Tatjana - progress reports

Diolch yn fawr @brigitte. Dwi’n gwybod nawr. :slight_smile: Bydda i’n cofio fe am byth.

I decided I’ll retreat. This doesn’t mean I’ll stop learning but will retreat from here (at least for a while) not closing my acount though (unless you might want so), just not posting here and bothering you with all my little unimportant thingys and annoying moanings.

Why? Because I’m conversation killer (see how many posts are last in topics as like no one would have any desire to say something more after me.), I’m time eater (ask those who talked to me how long conversations we had with actually second to none Welsh said from me) and I don’t have anything valuable to contribute actually. My level of knowledge is second to none despite I learn already for 3 years and did the whole Course 1 and (let’s say) 10 (despite there were 15 actually) Challenges of Level 1.

Well, I’ll read the forum though and if there’s anything to help with (like @CatrinLliarJones “Fundraising” topic) I’ll take part of course.

I’ll leave people to live not to bother them and taking the wish to participate on this forum from them with my not neccessary annoying comments and conversation killings. (This one is my last one I promise).

And besides … in this particular topic there’s nothing to report about actually as there’s no progress made by me I could report of.

Thank you for your kind repsonses and suggestions and thank you for bearing with me for such long time.

Pob lwc i chi bawb.

I was looking forward to speaking to you again, so I’m sorry to hear that, Tatjana!

Speaking for myself, I found your posts interesting and instructive - it’s always good to hear how the learning process goes with people in different circumstances! I’m sure other people will second me on that.

I will still be here and happy to help if you do want to practice again - and I am sure others will as well.

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Someone has to make the last post or else the thread will go on for ever and ever and ever…

But think of yourself as a conversation starter - how many threads would have stopped or never got going if you hadn’t posted?

And don’t forget all the people who read the forum but never get involved because their questions are answered thanks to conversations you’ve been involved with.

One more Q though: What’s more correct?

Mae gyda fi ffrind
Mae ffrind gyda fi

In Course 1 second version was taught and in Level 1 is the first.

I know the answer but I’d still like to know what’s more correctly with the fact that I’m doing southern Level 1.

I actually find second version sounding more correctly though.

Diolch.

I think I saw @Iestyn say somewhere else that they’re equally correct and you’ll hear both, but I couldn’t find the post, so I could be telling you a story. :yum: I’ll let him confirm or deny.

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Stories are good so I’ll believe your one. :slight_smile:

On sirious note, I believe you’re right but somehow 2nd version is more logical to me.

Thank you for kind answer. (Now I’m going back to “slumber” :slight_smile: )

One of the last (morning inspiration) which you don’t need to answer if you don’t want to though.

I’ve decided to rather move to Course 2 then continue with Level 1 but the question is: What Lessons would worth to repeat before moving on?

I’m sirious on this one and don’t accept the answer like “Don’t repeat anything just carry on.”

Diolch.

Where are you now on Level 1? Like you I got a bit stuck on Lesson 13, which I repeated (I think it was the variety of tenses in the sentences that gave me some problems). Then 14 was ok, 15 was tricky, but 16-17 were fine on one run through and I am just about to start on 18. In between, I have also repeated two of the vocab lessons from Course 1, because I needed to refresh my numbers for selling cheese and biscuits at a local event. Also, I have done Lesson 4 of course 3, which was where I was when I decided to dip into Level 1 and got hooked! L4C3 was much easier after being introduced to the short forms from the start in Level 1.

I think what I am trying to say is that I have been doing a bit of mixing things and I think that when you move to Course 2, you will benefit greatly from the long sentences and mix of tenses in Level 1. Obviously, each lesson builds on and repeats things from previous lessons.

My advice on what to do next on Level 1 is to do the next two Lessons. Enjoy them!

Repeating lessons is boring and frustrating, because you’re trying to stuff the last 20% of words into your brain that you didn’t pick up the first time. Why not get yourself familiar with 60-80% of the next lesson instead? A much better feeling!

