Tatjana, I’m sure no one will think that you would damage other learners.
We are chatting every week for at least 1 1/2 hours, nearly only in Welsh with the odd word in English or German.
And we are speaking about everything, politics, sports, learning, about Wales, Slowenia, Germany, raising children, work and I can’t imagine anything that we didn’t mention (well, maybe nuclear physic). So how can you say that you’re not advanced? What would you count as advanced? A poet, someone who speaks perfectly?
I started learning English 50 years ago and my English is still very basic. I use too many : go, do, have, thing, etc. where I know better words. I enjoy reading posts on the forum that are written in really good English and I know, that I’ll never be able to write in the same way. But I see myself as one who can speak English and can speak Welsh.
So go back to learning and stop running yourself down.
I’m looking forward to our next sgwrs Ddydd Sadwrn.
A very kind, extremely helpful Welsh speaker who would never damage anyone one made me a beautiful video when I was feeling down about my own Welsh journey. You can watch it here I hope it cheers you up as much as it did me 
Be kind to yourself. Just keep on with learning, as much or as little as you can, when you feel like it. We are all going at our own pace, and no one is competing with anyone else. But never doubt that you can speak Welsh, and never ever think that you’ve disappointed anyone.
It isn’t learning you need, Fach, but ymarfer, ymarfer, ymarfer! You live furher from Wales than I do, so you have to rely on Skype and repeating what you’ve done before. Repetition leads to boredom and if you have a gap, you forget because you get no practice at all! Anyone living in Wales has some chance of using the language, if it’s only watching Cyw!
Hmmm … let me think … It was my head, I’m sure it was.
Yes, thank you. I walked some way in deed.
Well, thank you. I didn’t loose that determination for sure just that tieme isn’t my alley and many times being on the bus I’d have all the time to do something but I’m simply too tired. However I am reading/listening to books now in all kinds of languages I know. At the moment I am finishing listening to “Martha, Jack a Sianco” which @margaretnock kindly shared audio recording with me. I intend to read this same book Margaret kindly sent to me some time after visiting me to establish how’s Welsh reading going with me. From the time I’ve listened to the last chapter (it was Chapter 26 if i’m correct) and until now (I’ve came to the chapter 33 last week) I found out I understand much more than I did last time so yes, this is positive thing to hang on.
Yes, @brigitte, we speak about 1 to 1/2 hour a week all kinds of themes (even maybe a bit of Sci-Fi when word comes to my son and his learning). But I’d count one being advanced who would at least be able to use some of those shortenings. You’re in that range while I’m not yet. This is not a comparrison but just a finding.
Did no one tell you that you speak (and write) excellent English.
I’m running … back to learning … and it’s not that hard, just realizing some things, that’s all. That interview really needed a lot of editing what made me think about what I still have to (re)learn.
So do I!
Thank you. Yes, I do remember that video. You’re always so kind. But with harming someone I actually meant about speaking. One in early stage of learning could get confused, that’s all I meant.
Yes, here I should agree with you @henddraig.
Thank you all for a bit of cheer up. And, speaking about videos (sorry it has nothing to do with learning Welsh though) … I’m doing a lot of stuff, not just learning Welsh and to cheer you up, I’d like to share this one with you today. It’s titled Night Traveling and I created this music much earlier than animation but this all just gets together really nicely.
Diolch am popeth bawb ac ioyo.
Hwyl!
Tatjana
So glad you are enjoying Martha, Jac a Sianco, even though it isn’t a very happy story. If it makes you feel any better, I still hear new things in it every time I listen to it.
Three cheers for @tatjana. Hwre, Hwre, Hwre
You are so talented and creative! Your music is lovely and the video is mesmerizing. Thanks for sharing it!
Yes, it’s rather sad story and it took me time to figure out who’s who in the story. At the beginning there seams to be so many names (Judy, Jack, Sianco, Ben (I believe it is Ben)) etc and the most memorabile “scene” I understood all perfectly too well even at the beginning was that one with a little bottle of strychnine. It really struck me. The little word made me listen to all the rest even more carefully. Now the scenes with stroke, hospital happenings etc, I understand actually quite perfectly. That scene about buying the piano and how Martha actually couldn’t play was quite fine to understand too. And I understand Judy is actually greedy only for money and when she saw there’s nothing for her anymore she took what (thought) is hers and went … Life catching story really. When my mother died my father found very similar person to that so I understand this even more even in Welsh. I’m sure I’ll go through it one way or another at least one more time until I won’t be sure I understood everything perfectly clear. To be honest inserts of English (since Judy can’t speak Welsh) help to understand some parts so it’s actually, if even a bit devastating at times, a good story for learners of a bit advanced level to read.
Hwre for you @margaretnock! Hwre, Hwre, Hwre You’re always so helpful and kind to everyone. Diolch.
