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Been trying to learn for 6 years. I haven’t gotten far at all. I fail at grammar. I can’t memorize the different forms of verbs. I can’t make complex sentences. I am just so stuck. I signed up for this and I hope it works. I am a dedicated person who hasn’t given up despite being unable to get beyond the very basics. :(
Any tips on getting further than desu?
Find something about Japanese that’ll get you excited, maybe? For me, learning enough to actually piece together some of the scattered bits of Japanese knowledge I’d managed to pick up was pretty much the best feeling ever. Sadly those moment have become rarer now that I’m more knowledgeable, so I’ve had to set myself more advanced targets… which have kinda been left idle, a little… and I should have finished typing before I started this sentence, hey? =P
Know thy self.
Not everyone will learn the exact same way even from the same source. Everyone will, or should, take a slightly different approach to whatever methodology they choose. Knowing not only what you learn but also how you learn will help you concentrate on the ways you can tweak and improve the way content is delivered. Take learning the kana as an example. Does reading make you fall asleep? Try using the videos more. Videos not sticking? Try the interactive drag and drop apps. The content may not change but how you absorb it may depending on how you best learn.
Follow the path.
As Joel said above, find a goal and work towards it. Following the path towards that goal will stop you from being overwhelmed and venturing so far you get lost and wonder why you even started learning Japanese in the first place. One step will build on another and will give you milestones as you complete goals to further drive you as well as give your journey purpose.
Don’t run away.
You never stop learning about something so long as you are still exposed to it. It may not seem it but you are learning even if you aren’t actively trying to. Watching and/or listening to Japanese will help to reinforce what you may have ‘learned’ but haven’t really understood yet. It can take time for you to process and retain what you have learned. By keeping yourself exposed to Japanese you will give yourself the opportunity to process this information.
I guess the big question is: Why are you learning Japanese?
I haven’t run away. I just get stuck when you start getting into counters, te form, forms that aren’t masu, directions, and sentences that state more than one idea.
Are you the sort of person for whom technical explanations of WHY things work are helpful? Because if you want to ask questions about stuff, I’m happy to explain things in excruciating detail. =)
I really want to go to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Now, the opportunity of going to those Olympic games is not the actual topic. That’s for me to figure out. However, this goal pushes along my studies. It has a date, a time, an immense amount of importance and symbolism that I can gratify myself over for a lifetime (THIS is the Olympic games that I chose to go to; I could have chosen any, but I learned Japanese and figured out my way in. Woohoo!)
For all of us, Japanese is probably the only thing of its kind. For a few polyglots, it might be no big deal. Just another language. But to me, there’s nothing else on earth. I studied Spanish in high school. I’m studying French. There’s still nothing like Japanese. It’s this massive topic to study that only relates to this faraway place. It’s difficult to make and hold onto a connection to something like this. You have to find YOUR way of integrating it into your life EVERY DAY. Be it friends, online friends, TV, video games, a hefty study schedule, a time of day or a specific place like the Japanese section of a library; your job is to bring this faraway thing closer. To find what makes you tick. Find out what turns that guilt about not studying into anger about not studying into the energy needed to study. You’re not just working for your one interest; you’re enhancing your brain. Language is very beneficial and makes powerful connections in that big head of yours, not to mention the employment opportunities.
"It's such a kawaii morning!"
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