Thought I’d post this here for folk like me who need a tutor in their pocket to aid their conventional study methods.
I’m 40yo, and was diagnosed at 37 with ADHD. Primary traits are a massive reduction in working memory and executive function.
I never recognized it because I was reasonably smart, and was never really challenged until a career change in my late 30s which highlighted it.
So I’m trying to learn Japanese as a 40yo with almost no ability to process, recall, and arrange concepts in my working memory.
I’d already done Memrise Levels 0-6, so I knew the basics (around N5 level) but have trouble deconstructing and reconstructing sentences even with vocab and grammar concepts I already know.
I’ve bought over a dozen textbooks, paid for 5 or 6 subscription based apps, and had lessons on italki, and was never able to progress beyond very basic N5 level of comprehension.
##**Enter cGPT4.0**
I do not open a single textbook, app, anki, anime etc without having cGTP open. I can ask it anything I like, in my own words, and with any specific nuances or conditions, and it’ll give me the reply I’m looking for, in the context I specified. I don’t need to go researching other written blogs, textbooks, reddit posts etc to find an answer or explanation.
I used the following methods, combined with Anki, WaniKani, and Cure Dolly to pass the JFT-Basic (approx N4 level) and the Automotive Mechanic Skills Exam (which was entirely in Japanese) after approx 200hours of dedicated study, which would be equivalent of maybe 100 hours for a neuro-typical student, and even less if you’re younger.
#Grammar Tutor:
Every time I come across a new grammar point I don’t understand, or want to explore some of the uses of it, I’ll ask cGPT to break it down, and explain the process of applying it, and ask for additional example uses.
#Kanji Tutor:
I can ask it to create meaningful mnemonics for particular kanji readings or meanings, ask it to explain the etymology of a particular kanji, ask it to give me a list of N4 level vocabulary which use that particular kanji etc.
#Sentence (de)Construction Tutor.
I can ask it to review and correct/improve my sentences in terms of using correct vocabulary or grammar to convey a particular meaning.
I can have it generate random English and/or Japanese vocab and grammar conditions which are appropriate to my current Japanese level, so I can practice constructing sentences using those components.
I often use it to help me deconstruct sentences, particularly when there’s a nominalizer, so I can mentally visualize each multi-component concept in the sentence.
For example (行きたかった大学) に (受かりました) – (the university I wanted to go to) into (was accepted)
#Comprehension Tutor.
When I’m not sure of a particular term or concept, I’ll explain it to cGPT in my own words, and ask it to evaluate my understanding. Then by doing some back-and-forth, using different examples, and asking follow-up questions, I can really hone in and build a much deeper understanding of a particular term or concept. This has been super beneficial for me because it forces me to really focus on building a deep understanding of that term or construct, which essentially bypasses my working memory and drops it straight into longer term memory.
#Exam Preparation Tutor.
You can upload example exam papers from online, and ask cGPT to create practice exams for you in the same (or whatever you specify) format, so you can practice for exams. You can ask it to give immediate feedback after each answered question, or to grade your score at the end and highlight incorrect answers etc.
#Conversation Tutor.
I can ask it to have a conversation in Japanese with me, using an appropriate level of Japanese, about any specific or random topic. I can ask it to correct or ignore my mistakes, or elaborate on any vocab/grammar points I don’t understand during the conversation etc. You can literally ask it to have any kind of conversation you like, with any specific conditions you like.
#Flashcard Generator.
I’ll ask it to generate flashcards based on particular terms I feed it, or just have it generate a list at random relating to a specific topic or gramatical function etc.
I can specify it outputs the flashcard(s) in a CSV format to suit to my particular anki deck. EG:
> Column 1: Japanese Term, Column 2: Reading with Furigana, Column 3: English Translation, Column 4: Example Sentence
>
> Furigana template must match “台所[だいどころ] からいい 匂[のい]いがしてきました
Then I just copy/paste it into a text file, and import into my anki deck easy-peasy.
##Tips:
Detailed and specific Prompts are key.
It’s a language model, trained on language, and it’s almost infinitely flexible, so use that to your advantage.
Craft detailed and specific prompts so it behaves exactly how you want, and gives you information and explanations in ways you personally can understand and absorb.
I will also add that cGPT3.5 is nowhere near as good as cGPT4.0.
4.0 has much better comprehension of your meaning and commands, is much more human-like, and has a much longer memory. If you specify a particular command in your original prompt, like “only use terminology appropriate to an N4 level student”, 3.5 will forget that condition after 20-25 messages, and you’ll need to re-prompt to get it back on track.
I have different conversations for different needs.
One purely for explaining grammatical concepts, another purely for Japanese<->English translations, another purely for practicing sentence constructions, another purely for conversation practice, another for comprehension reinforcement etc, and I jump between them as needed during a study session.
Really keen to hear of other use cases and what you guys have had success with!
by Octane_Au