Start Learning Welsh This September: Courses and Ways to Practise
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The simplest way to start learning Welsh this September is to choose three things: the people or place you want to speak with, a course format you can attend consistently, and one weekly opportunity to use the language outside class. Most beginners should look for an Entry course, called Mynediad, through the Welsh-language course provider.
September is a useful starting point because many new courses begin then. You can study in a face-to-face or virtual classroom, during the day or evening, and at a standard or faster pace. The best choice is not the most impressive option on paper. It is the one that still fits your life on a dark Tuesday in November.
Which course should you choose when learning Welsh?
If you are a complete beginner, begin with Mynediad, the Entry level. It is designed to build spoken patterns and everyday vocabulary from the beginning. Knowing a few greetings or place names does not usually mean you should skip it. A secure foundation is quicker than repairing gaps later.
The course provider's level system broadly follows the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The labels make more sense when treated as stages of independence rather than school grades.
| Welsh level | Approximate CEFR level | What you are building |
|---|---|---|
| Mynediad | A1 | Introductions, needs and familiar daily exchanges |
| Sylfaen | A2 | Longer exchanges about ordinary life |
| Canolradd | B1 | More independent conversation and explanation |
| Uwch | B2 | Confidence across a wider range of topics |
| Gloywi | C1 to C2 | Refining fluent spoken or written Welsh |
If you already speak some Welsh, use the official level guidance or ask a provider for help before enrolling. A short conversation with an experienced tutor is more useful than choosing a level from how nervous or confident you happen to feel that day.
Should you learn north or south Welsh?
Choose the version used by the people and community you are most likely to speak with. If that does not settle it, choose the course you can attend reliably. North and south are broad teaching routes, not two separate languages, and experienced speakers understand far more variation than a beginner may expect.
- Family or partner: follow the Welsh you want to use in that relationship.
- Living in Wales: begin with the version commonly taught in your area.
- Learning from abroad: choose the strongest timetable and tutor support available to you.
- No clear preference: pick one route for production, then widen your listening gradually.
Do not postpone speaking until you have solved the dialect question perfectly. Our fuller guide to choosing north or south Welsh explains the common differences and why real speech does not stop at a tidy border.
Online, in person, standard or intensive?
The Welsh-language course provider lists both face-to-face and virtual classrooms, with daytime and evening choices. Some learners complete the first part of Entry across a year. Others combine the first and second parts, or choose a more intensive route.
| If this sounds like you | A sensible starting format | Protect against this risk |
|---|---|---|
| You value local contact and travel is easy | Face-to-face weekly course | Choose a journey you can sustain in winter |
| You live far away or need flexibility | Virtual classroom | Keep the session free from work and household interruptions |
| Your weeks are already crowded | Standard pace | Do not mistake a slower route for weaker progress |
| You have protected study time and enjoy fast momentum | Combined or intensive route | Budget time for review and live conversation |
Consistency beats an ambitious timetable that repeatedly collapses. Before enrolling, place the class, travel and ten minutes of review into a real week. If you cannot see where they fit, change the format now rather than relying on future willpower.
Where can learners practise Welsh beyond a weekly class?
A course supplies sequence, explanation and feedback. Conversation supplies retrieval, timing and the experience of being understood. You need both, but practice does not have to begin as a long, unplanned chat.
Sadwrn Siarad
Sadwrn Siarad means "Speaking Saturday". These sessions give learners focused time to practise, often through activities matched to a level. The course provider lists in-person and virtual opportunities, so they can work as an occasional confidence boost even if your main course is elsewhere.
The Siarad scheme
The Siarad scheme pairs learners at Intermediate level or above with a Welsh speaker for ten hours of conversation. That structure removes a major social obstacle: both people know why they are there. The goal is regular use, not performance.
Ordinary places
A planned Welsh moment in a cafe, shop, workplace, sports club or family call can be more sustainable than waiting for a special event. Look for a Hapus i Siarad sign, which signals that someone is happy to speak Welsh. Begin with one line, such as Dw i'n dysgu Cymraeg, meaning "I am learning Welsh".
Our seven-place Welsh habit plan helps attach language to routines you already have. If you are preparing for a trip, the Welsh travel survival guide focuses on phrases visitors can genuinely use.
A seven-day plan for starting Welsh
Use this before the course begins. It creates a small sense of competence without asking you to teach yourself the syllabus.
- Day 1: decide who or where your Welsh is for.
- Day 2: compare two realistic course times, not twenty theoretical options.
- Day 3: choose north or south using people and place as your guide.
- Day 4: learn one greeting and say it aloud five times.
- Day 5: listen to one minute of Welsh without trying to understand everything.
- Day 6: identify one place for weekly speaking practice.
- Day 7: enrol or contact the provider, then put the first session in your calendar.
What should you do next?
Open the official Welsh courses for beginners page and filter for the times and format you can genuinely attend. If two courses still look equal, choose the one that connects you most closely to a person, place or community.
Then decide where the language will leave the lesson. One greeting at home, one message to a fellow learner or one monthly speaking session is enough to begin. A course teaches Welsh. A repeatable life gives it somewhere to live.
Sources, further reading and image credits
Official learning resources
Image credits
- Feature image: Hapus i Siarad bench by Alan Hughes, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
- Bangor class, Coleg Harlech course and Llanrwst public-speaking photographs by Geoff Charles, National Library of Wales, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Individual source pages are linked in the captions.
