So, I tried using HelloTalk and found someone. We talked for a few days and then she invited me to a group on LINE where I could talk about anime/manga. I thought this would be a great opportunity to practice my Japanese and entered the group. But now, I feel a bit scared, I just sorta introduced myself on the group and there hasn’t been much conversation since then (this happened a few hours ago). I would describe myself as just above N4. But, due to thousands of hours of watching anime, I think I have an okayish passive vocabulary and grammar skills. I am able to follow through most of the conversations, but boy do I take a long time when writing something myself.
Now, the answer is clear, practice theory and apply it. If you’re wrong, you’ll get corrected (maybe). I was hoping to get tips from people who are more experienced. Maybe they went through a similar situation during the early days of their learning journey.
You’re right to be scared. They’re going to eat you.
It’s a group of japan’s famous Chupacabras (Japanese for person-eating beast) and as soon as you join that LINE group they will reverse-trace your IP and descend on you like a pack of coyotes from a WaniKani mnemonic.
I still get nervous every time I have an actual phone conversation with someone from HelloTalk, and I’ve been using the app for about 9 or 10 months now! I think it’s normal. Just dive in and don’t take any corrections personally! You’re there to learn and make friends. Once you adjust you’ll probably love it!
I think it’s natural to feel a bit self-conscious in a situation like that, but don’t let it prevent you from getting some production in yourself. I’m not sure what kind of environment it is, but if it’s like any Line groups I’ve participated in the past, you may not get corrected explicitly unless what you say causes a misunderstanding.
With that being said, you should strive to continue to have one-on-one correspondence with people as that is the best way to get corrections (as you might be already doing). From the way it sounds, you’re on your way to learning a lot of Japanese! I credit my online correspondences for giving me the input I needed to create more understandable, natural Japanese sentences. If you keep at it, you’ll get more efficient at it over time.
