I think we should start some list that would have all the words that we come across in our conversations most often. Like “anodd”. And maybe the functional language, too, like: “I’m afraid” “I don’t know exactly, but”, “I see your point, but”.
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That’s a fantastic idea.
Yes. I often find myself in situation I’d use something like this. When I chat with @brigitte and when i talked to @ramblingjohn we tend to write into Skype message window while talking and it was super useful and when the chat is over you can always go back and read things but unfortunately such Skype messages don’t stay on sight for too long even if you checked in settings that history should be all preserved so maybe the best thing would be to write down things both participants have written in the message window and make a list from this.
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Schmae
I had a Skype chat with @stella yesterday. It was exciting and fun to have my first proper conversation in welsh. I would also like to say that its a much less daunting experience to speak with a fellow learner at first. Last week when I met up with a group of first language Welsh speakers it was quite difficult to join the conversation unless speaking one to one.
I think the idea of starting a list of words we come across in conversation would be very useful. This would allow us to realise the vocabulary gaps we have when starting to speak for the first time. I found it the same when learning Spanish. You may have learnt a lot, but there are always useful little words you often use in speech, but don’t think to learn
We talked without a specific topic, which I thought was good, at least for the first session, just getting to know the person a bit. I think conversation topics is a good idea though. It would give the conversation a bit of aim, and the chance to learn and practice different vocabulary.
Along the same lines, though I’m not sure if it has already been mentioned, I think role play scenarios might be useful as well. The aim is to ‘use your Welsh in the wild’ so maybe some specific practice of that might be useful, fun and interesting
Hwyl
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I’d be interested in this. My reading has always been stronger than my speaking, and I’d love to boost my writing a bit. (By quirk of fate, I’ve just set up a bilingual discussion e-forum for Welsh academics. Thanks to the help of some lovely Welsh-speakers, all my English is translated for me, but naturally, now the forum contributors just assume I’m a fluent Welsh writer. So I’ve either got to improve my writing skills, or come clean about the misunderstanding. I’d prefer to do the former than the latter!)
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@steve_2 mynd yna: Ymarfer Cymraeg
In the topic is billingual kind of conversation going on and you’re welcome to join of course.
Pob lwc!
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Well, i’m learning from skyping, last nights word for me was
Creadigol - Creative.
I also think that using the text window at the same time as talking is proving very useful at clearing any misunderstandings.
The only problem with this is that i can take a little time causing a pause in conversation, so i wonder if it may be even more useful with a group of talkers so there is always some conversation going on for listening practice while someone else is listening and typing at the same time,
Rhoi mwy o lysiau yn y crochan - putting more vegetables in the pot ( a gwneud cawl iath blaus) - make tasty language soup.
Cheers J.P.
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Just a small start on a subject that i need to learn more about
Y cwmpawd - The compass.
Cheers J.P.
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“It rains twice in the East” - a silly mneumonic I remember popping up on Memrise once…
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Well, i have not got round to making any useful list yet but after talking with Tatjana (skype) tonight a list of words or short sentences people would find useful to use talking about Christmas and the new year seems a good idea.
Dw i’n dipyn siomedig acos fydd a Tatjana ddim yn gwisgo het lliwgar ar Skype.
I’m a little dissapointed because Tatjana will not be wearing a colourful hat on Skype.
Nadolig - Christmas.
Yr blwydden newydd - the new year.
Cheers J.P.
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Two weeks to go and we will be nicely past the shortest day (in the northern hemisphere).
While thinking about length i wondered if this might be useful.
Hyd - length.
Byrraf - shortest.
Byrrach - shorter.
Byr - short.
Cyfartal - equal.
hir - long.
hirach - longer.
hiraf - longest.
Cheers J.P.
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Diolch yn fawr, John! And “for a long time” should be something like “i amser hir”? Or “am amser hir”?
Thanks for your response, and suggestions “am amser hir” looks and sounds good to me.
But this is where my problems show through in that i’m not certain, I’m building slowly a useful (to me) number of new words but when it comes to sentence structure and when to use alternate words then i feel i’m back at lesson one.
The alternate word here is “tro” i hear ‘tan tro nesaf’ not ‘tan amser nesaf’ and i’m not at all sure when to use which word or how much overlap there is with them.
For examples from books i find in the style of .
Bydd digon o amser . - there will be enough (of) time.
Mae’n amser inni ddechrau - It’s time we started.
But:
Am y tro cyntaf, maen nhw wedi dechrau - For the first time, they have started.
Dyma’r tro cyntaf iddyn nhw dechrau gwneud rhywbeth newydd. - this is the first time they have started doing something new.
(yes i made these up and all corrections welcome).
Anyway practice is the only way i will improve, i just worry too much about telling others ‘Welsh’ that isn’t correct.
Cheers J.P.
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I sometimes hear presenters on Radio Cymru saying “tan hynny” at the end of a programme, and I think they are usually referring to a specific time, i.e. the next edition, so they are probably saying something like “…and we’ll be back next week on Friday, so until then (hwyl fawr)”
(rather than “see you sometime…”).
Yup! I’d say this is so …
Diolch yn fawr iawn pawb: that seems to confirm my thinking.
I really find the questions and answers that appear on the forum are very useful.
Byddyn ni’n gwella gyda gilydd - Together we will improve.
Cheers J.P.
Would you like to play shops with one of you the shopkeeper and the others the customers?
If you would like the fruit and veg pictures I could send them and you could visit the greengrocer! The pictures aren’t particularly special as they largely came from on-line garden catalogues but they serve the intended purpose nonetheless.
Raymond
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The idea is fine Ray, and could grow into a walk down the street to various shops and of course
aros am cafe i siarad am beth ti wedi prynu.
Cheers J.P.
Here you go.
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I have just been chatting with Stella on skype and that girl sure is learning at a speed that shows how slow i have been.
We have the idea of a group meeting at the new year (which is only two weeks away) so for anyone who would like to join in are there any suggestions for what time on Saturday 2nd or Sunday 3rd would be most popular.
(secretly hoping Tatjana will attend, i miss her laugh) 
From tonight: môr-forwyn - mermaid, enill - win, enillodd - won, yddau - both.
rhyfel byd cyntaf - first world war.
And the welsh song about the blackbird, this is the one i have heard.
Dyna ti yn Eistedd y Deryn du
Brenin y goedwig fawr wyt ti
Can dere deryn can dere deryn
Dyna un hardd wyt ti
There you are sitting blackbird
You are the king of the forest
Sing bird, come sing bird, come
What a beauty you are.
Cheers J.P.
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