Started reading simple news articles, but I've realized I need to practice actually outputting too
this post was submitted on 17 Mar 2025
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That's an incredible feat, you should be proud!
I'm working ln the outputting as well. I struggle with speaking since I often can't keep up with the conversation but like you said: practice :)
Found offline japanese dictionary that works how I expect it to (lꝏk up words|get their example sentences) , UX alright but needs (work in some areas|reduced motion setting)
Otherwise, try to do daily stuff with Kanji dojo but miss some days . Really hard getting the ball rolling …
Cool, what dictionay are you using?
I'd forgotten about Kanji Dojo since I've been doing other things. Seems like a high quality app.
DaKanji !
Very cool, thanks for sharing! I'd have never discovered it on my own since it's not on F-Droid. Shame the license isn't fully open source, but not the biggest deal.
I was currently using like 3 different apps to do what this lets me do, so that's handy. The tutorial already makes it seem a little confusing with all the double tap, long press, triple tap stuff. But I'm sure the different actions become natural with some use.
First week of daily intensive course is over and boy am I overwhelmed, but even more determined. The teacher is awesome and patient so it's actually a lot of fun.
Home chores do get ignored though.. Going to a 3 hour course after work is bit much.. But thankfully it's not for long.
Daily and 3 hours? Wow, that is intensive! Is it just a couple weeks long?
Glad you're having fun though.
4 weeks! It's the most intensive course I've ever taken for a single subject.
Thanks! I hope I'm still having fun after this week lol. Wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't working full time but I really wanted to do this to get forward with my grammar :)
In the past couple weeks, I've switched Slay the Spire to my target language. Now even my most compulsively procrastinating time gives a little practice.
It's not the greatest for intensive study (no audio, after all), but it's a great way to ease in.
- I already know most of it just from pictures and having played a lot, so it's fun even if I'm not being a great learner
- Quite a few cards, items, or events show up just seldom enough that I do still need to read them
- There are tons of words I don't know, many of them at the top of the card showing a picture of the thing
- Lots of repetition, so my brain gets the redundant exposure it needs
And besides that specific instance, I'm getting more confident overall. To the point where I feel like I won't be totally missing out on games if I try to play them in Japanese.
That sounds impressive! Give playing in japanese a try maybe? I've noticed I really enjoy being sometimes thrown into the deep end and not understanding everything. It motivates me to learn even more if I don't understand but I want to :)
I was thinking the other day how it reminds me of the same feeling I had playing some games as a kid.
There was that timeframe where I could read (in English), but it was very much conscious effort - so I'd be lazy and ignore text when possible, and there'd be lots I had no hope of deciphering.
It leads to this sense of mystery and wonder, where you have no idea what's going on but you appreciate when you do find a clue in the words. Bit by bit you start to understand.
Exactly!! I remember that one of my biggest motivations for learning English was to understand what is written/spoken in games. My native language was never available so I had no other choice.
I'm certain I only know some words because of playing games. Not knowing everything was indeed part of the fun!
Nearing the end of French Duolingo section 2 and wondering if I should start trying to use some other resources.
Highly recommend picking up a grammar book too! It will give you confidence when you can revise what you've learned and understand it better!
Is there anything you could recommend? I do find myself parroting at times and googling it afterwards, definitely think I'd benefit from a deeper understanding.
I use Essential German Grammar for German and it's very useful and I like the modern look (comparing to scanned books). There is one called Essential French Grammar. Pick it up from archive.org or your favorite shadow library to take a look.
Sadly I can't give any recommendations for French :( hope someone in this thread who is learning French can pitch in. If not, then it could be a good idea to make a post in this community asking for one maybe?
I know exactly how you feel though. I started my German language learning with duolingo (still do it!) and while it's fun I felt like I started struggling later on at higher levels since I didn't really understand the sentence structure and certain rules. Got myself a grammar book and I started enjoying duolingo again after that and find it still really useful for actual vocabulary training.
Since the birth of my son, about seven weeks ago, I have had difficulties on finding the time and energy. I haven't entirely stopped listening podcasts on my languages but meeting people to speak with and especially reading has suffered.
It's not a crisis really but this time doesn't lend it self for language studies as good as the time before fatherhood.
Congratulations! I've heard that time flies with kids and that you should relish small moments with them as much as possible, so don't worry about language - but don't let it go either! That's you-time hobby when you need it :)
Couldn't have a much better excuse than that. Go easy on yourself, you're right to focus your energy on giving him a strong start!
Although while you're taking care of him, you do have a captive audience for a bit of speaking practice, lol. I'm sure he won't mind if you make mistakes.
I've slacked off so much, I feel guilty :( I hope this week I'll get off my ass and continue learning, though
Hey! No slacking fxomt!
Honestly it always sounds so overwhelming when you list the languages you are learning. You deserve time off ;)
Thank you :D
Tried doing some language exchange on the ENG-JP VR Chat world earlier this week, and was faced with the stark reality that I need to drill grammar and basic conversational sentences more first. Day 453 of daily Anki vocab study.
Impressive streak though! Live conversations have tendency to smack us down, but don't give up.
VR-chat for practicing sounds exciting - have never tried since I don't own VR set but that would be an awesome way to use them for other than gaming purposes.
You can also do it even if you only play on a PC, it doesn't require a headset, but it's a great way to feel like you're actually talking to another human being.
I didn't know you can join VR-chat without the headset. Damn, maybe I'll give it a try after I'm finished with my daily intensive course. Thanks for the tip!
Picked up German on Duolingo again. I should finish Unit 1 today or tomorrow.
Viel Glück! That's what I'm working on as well :)