Colloquial Welsh: The Complete Course for Beginners [Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

I first started to learn Welsh using some other books, but as soon as I began with this book I realised that it was superior to the others. True, the first two or three chapters could be a bit more organised, but apart from that the book has got it all. The grammar is very well explained and the learner really gets to know every aspect of the grammar of spoken Welsh. All lessons have got some dialouges with extensive word-lists and a lot of excersises. As the icing on the cake, you also get an introduction to different aspects of Wales and Welsh in every chapter, with short introductions about dialects, eisteddfodau, Welsh politics etc.

I have visited Welsh a number of times, and I have found that this book has helped me a lot. I have been able to communicate extensively with Welsh speakers, I have taken part in cultural activities in Welsh, I have been able to read the Welsh epics.

Of course, to really learn a language you have to speak it with its native speakers, but this book is the best tutor you could get and I do not doubt the Finnish reader below who says that he went to Wales and communicated in Welsh after completing this excellent course.

At about the beginning of the tape, the orator mentions that he wants you to listen closely to the Welsh language and that confusion at first is normal until after many listening experiences. Immediately following there are several conversations on the tape with people speaking Welsh very quickly. I think the idea was that you should pretend you are sitting in a cafe in Wales and listening to all these different conversations. Deciphering what they are saying is like a puzzle left to the reader.

Unfortunately, Mr. King neglects to give you much grammar or vocabulary at the beginning. For example, after many repetitions I learned to say "Maen dda gen i gwrd a chi" which means "Pleased to meet you". Thanks to the tape I learned how to pronounce it perfectly. However, ask me what any of those words mean and I haven't a clue (except maybe 'chi' which I deduced meant 'you'). Even the brief dictionary in the back didn't help. In the same chapter he then describes the names of all the different occupations. How about simple conjugations of the verb 'to be'? I'll learn the occupations after I know how to say, "Where is the supermarket?"

All in all, this is an important book however since the pronounciation of the Welsh language is so difficult and counter intuitive. It is important to learn how to pronounce a foreign language correctly the first time around because once it becomes ingrained it's very hard to unlearn it. I recommend you buy a more fundamental book however to complement this one, especially if you've had no exposure to the language before.

I gave this book 4 stars because of the authors emphasis on correct pronounciation and modern-day dialects.