When I first moved to the UK, I had no idea that Welsh was a living language. Now it's 15 years later and I can speak it, watch TV in Welsh, and connect with thousands of learners around the world.

Welsh is considered a success story by many people who want to revive minority languages. 150 years ago, it was banned by the English speaking government and the English language became the norm.

Today, Welsh medium education is on the rise and the Welsh Assembly is promoting a target of getting a million people speaking the language.

In today's episode, I bring you interviews with Welsh learners and teachers, sharing their own passions for this ancient language.

Click or tap here to read the full story in my blog article on www.fluentlanguage.co.uk

Special Guest: Gavin.

Sponsored By:

• Smartcards+: Smartcards+ is a smart and user-friendly flashcards app. Download flashcard decks, make your own, and then just review and go while the app tracks your language progress. Check it out for free on any iPhone or iPad.

Links:

• Welsh Language (Cymraeg) | wales.com
• Croeso - welcome | Learn Welsh — Affordable Welsh courses all over Wales
• BBC Wales - History - Themes - Welsh language: The Welsh language in 19th century education
• What is Cymdeithas yr Iaith? | Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg
• Eileen Beasley: Welsh language campaigner | The Independent — More about Welsh language campaigner Eileen Beasley who refused to pay her taxes in English
• Working with Duolingo | Learn Welsh
• BBC Wales - Catchphrase — The old BBC Welsh course
• SaySomethingIn...
• The World in Words: Radio Documentary about Welsh on PRI
• Language Stories
• BBC World Service - Witness, The Welsh Language Act

When I first moved to the UK, I had no idea that Welsh was a living language. Now it's 15 years later and I can speak it, watch TV in Welsh, and connect with thousands of learners around the world.

Welsh is considered a success story by many people who want to revive minority languages. 150 years ago, it was banned by the English speaking government and the English language became the norm.

Today, Welsh medium education is on the rise and the Welsh Assembly is promoting a target of getting a million people speaking the language.

In today's episode, I bring you interviews with Welsh learners and teachers, sharing their own passions for this ancient language.

Click or tap here to read the full story in my blog article on www.fluentlanguage.co.uk

Special Guest: Gavin.

Sponsored By:

• Smartcards+: Smartcards+ is a smart and user-friendly flashcards app. Download flashcard decks, make your own, and then just review and go while the app tracks your language progress. Check it out for free on any iPhone or iPad.

Support The Fluent Show

Links:

• Welsh Language (Cymraeg) | wales.com
• Croeso - welcome | Learn Welsh — Affordable Welsh courses all over Wales
• BBC Wales - History - Themes - Welsh language: The Welsh language in 19th century education
• What is Cymdeithas yr Iaith? | Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg
• Eileen Beasley: Welsh language campaigner | The Independent — More about Welsh language campaigner Eileen Beasley who refused to pay her taxes in English
• Working with Duolingo | Learn Welsh
• BBC Wales - Catchphrase — The old BBC Welsh course
• SaySomethingIn...
• The World in Words: Radio Documentary about Welsh on PRI
• Language Stories
• BBC World Service - Witness, The Welsh Language Act

Great news, everyone! The Fluent Show is now newly available on Spotify, TuneIn Radio, and I Heart Radio. How do you listen?

Shout out to our new sponsor, Smartcards Plus.

In Today's Show: A Q&A with a question from Shannon on Twitter.

She asked:

Got advice on how to get bilingual speakers of your native language and your learning language to stick to the language you’re learning?

Click or tap here to read the full show notes in my blog article on www.fluentlanguage.co.uk

Please send your questions or ideas to @thefluentshow so you can hear them on the show and I can keep making Q&A episodes.

Sponsored By:

• Smartcards+: Smartcards+ is a smart and user-friendly flashcards app. Download flashcard decks, make your own, and then just review and go while the app tracks your language progress. Check it out for free on any iPhone or iPad.

