3) I’ll start level 3 again and I think I will be far more prepared for it. Doing the old course will feel a bit slow at the start, so I recommend downloading the episode and playing it back faster than 1x (whatever you can manage), but at some point I stopped that because there is a bug downloading them that means sometimes you only get half (beginning or end).
Thanks @Hendrik and @M2017 I think I will start with the Old Course. I have just done Lesson 7 again and my mistakes were almost all hyd yn oed or aros am vs. aros ar gyfer I think it’s best I leave Level 3 for bit.
@Snufkinsbf some good advice there from @Hendrik and @M2017. Different people find different things work for them, but good to hear from people who have gone through the experience. Diolch yn fawr!
Just to say @M2017@Hendrik and @Deborah-SSi I’m so glad you all recommended the Old Course! I’ve done Level 1 now and it’s been incredibly helpful.
Obviously most of the material isn’t new at this stage but the little phrases like dw i ar fin have been useful in plugging little gaps in what I have been wanting to say in conversations.
I also really like the way the Old Course’s structure works, so I hope it stays available. Maybe it is just because it’s easier for me having done some of the New Course first but I’ve found I’m a lot more confident having done the old material.