Il viaggio di Shandra

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dampingwire
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Re: Il viaggio di Shandra [ENG, FR]

Postby dampingwire » Sat Apr 15, 2017 11:37 pm

I think みんなの日本語初級 Book 1 will get you somewhere near N5 (as long as you cover other things too). That's about 25 chapters. You'll need both the main Japanese-only book and the grammar explanation book.

There's an N5 vocabulary course on memrise: you should aim to complete that.

You need to know the first ~80 or so kanji (where "first" means in the order that they are taught in schools in Japan). In the N5 test (and maybe the N4 test) there will be questions where you are given a word in kana and then you are expected to find the corresponding word in kanji. But some of the kanji offered will be subtly wrong, perhaps one extra stroke or one stroke missing.

You'll need some rudimentary listening skills, so either make use of the CDs that come with some editions of Minna no Nihongo or hit youtube (I presume that there is plenty of N5 level material, but I didn't use youtube much at that stage).

One thing that I found incredibly useful was to have my tutor go over the question format with me. The entire exam is in Japanese. All the instructions are in Japanese. All the answer sheets are in Japanese. You (generally) do NOT need to read the question instructions. There are only a few types of questions. They will say things like "Read the kana and the four possible kanji and pick the one correct answer", but just from seeing the question it will be obvious that that's what is required.

There are sample questions and sample papers for all the levels available on the JLPT website, for free (although if you like paper, they'll sell you exactly the same things in a nicely printed book).

JLPT N5 in seven months is entirely possible, but you will need to get into a routine. You don't need to book the exam until September or so (at least that's how it works in the UK), so you can start studying now but only pay for the exam in September if you then think you have a decent chance of passing.

In bocca al lupo!
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新完全マスター N2聴解 : 94 / 103新完全マスター N2読解 : 99 / 177
新完全マスター N2文法 : 197 / 197TY Comp. German : 0 / 389

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reineke
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Re: Il viaggio di Shandra [ENG, FR]

Postby reineke » Sun Apr 16, 2017 9:48 pm

Whenever I feel the urge to study Japanese I listen to some Italian. I don't think this would work with you. I have a feeling this idea has been cooking for a while. I think you should do it. If you can survive the first three months you'll do fine. The exam has no oral portion.
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shandra
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Languages: Italian (N), English (B1), Spanish (SIELE: Reading B2, Listening C1), French (A2), Chinese (HSK1), Japanese (JLPT N5) Frozen: Danish, Forgotten: Romanian
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Re: Il viaggio di Shandra

Postby shandra » Sun Apr 23, 2017 12:39 am

Thanks dampingwire and reineke for suggestions and support!
Brace ourselves 6 Weeks Challenge is coming
The 6WC is the spur I need to test the waters: quickly revise grammar points I studied and hopefully learn all (=probable) vocabulary for N5.

Yesterday I added some anime songs to LWT because I like to see words I know highligted.
One here, one there, then it's nice to listen to my mp3s and starting to see (listen to) a Big Plan.
The pity is it's advanced grammar, but it's only a temporary diversion, I know I have to focus on other aspects, more relevants.

Those are for reineke:





I love Japanese versions, but the songs that made my youth were way more carefree.

I've opened Pandora's box of procrastination! :o
(and I like it)
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reineke
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Re: Il viaggio di Shandra

Postby reineke » Sun Apr 23, 2017 2:38 pm

Thank you! I really appreciate the gesture. Sarà un amore strano questo qua... I recently re-watched some episodes of Daitarn 3, including the unsettling ending. I don't think I watched many back to back episodes of anything in Italian since... 2000? It might have something to do with my recent Spanish and Portuguese adventures. Una cosa tira l'altra... French has lined up too, like that pitiful image of Oliver Twist: "Please, sir, I want some more." Maybe I should starve the bugger and do something else.
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shandra
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Languages: Italian (N), English (B1), Spanish (SIELE: Reading B2, Listening C1), French (A2), Chinese (HSK1), Japanese (JLPT N5) Frozen: Danish, Forgotten: Romanian
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Re: Il viaggio di Shandra

Postby shandra » Fri May 12, 2017 8:43 am

I need to track things, so here's a log of English Videos I've watched this year (thanks Netflix).

