Howdy! I am a college student, and I want to be taking Japanese 102 next semester, but I haven’t taken 101 yet. (My college only offers 101 in the fall).
I have the syllabus for my school’s 101 course. It uses the book: Genki 1: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese, Third Edition. Below is a list of learning objectives from the syllabus.
First Test: September 8 (Thursday). Students will be able to:
* Write simple sentences in Hiragana
* Understand basic times
* Understand family relationships
* Understand ages, years at school
* Understand particle の
* Write sentences using the X は Y です(か) structure
* Write Kanji
Second Test: September 22 (Thursday) Students will be able to…
* Express Likes / Dislikes
* Write negative forms of nouns and な adjectives
* Express locations (part 1)
* Ask How much? Who?
* Write sentences using Like / Dislike as modifiers
* Use the demonstrative pronouns この・その・あの・どの？
* Understand family relationships
* Understand *aisatu* (greetings and basic functional language)
* Write Kanji
Third Test: October 6 (Thursday) Students will be able to…
* Use the particle も
* Use the particle を with objects
* Use particles へ and に with destinations
* Use the particle で to describe where an activity happens
* Use times in sentences with the particle に
* Write Kanji
Fourth Test: October 24 (Monday) Students will be able to…
* Express locations (part 1)
* Express *How often* an activity occurs using affirmative verbs
* Use the particles と and も as conjunctions
* Express duration
* Use が～ある to express scheduled events
* Recognize katakana and write certain vocabulary in katakana
* Write Kanji
Fifth Test: November 7 (Monday) Students will be able to…
* Negate verbs
* Use adverbs of frequency with negative verbs
* Use negative imperatives
* Use とても
* Express *Good at / Bad at* activities
* Write Kanji
Sixth Test: November 21 (Monday) Students will be able to…
* Use negative い Adjectives
* Express locations (part 2)
* Use past tense Nouns & な Adjectives, both affirmative and negative
* Dates
* Express *By what means*
* Use past tense Nouns and な Adjectives
* Write kanji
Final Exam Students will be able to… In addition to the above:
* Use past tense い Adjectives, both affirmative and negative
* Use past tense Verbs, both affirmative and negative
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Is this possible to learn now through like January 16? I am really motivated and already know hiragana via duolingo.
How should I go about doing this? Any advice is greatly appreciated.
The other alternative is for me to find somewhere that offers 101 online next semester, and 102 over the summer. But I would much much rather be in a real classroom talking to people.
3 comments
Given your situation, I think that absolutely the best approach would be to get yourself a copy of Genki 1 and study it yourself (many people, including those who do not have access to in-person Japanese classes, do this and do it successfully).
You can also use Tokini Andy’s [Genki videos](https://www.youtube.com/c/ToKiniAndy) on YouTube — he goes through the whole book in a way that approximates an actual class. Study the book and watch the videos thoroughly, and I suspect you’ll have no trouble covering the same material that your college’s JPN 101 class does.
Most of that is covered on Duolingo in the first two sections of the Japanese course. However Duolingo gives very little control over your progress and even doing the 28 first units can take weeks, which means spending at least an hour per day on average on Duolingo which is not the best use of your time.
I think the way to go is obvious and it is to get Genki 1. The course is based on it and presumably the 102 course will be based on it too. So get the book, also get the workbook, and start cramming. Ultimately it comes down to just how much time you have to devote to this. Tokini Andy has a great video series that goes through the Genki books, so if you have them you can follow along. Doing exercises is really important to help with retention. You can use Duolingo for practice too, but if you have time to study, use the books and all the free online resources there are. Spending hours on Duolingo is not efficient, but putting in a few minutes here and there can help as practice, and the streak helps with commitment.
I did something similar. Wanted to take Korean 101 in the spring but they only offered 102. I consulted with the professor, found out what textbook was used in 101, and crammed it during winter break.
It’s definitely possible, but will take hard work from you. You probably also have to get permission from the professor, because usually 101 or a placement test would be required.