The best way to learn Welsh is a mix: mostly Welsh you can understand, plus review and real conversation, with the balance set by your goal. Welsh you can mostly understand is called comprehensible input. Below, you'll see what each way of learning builds and the mix that suits six common goals.
Which Ways of Learning Welsh Work Best?
Reading and listening to Welsh at your level works best, and each other method adds one skill on top of it.
| Method | What it builds | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and listening at your level | Words, grammar and listening | Most of your time |
| A structured course | An order for the basics | Your first months |
| A tutor or conversation partner | Speaking and quick replies | Using what you know |
| Flashcards or other review | Words that stay with you | A few minutes each session |
| TV, radio and podcasts | Natural, everyday Welsh | Fun, once you follow most of it |
| Grammar study | Why a sentence works | Patterns that confuse you |
Input is the base of the mix: a 2016 review of 49 studies in Reading in a Foreign Language, a University of Hawaii journal, found that reading a lot of easy material improves reading in a new language.
What Is the Best Way to Learn Welsh for Your Goal?
For every goal, the best way is the same base of reading and listening, with the rest of your time on the skill that goal needs most.
- Talk With Family or FriendsRead and hear lots of everyday conversations, and spend the rest of your time talking with them or with a tutor.
- Live in WalesSpend most of your time on everyday Welsh about shopping, work and your neighbors, and practice it with other learners at a Paned a Sgwrs, a chat group over a cup of tea.
- Pass a WJEC ExamWJEC, an exam board in Wales, runs Welsh for Adults exams from Entry at A1 up to B2. Read and listen at your level most of the time, and check the exam dates on WJEC's official site as the test gets close.
- Work in WelshRead and hear Welsh about your field most of the time, and practice the Welsh you use at work with a tutor.
- Follow S4C and Radio CymruPut most of your time into listening, starting with the short S4C Dysgu Cymraeg clips for learners and moving on to shows on S4C Clic with Welsh subtitles.
- Connect With Your Welsh RootsRead and hear Welsh about the places your family comes from, and join an online class from Learn Welsh, the National Centre for Learning Welsh, from wherever you live.
To see how many hours each stage takes, read how long it takes to learn Welsh.
What Are the Best Resources for Each Part?
Each part of the mix has a good free option, such as Duostories for stories or S4C Clic for shows, and an app or service for when you want more. Bubblegum, which appears in two rows, is a language app where Poppy, an AI tutor, writes Welsh lessons at your level about things you like.
| Part | Free option | App or service |
|---|---|---|
| A beginner course | Croeso, a four-hour course from the Open University | A course with a tutor from Learn Welsh, in a classroom or online |
| Reading and listening at your level | Bubblegum's Welsh lessons on this site, or Duostories for short stories in North Welsh | Bubblegum, or the Amdani books for learners, many also as audiobooks |
| TV, radio and news | S4C Clic for shows, and Pigion for Radio Cymru highlights | Readlang for Welsh news and web pages you choose |
| Words | Bangor University's Ap Geiriaduron dictionary | Memrise, with short videos of people using each word |
| Review | Anki, free on computers and Android | Bubblegum's Regenerative Review™, which brings saved words back in new lessons |
| Conversation | A language exchange on Tandem | SaySomethingin for speaking out loud, or a tutor on italki or Preply |
What Should You Avoid?
Avoid anything that keeps you from reading and hearing real Welsh sentences you can follow.
- Lists With No SentencesSave words from lines you have read, so you see each one in the forms it takes in real sentences.
- Mixing North and South WelshPick the Welsh spoken by the people you want to talk to, and choose it when a course such as Learn Welsh or SaySomethingin asks.
- Shows You Can't Follow YetSave S4C dramas for when you can follow an episode with Welsh subtitles on, and watch the short S4C Dysgu Cymraeg clips before that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it better to learn Welsh with an app or a teacher?
Use an app for the hours of reading and listening, and a teacher for speaking and corrections. A Learn Welsh course or a tutor on italki or Preply gives you time with a teacher, so spend it talking, and do your reading and listening on your own.
Should I learn Welsh grammar first?
No. Learn grammar from the Welsh you read and hear, and look a pattern up when it confuses you. A rule is easier to learn once you have seen it a few times: after Dw i'n hoffi coffi (I like coffee) and Dw i'n hoffi te (I like tea), the pattern for "I like" is easy to spot.
Which Welsh app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Welsh, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Our Welsh app comparison covers courses, tutors and speaking apps too.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
The Welsh lessons on this site are also free and need no account.
Sources
- Jeon and Day (2016), The effectiveness of ER on reading proficiency: A meta-analysis, Reading in a Foreign Language 28(2), University of Hawaii
- WJEC: Welsh for Adults qualifications (Entry A1, Foundation A2, Intermediate B1, Uwch B2)
- Learn Welsh (National Centre for Learning Welsh): Learn Welsh courses (tutor-led courses in the community or online, and a free online taster course)
- The Open University, OpenLearn: Croeso: Beginners' Welsh (free course, 4 hours of study)
- S4C: Dysgu Cymraeg, help for Welsh learners
- Anki, official downloads (free computer version and AnkiDroid)
