Aledda's Log (2017 - )

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aledda
Yellow Belt
Posts: 67
Joined: Wed Mar 15, 2017 1:26 pm
Location: Uruguay
Languages: Español (N)
English (C2), Português (C2)

Studying now: 日本語 (N4->N3), 한국어 (beginner)

Dabbling: Italiano (beginner), Deutsch (beginner)

On the waiting list: 普通话 (~A1)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=5561
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Aledda's Log (2017 - )

Postby aledda » Wed Mar 15, 2017 3:27 pm

I love learning languages. And that's a good thing, until you want to learn so much stuff at once, that you end up learning nothing at all. :?

This year I'll try to be more organized about language learning, and I think keeping a language log will help me achieve that. So that's why I signed up here.



For the last few years, I've been studying Japanese (taking classes, reviewing at home, using websites or app to practice vocabulary and kanjis, etc), but even after all these years, I still don't feel confident about it. This year I want to take the JLPT N4 (I said the same thing last year, but here I am lol), but I still feel that I'm lacking a lot.

So I'll try to focus on Japanese, even though other languages are always tempting me:
    The ones I already know need practice! (Writing in English, Reading and listening to more material in Portuguese...)
  • The ones I once started learning but for X reason I had to put them aside (Need to review the vocabulary and basic grammar I've learned in Mandarin and German)
  • The ones I "am learning" on my own (Korean, Italian)
  • The ones I always wanted to learn: Greek, Latin, Esperanto, Russian
  • And basically every language that has caught my attention. :lol:


My goals for 2017 are

Japanese (a.k.a focus on JLPT N4)

- Vocabulary/Kanjis: Complete "JapaneseClass" practice daily.

- Reading: At least 1 article from "NHK News" a day.

- Grammar: Review all the Minna no Nihongo lessons.

- Listening: All the Minna no Nihongo audios. All the "NHK News Easy" audio available for the day. Try to understand at least 1 song a week. (Any sugestion for podcasts in Japanese?)

- Watching: At least 1 dorama a month (first with English subs, then RAW). Find an interesting talk show (or something like that) to watch.

- Writing: 1 ((very) short) blog post a week.

English

- Writing: 1 blog post a week.

- Reading: 24 books.

Portuguese

- Reading: 6 books.

German/Italian

- Vocabulary: Duolingo (+ Mondly?) daily

Korean

- Watching: weekly episodes of RM and TRoS (subbed in English). 1 dorama a month (with English subs).


Goals for 2018
Japanese (a.k.a focus on JLPT N3)


Let's see how I can handle all that (+ work + gym + house + book club + life) this year. It doesn't look like a lot, but it is easier said than done. :roll:
Last edited by aledda on Wed Jan 24, 2018 6:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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aledda
Yellow Belt
Posts: 67
Joined: Wed Mar 15, 2017 1:26 pm
Location: Uruguay
Languages: Español (N)
English (C2), Português (C2)

Studying now: 日本語 (N4->N3), 한국어 (beginner)

Dabbling: Italiano (beginner), Deutsch (beginner)

On the waiting list: 普通话 (~A1)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=5561
x 141

Re: Aledda's Log (2017 - )

Postby aledda » Mon Mar 20, 2017 1:52 pm

Reserved


(just in case)
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Please, feel free to correct any mistakes.

aledda
Yellow Belt
Posts: 67
Joined: Wed Mar 15, 2017 1:26 pm
Location: Uruguay
Languages: Español (N)
English (C2), Português (C2)

Studying now: 日本語 (N4->N3), 한국어 (beginner)

Dabbling: Italiano (beginner), Deutsch (beginner)

On the waiting list: 普通话 (~A1)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=5561
x 141

Re: Aledda's Log (2017 - )

Postby aledda » Mon Mar 20, 2017 2:10 pm

Since it is my first time having a log like this, I'll try to update weekly at first and then see what, when and how I should log.