I’m walking forth and back in Level 1 from Challenge 10 to 15 and back because I have a feeling nothing sticks into my head. I tend to forget things I’ve done already for numerous times. I’ve done Challenge 10 with ease, 12 with a bit less but it still goes, 13 was a killer but moved on to 14 anyway, realizing that I just don’t have the neccessary foundation to do it but I still carried on to Challenge 15 where I had a feeling in the middle of it it’s just pointless to do it as ABSOLUTELY NOTHING was right so I stopped right there - in the middle of it. Then I’ve returned to Challenge 13 trying to at least a bit grasp the things. Moving on it was the same, going back was worse. Now I went back to Challenge 10 only to find out that I can’t produce even what I already could before. As I’ve done Course 1, all vocabs and (let’s say) half way through Level 1 I see mixing things at this stage didn’t do much good on me so that’s why I’ve decided I’ll do one bit of a time - All old courses first (if they last on here long enough to reach them) and then move on to Levels (if I’ll actually reach then end of old courses at all what is at this stage of my mind fairly unlikely).

I thought repeating some of the Lessons in Course 1 and starting Course 2 would do some “magic” but I’m not sure what would be worthy of repeating. Lesson 6 a and b, for sure and maybe all Vocabs but I don’t know what else.

I’ve said that I’ll retreat because I just don’t have any valuable thing to contribute - and I will do so (not go, but retreat for a while). Doing 1 step for 3 years not mooving anywhere and moaning all the time really isn’t what this forum and all of you need, neither you need time eater in speaking practices. I’ve seen in two of them what I can produce - 3 or 4 sentences in Welsh all the rest is puring rain of English sentences for 1 hour or even more. I know that people are too polite to say the truth but that’s how I feel.

With someoe’s advise what to repeat from Course 1 I’ll try to do things on and come on here ONLY when I’ll have something really worthy to share.

Diolch

What about just doing the last lesson or two of course 1 - that will revise everything from that course. Then move onto Course 2. Everything is repeated at regular intervals during the course, so go with the flow - it works! Your brain will catch up if you stop putting pressure on it :smile:

Thx. I just rememberred Course 1 Lesson 25 (I’m doing Southern course) is pure revision with nothing new to add so yes, I’ll go for it. (WOW! I’ve rememberred something, what an acheavement!). Then I’ll move to Course 2. Hopefully it will help me through and then I might return to Level 1.

Thanks for reminding me of this.

Hello again Tatjana!

First of all I’ll say that I’m happy to speak to anybody, whatever their level of Welsh - whether it is just a few words as they have just started, a lot more, about the same level as me or at a much higher level than me - so you weren’t eating into my time!

I’ve said before that I don’t know what level you should be at in your position, and you know what you are happy with, so I can’t comment on that, but it makes no difference to me in terms of being happy to speak to you!

If you aren’t comfortable on Skype because you are not happy with your level, that’s your choice, of course - but please don’t think you have to take into account people not being happy to speak to you, or not saying what they think, because that isn’t the position in my case!

Actually, it’s quite a novel experience being told that I am too polite to say the truth :wink:

Ans secondly, on the lots of posts thing - well, I can’t see that it causes any problems at all!
people go through stages of posting lots, posting less, posting more depending on how they feel.

No one has to read posts, no one talks over anyone else with posts, and I don’t think anyone needs to be worried about posting too much!

Especially as this is forum is a main point of contact for you with the Welsh language and Welsh speakers.

Both things (posting and Skyping) up to you (of course!) but I hope you do what you do for the right reasons :wink:

I won’t “sing” an ode aboutu how I all of a sudden can understan everything as afterwards many times before I ended way too frustrated with something at some point, but I can say this though: With starting Course 2 - Lesson 0 and 1 even Level 1 makes more sense to me right now. Now I know where some things come from what helps me at the moment.

But … I’d say no more. Let’s see how quick I’ll start to moan this time (what will surely happen).

