Question:
am trying to learn japanese for a few months now and I have progressed like a snail. Im having trouble finding a start to learning the language. Ive learned Katakana and Hirigana no problem. Pronunciation is difficult but Im making progress.
The problem I am having is finding a start for grammar. Just basic sentence structure to form sentences so that conversation is possible. Ive tried textbooks and audio cds untill I start hearing that their not that good of resource( That textbooks use romaji which isnt a good way of learning, no Kanji or kana used etc). Then I looked up rosetta stone and heard that was a bad resource too, the fact that it doesn't really help with much.
So basically Im flip floping in random directions with no real foundation to get started on.
What can I do in my situation?
Im 16 years old living in a small town in Canada (So I don't have japanese learning classes within an hour drive of me, and the ones that are have an age limit of 21)
Answer:
It's a hard language to learn, but you just have to persevere.
Get a textbook all in Kana, such as 'Mina no Nihongo', or 'Genki Japanese' they're great for getting started with conversations etc and it means you get used to reading Hiragana/Katakana quickly.
My friends have all managed to progress quite quickly using them and you can buy them easily from Amazon.
It's also worth watching Japanese media for the listening aspect of it, TV/movies/Anime with subtitles, you'll find yourself recognising words and phrases and it's great for confidence when you do.
I've gone through 3 years of self motivated study of the language. It's tough and I have hit barriers and lost my will to continue every so often, but if you persevere you get to experience the highs that come with each breakthrough.
Ganbatte kudasai.