Review
Last week wasn't as productive as I planned. My cough was louder than the audios in Japanese, so my listening practice consisted of pausing and rewinding every minute (Just as frustrasting as having flu in summer...). That's why I decided to practice reading instead.
  • Japanese:I did 1 lesson of 皆の日本語 中級, the usual daily practice in JapaneseClass, reading (news articles and stuff like that) and some attempts at listening.
  • English: A friend of mine lent me a book, so I've been reading it even though it is not as interesting as I thought it could be. That's why I haven't finished it yet, but I will do it soon, so I can start reading something else. Duolingo.
  • German/Italian/Portuguese: Duolingo.
  • Korean: I watched 1 episode of 런닝맨 and 1 episode of 슈퍼맨이 돌아왔다 with english subs (does this count as English practice too? :P) and tried to read the captions written in hangul. I realized that even though I hadn't study them, I can recognize some words and sentences here and there (when I see them AND when I hear them) and that makes me happy :lol:

Notes2self
  • Answer more questions per day in JapaneseClass.
  • Start as soon as possible the review of past lessons.
  • Write more in Japanese (so I don't spend more than 10 minutes to write basic stuff).
  • Find a book in Portuguese in my TBR list.


After reading some logs here, it's amazing to see everyone's progress and read about their learning strategies. I found new ideas that I want to try out, and new approaches to things that didn't work out for me before. So thanks everyone (even if you don't read this)! :D
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Please, feel free to correct any mistakes.

aledda
Yellow Belt
Posts: 67
Joined: Wed Mar 15, 2017 1:26 pm
Location: Uruguay
Languages: Español (N)
English (C2), Português (C2)

Studying now: 日本語 (N4->N3), 한국어 (beginner)

Dabbling: Italiano (beginner), Deutsch (beginner)

On the waiting list: 普通话 (~A1)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=5561
x 141

Re: Aledda's Log (2017 - )

Postby aledda » Wed Mar 29, 2017 3:25 am

I wanted to update this on Sunday but I didn't find many things worth logging, so the days went by and I didn't post here.


Review

Japanese:
Increased the amount of questions I answer on my daily practice on JapaneseClass (So far so good!)
Learned a few more grammar structures from 皆の日本語 中級 (Some of them need a little practice so I can use them more accurately)
Tried listening to the audio rip of a dorama I've already watched (Even though I barely understood anything the first time I listened to it, the more I listened to it, the more I understood what they were saying :D) and also found the japanese subs for it, so maybe I can sync both files to read along...
Tried to describe things or situations.. even having "conversations" with myself using Japanese. (For now I'm more doubtful than certain about my Japanese, but you have to start somewhere...)

English:
Reading
Duolingo

Portuguese:
Found a book I'm interested in, so I'll try to start reading it as soon as possible!
Duolingo.

Korean:
Watched 1 episode of 런닝맨 and 1 episode of 슈퍼맨이 돌아왔다 with english subs
Reviewed some flashcards



Notes2self
  • (JP) Start the review of past lessons! (And this time I mean it!)
  • (JP) 私は日本語で書く必要があります!
  • (JP) Rip the audio of the other episodes of that dorama.
  • (PT) Find a book in Portuguese in my TBR list. <- Start reading that book.
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Please, feel free to correct any mistakes.

aledda
Yellow Belt
Posts: 67
Joined: Wed Mar 15, 2017 1:26 pm
Location: Uruguay
Languages: Español (N)
English (C2), Português (C2)

Studying now: 日本語 (N4->N3), 한국어 (beginner)

Dabbling: Italiano (beginner), Deutsch (beginner)

On the waiting list: 普通话 (~A1)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=5561
x 141

Re: Aledda's Log (2017 - )

Postby aledda » Wed Jan 24, 2018 6:49 pm

New year... ¿new me?

It took me like 9 months to post again in my "log". I've been lurking around, but I lost the motivation to update my "progress" since it felt like I was doing the same things with nothing "special" to mention.

I don't want to post excuses for not updating regularlyat all here, since I already know why I didn't. The good thing is that after a year-end review/reflection, I can say that I learned a lot. Not only about languages, but also about myself and the things that keep me motivated to do certain things.

After traveling for almost a month in August, I came back home with the purpose to finallytake the JLPT N4 in December, which was my main language-related goal for 2017. Having that deadline in mind, it was easier to mantain a routine (which was improved week after week) until the D-day (or J-day) arrived.

