Ask your FIRST question about SSiW in here...:-)

Bod is quite complex so don’t worry, it’ll take time to get comfortable with all its forms, but tp try and answer your question simply, “bo fi” is “that I”, whereas bod is the verbnoun. To use the examples you gave, Well I mi and rhaid I mi use bod because they would be followed by “be” e.g. rhaid I mi fod yn gynnar - I must be early.
An example with “bo fi” could be dwi’n gwbod bo fi’n gynnar - I know that I am early.

Hope that helps.

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Thank you Siaron. It has helped a bit. How about using still? ie : ’ I think that I still must practice more’: would that be: ‘Dwi’n meddwl bod mi dal rhaid i mi ymarfer mwy’? Your help is much appreciated by the way!

that would be “Dwi’n meddwl bod dal rhaid i mi ddysgu mwy” - the bod here does mean ‘that’, but it doesn’t have to be followed by fi/mi because the mi comes later with ‘rhaid’.

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Thank you. It is staring to become clearer…!!!

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Exactly this - also note that it’s pretty much impossible to tell if someone has said ‘bod dal rhaid’ or ‘bo dal rhaid’, so that element of variation really isn’t worth worrying about… :slight_smile:

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On week 2 of the 6- month course and just got to the end of challenge 4. Find it hard to remember the phrase in English when a long sentence. Is it okay to write it down before I’ve said it in Welsh?

I don’t know if there is an official answer to this, except the general guideline not too be a perfectionist, just saying something is enough.

But I know many of us learners had this problem and solved it in different ways.

There’s one recent thread on this topic I remember; if you’d like to read more opinions you may have a look at this:

Oh and also this:

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Hi Pete - I have just finished challenge 5 with memory and cognitive problems. What I have found invaluable is just to do my best on first listening. I try not to worry about the many failures I have in not recalling the English in order to translate it!

Then I go back through it, writing out the English sentences one by one.

Then I practice on the written English a few times.

Then I return to the recording of the challenge.

As long as I manage to do well in the recorded challenge, then I’m confident that I have done OK. But I know that, personally, and purely personally, that if I was to try the challenge without writing it down, practising and then returning to the recorded challenge, then my brain just couldn’t take it. As long as the recorded challenge is done OK, then I think whatever helps towards that is a good thing.

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Trying out the first question forum. Firstly, got to say I’m seriously impressed with SSi - by far the best language learning method I’ve come across so far.

On Challenge 9 North there is a sentence - “I think that I would like to help you” - I said “Dw i’n meddyl bod liciwn i helpu chdi”, but the Welsh used ‘y’ instead of ‘bod’ for ‘that’. What’s the rule behind that change? Thanks :slightly_smiling_face:

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The ‘bod’ for ‘that’ only applies in sentences where you would have had something like “mae” or “dw i” if it started at the beginning of a sentence, e.g. “mae hi’n mynd” becomes “dw i’n meddwl bo(d) hi’n mynd”, but if it would just start with something else, like “liciwn i”, then you don’t need the “bod”. Sometimes you can put a little “y” which acts like “that” in English, but it’s not essential and lots of people leave it out in everyday speech.

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Wow! Got it. Very well explained. Thanks very much. :+1:t5:

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Hello, Siwmae :slight_smile:

I am currently on Week 2: Challenge 3 and 4.
I am noticing a trend where I start to lose concentration towards the end of the challenges, say the last 10 minutes, and that is starting to frustrate me, as I can’t get my head around the sentences, is that normal?

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Hi Alison - yup, I’d say that’s pretty normal - it can be a number of different factors, like being tired, or the fact that the end of the lessons often revisit a lot of different bits of earlier material - if you keep pushing yourself, you’ll probably get a neural adaptation which will help you focus for longer - but it’s also fine if you want to break the lessons up - stop for a while when you start to get knackered, and then finish it off after a coffee (or glass of wine :wink: )… :slight_smile:

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Hello. This is my first post here. I’m not sure I’m putting this in the right place as it’s not really a question. I’d just like to say how much I’m enjoying SSiW. I’m only up to Challenge 8 (Level 1), so it’s very early days, but I made myself smile today by intuitively saying a mutation correctly before I heard the answer. I have no idea why I did that or how I knew it would be correct - proof of excellent teaching, I think :-). I had some reservations because I’m primarily a visual learner and thought I would struggle with the focus on audio instruction, but I’m amazed by how much of it is going in. I seem to be learning without really trying too hard, and presenting it as a game definitely takes the pressure off. Just wanted to say thank you, really. SSiW is fab.

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Sounds as though you’re off to a terrific start - huge congratulations! And diolch yn fawr iawn for your very kind words… :slight_smile:

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S’mae!

New learner here, well - I’ve been at the challenges of level 1 gogledd for about a month now, with only number 25 to go! (although I blasted through 21-24 on a series of long drives, so I may revisit them as a block before I move on to level 2!) I work as an entertainer in the summer so the large amount of driving is made infinitely better if I dysgu some Cymraeg on the way! So here goes…(!)

(Dysgwr newydd dw i, a dw i ‘di bod yn dysgu am tua mis. Dw i’n gweithio fel diddanwr yn yr Haf, a dw i’n teimlo bo’ fi 'di dysgu llawer pan dw i’n gyrru!)

That said - I guess my question is that I notice subscription opens up a vast amount of options in addition to the challenges! Whilst I’m working through those, should I supplement them with some of the other resources on offer?

Thanks all :slight_smile: really enjoying the journey thus far :slight_smile:

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WSiW?

I don’t have any questions about the course as such but is anybody else here a new parent and playing this as ‘Whisper Something in Welsh’? My 12 week old baby is not a fan of me dividing my attention!

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Hi @aran, Advice please.
I started the 6 month course 3 weeks ago but shamefully I’m still on Week 1 challenges (life seems to have intervened) :slight_smile: So my question is: whilst I’m catching up, how long is best in your experience to leave between the challenges for my brain to absorb them? I day/2 days/1 hour (just kidding my brain would fry).

I should say that I’ve been doing evening classes for the last 2 years but was exasperated that faced with asking how much something was in a shop I didn’t know how to ask! But already having started SSIW I know that’s all going to change in 6 months!

Ta, Barbara

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It’s a bit of a ‘flavour to taste’ thing - I strongly recommend doing 5 minutes a day of the accelerated listening exercises - beyond that, working through the Levels and getting involved with the Welsh Speaking Practice group on Slack (or starting to use your Welsh regularly in one-on-one conversations with friends/neighbours) pretty much covers the bases… :slight_smile:

Ah, yes, that brings back memories! Definitely go for the whispering… :wink:

There’s NOTHING shameful about that, Barbara! Life always intervenes - it’s normal:slight_smile:

How long to leave between challenges? Well, the most I’ve ever heard of anyone doing in a single day is 25 (although to be fair he was running them at 1.5x speed, I think!) - I’ve tested myself up to 15 challenges in a day - so your brain will be entirely happy doing one per day (and if you decide to test yourself at some point, you’ll find that whatever your current maximum-time-doing-challenges is capable of being increased!)… :slight_smile:

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hi!! first question time :sweat_smile:

I’m currently on week 2 of the 6 month course and have just completed challenges 3 and 4! Having a fab time so far but i noticed i’m getting confused about when i’m supposed to use bod or bo’ fi? i’m also having the same issue with mae rhaid i fi and mae gyda fi, can anyone give me any tips on when i should be using each one?

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