No progress (by my measures) made yet but switching to intermediate old course rather then continuing the new one was right choice at the moment and makes sense.

So good luck to myself now. :slight_smile:

Tatjana
I’ve been missing you, good to hear that you are making progress again.
Polly

Hey Tajana

Interesting to read your experiences and challenges with Lesson 13 of Level 1.

Not sure how the experts on here would interpret this, but different lessons prove to be stumbling blocks for different people. I currently have 6 minutes to go on Lesson 13. I have only done the lesson so far whilst driving in the car, which is brilliant because it is impossible to use the pause button in such an environment. First time round I was fine for the first 5 minutes and then I became a little unstuck because I was struggling with word orders and I keep mixing up man/woman and old/young. Indeed I have been mixing old/young up often enough that I now justify my response with the notion that Iestyn has forgotten what he originally said and that I correctly used old/young.

The next time through was a strange experience. The Welsh seems incredibly complicated (and I have done all of Course 1 and the vocab units previously) and I barely have time to think before the interpretation comes in and I hardly know what I am doing - but the Welsh was coming out more or less correctly pretty much all the time.

That may sound fantastic but the reality is that my ‘sticking point’ was Lesson 12. Played that through three or four times and struggled with the new stuff in the lesson and even when I played it today I still made loads of mistakes. However, Aran is absolutely right in saying that there just comes a point when it is necessary to push on regardless. I remember at the start how tough ‘I have been learning’ was, even though I had finished Course 1, and now it is pretty easy.

The main thing is to keep going and to keep learning - it gets easier!

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Thank you for encouraging words but I’ve totally dropped Level(s) off and am sticking with old Course 2 now. I’ve reached lesson 10 today but except for my constant forgetting problems and the fact that I’m very tired when I come home from work at the evening but still keep on doing lessons, there are no particular problems with old course 2. There are many new stuff in every single lesson however I HIGHLY appriciate it’s much more explained from where one word derives and how it’s usually spoken in particular area of Cymru.

As far as concerns gaps inbetween what @Iestyn says in English and the answer they say afterwards I’ve noticed they’re even in Course 2 (and perhaps even more in Course 3) shorter and shorter. Well, there’s always pause button but I’m not keen to it. I’m just too stubborn to use it. I rather go through the each lesson once more after a day or two.

For my vocabulary expansion (or better for memorizing it) I use Anki Flash cards which I made on my own so that I avoid lists to deal with and have kind of practice on this part too. Not every word is repeated in every lesson so this kind of practice is quite useful to me at the moment.

As for what @aran says about keeping going on: Well, I’m obviously not such brilliant student this kind of training would really suit me. I’ve pushed on to Challenge 15 of Level 1 but found myself more and more frustrated each and every time so this drived me nowhere at all. The more I’ve pushed on the more frustration was there for me and nothing what I’ve learnt in previous Challenges came back to me so I just gave up. I might return to Levels when I finish all Courses (which obviously won’t be so soon yet but as things show now sooner then with new Levels).

Mae’n drwg da fy, but I’m not the kind of student anymore who would be able to learn a language in a month but rather a student who would forget half of learnt stuff the next minute something was said.

I don’t (can’t) drive a car however I tried to study on the bus. I’d never do this again. Learning to speak requires speaking but on the bus this isn’t possible and only thinking what you should say inbetween the gaps didn’t do anything good at all.

I’ve got somewhere since I’ve last posted here but not as far it would require posting anything here at the moment. Average progress which can stop at any time as much as go forward to higher level. :slight_smile:

Heia Springbok,

This is absolutely fine in the context of the word-game, so do not worry about it one bit. Its unlikely it would happen to you in a real conversation.

Hwyl,

stu

Heia Tatjana!

Why not? I have embarrassed myself many a time by working on lessons whilst on the train to London and back. Ignore those funny looks; who cares if everyone thinks you are mad? Maybe they’ll think you’re on your mobile phone…

Hwyl,

Stu

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Hehe. Might be …