I can't lie: I didn't feel confident enough and I was nervous as heck, because the last time I took an exam was years ago. But I did it! And even though in some sections of the test (especially during the listening) it felt like I couldn't pass it, I felt proud of myself for finding the courage to take it.

After the exam, I kept doing the japaneseclass practice every day and duolingo practice for other languages. I kept reading books in english, watching the k-shows I watched before and started a few j-doramas to "improve" my listening skills...

Until last night that I checked the JLPT results and... I passed it! So now my main goal is to take the N3 in December, so I want to go back to my "study routine" as soon as possible, to at least gain a little more confidence :lol:

I think it will be easier this time, so let's see how it goes.
6 x
Please, feel free to correct any mistakes.

aledda
Yellow Belt
Posts: 67
Joined: Wed Mar 15, 2017 1:26 pm
Location: Uruguay
Languages: Español (N)
English (C2), Português (C2)

Studying now: 日本語 (N4->N3), 한국어 (beginner)

Dabbling: Italiano (beginner), Deutsch (beginner)

On the waiting list: 普通话 (~A1)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=5561
x 141

Re: Aledda's Log (2018)

Postby aledda » Fri Feb 16, 2018 6:36 pm

In Uruguay we have a saying that translated to English goes something like this: "the year starts only when the last cyclist participating in the "Vuelta Ciclista" gets to the end of it" (on Easter Sunday) and there's another version than can be translated as "the year starts after Holy Week".
Since here in the South, we're in summer for the first months of the year, people in general go on vacation in January or February. (Summer break for schools is from mid-December to first days of March in general, and workers in general have a month of paid days off), so you tend to postpone "real work" (or important duties) after summer is over, which happens around Holy Week (depending on the year, of course).

In a similar way, my return from vacation is THE moment to start seriously tackling my "to-do" list.

So here I am... trying to post what I did until now and what I will do in the short/long term:

I finished watching 美男ですね, the japanese remake of the korean dorama 미남이시네요 (You're beautiful).
I watched the original dorama years ago, so I knew "what was going on", and even though I watched the japanese version with english subtitles, I realized that I didn't need to rely on them entirely... I understood more than what I'd expected and that was a pleasant surprise...

So now I need to find a new dorama to watch! And I think deciding what to watch next is the worst part of the process... Too many options!

Regarding reading, some days I read one or two short pieces of news in Japanese, but I need to read more, and be more constant about it.

For vocabulary, I keep using JapaneseClass, and recently I increased the amount of questions I answer every day (80 questions per day, and I could keep up with that during vacation, even though I used the mobile version of the website, which isn't as comfortable as the desktop version).

I have a lot of language-related apps on my phone, and trying to put some order in there I decided to give a new chance to each app, so I could either use it or unistall it. One of the apps that I (re-) started using is Kotoba. I do not know if there was an updated or something that made it better, but I cannot understand why I hadn't used it often before. My progress right now is JLPT-related and 毎日新聞. Soon I will have JLPT N5 and N4 all in green, and I want to have in green N3 for this year exam. I am doing first the JLPT ones first, and from time to time I answer some of the "most frequent words" and "Common words" from the 毎日新聞.

Other languages

Yesterday, I had to talk with a brazilian woman and just then I realized that I've lost fluency... I understood perfectly everything she said but every time I had to open my mouth it was awful. Even though I read from time to time things in Portuguese, I haven't used it THAT much lately, and I need to find a way to write or talk or whatever so it doesn't get worse.

I use Duolingo for other languages, and I was amazed when I realized that I reached a 1000-day streak some days ago. Streak

And last but not least, I keep reading in english and watching 런닝맨 and 슈퍼맨이 돌아왔다 with english subs (trying to recognize words from time to time).
Last edited by aledda on Mon May 14, 2018 5:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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aledda
Yellow Belt
Posts: 67
Joined: Wed Mar 15, 2017 1:26 pm
Location: Uruguay
Languages: Español (N)
English (C2), Português (C2)

Studying now: 日本語 (N4->N3), 한국어 (beginner)

Dabbling: Italiano (beginner), Deutsch (beginner)

On the waiting list: 普通话 (~A1)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=5561
x 141

