I’ve been having some trouble with studying grammar for my college. Usually I’d take the ajatt or MIA approach, but my tests require this. I know a lot of people know how to study this really well, I’m just so lost lately. I’ve been struggling for a year and a half, barely passing those tests, it leaves me so exhausted and I can’t even enjoy watching media on Japanese. Everyone I ask isn’t really precise, or they say it wouldn’t work on me. I understand that everyone has their way of studying, I just hope someone is willing to guide me a little bit into the practices behind it. Nevertheless, let me explain the book we need to study from and the tests.
The book is called: “初級日本語 下”, it has grammatical structures and then sentence examples right after. Anyone who’s ever seen the book will know what I’m talking about. Before every lesson there is a two page dialogue in Japanese that consist of the grammatical structures that will be introduced later on.
Now while it introduces new words, grammar points and when to use what, I seem to have trouble applying and remembering it. The test itself consists of:
1) particles (putting the correct particle on the empty space between the given sentence. I have extreme problems with this).
2) The second one consists of sentences in which there’s an empty gap where you can put: verbs, I-adjectives, Na-adjectives, nouns…
This one is the hardest for me because I can’t remember when to use what and how to apply it. I can easily learn how to conjugate verbs, but practically applying it is the main problem. I don’t know how to use it properly and how to recognize stuff.
3) The third one is to make up a question out of a given answer.
4) Translation from Japanese to my native language.
5) Native language to Japanese translation.
It is worth mentioning that I can translate sentences 99% of the time. I know the words and I understand what it wants, yet I’m unable to put anything in. I am so confused… Any advice?
Thank you in advance!
3 comments
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Since you say this is a college class, have you tried going to office hours and sitting down with your professor and laying out these issues? For example, you’re not the first person who has had trouble figuring out particles, maybe they have some studying strategies that are specific to the course you’re taking.
learn basic grammar then https://www.imabi.net/tableofcontents.htm