Dysgu Cymraeg / Learn Welsh

DYSGU CYMRAEG gyda Like Minded! (Learn Welsh with Like Minded!)

While you may have long since given up on your New Year’s resolutions there’s no time like the present to learn something new.If learning Welsh is top of your wish-list this year then the lovely people at popeth Cymraeg are here to help the readers of Like Minded do just that. The community-founded grass-roots language centre off ers both online and class-based courses but you can kick-start your Welsh learning process right here with a few basic words and phrases to get you started.

THIS ISSUE GREETINGS AND GOODBYES

Helo S’mae

Bore da

P’nawn da

Nosweth dda

Hwyl (fawr)

Tara ’wan!

Nos da Translation and notes Hello. How are things? But used as ‘hello’. Often combined with Helo: Helo. S’mae. Good morning. Note: Bore = morning. Da = Good. Good Afternoon. P’nawn shortened from Prynhawn. Good evening. Nosweth is the local pronunciation for the full word, Noswaith, meaning evening. Note that the d in dda is doubled. Goodbye. The fawr is optional. Yes. The tara is borrowed from the English. The ’wan is shortened from rŵan, meaning now. Good night. Pronunciation tips As in English. Mae pronounced as English my. There is no silent ‘e’ in Welsh. Therefore Bore is pronounced Bo-reh. Da is pronounced Dah. The aw in Pnawn is pronounced as the sound you make when you’re hurt: ow! Unlike in English, S is always pronounced as s, never as z. The double dd is pronounced as the th in that, whereas the th in Nosweth is pronounced as the th in thin. The wy is pronounced as oo + ee, quickly together: Hoo+eel. The f in Welsh is always pronounced as a v. Once again The aw in fawr is pronounced as the sound you make when you’re hurt: ow! Fawr = vowr. Try to roll your ‘r’s’ when you say tara. Remember to keep the s as an s.

Why learn Welsh? Pam dysgu Cymraeg?

People decide to learn Welsh for a variety of reasons. Some want to learn the basics so they can pronounce place names. Many parents decide to learn Welsh in order to help their children in school. A number of people come from a Welsh background and wish to learn the language that their grandparents spoke. Speaking Welsh is very useful for getting employment in Wales. There are also people who decide to learn Welsh in order to keep the brain active.

The advantages of learning Welsh Learning Welsh opens a door to a new world. It gives a person a sense of belonging to the area, it can give a new confidence and you can make new friends. There are other advantages, too, which have nothing to do with Wales. Learning a new language keeps the brain active and staves off dementia. It also improves the memory and the ability to multitask.

PAGE 12 How can I learn Welsh? Online - Many people decide to start learning the language online. Two of the most popular methods are DuoLingo (www.duolingo.com) and Say Something in Welsh (www. saysomethingin.com/welsh) Weekly classes - All weekly Welsh classes in Wales are run by LearnWelsh (https:// learnwelsh.cymru/). In North East Wales these classes are provided by Learn Welsh North East, which are run by Popeth Cymraeg in Denbighshire and Coleg Cambria in the rest of North East Wales. Popeth Cymraeg is the first grass-roots language centre founded by the community for almost 30 years. We pride ourselves in the high quality of our teaching and the variety of resources we use in the classroom. In the classroom - In Popeth Cymraeg our aim is to create a learning environment which nurtures the students, without asking them to perform individually. Most of our work is done as a whole class or with partners. After learning Welsh for a couple of years we offer the option to learn the language using our pioneering suggestopaedia method which involves learning the language through

the medium of story and using the subconscious to assimilate the Welsh. This method requires more dedication, with longer hours and higher expectations for practice at home (listening and reading). Visit www. popethcymraeg.cymru for further information. Extra courses As well as weekly courses, Popeth Cymraeg offers Saturday courses and block courses for all levels, depending on having enough people registered. Extra support Follow Popeth Cymraeg on Facebook and Twitter for Word of the Day and news about courses and opportunities to learn Welsh.