Nope, you’re fine with e or fe (and if you come across Northern speakers, you’ll hear o and fo, and the same thing applies).
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Hello
I started a few days ago and am slightly lost! I’m trying to understand the difference between the Challenges and AutoMagic. I main one seems to be that the latter has written text whereas the former is purely audio. Is this correct or have I misunderstood something?
Also, with AutoMagic is there a way of navigating? I’ve tried skipping back occasionally (mainly when I can’t hear the audio because my dogs explode) but the ‘back’ button seems to jump a long way back and I can’t see where.
Any help much appreciated.
Diolch.
Stephen
yes, that’s right Stephen. The original course is audio only - it forces your brain to absorb the information in a different way which is conducive to language learning. The Automagic is a later approach which includes text because some people struggle with the audio-only approach. However, the actual material is the same, just presented slightly differently.
I’m afraid I can’t help with navigating Automagic, as I’ve not used it myself, but I’m sure others who have will soon jump in to help you with that.
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Basically, it gives you more practice of previously presented material, so it doesn’t repeat exactly what you’ve recently had, but gives you more similar examples to what you were given before.
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Many thanks for the quick reply Siaron. Much appreciated and makes perfect sense.
I might try audio-only - several hours in and still having to remind myself that ‘sut’ is not pronounced ‘soot’…
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That’s exactly why putting the text in was initially avoided, because generally our eyes are dominant over our ears and so the eyes will con us into pronouncing how we think the word should sound and override our ears, whereas if we learn the sound first through our ears, our eyes will catch up with the spellings later!
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Ah, I understand. I was thinking of it as just a linear recording. Many thanks!
I couldn’t agree more. My initial impression (just four hours in) is that the approach is very similar to the Michel Thomas courses which are entirely audio-based, I’m sure for the same reason. Enjoying it very much, anyway.
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Until I came across the SSi method I was convinced I was a “visual learner” and I absolutely HAD to see the written words to remember them. I am now the complete opposite. I’ve been doing some testing of what we hope will be an Irish course in the future, and the only way I can do it is with my eyes shut to avoid seeing the text. Otherwise, my brain gets distracted by “How on earth do the sounds I’m hearing match those letters?!?” so I shut my eyes and concentrate on imitating the sounds I’m hearing, and the repetition is sufficient for me to remember it.
It’s definitely a bonus to your pronunciation if you can avoid looking at the text, for a little while at least.
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I couldn’t agree more, I’ve switched to the Challenge approach this morning and that suits me much better. Very much a case of personal preference but both are wonderful resources. Thanks very much for your advice, it’s really appreciated.
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I’ve just learnt that a purring cat is actually singing in Welsh (gotta love your clichés 
)… However, I couldn’t really find what the second word in the expression “canu grwndi” means? Any ideas?
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grwndi comes from grŵn which means groan/drone/hum
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Does anyone know what the best way of saying “via” is in Welsh (in the sense of “I’m going to Bangor via Conwy)? I can’t seem to find anything in a dictionary.
You can use trwy or drwy for via - both equally acceptable.
“Dwi’n mynd i Fangor trwy Gonwy / Dwi’n mynd i Fangor drwy Gonwy”
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I understand that Bant is a synonym. So would the following phrase be correct in comparison to what i believe to be a South Saying.
Off/Away we go!
Bant â ni!
I ffwrdd â ni!
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Yes, absolutely - bant â ni = i ffwrdd â ni
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Hi, quick question
Something which I’m finding difficult is soft mutations. Is it important to learn these as a beginner?
With all the mutations, it’s important as a learner not to overthink or let them panic you. Yes, they are important to learn, but they can also be overwhelming. So don’t worry about it if you leave them out or get the wrong one - that’s perfectly natural. You will, over time, come to feel when something sounds right because you’ve heard it said so often.
The biggest problem they tend to cause is when you try to find words in a dictionary, because most dictionaries will only list original, unmutated forms. So my advice would be to find a mutations table to keep handy so that you can ‘reverse’ the mutations when using a dictionary.
It’s important not to ignore them completely, but it’s also important not to let them get in the way while you’re learning 
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Thanks for another fantastic reply as ever! Is there any threads or videos on soft mutations your aware of please? I understand what letters change but I’m unsure of when this happens