Re: Aledda's Log - Native/translated content read/watched

Postby aledda » Tue Feb 27, 2018 2:51 am

JAPANESE

Doramas

マザー・ゲーム (Mother Game) - 10 episodes - Watched with english subs
好きな人がいること (A Girl and Three Sweethearts) - 10 episodes - Watched with english subs
花より男子 (Boys Over Flowers) - 9 episodes - Watched with english subs

2018
美男ですね (You're Handsome/Beautiful) - 11 episodes - Watched with english subs
ドS刑事 (DoS Deka) - 11 episodes - Watched with english subs
三毛猫ホームズの推理 (Mikeneko Holmes no Suiri) - 11 episodes - Watched with english subs
信長協奏曲 (Nobunaga Concerto) - 11 episodes - Watched with english subs
ホタルノヒカリ (Hotaru no Hikari) (1st "season") - 10 episodes - Watched with english subs (Total: 474 minutes)
ホタルノヒカリ (Hotaru no Hikari) (2nd "season") - 11 episodes - Watching with english subs (Total: ... minutes)

Movies

2018
あの日見た花の名前を僕達はまだ知らない (Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day) - Watched with english subs
Nobunaga Concerto: The movie (cont. of the dorama 信長協奏曲) - Watched with english subs


Books

2018
J.K. Rowling - ハリーポッターと賢者の石 (HP1) Chapters: 0 / 17



PORTUGUESE

Books
E do meio do mundo prostituto só amores guardei ao meu charuto - currently reading



KOREAN

TV Shows
Running Man (1st episode watched during SC: 398)


("under construction")
Last edited by aledda on Tue May 08, 2018 2:51 am, edited 4 times in total.
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Please, feel free to correct any mistakes.

aledda
Yellow Belt
Posts: 67
Joined: Wed Mar 15, 2017 1:26 pm
Location: Uruguay
Languages: Español (N)
English (C2), Português (C2)

Studying now: 日本語 (N4->N3), 한국어 (beginner)

Dabbling: Italiano (beginner), Deutsch (beginner)

On the waiting list: 普通话 (~A1)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=5561
x 141

Re: Aledda's Log (2017 - )

Postby aledda » Tue Feb 27, 2018 2:53 am

These last few days have been so hectic that I haven't had time to sit down and write a post, so here I am now.

I started a new j-dorama: ドS刑事 (DoS Deka). I watched the first episodes with english subs, but I think I'll try to find japanese subs so I don't depend so much on English to understand. I'm sure it's going to take me a bit longer to watch it, if I have to pause and go back a bit to understand what's going on, but in the long run I think it will be more effective than just listening-while-trying-to-ignore-the-english-subs. If I am not able to find the japanese subs for this dorama, I'll choose the next one based on how easy it is to find them :lol:

On JapaneseClass I increased the amount of daily questions. I've noticed that there are "difficult" questions that I can answer easily, while some "easier" ones make me doubt a lot (like kanjis that I learned in my first year of japanese, and now I can't remember if the "reading" included an extra "う" or maybe a "っ"). I think I've focused a lot on trying to "interpret" the radicals and stuff so it's easier to understand the meaning of a "new" kanji, that I forgot to pay attention to the 読み方. I've never wanted to learn by heart every kanji's onyomi and kunyomi, but I should've learned by now how to pronounce the "common" ones...

Anyway, I'm still practising vocabulary on Kotoba, but instead of just focusing on kanji and vocabulary I want to review some grammar points that still confuse me a little (for instance: causative form vs causative-passive form) and things I haven't used that much lately (for example 謙譲語 vs 尊敬語 like 頂きます = 食べます = 召し上がります), so until the weekend I'm not going to use Kotoba that much.

I downloaded a new app to listen to japanese radio stations (and playlists) and it has some podcasts too, so I'll try to give it a try.

To practice reading, I'm trying to read the news on the NHK site, instead of going to the "easy news" section (which I love). It's hard to read without the furigana, but it's not impossible. And since some articles are easier to understand than others, they help me gain some confidence when I finally understand them! やっと!

