Problem
1 How do I learn Welsh?
2 Do I stop and keep repeating the difficult words and sentences until I get them right? Or just keep going, hoping eventually repetition will make whole phrases and sentences stick?
3 Why Welsh?
Answers
Duo lingo
1 I am learning though Duolingo. I've tried several systems. They are all good.
Earworms
I like Ear-worms. You can listen to while tidying up, or on car journeys.
Babbel
B a b b e l is good and thorough . If you need a language for work or get a subsidy from your employer it might be worthwhile doing their free starter and then paying for the later more advanced course.
But for me right now Duolingo is best. It offers lots of languages. It is quick. You can just do five minutes a day. It's something you can do on the computer when you need a break. You can see at a glance where you were last time.
2 At the beginning I used to do everything methodically. I completed the review. Each time I got something wrong I did the entire review start to finish - sometimes just eight words, sometimes 12, 16 or more.
When you are in a hurry because your holiday is imminent, it might be better to add five new words, instantly recognisable and easy to remember words. rather than spending time practising one you keep forgetting. If you are tired and easily discouraged or doing it more for run than to pass an exam, just plough on.
Secrets Update
I used to 'cheat' by looking words up on google translate. That way I got everything right first time.
Today I made a list of all the words. I planned to write this blog post on all my words up to date. My first thought was that neither I nor you wanted to see the same old words again. I could save time by not repeating words from the last lesson.
My second thought was that the reputation would be good for me, and you.
Then I found that my writing the words in a list, my notes helped with later translations. At the end of the exercise, you get asked to translate the other way. Recognising the Welsh is easier than remembering the Welsh when given the English word to translate into Welsh.
Welsh - English
B
b y r g e r - burger
C
c a t h - cat (first three letters are the same) Memory aid 'a (Welsh) cat - huh/uh!'
chocolate - c i o c l e d (memory aid - the first and third letters are the same, c and o, then both s and l appear, t and d sound similar)
cawl - soup (Memory aid. Like Porthcawl, the Welsh place on the southern coast. P o r t h is port or harbour. Cawl might be related to the word Ghaul, says Wikipedia. But I think of it as a harbour of soup or soupy water!
c y r i - curry
L
lemon - lemon
M
mel - honey
O
oren - orange
orennau - oranges
P
pasta - pasta
pel - ball
pitsa - pizza
R
reis - rice
S
s i o c l e d - chocolate (s pronounced like SH as in the name Sean pronounced Shawn)
tatwys - potatoes (like the Scottish mashed neaps and t a t t i e s, meaning mashed turnips and potatoes)
sudd - juice
T
tost - toast
toy - t e g a n
English - Welsh
B
ball - pel
burger - b y r g e r
C
cat - cath
chocolate - c i o c l e d
curry - c y r i
H
honey - mel
J
juice - s u d d
L
lemon - lemon
O
orange - o r e n
oranges - o r e n n a u
P
pasta - pasta
pizza - pitsa
potatoes - tatwys
R
rice - r e i s
S
soup - cawl
T
toy - t e g a n
Language Insights
Welsh has no words for a/an. the same applies to several other languages. If your native language has no a nor an and you struggle with English, you will find Welsh easier than English speakers who keep searching for a and an.
Why Learn Welsh
Why not? If you are going to drive into Wales, you might as well. If you want a holiday in Wales,
Writers and Artists In Wales
Writers Holiday has spring breaks, a summer week, and an autumn break in Fishguard Wales at a hotel overlooking the harbour. On the summer course you can also spend time on painting. (See my previous posts and their website.)
If you have no plans to go to Wales, it's still useful to spot a few Welsh words on the map of Great Britain.
Tips
duo lingo
www.visitwales.com
writers holiday.net
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have posts on languages and menus and restaurants hotels and attractions in Wales, the UK, Europe, the USA, Asia and worldwide. Please share links to your favourite posts.
1 How do I learn Welsh?
2 Do I stop and keep repeating the difficult words and sentences until I get them right? Or just keep going, hoping eventually repetition will make whole phrases and sentences stick?
3 Why Welsh?
Answers
Duo lingo
1 I am learning though Duolingo. I've tried several systems. They are all good.
Earworms
I like Ear-worms. You can listen to while tidying up, or on car journeys.
Babbel
B a b b e l is good and thorough . If you need a language for work or get a subsidy from your employer it might be worthwhile doing their free starter and then paying for the later more advanced course.
But for me right now Duolingo is best. It offers lots of languages. It is quick. You can just do five minutes a day. It's something you can do on the computer when you need a break. You can see at a glance where you were last time.
2 At the beginning I used to do everything methodically. I completed the review. Each time I got something wrong I did the entire review start to finish - sometimes just eight words, sometimes 12, 16 or more.
When you are in a hurry because your holiday is imminent, it might be better to add five new words, instantly recognisable and easy to remember words. rather than spending time practising one you keep forgetting. If you are tired and easily discouraged or doing it more for run than to pass an exam, just plough on.
Secrets Update
I used to 'cheat' by looking words up on google translate. That way I got everything right first time.
Today I made a list of all the words. I planned to write this blog post on all my words up to date. My first thought was that neither I nor you wanted to see the same old words again. I could save time by not repeating words from the last lesson.
My second thought was that the reputation would be good for me, and you.
Then I found that my writing the words in a list, my notes helped with later translations. At the end of the exercise, you get asked to translate the other way. Recognising the Welsh is easier than remembering the Welsh when given the English word to translate into Welsh.
Welsh - English
B
b y r g e r - burger
C
c a t h - cat (first three letters are the same) Memory aid 'a (Welsh) cat - huh/uh!'
chocolate - c i o c l e d (memory aid - the first and third letters are the same, c and o, then both s and l appear, t and d sound similar)
cawl - soup (Memory aid. Like Porthcawl, the Welsh place on the southern coast. P o r t h is port or harbour. Cawl might be related to the word Ghaul, says Wikipedia. But I think of it as a harbour of soup or soupy water!
c y r i - curry
L
lemon - lemon
M
mel - honey
O
oren - orange
orennau - oranges
P
pasta - pasta
pel - ball
pitsa - pizza
R
reis - rice
S
s i o c l e d - chocolate (s pronounced like SH as in the name Sean pronounced Shawn)
tatwys - potatoes (like the Scottish mashed neaps and t a t t i e s, meaning mashed turnips and potatoes)
sudd - juice
T
tost - toast
toy - t e g a n
English - Welsh
B
ball - pel
burger - b y r g e r
C
cat - cath
chocolate - c i o c l e d
curry - c y r i
H
honey - mel
J
juice - s u d d
L
lemon - lemon
O
orange - o r e n
oranges - o r e n n a u
P
pasta - pasta
pizza - pitsa
potatoes - tatwys
R
rice - r e i s
S
soup - cawl
T
toy - t e g a n
Language Insights
Welsh has no words for a/an. the same applies to several other languages. If your native language has no a nor an and you struggle with English, you will find Welsh easier than English speakers who keep searching for a and an.
Why Learn Welsh
Why not? If you are going to drive into Wales, you might as well. If you want a holiday in Wales,
Writers and Artists In Wales
Writers Holiday has spring breaks, a summer week, and an autumn break in Fishguard Wales at a hotel overlooking the harbour. On the summer course you can also spend time on painting. (See my previous posts and their website.)
If you have no plans to go to Wales, it's still useful to spot a few Welsh words on the map of Great Britain.
Tips
duo lingo
www.visitwales.com
writers holiday.net
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have posts on languages and menus and restaurants hotels and attractions in Wales, the UK, Europe, the USA, Asia and worldwide. Please share links to your favourite posts.
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