Writing sentences for grammar, but then forgetting
๐ค"I'm studying some grammar points everyday and write several sentences for each, but after some days I forget the meaning of each point and the nuances between them." 1 minute answer: Read more. Language isn't math! With math you can do a problem 50x and then be able to solve any problem that follows the same rules. Not Japanese! If you use a grammar point to write 50 different Japanese sentences, you still won't be able to understand the nuances / meaning of the grammar used in the real world. ๐ OK Gus I get it --- so what do I do?: Read !!! Read at least 30 minutes a day. It can be news, short stories, literature, lyrics to music, anything. Reading gives you the NATURAL SYNTHESIS that you need to learn and remember Japanese grammar. If you are doing 30 minutes a day and still finding it hard to remember grammar ---- READ MORE! Read 60 or even 90 minutes a day. Will it affect your study time? YES. Will it improve your Japanese more than if you spent the time doing Bunpro, Wanikani, Ankidroid, etc etc? YES. What do I read? Check out my latest posts for things to read. There is a popular idea that everyone is bad at Japanese because they "don't speak enough." This is bullshit. As someone who has lived in Japan for 3 years now, I speak Japanese most of my day every day. Since passing N1 in my first year here, I stopped actively reading and watching Japanese content. You all are probably doing more Japanese immersion than I am. Even though I speak more, my Japanese has NOT grown from N1 level. Speaking helps improve your confidence. It helps you to stop having to think about if you're using the language 100% correctly. It helps your mouth muscles get used to Japanese. It does NOT help you improve your actual Japanese understanding. ๐ค"But Gus I learn better when I speak with a Japanese person!" NO! Are you learning because you're speaking? Or are you learning because you are hearing and getting feedback when you try to make the sounds the Japanese person is making? If you spoke Japanese to a mirror, with no feedback, you would not learn. Learning to speak comes from listening + feedback. But here's where most learners fail: YOU CAN BE YOUR OWN FEEDBACK.