Oh, and I started watching "Dark". I don't remember watching any German movie or tv show, but when a friend recommended me this series, I didn't care about the plot*, I just missed the language so much that I wanted to listen to it... I really need to pick up German again. (*I like the plot too, but it wasn't the "main" reason why I started watching it.)
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aledda
Yellow Belt
Posts: 67
Joined: Wed Mar 15, 2017 1:26 pm
Location: Uruguay
Languages: Español (N)
English (C2), Português (C2)

Studying now: 日本語 (N4->N3), 한국어 (beginner)

Dabbling: Italiano (beginner), Deutsch (beginner)

On the waiting list: 普通话 (~A1)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=5561
x 141

Re: Aledda's Log (2017 - )

Postby aledda » Mon Mar 05, 2018 2:56 am

Japanese
私はもっと聞く練習が必要です。しかし、私はそれが良くなっていると思う。

Another week in which I didn't review much grammar but I have practiced more reading and listening.

I finished watching the dorama DoS Deka. Not only I loved the plot and the characters, but also it was "easy" to understand what they were saying. Obviously I did not understand 100%, but I feel that I am better now than in December. Still, I need to practice much more.

It sounds silly, but I'm glad to have set a goal to watch more doramas this year. Having it written in my bujo has helped me to take better advantage of my time (I am no longer trying to decide if dorama A is better than dorama B for weeks, but if I am slightly attracted to the plot, I watch it without further ado), and it makes me more motivated to see one dorama after another. Not only it's an activity that doesn't bother me because I can take it as entertainment, but seeing a variety of doramas, allows me to listen to "normal" conversations in Japanese and different people's way of speaking.

I haven't found any podcast that interests me yet, so for now I'm just going to keep "practicing" listening through doramas. (And music, of course).

For reading, I've been doing different things. I'm reading the news on the NHK site (it takes more time than the "easy news", so I don't read as many articles as before), and I started reading some texts on Bauddha. It's great since you can read both English and Japanese versions at the same time, although I try to overcome the temptation to read the text in English as soon as I found a Kanji I don't know.

Speaking of Kanji, I did some practice on Kotoba, and of course JapaneseClass (although I lost my combo on JC twice this week -.-)

Portuguese
For this I set another language-related gol, and that is to read more books in Portuguese. Last year was a failure in that aspect, but this year will definitely be different, and since I love reading the only problem would be finding books in Portuguese.

Other
Duolingo... as usual
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Please, feel free to correct any mistakes.

aledda
Yellow Belt
Posts: 67
Joined: Wed Mar 15, 2017 1:26 pm
Location: Uruguay
Languages: Español (N)
English (C2), Português (C2)

Studying now: 日本語 (N4->N3), 한국어 (beginner)

Dabbling: Italiano (beginner), Deutsch (beginner)

On the waiting list: 普通话 (~A1)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=5561
x 141

Re: Aledda's Log (2017 - )

Postby aledda » Mon Mar 12, 2018 3:41 am

I do not have many things to tell this week, but as I promised to update more often, here I am.

Japanese

Halfway through the week I was going to write that I had started a new drama, but in the end I never wrote that comment. Maybe now is a good time to say that I finished it and I'm starting another one. The drama itself was not memorable, but it was entertaining and I loved one of the actors (can I fangirl here?).

Ah, next week I resume classes with my sensei (twice a week) to prepare with her the N3 and to practice conversation (which I need A LOT).
Also, when we spoke the other day, she told me that next month is the test/exam of the Japan Foundation in which outstanding students of the language (one per country) travel to Japan for two weeks in September I guess. Last year I didn't do that badly, so I will try again this year.

Portuguese

I started reading a book: E do meio do mundo prostituto só amores guardei ao meu charuto by Rubem Fonseca. As I go further in reading, I will try to talk a little about the book (in Portuguese, of course).

Others

I would love for the day to have more hours, because I want to do so many things and it is not enough. Maybe I'm not organizing well, or I want to do more than I can (probably both).
Recently the friend who recommended Dark (which by the way I'm still watching), saw the three seasons of Merlí, and was enthusiastic about the Catalan language. I told him that before traveling to Barcelona last year I "studied" very basic stuff, and after talking with an Uruguayan who is now living there (and taking classes), I was excited too about it. So who knows, if my friend starts taking that language seriously, maybe I'll join him, because ... who can refuse a new language? (this is almost a vice ...)
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