To want to learn Welsh?

[CesareBorgiasSkeletonOnesie]

When I am not Welsh, do not live in Wales, an such have no connection other than really liking going on holiday there? I like learning languages (though have a habit of getting to a basic conversational standard then losing interest) but haven’t tried a Celtic language yet. DH thinks I’m being silly and should either spend the time getting better at something I already speak or ‘learn something actually useful,’ and says if we ever do go to Wales and I try to speak Welsh people will think I’m being odd.

Verdict?

[CesareBorgiasSkeletonOnesie]

‘An such’ = and actually . I can also speak English, I promise...

[scurryfunge]

If you want to do it then do it though you may find it difficult finding tutors if you are not in Wales. Not sure how good on line courses are though. I've been tempted to do it for a while ( have moved there though).

[Nettletheelf]

I had the same thought last week. Although I had had a glass of wine at the time and realised that it would be pretty difficult to find a welsh conversation group where I live (a long way from wales) so discounted it. I’d really like to be able to speak another language of the British Isles though.

[CesareBorgiasSkeletonOnesie]

I usually teach myself from apps/ books/ online courses scurry - though can foresee problems with pronunciation going down that route with Welsh... hmm.

[CesareBorgiasSkeletonOnesie]

Nettle if you’re anywhere near the Hants/ Surrey border we could form our own conversation group . We might end up developing our own dialect somewhat though...

[MilkGoatee]

I did, and I'm not a Brit either. I started learning Welsh at Nant Gwrtheyrn (nantgwrtheyrn.org/) in 1994, and went for courses there in consecutive years in my holidays until 2000. I've never become fluent, unfortunately, but know how to pronounce words (so I can sing it!) though I haven't really spoken it since 2000.

[MilkGoatee]

Hmm, that link was supposed to convert automatically, wasn't it?
nantgwrtheyrn.org/

[hellsbellsmelons]

If you already speak Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Dutch, Mandarin, then yeah go for it.
If you don't then these are far more useful and widely spoken.

[Chimchar]

Yanbu.
It’s a hard language to learn, and not widely used, but it is interesting.

You would struggle to have a welsh chat in many, many places in wales, but on the same token, you’d find plenty of places to use it too..

Pob lwc to you!

[iklboo]

I've been using the Duolingo app. It's not bad but it doesn't always explain why you use words one way and then another in a different setting.

Prynhawn da!

[GoodMorning1]

If you go on holiday there it makes sense to learn some Welsh.

[EdmundCleverClogs]

and says if we ever do go to Wales and I try to speak Welsh people will think I’m being odd.

Not at all, though learn and speak North Wailian not that awful Southern vernacular . I think it’s a great idea - ok as a speaker no it’s never going to get one far in a career outside of Wales, but why shouldn’t British people make a bit more effort learning a bit of the various native languages? As someone who lived in an area where we had many English holiday home/caravan owners, it was actually nice to get to know the ones who actually made an effort with the basics. We found it respectful, not funny.

I always planned on learning some Cornish, which isn’t that different from Welsh (same language pool), I don’t care if only three other people speak it in the world .

Pob lwc!

[CactaiSurprise]

I'm welsh.
I'd honestly say most welsh people (particularly in the cities/towns) barely speak any welsh and that's only because you're forced to take it until GCSE level. I rarely if ever heard it spoken where I lived or in the local area. Apart from once on a bus en route to Barry and I remember it well as I was very very surprised!
So yes, as a welsh person who speaks extremely limited welsh I would think you were very weird to want to learn the language/speak to me in welsh, sorry.
More than anything I think the amount of money pumped into keeping the language going has only been wasted as it's still not used and is forgotten by most when they leave school and the millions that have gone into preserving it may as well had been spent on fixing the dodgy roads in the welsh valleys, but let's not go there!

[Rhian101]

//www.Letstalkwelsh.com is brilliant. I remember seeing that she was teaching a woman in America to learn welsh for exactly the same reasons you want to. I think it’s great.

[Nettletheelf]

I’m a long way from you, too, Cesare!

[onceandneveragain]

There's an app and website called say something in Welsh that does loads of meet ups all over the uk and abroad so you might find more people than you think near you learning it! I'd say go for it even if it's just a few words it's interesting. It's possibly the oldest language in Europe still currently spoken so good from a cultural stand point.

[sashh]

I want to too.

Since I got Sky I got the Welsh TV channel;s and it is fascinating. I sometimes watch it with English subtitles.

[MilkGoatee]

Oh, and of course watch S4C's Pobl Y Cwm on catch-up. I think it's the omnibus that has subtitles, so you can watch during the week w/o the subtitles and then see with the omnibus whether you've understood it. It's a learners' program, so even without hardly any knowledge you can still pick stuff up.

[Ivybows]

Welsh is a really hard language to learn without an actual person tutoring you.

Definitely depends on what part of wales you visit to how the reaction will be to you starting a conversation in Welsh

[CesareBorgiasSkeletonOnesie]

Hellsbells I speak mandarin as I lived in China as a child, and French and Spanish. I’m not fluent in any of them but can carry on a conversation. Not German, Dutch or Portuguese though - German has always scared me a bit. Thanks for all the app and website recommendations! Will have a look. Was whinging to DH yesterday that I’m bored at the moment and he said I should get a new hobby- so Welsh it is!

[daisym00n]

I would recommend www.saysomethingin.com It's got a great community of learners from all over the place and the first level of lessons are free.

[GaryWilmotsTeeth]

I'm English and moved to North Wales five years ago (where my DH is from). There is a lot of Welsh spoken round these parts and certainly as you go further west towards Gwynedd and onto Anglesey, it is the first language in a lot of places. I had both my children in Ysbyty Gwynedd which is the main hospital in the area and probably 3/4 of the people around me were first language welsh speakers.

I have done evening classes and online courses. I'm a fairly terrible linguist and find it difficult to pick languages up but have got enough Welsh to have a very basic conversation and help the DC's as they learn Welsh in school.

The evening classes were with a group called Popeth Cymraeg but I'm not sure if they have anything online.
I found saysomethinginwelsh.com very good and you can choose between North Wales Welsh and South Wales Welsh, which is very useful as most courses I have come across just do South Wales.

pob lwc!

[MuddlingMackem]

I want to learn Welsh too, just because I want to learn a language I can watch telly or films without subtitles, and we have Welsh language on Freeview. I haven't really got the momentum going as I'm getting stuck on pronunciation, LOL! I'm desperately hoping Usborne bring out a Welsh title in their Listen and Learn series.

My initial impetus was to be able to watch Hinterland without subs, but that's finished. S4C needs to start a new gripping series. :)

[mummyhaschangedhername]

If you fancy it, then why not. As for it being useful, depends where you holiday, I’m Welsh, live in wales and can’t speak a word. Lol ... it’s not really spoken much in the cities, but the further north or west you go then it is.

[DixieFlatline]

I've considered doing this and had similar thoughts (wondering whether I should brush up on one of the ones I already got relatively far with and which are more widely spoken). I haven't had time to pick up any new ones OR brush up much on the old ones, since I spend every day speaking a foreign language (none of the extremely useful ones, sadly, twist of fate!) and have an otherwise rather full schedule. But go for it! I envy you! I think I might have a dabble with Swedish next.