I used to study French and I\u2019m studying Japanese now. Studying a language can be very difficult but there are some things I do which I find make it easier.<\/p>\n
The first thing I do when I\u2019m practicing a foreign language is to try and give responses with more than one sentence. The sentences don\u2019t have to be complex<\/u> or sophisticated<\/u> but they help me practice talking more. For example, if my teacher asks me a yes\/no question like \u201cDo you like movies?\u201d I never give a simple answer like \u201cYes, I do.\u201d I try to expand, for example I say, \u201cYes, I do. I sometimes watch movies on Netflix. The last movie I saw was Princess Mononoke. It was exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next thing I always try to do is ask a question after I have replied to my teacher. This way I can practice question formation at the same time I\u2019m practicing conversation. Using the example above, after I\u2019ve talked about my last movie I will ask my teacher, \u201cWhat was the last movie you watched?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another thing I always try to do when I learn a new word is to try and use it a few times in conversation. For example, during a listening activity I heard a new word, the Japanese word for \u201cdecorate\u201d, \u201c\u98fe\u308b\u201d. After the listening activity I asked my teacher how he decorates his room and I told him how I decorate mine. In the next lesson I tried to find a way to use the word so that I would remember it.<\/p>\n
On a similar note, before I have a conversation lesson I usually try to think of some small talk topic I can chat about at the beginning of the class. It does not have to be a big or important topic, it just has to be something that will allow me to practice conversation. Often, it is about TV shows I\u2019ve watched recently, books I\u2019m reading, or current events<\/u>. If the topic is difficult I will look up new words in the dictionary before the lesson so I can have the conversation with my teacher.<\/p>\n
When I learn a word that needs to be conjugated<\/u> such as verbs or Japanese adjectives, I usually try to practice using the new word in several different ways. For example, if I have just learned the word \u201c\u98fe\u308b\u201d I might try to make a sentence with the negative form (\u98fe\u3089\u306a\u3044) or a potential form<\/u> (\u98fe\u3089\u308c\u308b). This allows me to get used to using the word in many different ways.<\/p>\n
The final advice I would give to anyone learning a language is to relax and not worry too much about what you are saying. You don\u2019t have to worry about if what you are saying is brilliant or perfect. I\u2019m never going to be the next Haruki Murakami, my Japanese is never going to be that good. So I just try to relax and slowly get better. <\/p>\n
There is a great French idiom which I think works well for people learning new languages,\u201cPetit a petit, l'oiseau fait son nid\u201d, which can be translated as \u201clittle by little the bird makes its nest<\/u>.\u201d It means don\u2019t worry about going quickly; take your time and you will eventually meet your goals.<\/p>\n
Nathaniel<\/p>\n
<\/br>
\nVocabulary<\/b><\/p>\n
complex (adj.) \u2013 involving a lot of different but connected parts in a way that is difficult to understand
\nsophisticated (adj.) \u2013 intelligent and complex
\ncurrent events (n) \u2013 important political or social events that are happening in the world at the present time
\nconjugate (v) \u2013 to add different endings to a verb in order to produce all its different forms
\npotential form (n) \u2013 the form of a Japanese verb that expresses ability (i.e. I can OO.)
\nnest (n) \u2013 a home built by birds for their eggs and by some other creatures to live in<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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