Lesson 4 newbie

So I’m on day 4 of one sentence a day , and struggling even to remember the English sentence let alone the Welsh sentence , I did read that it’s Not a good idea to write notes as it’s unhelpful?
My questions are ,
what is the pink/Blue dots about ?
And after the initial free lessons and then subscribing are the lessons the same ? Longer ?

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Welcome to the forum Debbie :slight_smile:

You’re not alone in struggling to remember the sentences - it’s perfectly normal because it’s a method of learning we’re not used to. Stick with it though, it does work - you don’t have to be able to repeat everything perfectly in order to move on.
It’s best not to write notes if you can avoid it as it detracts from the way the method works and actually slows the learning process.

The dots are all explained here: Pink, red, green, blue and beyond... what do they mean?

The later lessons are along the same pattern but they do get longer and harder - no point sticking to first gear for the whole journey! Subscribing (depending whether you subscribe to one of the structured courses or just go through the levels at your own pace) can also offer extra exercises and support.

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Diolch

I live in N Wales I regularly hear Welsh spoken here which is great -I have welsh language envy ! Especially as I’am welsh !
I do sound ridiculous though when I’m learning , I think this is also a draw back … But will plod on

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Hi @debbie-8!

If I may add my two cents of experience to the perfect answer above. I did the “one sentence a week” taster a few months ago and found it very helpful. It showed me how the course worked and even more importantly - that one loooong sentence? I was able to remember it in my sleep several days after I finished the week of exercises! It was a real revelation because I too had been struggling with the English bits (let alone the Welsh ones!). But this taster week proved to me that the method works even if it doesn’t feel so at times.

I wish you the best of luck. I really think that you’ll get more confident with this method after your brain had time to process all the new information. And once you see for yourself that it works, there’ll be no stopping you :smiley:

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Thank you , I’m feeling more confident already :crossed_fingers::black_flag:󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

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Hello @debbie-8 :sunny:

There’s not much to add to those perfect answers above.

There is one thing I would like to say about writing notes, though: Personally, writing notes by hand helps me to remember things better, so I do take notes anyway.
But I never use them during the lessons, as tempting it may be to do so!

Basically, my notes are a different form of the listening practice: Some notes are written on a sticky note and pinned on my computer, others are placed on a spot I pass by often.
I take a short look at them in passing, without actively trying to memorize them, but like with the listening practice, they stick at some point.

I wish you the best of luck :four_leaf_clover:

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Thank you :blush:

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I don’t know whether or not you have tried Duo Lingo which is an online method of learning languages that has both android and ios apps for mobile phones and tablets. The Welsh course on Duo Lingo is an excellent supplement to the fabulous Say Something in Welsh course. DL requires you to read and write the language and quickly boosts and reinforces your vocabulary. It’s also pleasantly addictive. I wouldn’t recommend working with DL over SSiW but I find the two work really well. I’ve been working away at both and have really found they complement each other tremendously. Don’t be disheartened. We all hit peaks and troughs but in the end i don’t think anyone fails to learn something. Being in North Wales you have the advantage of plenty of welsh speakers being available to help. I can assure you as someone with more distant links to Wales, who has never lived in Wales and has no Welsh Speakers amongst his Welsh relatives, I should be at a disadvantage. However, the SSiW forum members are amazingly supportive and enthusiastic about promoting the language and helping fellow learners. You could even ask for a speaking partner to help. I’m sure someone would be able to listen to you and offer guidance.
Hwyl,
Gareth

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Hi yes I’m using Duo Lingo but not very successfully!
Yes it probably is a advantage living here but when you hear the welsh spoken it’s nothing like what it sounds like in a lesson .
I watch many welsh Language Tv programmes with subtitles and rarely understand what is being said !
I visit someone who is welsh speaking but her welsh is completely different to what’s spoken around here !
She has tried to teach me a few words but literally it goes over my head !!
Different dialects I sopose.

I will plod on , Once I feel confident to say Diolch out loud , maybe I will move forward !

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If you get s4c clic and set up an account, there are some program series that allow you to have subtitles. That might help with the tv side of things. I put bbc radio cymru on and whilst i can’t understand much at the moment it’s surprising how many words i can pick out and it helps you get used to different dialects too… Plus there’s the benefit of hearing some lovely songs you wouldn’t otherwise hear because they’re not in English. Don’t lose heart.

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That’s an accurate description of my experience learning English, when I went to England for the first time. And I had studied it at school for 7 years already! :sweat_smile:

It takes a bit of patience, with languages.
I can say that previous experiences, a way more efficient method of learning (SSiW), and way more material available on line (S4C and BBC Cymru, for example) made learning Welsh go much faster now.
Even for me that I had never heard spoken Welsh in my life, when I started learning, just a handful of songs of which I could understand absolutely nothing.

At first it seems just impossible to make any sense of those sounds, but if you keep on listening to it, you’ll start catching a few words, then more, and even more and it’s absolutely guaranteed that you’ll get to understand it all at some point. :wink:

Just one more thing: speaking to many people, I had the impression that many Welsh people feel more ashamed, are worried about native and proficient speakers’ judgement and are more embarrassed to try and speak than I am because they feel the “should speak it better” since they live there, and they are Welsh.
If it happens to you, I would say, don’t let these feelings stop you. Think of it as learning Italian or Greek for going on a vacation there! It’s something new, and it takes time to figure it out. And if you make mistakes, never mind, people will understand you’re a learner and will appreciate it anyway! :slight_smile:

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