Links:

• How To Get Germans to Speak German To You by Fluent Language
• What's The Secret To The Greatest Language Exchange Ever? by Fluent Language
• To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others
• "Make Your German Sound Amazing" Mini Guide with 26 Key Phrases
• The Secret to Getting Natives to Speak Spanish with You | NachoTime Spanish
• The Fluent Show -- now on TuneInRadio
• The Fluent Show on iHeartRadio Podcasts | iHeartRadio

Great news, everyone! The Fluent Show is now newly available on Spotify, TuneIn Radio, and I Heart Radio. How do you listen?

Shout out to our new sponsor, Smartcards Plus.

In Today's Show: A Q&A with a question from Shannon on Twitter.

She asked:

Got advice on how to get bilingual speakers of your native language and your learning language to stick to the language you’re learning?

Click or tap here to read the full show notes in my blog article on www.fluentlanguage.co.uk

Please send your questions or ideas to @thefluentshow so you can hear them on the show and I can keep making Q&A episodes.

Sponsored By:

• Smartcards+: Smartcards+ is a smart and user-friendly flashcards app. Download flashcard decks, make your own, and then just review and go while the app tracks your language progress. Check it out for free on any iPhone or iPad.

Support The Fluent Show

Links:

• How To Get Germans to Speak German To You by Fluent Language
• What's The Secret To The Greatest Language Exchange Ever? by Fluent Language
• To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others
• "Make Your German Sound Amazing" Mini Guide with 26 Key Phrases
• The Secret to Getting Natives to Speak Spanish with You | NachoTime Spanish
• The Fluent Show -- now on TuneInRadio
• The Fluent Show on iHeartRadio Podcasts | iHeartRadio

This week on the podcast, I am joined by Olly Richards from I Will Teach You A Language.

We present to you a project that we have been working on together for a while: German Uncovered, a course for beginners who want to become fluent in German. I've been working on this for a few months, and we are slowly getting ready for launch. Exciting times!

The special thing about German Uncovered is that it is entirely story-based, meaning you will not just learn the language step by step, but you'll also have read a whole book by the end. Listen in to find out how this works!

If you're interested in what drives course creators to come up with innovative ideas, and how a language course comes into being, this show will give you great behind the scenes insights.

German Uncovered is coming - sign up here to get a notification of our launch!

Special Guest: Olly Richards.

Sponsored By:

• Clozemaster: Visit our sponsor Clozemaster, the free addictive language app in over 50 languages

Links:

• Conversations by I Will Teach You A Language — We briefly mentioned this product for intermediate learners
• German Uncovered - A Story-Based German Course for Beginners
• Spanish Uncovered (affiliate link) — The OG Spanish course teaching the language through a story.
• What's the Difference? Input vs Intake
• I Will Teach You A Language — Learn more about Olly on his website

This week on the podcast, I am joined by Olly Richards from I Will Teach You A Language.

We present to you a project that we have been working on together for a while: German Uncovered, a course for beginners who want to become fluent in German. I've been working on this for a few months, and we are slowly getting ready for launch. Exciting times!

The special thing about German Uncovered is that it is entirely story-based, meaning you will not just learn the language step by step, but you'll also have read a whole book by the end. Listen in to find out how this works!

If you're interested in what drives course creators to come up with innovative ideas, and how a language course comes into being, this show will give you great behind the scenes insights.

German Uncovered is coming - sign up here to get a notification of our launch!

Special Guest: Olly Richards.

Sponsored By:

• Clozemaster: Visit our sponsor Clozemaster, the free addictive language app in over 50 languages

Support The Fluent Show

Links:

• Conversations by I Will Teach You A Language — We briefly mentioned this product for intermediate learners
• German Uncovered - A Story-Based German Course for Beginners — German Uncovered is coming, sign up here to get a notification of my launch!
• Spanish Uncovered — The OG Spanish course teaching the language through a story.
• What's the Difference? Input vs Intake
• I Will Teach You A Language — Learn more about Olly on his website

Rebecca from New York asked

Can you talk about how to set up a reasonable weekly schedule for language learning?

In this show, I've got five simple steps for you that will help you plan a successful week in language learning. I'll talk about setting goals, managing your energy, analysing your calendar, and matching your activity to your strengths.

