Learning Japanese?

catwang0 · 11 Jul 2012

Just curious, but how many of you people that are learning Japanese are taking lessons from an actual teacher (which you're obviously paying for)? Or are you just trying your best from online sources and trying to self-teach yourself?

Because I'm trying to make what I can out of online guides and what there is on the internet, but I'm debating on whether I should take lessons, even though they're really expensive sometimes :\

For those that have taken lessons or have just solo'd it and used what you have, how far have you gotten through from your choice of method?

This may be confusing or just weirdly laid out.

Andromedashun · 11 Jul 2012

I actually first took a class 4 years a go. Now I can self-study without any problem with the help from people in this site of course. I plan (probably) take a class to deal with N3 test on December. Wish me luck. XD

My advice is find an actual class and don't rely on online source, cause you will lost direction and motivation from a teaching site very easily.

catwang0 · 11 Jul 2012

So you took one class 4 years ago, and that's it? & I've heard of the JPLT but N3? Like the 3rd level or something? .-.' & I hope you do well! Have confidence in yourself, lol.

'I will lose direction from a teaching site very easily?' & I dunno' if you still remember, but how much did you pay for your class? I really want to learn Japanese, but I'm frightened by the $ and am afraid to get ripped off. :\ Like pay the money and end up learning nearly nothing. Because you know how classes take so slow because they don't want to rush you, etc.

Andromedashun · 11 Jul 2012

No they are pretty fast to me. 3 times a week, with both native and Japanese teacher and they are very cheerful.
I don't know the cost in your country but in Vietnam it is cheap: 40$ /3 month. But now I think it's a round $60/ 3 month, not bad but still managable to me...

Mike Cash · 11 Jul 2012

Classes are slow because it takes time to LEARN and INTERNALIZE stuff.

catwang0 · 11 Jul 2012

Andromedashun said:
No they are pretty fast to me. 3 times a week, with both native and Japanese teacher and they are very cheerful.
I don't know the cost in your country but in Vietnam it is cheap: 40$ /3 month. But now I think it's a round $60/ 3 month, not bad but still managable to me...

Ah, I see. And I live in the USA, so it's probably more expensive :\ But thanks for your information. Interesting.

---------- Post added at 02:58 ---------- Previous post was at 02:54 ----------

Mike Cash said:
Classes are slow because it takes time to LEARN and INTERNALIZE stuff.

I KNOW THAT. I'm talking about how with a lot of classes, unless they are advanced, they take everything extremely slow like you don't have the brain capacity to comprehend anything unless it's gone over for 2 weeks.

Mike Cash · 11 Jul 2012

A lot of the students in the class don't. The problem with a class is that to some degree it is forced to use the convoy system. (Every ship is limited to the speed of the slowest ship in order that they can all stay together).

Andromedashun · 11 Jul 2012

Mike Cash said:
A lot of the students in the class don't. The problem with a class is that to some degree it is forced to use the convoy system. (Every ship is limited to the speed of the slowest ship in order that they can all stay together).

Oh that's exactly what I thought. However when you have to memorize a new word it's not easy, then the teacher request you to make new sentences using those new vocabulary, so student have to look back at the book (there is no denji jisho here in Vietnam or I sure not many people own a denji jisho on cellphone) to find, that's probably slow it down. But then our teacher often give us test in class, a lot of it, so I still feel like I couldn't catch up and have to quit at lesson 29.

Glenn · 11 Jul 2012

Yeah, private lessons would be better than classes if you usually find yourself bored because the other people are having problems with things you're ready to move past. This happened to me. I never took private lessons, though, because I never even thought to look. They have certain advantages over classes, to be sure, though.

adragast · 12 Jul 2012

I personally think that classes are good (if with a good teacher) at the beginning. You will not only learn what is written in the text books, but you will also learn from the mistakes of your classmates (especially if the teacher corrects them and explains why it was wrong) and from their questions. Of course slow classes are boring...

Andromedashun · 12 Jul 2012

The funny thing is my Japanese teacher can speak English but I barely can understand what he said. Another Japanese teacher can speak Vietnamese quite good but unfortunately he didn't stay in Vietnam for very long.

inadera · 12 Jul 2012

adragast said:
I personally think that classes are good (if with a good teacher) at the beginning. You will not only learn what is written in the text books, but you will also learn from the mistakes of your classmates (especially if the teacher corrects them and explains why it was wrong) and from their questions. Of course slow classes are boring...

Exercises and tests given by the teacher would help a lot, too. It's possible to learn without taking classes, but we still need some help from people who knows the language better in place of a teacher.

Learning Japanese?

catwang0

先輩

Andromedashun

先輩

catwang0

先輩

Andromedashun

先輩

Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

catwang0

先輩

Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

Andromedashun

先輩

Glenn

一切皆苦

adragast

後輩

Andromedashun

先輩

inadera

後輩

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