Am I going to fast?

Helo pawb. Ydwi’n mynd yn rhy gyflym? I am worried that I maybe going through the Challenges too quickly. In the last two months I have completed from Challenge 1 Level 1 through Challenge 21 Level 2. I can usually respond in time for the shorter sentences but rarely on the longer more complex sentences. If I had the time to actually write it, rather than say it, I would more than likely get it correct. The reason I ask is that when I try and listen to the programmes on S4C, I can still only pick out a few words as the speed of conversation is a bit much for me. However, I can almost fully understand the episodes of Peppa the Pig in Welsh. So I guess I have achieved a definite level of success if I use Peppa the Pig as a measuring device.Should I just keep on with my current pace or do I need to be doing something different? -

You’re doing fine! There’s not really a “too fast” or a “too slow” with this course, everyone can do it at their own pace.

The longer sentences are tough - it’s tough enough remembering the English bit! But don’t worry - you can always go back to those challenges every now and again to try and pick up speed.

The fact you can’t yet keep up with the speed of normal conversation is perfectly normal, it will take time, but being able to understand simpler, slower, childrens programmes proves you are on the right track (watching the kids’ programmes is exactly how I started - and I don’t have any kids!).

After level 3 there are listening exercises (advanced content) which will help with getting up to speed too, so as you haven’t reached those yet, don’t worry - keep your S4C and Radio Cymru on, and my tip for now is not to try to understand the full-speed programmes, hear it rather than listen to it (unless it’s a programme you particularly. By doing this, your ears ‘tune’ in and your brain works subconsciously, and you will find that gradually bigger and bigger chunks become understandable.

Your current pace is fine if it suits you - as I said, everyone’s pace is different - and you’re doing the right thing by watching S4C and watching children’s programmes. If you carry on through level 3 and the advanced content and try letting the Welsh on TV and radio wash over you rather than trying to concentrate on it, you’ll definitely reach a point where things start to click into place - remember, your ears have less practice at ‘learning’ and passing that to the brain than your eyes do (because of the way we’re usually taught), so don’t be too hard on them - they won’t let you down, they just need encouragement! :slight_smile:

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Sounds fine to me. I think I used to do two challenges per day, due to travelling time, although I did cheat a bit by doing each challenge twice in a row.

Some notable individuals have completed a complete SSiW course in a weekend, but I’m not sure if they went back to work on the Monday :rofl:

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I did it fast like you and used the pause button a lot. I was enjoying learning new words so a fast pace suited me. I’ve since repeated the course at a slower pace and didn’t need the pause button at all. It suited me to do it that way, I think we all learn differently and find what suits us. The advanced content is brilliant for helping with listening, but it doesn’t come quickly, I think we have to be patient with ourselves. I also listen to radio Cymru every day. I don’t understand everything , and sometimes understand very little, but often now I know what is going on, even understanding lots of whole sentences. So keep going, it’ll come, but I think listening is harder than speaking😀

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