study help!

[rpgherogaz]

Hello guys!

IM running through the AJATT method (20 sentences a day) I think I am running to far ahead on the certain kanji I try and remember... but thats not what im asking for help for

The thing is... In my 頭, i keep translating the 日本語の言葉 into 英語, its involuntry but i cant seem to not do it! With nouns its easier because you can picture a "車" for instance, but for things like "forever" (いつまでも) etc etc i always turn it into 英語.


How did you guys get around this? Does it simply come with 時間?

You start off making everything 英語, but knowing that [この言葉] is the same as [その言葉] until your brain just doesnt need to change it?


それとも am i doing something which can harm my 日本語??

Im finding things like 試合　AND　教室　AND　真面目 really 難しい to remember because im focusing on what readings i know and the 英語 translation instead of the overall 言葉, which I THEN have to understand.....良くないね!


助けてください!

[Psy]

Simply put: Don't worry about it. This is a 100% natural part of the process. The transition from "Japanese->English->Meaning" to "Japanese->Meaning" is very gradual, especially if you don't have many opportunities to communicate with natives or if this is your first foreign language. Still, keep studying and you will get it, that's a promise.

... and it's a truly amazing feeling when you notice you've just had a conversation (however short!) in Japanese without having done any translation in your head.

がんばれ！

[Javizy]

I still tend to do it myself with words that I'm still in the process of learning properly. The English meanings tend to help trigger the Japanese word I want when speaking. Once you know them well, then it's only natural to stop using English altogether, and as long as you don't think of the two as equivalent, and continue getting frequent exposure to hear them used naturally, you won't do any damage in the long run.

I find that shadowing is also very helpful when it comes to reproducing grammatical constructions without any thought of English. This is perhaps where it's most important to think in Japanese, since you will make some horrible sentences working from English. As your other skills improve, you can start making your flashcards all in Japanese, and start using a kokugo dictionary to look up Japanese words, among many other things. As a beginner/intermediate-ish learner, this isn't an option, so it's only natural to use your mother tongue as an intermediary.

[rpgherogaz]

Thank you guys!

How do you learn words like 素敵?

I mean how does "unadorned rival" become loverly???

tasukete kure, onegai itashimasu

[Psy]

Well, not all compound words make perfect sense by breaking down the kanji, so there are cases where you have to take the word for what it is as a whole. However, whether or not it has anything to do with the origin of the word, I always found the spelling of 素敵 amusing in that, on a battlefield, seeing your enemy (敵) standing unarmed and naked (素) would indeed be wonderful for the combatant, wouldn't it?

[rpgherogaz]

it would indeed Psy!

Also, i thought taking the meaning "elementary" and "rival" making a story like...

"while in elementary school, your rival happend to be very loverly, stealing all your crushes away from you!"

Ill keep in mind that some compounds are written using the 音読み readings rather than pure meanings, thank you! Seems hard as many share the similar/same readings, but i guess with repitition itl just get easier!

congrats on your anki deck btw, over 4000 is a great achievment!