Hello! I have ADHD and i was looking to see if there was any other way i could learn to speak fluently that is better adapt for memory/attention issues?

6 comments

1. this is ok to ask, but, if you search for ADHD on this sub you will get a lot of hits as this has been discussed frequently

2. I have adhd too and i usually find similarities between words or choose things to remind me. Something like takarakuji > taka from takai (highly priced) and raku from hataraku (work) = lottery or just simple stuff about pronunciation or writing like gomi > similar to gummy so it means trash. Idk if i explained well or not. I just divide words and try to find a resemblence like a game, so even if i forget i think “x was the reminder, so it should be y” As for speech, i think you should be more clear since it really changes when u want to speak formal/informal. For informal ones i used tandem (language exchange app, and saw/learned tons of daily talks/message differences. For formal ones I’m going to school and talk with my teachers but in your case I would pick a program and try to shadow (speak as you hear the audio) them. I can’t just stay in my desk and write/read more than 10 minutes so try to learn while doing something if you feel the same. I would take walks and try to guess the names of things that I saw, or I would try to think what i’m thinking in japanese if it makes sense. Also I use short videos for grammar instead of long and detailed ones, every single one is around 10 mins or so and at the end of every 2-3 video, I “reward” myself with a 10 min vid that I choose or some short game. I don’t like “memorizing” stuff so shortcuts like ichiritte/nibiminde for grammar/verb groups help a lot too.

3. I’ve had pretty good experiences with SRS methods, if you haven’t tried any yet – sometimes things will get stuck in a short term memory hole for a while but eventually it’ll stick. Plus once you’re seeing yourself instinctively remember something after not seeing it for weeks or months, it helps your confidence and motivation!

   Also for me with my ADHD, things I do for fun are going to stick better than forcing myself to do what I think is the right thing in the right order. Learn vocab related to hobbies you have, so then you can make sentences and use the basic grammar points to talk about things you actually care about. I loved using lang-8 a while back, I think it’s still around and there are other sites like it? Basically you write journal entries and native speakers will help correct writing errors. I also would make progress by finding a game or manga that I was really interested in but wasn’t in English yet, so I was forced to go through the effort of learning to make progress. Using the language is the best way to retain it, so the more reading and watching and listening you do the more it’ll just stick in there – find what you love and do as much as you can! Finding opportunities for writing and speaking can be difficult but being forced to produce the language, as opposed to trying to passively retain it, will help a lot (it did for me – especially speaking).

   Also, don’t neglect listening practice! Even just passive listening (news, tv, podcasts, etc in the bg – a good mix will give you a better ear) will help more than you’ll realize. When we first acquire language, we listen for hundreds of hours before speaking, and imo it’s no less important as an adult learner of a new language. I can always tell immediately a huge difference in my skills when I’m listening to a lot of Japanese vs when I’m not! When I was in class, it always just felt easier to do everything when I had had some Japanese in my ear at home the night before.

   Ultimately, what what helped the most was, unfortunately, going to classes. Accountability is what I struggle with, and being forced to go through the work with deadlines each week made me do the work that I kept putting off, not to mention pushed me past my comfort zone, which is what helped expand my skills past that beginner stage. If you’re more self motivated than me then this wouldn’t be a problem, but I’d say not to feel bad if this isn’t something that’s easy to self-teach. I’ve learned many many things on my own successfully, but Japanese is something that I had to admit defeat on! Now that I’ve made it through to the intermediate/advanced stage, it’s much easier to find what I need to study and how, but I doubt I could have realistically gotten to this stage on my own. Especially without it taking over 30 years, lol.

4. I use a google chrome extension called migaku.when you immmerse watching japanese on youtube or Netflix etc you can underline words youve seen. Then whenever the word is said again you can hover over to see check the meaning. I guess it kinda words like a natural spaced repitition system. Only problem is it costs money.

5. Mnemonics are best for me.

6. I’ve suspected I have undiagnosed ADHD (no idea if that’s the case tho!) And here’s what worked for me. It may or may not help you.

   I love mnemonics like others mentioned, for the first 1000 words or so. After that it becomes easier to learn new words from context.
   https://www.fluentin3months.com/imagination-your-key-to-memorizing-hundreds-of-words-quickly/

   I think diving into interesting content as soon as possible is very helpful! Here’s some stuff I like starting from the basics.
   I especially fell in love with podcasts (Teppei in particular) because I can engage my body while listening to them, in a way that helps me focus, like cooking, cleaning, walking, and my guilty pleasure of playing 2048 on endless mode 😂

   Comprehensible YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPdNX2arS9Mb1iiA0xHkxj3KVwssHQxYP

   What is Tadoku? https://tadoku.org/japanese/en/what-is-tadoku-en/

   Tadoku Readers: https://tadoku.org/japanese/en/free-books-en/

   Super super easy manga: About the manga: /r/languagelearning/comments/fhleb9/we_made_a_manga_in_really_easy_japanese_that_is/

   Link to read the manga: https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/80075613

   More beginning readers: https://yomujp.com/n5l/

   Easy podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3oFmPwJy2QgsJFKoOVKQib?si=J5QcJOX2RWa3kHe_pXRU_A

   And here’s a resource dump of things I used and liked that I made for someone trying to get back into studying:
   https://www.reddit.com/r/LearnJapanese/comments/129qmlx/comment/jeq5hf3/