Thank you @AnnaC Sometimes I have some inspirational moments. At the moment I’m playing with various graphic software to test which is better and animation was always my playground apart from learning languages. But with a bit of excercise - as with languages - everyone can be creative. I can’t draw for example but with the aid of some software I managed to do some quite good works (for my soul mostly). For some of such things you here on this forum were great inspiration.
So, you see, if I wouldn’t find SSi and start to learn Welsh might be I’d not do as half of things I do now.
Well, @aran and @Iestyn with founding SSiW you’re responsible for many more good things than just helping Welsjh to live and us to learn it. Diolch yn fawr iawn in deed!
Oh, what equivalents “in deed” in Welsh?
Hwyl!
Tatjana
Should? Compared to whom?
Don’t slip into this kind of negative self-judgement, Tatjana - it only hurts you, and it has no base in reality. The vast majority of our learners would be delighted to be able to spend hours on the phone using almost only Welsh.
So you don’t use short forms very often? Guess what, neither do I…
How often you use short forms is NOT a very good measuring tool for your achievements.
How often you speak Welsh, by contrast, IS.
Sianco’s dog is called Bob.
The piano comes from Gwynfor but Martha never actually plays it.
I’d probably listened half a dozen times before realising that Martha had a baby in her teens which was born too early and died. She told no one at the time, and only Sianco much later on.
That is a really lovely thing, @tatjana! I’m not sure quite what it is, and can’t imagine how you made it, but it is lovely!!
Thank you. This is animation made with the software Amberlight 2 where you actually play with the rays of light and darkness, putting their spots all around in connected fields which do such amazing things. There are 500 frames of animation with precisity of 2500 dots per picture. It takes time to create and to render aswell. Besides learning languages and music I was always interested in such things. I’m not hard to find on FB or YouTube and there are many of such and similar things.
Music I’ve created with program called Music Maker and is really easy to use. A bit of insights of tonality and rhythm and here you are …
Wowo … now I see how much I still didn’t understand. I didn’t “hear” this fact about Martha’s too early born baby. Yes, I need to re-read/listen to it … it might occur this time. And I understood that part about Martha actually didn’t play the piano but I didn’t qute understand why she got it in the first place. She bought it I understood (might be wrongly) though.
Compared to myself and my expectations.
This comforts me.
Just for the fun of it I greet someone (different people every day though) in Welsh. it brings smiles to both sides - me and the greeted person. Then sometimes some questions follow. Hopefully at one point something else comes after questions … questions yng Nghymraeg for example.
I finished Martha, Jack a Sianco today and so, just to establish if I understood this correctly: Martha looses both brothers at the end …?
The end is even more sad than I thought.
She loses both brothers. Yes.
My understanding is quite fine then yes. And they had drunk or/and eaten something … The dog survived though, didn’t it?
The dog survived, and didn’t seem to miss Sianco at all.
So I found the S4C Drama in 3 parts on YouTube. I’m going to watch it to help me with understanding the whole story. It’s in Welsh so will do no harm. However I’ve peared into the last scene … yah, more or less what I’ve imagined and how I imagined.
For all the rest: I didn’t use the dictionary while listening even once. I wanted to really hear/listen and understand. Neither did I put the subtitles on while watching the last scene.
Might be I do well after all anyway.
So … I’m watching this
As many of you know @Nicky is speaking quite fast and watchng this particular thing I’ve realized I’m listening and understanding things just like I’d listen to some English or even Slovene things …
So … we finally came somewhere, aren’t we? The stubborn Slovene grayhaired perfectionist understands the language and even can think in it… Yes, people often when I go to work at 5 in the morning, I’m pondering my thoughts in Welsh … (but I still wouldn’t respond to BBC Cymru to go live on the air. )
Wow, certainly didn’t expect to see my face on here at 9am!!
I’m glad I could be of any help!
Use that video as testament to the fact that it works and it will also happen with you! If you go back a few months earlier on my channel, even as recent as maybe 5/6 months ago and you’ll find a totally different, slower, less “fluent” speaker of the language.
The fact that you’re understanding me is a massive achievement as 1) I’ve been indoctrinated into the Aran and Iestyn School of Speaking Fast as Hell (scholarships are available to those who apply, otherwise next term begins in September!) 2) I use a lot of words that I’ve picked up from the outside world 3) I mix Northern and Southern terms a bit freely because I’m an outlaw!
This is obviously my advantage as I do this very often too. I actually have to force myself sometimes to use southern expressions reminding myself I’ve learnt southern version.
O what a beautful morning …
Side effect of watching newly introduced video of @Deborah-SSi. “Up next” was this yours one and I just wanted to know what you have to say about this year of learning. I remember your very first video and to be honest even that one seamed advanced to me (in comparison with my speaking abilities at the time).
Oh, well, it isn’t too bad with me either. Ask @brigitte. I don’t speak that fast and also not that fluent but I have constantly something to say … sometimes inventing my own things like that “rhy gormod” which I know is not correct but it still amuses me.