A reasonable schedule for learning languages is one that doesn’t make you groan, but isn’t empty either.

Here's what matters most:

Sponsored By:

• Clozemaster: Visit our sponsor Clozemaster, the free addictive language app in over 50 languages

Links:

• 5 Steps for Planning a Productive and Successful Language Learning Week by Fluent Language
• Your Intuition is Wrong about Learning Languages by Fluent Language — In this episode, Lindsay and I discussed the psychology of rewards in language learning
• Conversation Countdown by Benny Lewis: Can You Start Any Language In A Week? by Fluent Language — One way of having an intense weekly schedule is to follow a 7 day boost like this one.
• The Language Habit Toolkit | Fluent Language

Rebecca from New York asked

Can you talk about how to set up a reasonable weekly schedule for language learning?

In this show, I've got five simple steps for you that will help you plan a successful week in language learning. I'll talk about setting goals, managing your energy, analysing your calendar, and matching your activity to your strengths.

A reasonable schedule for learning languages is one that doesn’t make you groan, but isn’t empty either.

Here's what matters most:

Sponsored By:

• Clozemaster: Visit our sponsor Clozemaster, the free addictive language app in over 50 languages

Support The Fluent Show

Links:

• 5 Steps for Planning a Productive and Successful Language Learning Week by Fluent Language
• Your Intuition is Wrong about Learning Languages by Fluent Language — In this episode, Lindsay and I discussed the psychology of rewards in language learning
• Conversation Countdown by Benny Lewis: Can You Start Any Language In A Week? by Fluent Language — One way of having an intense weekly schedule is to follow a 7 day boost like this one.
• The Language Habit Toolkit | Fluent Language

The most rewarding way of practicing your language is by connecting with people on a 1-to-1 basis. It takes commitment to make any language exchange successful.

On today's show, we discuss what it takes to have the best language exchange experience possible. We also welcome special guest Jonathan Huggins, who knows lots about language exchanges.

Click or tap here to read the full show notes in my blog article on www.fluentlanguage.co.uk

Special Guest: Jonathan Huggins.

Sponsored By:

• Clozemaster: Visit our sponsor Clozemaster, the free addictive language app in over 50 languages

Links:

• 30-Day Speaking Challenge – Huggins International
• Language Exchange — Jonathan's Facebook group for anyone who wants to practice with native speakers.
• Tandem | Find Conversation Exchange Partners
• HelloTalk - Language Exchange App
• How to Guarantee Responses with Language Exchange - Lindsay Does Languages
• Olly Richards: Was this the worst language exchange I ever did? - YouTube
• Women in Language
• Conversation Questions for the ESL/EFL Classroom (I-TESL-J)
• italki - find online language tutors and language exchanges
• Find your people | Meetup
• Terrace House: Boys & Girls in the City | Netflix Official Site

The most rewarding way of practicing your language is by connecting with people on a 1-to-1 basis. It takes commitment to make any language exchange successful.

On today's show, we discuss what it takes to have the best language exchange experience possible. We also welcome special guest Jonathan Huggins, who knows lots about language exchanges.

Click or tap here to read the full show notes in my blog article on www.fluentlanguage.co.uk

Special Guest: Jonathan Huggins.

Sponsored By:

• Clozemaster: Visit our sponsor Clozemaster, the free addictive language app in over 50 languages

Support The Fluent Show

Links:

• 30-Day Speaking Challenge – Huggins International
• Language Exchange — Jonathan's Facebook group for anyone who wants to practice with native speakers.
• Tandem | Find Conversation Exchange Partners
• HelloTalk - Language Exchange App
• How to Guarantee Responses with Language Exchange - Lindsay Does Languages
• Olly Richards: Was this the worst language exchange I ever did? - YouTube
• Women in Language
• Conversation Questions for the ESL/EFL Classroom (I-TESL-J)
• italki - find online language tutors and language exchanges
• Find your people | Meetup
• Terrace House: Boys & Girls in the City | Netflix Official Site