'I want to be a Welsh speaker because...'

I want to be a Welsh speaker because I’d like to speak Welsh with my children and friends.
When I’m a Welsh speaker it will mean they don’t have to switch to English when I’m in their company. (Sometimes I’m the only English speaker in a group and feel sad that I’m unable to follow and join in (yet!)!)

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I grew up hearing Welsh spoken by my mother and her relatives, she never had us kids learn it because we were in America and my dad was American and didn’t speak Welsh but I was always sorry not to be able to speak Welsh. I want to be able to speak even a little bit the next time I visit Wales, I remember visits with my mum and every time we went into a shop or something, even though we looked American and they would first speak English to us how delighted people were when she would address them in Welsh. The language is so beautiful and needs to stay alive and thriving.

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I want to be a Welsh speaker because I get together with Welsh speakers for a week, once a year, and I would be really excited to be able to converse with them, at least a bit, in Welsh (and I know they’d be very excited for me, too!) I have Welsh ancestors many generations ago, and I’m drawn to learn about my Welsh heritage. I’ve fallen in love with the language and the music and the land, from my time visiting, and from spending time with my Welsh friends. It would warm my heart to find myself thinking in Welsh a little!

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I want to be a Welsh speaker because my grandmother was a first language speaker and my grandchildren are now bi-lingual.

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That’s kind of my experience too. I grew up listening to my mother and grandmother and all the rellies speaking Welsh but they never bothered with me because I grew up in England. They also wanted a “secret” language to stop a child understanding what was being said.
Unforgivable IMHO.

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Yes, my mother and her sisters used to speak about us kids to each other in Welsh which seemed very unfair! I did seem to develop an ability to intuit the gist of what they were talking about without understanding the exact words or the detail. Which has turned out to be another motivation to actually learn some of the language

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That sounds amazing, . Beautiful. Wishing you every success. Best wishes from a fellow learner :blush:

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Like you I have Welsh ancestors and my maiden name was Lloyd. We often went on holiday to Wales when I was a child. I’ve always wanted to speak Welsh since I was a teenager. I had the opportunity to learn other languages at school, and I’ve since learned Flemish while living in Belgium for a short time. Now SSiW has given me the opportunity to realise a long-held ambition and I’m relishing the time I spend trying to speak Welsh. Good luck! Keep motivated! We’ll get there!

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Thank you :blush: we do have some funny little welsh conversations as she understandably doesn’t always remember the words plus she was brought up with the formal ways whereas I use the informal!! So good for her though and she loves it :grinning:
Great that you’re continuing with your welsh…all the very best in becoming a successful welsh speaker…and you also live in a lovely part of the country too!

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That’s so lovely. My mum passed away in September at age 94 so I never had the chance to speak Welsh with her. I wish I had not left it so late but now I am learning it in honor of her memory and my family’s history. Though Mum always thought me a bit mad to want to learn a language no-one speaks where I live!

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How interesting you have the same experience. I thought it was just me!

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I am in a Welsh Choir and I would like to be able to sing in Welsh with confidence. I hate not knowing what I’m singing. Everything always sounds so much more beautiful when it’s sung in Welsh.

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Hearing a Welsh voice choir usually makes me water up, and as for the national anthem at the rugby!

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I was born and brought up in Cardiff and now I’ve returned “home”. I have been nurtured by Welsh culture for 30 years and never let that go which has been challenging at times living in very different cultures. Now I want to give something back and to truly embrace Welshness.

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Helo Bronwen,

I would like to ask a question to get from the red to green badge. May I ask you the question please and also do some speaking practice at the same time? May I phone you at a convenient time please. Diolch yn fawr. Therese

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… because it’s my national language and I have always wanted to speak it. Also, I got fed up with making excuses about not having the time.

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I want to learn Welsh because my family is from Wales!

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I want to be a Welsh speaker it’s something I should have done long ago.

If I succeed then I look forward to speaking Welsh with my grandchildren

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You will succeed, @jackie-poley - we look forward to hearing about that first conversation with your grandchildren!

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I want to be a Welsh speaker because I already know and understand quite a lot of Welsh, and now ssiw is a massive help in bringing everything together to have conversations. I want to be able to speak only Welsh the next time I visit Aberaeron!!

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