Forgetting my Grammars in Conversations

[Ejemy]

I found a few posts a little related to this problem but I’m wondering if there are any suggestions. I live in Japan and I study almost everyday but I keep reusing the same basic grammars. What do you guys do to break over this wall? I just draw blanks and my Japanese is good enough for basic conversations so I don’t technically NEED more advanced grammars but dang it would be nice. I know getting a tutor would help and let me experiment with more complex grammars (i’m working on finding a tutor) but any other advice?

[DIO-Berry]

Practicing producing those complex grammars is my recommendation. Even if it’s in writing, like in the Japanese sentence a day thread. If you’d like to practice verbalizing it, there are audio and video clips you can make on HelloTalk. I get swamped with messages every time I log on (American also in Japan), so I think your odds of getting a reply are pretty good.

[Hantsuki]

It’s easy to get overwhelmed using too much new grammar structures at once. So I recommend choosing one particular grammar structure and making it your goal to use it, let’s say, in three different conversations that day. That way you can focus on just using that particular grammar structure and get plenty of practice with it. Then you can try a new grammar structure on a new day.

I can talk to my husband fluently in Japanese, but if it’s someone else I get nervous because I’m afraid of making a mistake. Problem is we both mix Japanese with English in our conversations so I instinctively do the same when I’m talking to somebody else.

I try to prevent those awkward moments by just having conversations in full Japanese by myself. Since you’re by yourself you don’t have to worry about making mistakes. Plus you get plenty of practice. In fact I did this a lot when I was learning Japanese in the beginning.

It really helped getting used to speaking out my ideas without worrying about sounding stupid. And then once your mouth gets used to speaking, it comes more naturally when you are having a conversation with someone else. At that point you’re worrying less about what you’re saying and focusing more on the conversation.

Tldr; It sounds weird but just try to have a conversation with yourself in Japanese using the grammar you want to practice with, then you’ll gradually get used to incorporating the newly learned grammar in your conversations. Hope that helps!