Breakthroughs: Does anybody have small successes/breakthroughs speaking Cymraeg they want to share?

How absolutely beautiful… :heart:

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You’ll be that “Crazy Welsh Grandmother” who always speak Cymraeg. Someone will ask, "Does she speak English?’ And the appropriate reply would be, “Only when she’s angry.” :rofl: Which is appropriate on so many levels, mostly meaning all the love and care is expressed in Cymraeg.

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Yep, that’s me! :grin:

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Not about speaking Welsh but listening (I’m sure I’m not the only one who finds listening and understanding particularly tricky). The end of the 6 Month course is in sight (currently week 20) so I am listening to BBC Radio Cymru as suggested by Aran. I find I can pick out lots of words but understanding what is being said doesn’t happen very often, BUT, the other day there was a quiz and a question was put to the person on the phone, and I understood the question! And for my bonus point I knew the answer! A definite punch the air moment :grin:

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Well done. You will find those bits of understanding coming more and more often if you keep at it.

I’ve said this before (“and I’ll say it again…” :slight_smile: ), but I suggest people listen to Radio Cymru via iPlayer Radio (or BBC Sounds as they are now calling it), so that you can (if you wish) easily listen to just segments, or listen to the same piece as many times as you like.

As opposed to listening to the live broadcast, that is. Listening to the live broadcast is fine if you just want it as background sound to “wash over you”, but I think there is also a place for more intensive listening, and that’s where iplayer Radio / BBC Sounds comes in.

The other thing about using iplayer Radio / BBC Sounds is that you can more easily home in on programmes that you like (or might like). I always start with the schedule:

Then click on the Radio Cymru icon, which should take you somewhere like:

That will be “today’s” schedule, but you can move backward (and forward to see what’s coming up).

There are other ways of picking things out of course, e.g. by going here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/radiocymru

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Virtual fist-bump from here! :stars:

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Well, I finished level 3 the other day (finished not mastered any means) and felt a tiny bit deflated. I will definitely need to do this level again I thought. Today I went to my local builders merchant and during the course of the conversation (normally very short about paint/wood etc) he asked me whether I was ready for Christmas. To my complete surprise I understood a phrase out of context. And had a halting conversation about Christmas food shopping. I feel really quite happy about that. It’s a very small thing but for me it seems like I might just be able to have a “normal” conversation in the not too distant future. :slight_smile:

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Gwych! :trophy: Excellent!

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Simon, you’ve learnt Welsh - it’s a done deal - the ONLY thing you need from now on is to get yourself into as many one-to-one hour+ conversations as possible (and be a regular listener to the advanced content) - that is absolutely the last piece of the jigsaw for you… :star: :star2:

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Had a bit of an argument with someone last Friday, then got in my car, slammed the door and loudly declared to myself “Dw i ddim yn hapus”. I was so surprised it cheered me right up! :slight_smile:

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I had a dream in which I was speaking Welsh last night. The only thing I can remember is that I was insisting to some man (who looked like a schoolteacher): “Dw i wedi symud fy ngharafan!!”.

I don’t own a caravan…

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I had a dream partly in Welsh last night, for the first time I remember. There was an actual conversation of several sentences in my dream, but the only bit I can now remember was making do with the word syniad when it wasn’t quite what I would have said in English, and following it up with “Beth ydy’r gair Cymraeg am ‘concept’?”

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To be utterly and completely honest, I was always a little sceptical of stories of people who dreamt in Welsh… until this week… when I’ve dreamt in Welsh… TWICE! :relaxed::face_with_hand_over_mouth:
I expect it has something to do with the fact I’m attempting to do 25 challenges in 25 days and my mind feels like one big messy jumble of Welsh words!
But that’s brilliant @RichardBuck! :star: How exciting it’s all becoming so subconscious!

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I had a dream in French once where I was trying to explain to a French person that the 1970s edition of the game “Guess Who?” could be over in two moves if you chose Ann, as she was the only black person!

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I love that even your dreams have such a rigorously academic approach to linguistics… :smiley: :joy: :star2:

[Cysyniad, by the way :slight_smile: ]

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Oops, better move it back then! :wink:

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Amser maith yn ol, ron i’n gwylio rhaglen teledu yn Saesneg pan rhywun yn siarad Cymraeg a ddaeth isteitlau ar y sgin. Dw i’n cofio meddwl pam? cyn i mi ddeall na fod i’n sylweddoli bod yr iaith wedi newid!
A long time ago I was watching an English language TV programme when someone spoke in Welsh and subtitles appeared on the screen. I wondered why, and then realised I hadn’t noticed the change in language.

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I’m just on Level 2 Challenge 13 and 14, in the 6 month course, and I’ve been enjoying it all, but I’ve suddenly realised that from Challenge 11 onwards it seems slightly different. It now feels that I am expanding a language that I am familiar with, rather than just learning and practicing words in a language I’m trying to learn. I’m still making mistakes, forgetting some words and struggling with others, but it certainly feels good. I’ve also had my car radio permanently tuned to Radio Cymru for weeks now, and am finding that I occasionally recognise phrases and not just single words.

It reallyt feels as if it’s coming together. I know I’ve got a long way to go, but I’m sure I’ll get there, and I am happy to try out my Welsh with anyone who will listen now, which is something I never thought I would do either. Listening to previous learners’ videos and posts has been so inspirational too, especially Nicky and Dee, who are just brilliant. . Thanks for your excellent courses.

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That sounds like a very important gear change - huge congratulations! :star: :star2:

Merry Christmas, All!
My wife and I have just spent the afternoon, drinking tea & coffee in the Bethlehem Village Hall :slight_smile: The Carmarthenshire one.
Anyway, the lady who served us explained that she wasn’t in her element speaking English as she was a first language Welsh speaker, so my Wife said that’s ok because John speaks Welsh :grimacing:

In spite of being nervous, I just seemed to change languages - Thank you, SSiW. Needless to say that you had a mention.

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