Great start Robert. As you get to more advanced usage of these particles, though, one sees that there is more to it then being able to tell which is the “topic” particle and which is the “identifier” particle. But this is a good way for any beginner to look at it… to get the “feet wet” as they say.

~ fv

I second MisterM2402′s comment. I have a few elementary books that I just deconstruct and play around with. I am lucky to have a couple of Japanese co-workers whom I can share my bad Japanese with. But the best thing I can say is don’t give up. Do Not. That attitude is the worst thing you can have. Scientifically, a person that keeps learning day in and day out will eventually get it! But you have to stretch your skill set a bit as well. If you know that 猫 means cat. Then the next step is to practice adding a verb to affect that stinky 猫. When you’ve gotten to the point of basic sentence creating, start looking at books which show Japanese expressions, these books will help you figure out all those little filler words and expressions that you want to understand.

Grammatically, Japanese is not hard, DO NOT, DO NOT, tell yourself it’s impossible. S + O + V / S & O can jump places, with the proper particle usage of course, but really nail that verb always being at the end.

Lastly, I don’t know… just stay motivated!

~ fv