Well, I am nearly at the end of the course and feel I can speak what I have learnt relatively OK, BUT understanding anything other than the shortest sentences still seems well nigh impossible even when I use phrases from the course… Help!
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Listening is definitely harder than speaking, simply because you don’t know what’s coming, and what does come may be in a different dialect or with new vocabulary.
Have you been doing all the listening exercises? Have you had Welsh on radio, tv or internet (podcasts/youtubes etc) as often as possible?
As with speaking getting more comfortable with practise, the same is true of listening. It can be frustrating, but as much exposure as possible is the only way. One key tip, though, is not to try and translate word-for-word. If you can just get the gist, you’re well on the way, but it will take time, and there will always be words or phrases that throw you a little (I still come across them after over 20 years of speaking Welsh!) so don’t get hung up on that.
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Thanks - have done and am doing all that although I didn’t get anything out of the listening practices (well not the fastest ones)