Learning Apps and Resources
Dysgu Cymraeg?
Here’s a list of links to awesome websites to keep your exposure to Welsh up. Simply tap on any of the colourful boxes below to open a link to the respective content. Towards the bottom of the page is a run-down of what each one offers. Get involved 💪
Courses with LearnWelsh
Honestly, if you haven’t already, sign up now! There are plenty of awesome courses out these from http://www.learnwelsh.cymru, be they in person or online. I’ve been tutoring with these guys for nearly 5 years now and the course is fantastic.
If you’re unsure on where to start, all of the coursebooks are available as free .pdf downloadable files which you can find by simply searching the web for something like ‘pdf north/south Welsh + level of course’
Courses range from Mynediad (Entry), Sylfaen (Foundation), Canolradd (Intermediate), Uwch (Higher), and Hyfedredd (Proficiency).
S4C & Radio Cymru
Look, I’ll be the first to moan about third person language learning – i.e., the learner isn’t part, per se, of the language use – being ineffective, and, on occasions, even off-putting.
However, once you’re at a stage to 1) begin to pick up words and phrases and 2) are aware that third person learning can be hard even for a former learner (with a Welsh degree) like me, it can be a great tool; TV especially because you can whack subtitles on.
SaySomethingInWelsh
Aran Jones, the creator of SSIW, is someone I can (just about) call a friend following fleeting in-person chats and numerous online conversations.His work on language acquisition is mind blowing and has inspired me in many ways in my own teaching and learning.
I can personally vouch for SSIW’s effectiveness because I’ve been following the Cornish and Manx courses via the same website and, my word, it bloody works! I don’t know how much it costs, but however much it is… pay it! (Although I’m certain there’s a decent chunk for free too!)
ClozeMaster
I’ve been playing this delightfully retro-esque language-learning ‘game’ daily for a few years now and, although you never quite feel as though you’re learning, every now and again you remember a phrase you’ve learned from it and realise just how subtly effective it really is.
Essentially, you’re given an English sentence and then a Welsh sentence with a word missing from the latter, and your job is to pick the correct missing term from a list of four options. There are also listening challenges too which make it even more fun.
The free version gives you access to all parts of the game, but I’ve been paying monthly for a few years and it’s definitely worth the added extras you get.
What’s more, you can learn five of the six Celtic languages on there (I’m told, at the time of writing this, that Manx Gaelic is on the way too!) which makes it, to my knowledge, one of the only platforms ever to offer all 6.
Duolingo
Chances are you’re probably already using Duolingo for your learning and, if so, you’ve made the right choice. I’ve been using the app for nearly a decade now and, having competed a number of ‘trees’ (Duolingo’s name for their courses), I can’t speak highly enough of it.
One thing people have found ‘annoying’ is the lack of tips for why they’re getting stuff wrong. Whereas I understand this frustration, powering through and eventually deciphering the reasons behind, say, why mutations happen, will lead to your mind remembering the rules much more effectively. Dal ati 💪
Having helped moderate the course – and having fobbed off many of the platform’s ‘Stories’ to produce my Parsnips and Owls series of books! – Duolingo would be my first port-of-call for anyone wishing to (re)connect with Cymraeg.
Polygloss
Before it went viral, the creators of Polygloss got in touch with me to trail an idea they had for getting people to use real language online. What I found was an awesome idea that’a both free and amazingly effective.
Once you’ve chosen a picture from a series of four, your next job is to explain the image in Welsh for another person to guess which image you chose.
Afterwards, you can be awarded points for your sentences by your random counterparts, as well as get offered tips on how to improve what you’d written.
Podcasts
What do you mean I’m only telling you about Podcasts – and, most specifically, one called Hefyd – because I was invited to chat to the producers a few years back and you can still listen to me on Pennod/Episode 3? Would I ever?
Clearly, my recommendation for you downloading and utilising podcasts is because they’re made by real people and, what’s more, you can slow them down at your own discretion.
Doctor Cymraeg 