Learn Welsh with Like Minded
Dysgu Cymraeg gyda Like Minded!
While you may find yourself with time on your hands, thanks to the Coronavirus outbreak, 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 offers 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.
Please note that this article was originally published in Like Minded Magazine (read it here), and some advice doesn’t take the current situation of social distancing into account. We’ve included a video at the end to get you started online for now! 🙂
Try some basic greetings…
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.
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 (www.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 education, 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.
