My problem with shops is that I don’t normally say anything much during transactions in English, so I don’t find I get any practice when buying things in Welsh, other than saying “Diolch”.
On one of my trips to Cardiff, I found the Welsh bookshop in Pontcanna and bought a book about Hedd Wyn. I contemplated saying something about having just visited the newly restored cottage, but then realised that if I was buying an English book in English, I wouldn’t say anything, so it seemed unnatural to try to start a conversation in Welsh.
Is this just me being my usual introvert self? Would an extrovert have made conversation about the book?
It was so funny. I went to the chip shop on the Maes proudly asked for ‘Gai chips mawr os gwe… yn dda’. Such a simple question and I didn’t understand what he said next. I laughed though and he helped me out and asked if I was a learner. So we did continue in Welsh. I just need to buy chips more often. Get the practice in.
That’s the spirit! If you can laugh at any mistakes or misunderstandings rather than deciding you’ll never ever try speaking Welsh again, you’re 90% of the way there. It took me years, and a bootcamp, to get to that stage… And the decision to buy chips more often is inspired.
Sue[quote=“Rohini, post:22, topic:13306”]
I didn’t understand what he said next.
[/quote]
I bought fish and chips on the Maes and the man asked me a question. I think he was asking if I wanted curry sauce or mushy peas or a variety of other delights, but I panicked a bit, just said “dim diolch” and handed over the money. I should have been braver like you, but at least I got my fish and chips.
I suspect that having a not-so-widespread language as mother tongue is an advantage in this case.
I’ve practised embarrassing myself into the wild since I was 16, when I succeeded convincing my parents to let me go to Great Britain (and of course paying for most of the expenses)…
Nobody in the family where I stayed or anywhere in town spoke any Italian so I had no other choice than trying to speak and understand English somehow!
In Wales everybody (or almost, I guess) speaks English anyway, makes it easy to get lazy or shy I’m sure I would too.
