How to Learn Welsh English With Comprehensible Input

Welsh English uses mostly the same grammar and words as other British English, and it adds a few words of its own, like cwtch, which can mean a cuddle. You learn when to use a word like that by meeting it in sentences you already understand. That is what comprehensible input means: Welsh English you mostly follow, where the words you know explain the new one.

About one new word in each sentence, while you still follow the meaning.

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Suppose you read "She was tired, so her mam gave her a cwtch." If you know the other words, the scene shows you that cwtch is a hug. Read a few sentences. If most have about one new word, keep reading. If you can't tell what's happening, pick something easier.

Bubblegum has six levels, and each starts with a sentence in a learner's own words. Pick the one closest to you. The classes and radio in the rows don't use these levels, so treat each row as a first guess.

1. Level 1

   I'm just starting out or know only a few words

   The easiest way to start is Bubblegum, where Poppy, your AI tutor, writes short lessons at your level about your interests and goals. If you'd like a teacher, find a tutor who teaches from zero. Give it a few weeks of hard study before you start using apps.

2. Level 2

   I can read simple sentences.

   If you use Bubblegum, read its Level 2 lessons with the translation hidden. If you live in Wales, the Welsh Government funds a project called REACH to help anyone in Wales study ESOL at college, and its REACH+ centres are in Cardiff, Newport, Swansea and Wrexham.

   REACH+ and ESOL in Wales →
3. Level 3

   I can read short stories and messages.

   At this level you need more words, so read and listen a lot. Bubblegum reuses the words you saved in new Level 3 lessons. Real Easy English from BBC Learning English adds a new easy conversation every week.

   Real Easy English →
4. Level 4

   I can read about everyday topics and follow what different people think, even when they disagree.

   Start with a BBC Radio Wales news programme and replay what you missed. Read Bubblegum lessons at Level 4 about things you're into.

   BBC Radio Wales →
5. Level 5

   I can follow detailed ideas in longer texts and notice when a writer's tone changes.

   Choose a longer Radio Wales programme or podcast on a topic you like, and guess new words from the sentence before you look them up. Poppy can write your Level 5 lessons about anything you're into.

   BBC Radio Wales →
6. Level 6

   I can understand what a writer means but does not say outright, such as a gentle hint or a dry joke.

   Listen to talk and comedy shows made for everyone, and notice when a speaker means more than they say. Read Bubblegum lessons at Level 6 about the things you care about too.

Try the next row once this one feels easy. Outside the UK, BBC Sounds plays podcasts, Radio 4 and the World Service, so live BBC Radio Wales may not play there. Look for its podcasts instead. If most sentences need the dictionary, go back one row.

Say a friend asks, "Is Saturday okay for you?" and you answer "Tidy." In Wales that means great or fine, and the question around it is what teaches you the meaning.

Bubblegum is a language app where your AI tutor, Poppy, writes Welsh English lessons for your level about topics you choose. You can look up words and ask her about grammar, and an English voice from Britain reads every lesson aloud. Words you save come back in new lessons through Regenerative Review™.