Lack of memory

I have really been trying to complete this 6 minute course but I am getting so frustrated I feel like I am failing all the time because I cant seem to remember the words or how to pronounce them I’m now on lesson 6 an I worried I’m just going to chuck in the towel which isn’t what I want not sure how to get any help though. Thank you x

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Don’t worry, you’ve done exactly the right thing to get help by posting in the forum :slight_smile:

There are many people here who have felt as you do now and come through it, or are feeling as you are now but haven’t said so, and the thing is, it’s absolutely normal to feel as you do.
It’s not failing when you can’t remember things (that’s a legacy from schooldays which needs to be quashed), it IS normal that you can’t remember everything as fast as you think you should be able to - the brain needs time to build up the links. This happens at different speeds for different people, but so what - it is not a race!
The SSi courses are designed with spaced repetition, so you will come across things again as you move through the lessons, and each time, that little link in the brain is strengthened until suddenly at some point words and phrases will just ‘click’. I guarantee there are loads of us who thought that would definitely never happen, and yet now we realise it does happen, magically, despite our best efforts to convince ourselves that “nothing is going in”!

“Not” remembering and making mistakes are actually very important elements in language learning - they help the brain to make those new connections, not hinder, so my advice is this -
Don’t beat yourself up over what you imagine are ‘failings’ - they are not failings at all, they are building blocks.
Do ask on here for answers to any questions or for support, like now - there’s always someone about and we’re all here for each other.
And lastly - DO carry on! It may not feel like it now, but you will get there and be able to chat in Welsh - you just have to trust in the method and let it work its magic. You can do this. You’ve got it. :slight_smile:

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Hi @stephanie-11,

I agree 100% with @siaronjames comments - I’m just going to chip in to agree by saying you are not alone - we’ve all been there.

So don’t worry - in fact try to enjoy it as much as you can - relax :slight_smile:

The weird thing is you brain is working on it - no really it is! A bit further along you’ll say a phrase and think where on earth did that come from?!

It will happen…keep going. :wink:

Rich

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Thank you that does make me feel better :blush: I just get so tounge tied lol. How often do you all practice each session?

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That varies from person to person, so I’ll let others give you their experiences, but as for me, I have to admit that I haven’t learnt through SSiW - I’m a second language speaker and learnt before SSiW was developed, so I just hang around to help and encourage others but because I’ve been doing that for a long time now, I know how the course works and what trips people up (which are usually the same things that tripped me up when I started even though I was using a different method) :slight_smile:

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Hi Stephanie, check out my thread and see how others are coping after I posted the question
‘Practicing the challenges, how many times’

Best wishes,
Rob.

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I’ve felt like that too doing the level 1 and I’ve re done some of them. And find that after a while it sticks. Keep trying

@stephanie-11 how did it feel for you when you went back and repeated Challenge 1 after getting to Challenge 5? If it was definitely easier - even if you still couldn’t remember everything - that’s a sign that the system IS working for you. You may find you need to go a little slower sometimes, so you can always email admin@saysomethingin.com and ask for a pause or to repeat a week to give yourself a little more time.

If you found it really difficult, however, then there is a chance you might need to follow the plan for Higher Repetition Learners. You can read about that and watch a video here

Either way, we’re here to help :slight_smile:

Another thing you can do is listen to the Listening Exercises every day - twice if you have time. They contain the words and sentences that you’ve been learning on, so even if you don’t understand them, the constant exposure to the Welsh will help the words come more easily for you.

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