I just got through courses 1-6 of Southern Welsh and now I’m wondering if I should try the levels, or should I just continue with course 1?
Shwmae Boone,
If you haven’t already looked at it, the thread linked below might be useful:
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This may be an old thread perhaps, but it is a very helpful discussion for newbies like me to walk through. Although still a beginner, here is my experience that others may find useful, or nod their heads…
I started on Course 1 at the end of September, working through to Gwers 7. At the time, it seemed a good point to switch to Level 1 and so I have worked through that to Challenge 13.
Given an opportunity to take a few days away from ‘normal’ life, I quickly ran through Gwers 1-7 again, for the most part focusing on the last 6-7 minutes as a revision/reality check trying to avoid the pause button. If necessary, I backed up a bit, but once in the swing of it blasted through to Gwers13 finding I was in the groove. That was the beauty of an opportunity to stick with it for a mini-boot camp of my own–an intense immersion.
Now I plan to return to Challenge 14, but also continue on to Gwers 14, not alternating them, but following each strand of learning for a few sessions at a time until I reach a natural break. Why? Both formats appeal to me for different reasons so both are contributing to my progress, and both seem to be ‘informing’ the other.
Maybe it is going to become like a horse race as I approach closer to the end of Course1/Level 1, but I am not placing any bets, because it could be a close race. This may prove too ambitious, but I have the bit between my teeth now and will not known until I try. I’ll keep you posted…
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Da iawn. We shall be cheering you on from the sidelines! 
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It’s an interesting approach - I hope it doesn’t end up driving you up the wall!.. 
Maybe it is the old left brain/right brain phenomenon: the engineer in me loves the structure of the Course 1 Lessons, the artist in me loves the creativity of the Level 1 Challenges, (and dare I say it, the priest in me loves bringing it all together).
As our guru, you understand the reasons for the two, but I am just so grateful you have created, structured and brought it altogether–brought us all together, no matter which approach appeals to us. DILOCH YN FAWR!
But you could be right–if I end up climbing the wall, so end up finishing one first it will be a hard choice. 
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Wait till you get to Course 3: that’s got the structure of a battleship …
At some point, you will definitely be throwing and/or kicking a ball at the wall…
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But the phrase “twlid y bêl at y wal” is so much fun to say
Pob lwc, Marilyn, you are an inspiration!
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Yah … “bêl” was always “bal” to me. Among 1000+ times you have to say “bêl” in particular lessons it was “bal” … At the end I’ve ended up with saying totally English pronunced sentence …
… ac dim yn rhedeg bant …
I am very new to all this and I have only just begun Course 1 and completed 2 lessons so far but on reading this thread it seems that the Levels are the most up to date teaching methods. I see that the recording of these are ongoing but as I have only just started I was wondering if it might be better for me to do the Levels rather than the Courses??
It’s a bit tricky for us to make a strong recommendation on this until we’ve got Level 2 fully published - but I certainly would choose the Levels, and then go back to the Courses if I ran out of material…
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Well I decided to try the Level 1 and I really enjoyed it. It was hard but seemed to work into my brain a little more readily than Course 1. So I am going on with the levels until I run out but I think you may well have completed the material by then as I am not that fast a learner!!! 
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I hope you’re right! But fingers crossed you will be…
I am really enjoying the Levels as they seem to lodge in my brain better than the Course sessions did. I am trying to do something daily but progress is slow. Amazingly words are beginning to stick in my brain although I do get lots wrong but I just keeping going!! I think my Welshcake earrings are helping 
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Both those things are hugely important - the mistakes help build the memories, and the keeping going is what gets you where you want to be…
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Amazingly I am remembering things my Mamgu used to say to me many many years ago some of which she explained what they meant which she would not normally do (I explained in an earlier post that my Welsh speaking grandmother who had been punished for speaking Welsh at school had resolutely refused to teach me Welsh). This course is bringing it all back to me…
"Mochyn fawr "and “Mochyn Fach” which she used to call me all the time. And “Ach-y-fi” too. I was about 5 years old at the time and she did tell me that they meant big and little pig and “Ach-y-Fi” was disgusting but I think she also said it was “Yuck”!!!
Wonder what else will surface from the recesses of my mind???
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I bet your Mamgu is looking down from Heaven bursting with pride that you have overcome all the odds and are getting on so well with yr hen iath!!!
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The only Welsh I got from my Pembrokeshire grandmother was ‘ach y fi’, too - that and ‘cwtsh’
She did go on to learn Welsh, though, in her 70s
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“ach y fi” is very useful. The same verbal relief as a good swear, without the opprobrium. It has saved me from properly swearing on many occasions, although probably attracts some odd glances here in England…
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sarapeacock
How wonderful that your grandmother learned Welsh at 70. I am in my early 60’s so it has taken this long for me to start a course. I do remember “cwtsh” but my Mamgu often meant the the cupboard under the stairs as well as a cuddle. And she said ‘cwtsh’ when she wanted me to ‘coupy’ down which means to crouch/squat down. Not sure where coupy comes from but she used it a lot. And is cwtsh also spelt cwtch too???