Tiny questions with quick answers - continuing thread

I’m struggling with two phrases on Level 2 Challenge 15:

1 dau y peth gorau i’w neud (beth yw i’w?)

2 taw dyna (beth yw taw?)

Can anyone help please?

  1. i’w is a contraction of “i ei”. In Welsh we have a kind of an ‘it’ that refers back if the subject is in front of the verb rather than following it, so
    i neud y peth gorau = to do the best thing (peth gorau comes after the verb neud, so we just have the ‘i’)
    y peth gorau i’w neud = the best thing to do (it) (the implied ‘it’ refers to ‘y peth gorau’ which comes before the verb neud, so we need the ‘it’, which is ‘ei’, but you don’t have ‘i’ and ‘ei’ together, so the ‘ei’ turns into a 'w).

  2. taw is ‘that’ when the sentence is an affirmative indirect or focused one. There are a few ways to say ‘that’ and it can be confusing as to which to use where, but don’t worry too much about it, just let the pattern sink in.

2 Likes

Well, casbeth makes sense! :smiley:

Not so thinking of how driving in the winter could be linked to a “hamster hate” or “cat hate”, for example.
Or even considering possible that “a pet is driving in the winter,” (there’s a draig saying good night in some Duolingo sentences so might as well be), why would “hate” be there.

Ah, English language! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

1 Like

The confusion over pet is that originally “pet” meant something more like “a thing dear to you”, not specifically an animal that lives with you. It’s still used that way in the North East of England where you’ll hear people addressed “pet” or in phrases like, “be a pet and fetch that book for me.” So “pet hate” is like a “dearest hate” or “favourite hate”. If that makes sense!

@siaronjames Thanks for “casbeth”. Much more literal. :smile:

3 Likes

Hi everyone, can anyone recommend a good programme on s4c for a brand new learner to enjoy? I’m really really enjoying iaeth ar daith, and fancy trying something else. But i don’t understand anything on the title page on the iPlayer app. I don’t want anything with ‘adult themes’ , just something entertaining and interesting :grinning:

Maybe you can have a look here, to start with (although some might not be available right now - I’ll check what’s on and maybe add a few):

1 Like

Thanks, I’ll have a good look x

1 Like

Hi all! Bit confused between ‘rhaid i mi – I must, I’ve got to’ and ‘mae gen i – I’ve got, I have.’ They almost seem to be the same? Can anyone help me out at all with which to use when? Diolch!

Rhaid i mi - as you said - means “I must (do something)” and indicates that there is some level of compulsion involved. I tend to think of it as “it is necessary for me (to do whatever).” Rhaid i mi fynd rwan - I need to go now.

Mae gen i on the other hand signifies posession. Mae gen i llyfr - I have a book.

It is really the ambiguity of the English that is causing your confusion. But note that the first is “I have to (do something)” and the second is just “I have (something)”

5 Likes

Hi, I have newly subscribed and am working through the challenges on level 1. It says on the sign up page about video practise group sessions that you can use weekdays in the morning and afternoon - am I on the wrong course for that? I understand there is a 6 minute a day course or 30 minute a day course and I’m doing 30 minutes a day. This is suiting me during the lockdown, but will be too much when I am back at work - will I be able to swap then? And can I have access to video practise group sessions now, or am I on the wrong course? Sorry for all the questions!!

I found “Adre” to be quite accessible because it’s the presenter in conversation with various Welsh celebrities in their homes. I don’t know if it’s currently available though.

1 Like

Hi @emma-ireland

I squeezed through the challenges just before the structured courses came along so I’m not sure about the detail options. I will tag @Deborah-SSi who will be able to answer those questions.

Rich :slight_smile:

1 Like

There are some episodes of Adre currently available on the BBC iPlayer. We love the series because the presenter is so kind and enthusiastic and it’s interesting to see inside people’s homes.

1 Like

Hi @emma-ireland! It looks to me like you just have a standard subscription which gives you access to all the online material, but isn’t actually part of a structured course. As it is, it sounds like you’re going much faster than the courses!

The online group session are part of the structured courses; however, there is the open Welsh Speaking Practice Slack group and you’d be welcome to join that. There are frequent group sessions there.

If you wanted to join the specific online groups that go with the course, you’d need to join the 6 Minutes course to get access to those, but you could carry on working through the challenges as you are doing now.

Great, thanks to you both, I’ll find it on the iPlayer x

Thank you, that makes sense now! Diolch!

Thanks Deborah. What is the open speaking practice slack group and how do I find that? I don’t want to do the 6 minutes a course right now, as I’m having enormous fun learning so much every day! I take the dog for a walk and get home able to speak loads more Welsh! I’m loving it :revolving_hearts:

1 Like

I get these mixed up too, I had never noticed how confusing English is before!

1 Like

Thanks for that Rich :grinning:

1 Like

If you ask for an invite to the WSP group on Slack by emailing admin@saysomethingin.com , they’ll add you and then you can use the group for chats in Welsh (you can have one-to-one chats or join group hangouts and talk to more people at the same time!)

2 Likes