‘Welsh Word of the Day’ newsletter launched

Stephen Price

A new Welsh speaker from Canada who began learning in 2017 and set up the successful We Learn Welsh website has launched a daily ‘Welsh Word of the Day’ newsletter.

Heather Broster, who now lives in Gwynedd, runs the website We Learn Welsh, a platform dedicated to sharing the Welsh language with learners like herself.

The platform has an incredible 17k followers on Facebook, 5k followers on Instagram and 800 newsletter subscribers.

This February, they are going to be launching a brand-new Welsh Word of the Day newsletter.

From Monday to Friday, each e-newsletter will feature a different word each day, complete with example sentences (with audio), etymology, related terms, and much more.

Growing demand

Heather started We Learn Welsh in 2017, a couple of years after beginning her language learning journey with Welsh through Dysgu Cymraeg and Say Something in Welsh.

Her goal was to share her passion for the language with other learners.

Initially, she began posting about her experiences learning Welsh, along with the occasional word of the day.

However, when Covid hit, she found herself stepping away from both the site and the language.

Heather told Nation.Cymru: “The pandemic drastically reduced my opportunities to use Welsh, and with the arrival of my newborn son, life became incredibly busy. Over the past six months, though, I’ve been working to revive the website with the help of a fantastic team of native speakers.”

Heather and the team share a variety of content across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Reddit to support Welsh learners.

Every day, they post a reel focused on a specific topic—whether it’s vocabulary, a grammar point, useful expressions, or helpful resources.

Additionally, they aim to upload a daily infographic packed with practical vocabulary. In the Facebook group, members are encouraged to ask questions about the language and share any resources they’ve found helpful.

Heather added: “I must admit, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how quickly our social media accounts have grown. It’s a clear sign that there’s a real demand for engaging, accessible content tailored to Welsh learners.”

Worldwide hit

Most of the platform’s followers are based in the UK, but they do have a few from other countries—a surprising number from Italy, in fact.

Heather shared: “I’m originally from Canada, though I have Welsh and British roots. I’ve been living in Wales for nearly ten years now with my French-Italian husband who has also taken an interest in the language.

As well as using the website and socials, Heather is an ambassador for other language learning tools. She told us: “I always encourage new learners to use Say Something in Welsh and join a Dysgu Cymraeg course, either in their local area or online.”

“Another fantastic resource is Italki, where you can connect with tutors for personalised practice. If you don’t have many opportunities to use Cymraeg in your daily life, joining a conversation group can be an excellent way to build confidence and get some speaking practice.”

Newsletter

The newsletter will be sent out from Monday to Friday, featuring a Welsh word of the day.

By visiting the website from the newsletter, followers can access audio pronunciations, example sentences, etymology details, and tips on how to use the word in everyday conversation.

And best of all, it’s completely free.

The plan is for the Welsh word of the day to continue for as long as it’s needed, and with the numbers of Welsh learners growing and growing that should be a very long time.

Heather said: “I’m not working alone—I have a fantastic team of four native Welsh speakers who help me write the words of the day.

“Additionally, I bring extensive experience from running an Italian word-of-the-day website, which has been thriving for five years and currently boasts 48k subscribers.

“To ensure consistency, we’ve already built a backlog of 100 words, so even if we’re unable to create five new words in a given week, we can easily draw from our reserve.”

Sign up to the daily newsletter here.