By mid March i’ll have finished 日本語初級 2 大地 and the next class I can take is an intermediate class, using the textbook 「中級へ行こう 日本語の文型と表現５９」but I feel like I don’t remember all the grammar completely from the current class. In terms of where I am within my class, I’m probably second best (the girl at the top is taking the intermediate class alongside the elementary 2 class). Most of the other students are going to progress to the intermediate class but I feel like I shouldn’t progress until I can recall everything quickly and easily and use all grammar points in conversation (basically I want to be able to speak well).
I don’t have lots of time outside of my classes as I have two young children to take care of so little time for self study. When I do study its mostly cramming for JLPT.
I don’t know whether to push myself or to take it slowly and repeat the elementary 2 class again. The teachers say everyone forgets the grammar and noone can produce dialog quickly and fluently yet but my aim is mostly verbal fluently rather than passing tests. Of course I do also want to be able to read and passing tests is always nice.
The other possibility is to go onto the intermediate class and get a personal tutor to re go over the elementary 2 alongside. Unfortunately taking both classes at the same time wouldn’t work as we have no childcare and I can only attend one class or the other.
What would you do?
(p.s i’m not a confident type of person and my memory is abysmal and even though i’ve been living in Japan almost 6 years i’m still at a very basic level, though in my defence I’ve had two kids in that space of time and they take a lot of time and energy).
Even if you don’t remember everything 100%, that’s fine. I say you should do the intermediate class, especially when you say you’re #2 in the class. Most, if not all, of the beginner material will come up again and over time you will develop that ability to recall everything quickly through repeat exposure. I don’t think you should deprive yourself of new material for this reason alone.
Yep, as they say, language learning is quantity over quality. It’s better to expose yourself to new material than “perfecting” something you already know well enough, which you’ll repeat anyways.
Here’s an article from Tofugu (makers of WK) themselves:
SRS like Wanikani is a bit of an exception, but it’s meant to give you the most efficient reviews at the perfect time, and to balance lessons with reviews. You could probably make an argument that Wanikani is letting you review too much and not learn fast enough, but that’s beside the point.
This is actually a perfect article for my situation. I guess I kept thinking if I knew everything perfectly then I’d be able to speak much better but maybe that isn’t even the case anyway. Maybe just the more I try to talk, the better i’ll get. As for the grammar i’m forgetting, perhaps reviewing on bunpro and before JLPT as well as trying to remember during intermediate class might help. I do suffer so much from lack of confidence (that and a brain like a sieve). Thank you for persuading me to push myself!
I would say you take the class. You’ll not only learn new things, but also relearn or remember older things. Obviously you will also forget stuff along the way. That’s normal tho.
I think it’s really better for you to start to move on the intermediate level.
You will probably also reviewing some of the basic knowledge from the last course and you will be able to study on your own the small points you didn’t remember correctly or the point which really cause you some troubles.
I think it’s not a coincidence if the person above you already take intermediate class. I think you will be totally able to do it and new knowledge will help you to improve your old one.
Don’t be shy, try to speak as much as you can if it’s your main goal, it’s not a problem to do mistake, it’s the best things you can do because you will be able to progress like that.
You can do it