SERIES
How I Met Your Mother
S1: 22 / 22 484 min S2: 4 / 22 88 min S9: 24 / 24 528 min
Supernatural S1: 22 / 22 924 min
A Series of Unfortunate Events Ep.1 49 min
That '70s Show First + Last episode 44 min
Anne with an E S1: 1 / 7 89 min

2017 SC EN Films: 2206 / 9000
Last edited by shandra on Mon Jul 17, 2017 9:43 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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shandra
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Re: Il viaggio di Shandra

Postby shandra » Wed May 24, 2017 11:35 pm

So, I've been away (again) from too long.

I feel a little ashamed because I proclaimed plans (N5 exam, does anyone remember?) and then gave up (again).

April's Vocabulary Challenge: I quit at 70% of French A1 Memrise Deck
May's 6WC: 14 hours of Japanese, 80% of N5 Vocabulary Deck

After a wonderful beginning, I spent a weekend with my relatives so I couldn't live in my LX's bubble.

I was tired and overwhelmed, so I switched to English.
I've begun my mornings listening to English radios and watched some episodes of TV series to relax.

Last week I took Dialang's test.
I am C1 in Reading and Listening, B2 in Writing and B1 in Use of English.
I have to revise Grammar, I am really disappointed of my debacle.
Listening was simple because it wasn't a real exam setting nor real time conversation (and it was standard pronunciation).

I have to live with my chronic wanderlust.
I need also to stay consistent without doing too much to avoid that overwhelming feeling.
Too much enthusiasm could stop me again.

What's my actual target language? Frankly, my dears, I don't know.
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reineke
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Re: Il viaggio di Shandra [ENG, FR]

Postby reineke » Mon May 29, 2017 3:20 am

shandra wrote:
As always, the real problem is to have too many sources.

I have TV series, novels, lectures, language courses, radio, grammar books, and only 24 hours in a day :?

Well, I don't have deadlines, so I'll try to take it easy :)


And that's actually an additional problem.

Your Dialang score looks good. It's not very good or excellent but it's good. You will be surprised but some people find Dialang tricky. A C1 in reading and listening can support the other skills but in order to get a better score in Use of English you have to (get ready for it) use English on a daily basis.
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shandra
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Languages: Italian (N), English (B1), Spanish (SIELE: Reading B2, Listening C1), French (A2), Chinese (HSK1), Japanese (JLPT N5) Frozen: Danish, Forgotten: Romanian
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Re: Il viaggio di Shandra [ENG, FR]

Postby shandra » Mon May 29, 2017 2:16 pm

reineke wrote:In order to get a better score in Use of English you have to (get ready for it) use English on a daily basis.
I foresaw this kind of issue :?
I've just begun to revise Grammar and I'm going to use English more often :roll:
It seems that I don't like too much active skills. I'm so lazy :cry:
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shandra
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Re: Il viaggio di Shandra

Postby shandra » Sun Jun 11, 2017 7:29 pm

I haven't done anything language related during last week :cry:
(I don't count listening to music while commuting).

Yesterday night I played Pathfinder with my friends and one of them told he was using Duolingo.
He works in sales and serves often foreigners.
He was revising basic expressions from Russian and Portuguese (maybe Brazilian).

You can imagine how wanderlust knock on my door :roll:

I struggle because I need something new.

I think my main weak point could be that I need a language mate to keep studying and don't lose motivation and interest after the so called "Three-Days Monk" phase.

I considered Portuguese (last year I met three Brazilian women and we can keep in touch).
My uncle's second wife is Russian, so I could practice with her.

But at the moment I don't feel enough zeal, or interest (or love?) for any of those two.

I've tried French. It was nice to revive it, but same old problem.

I asked my boyfriend.
He is interested in read Russian and learning Spanish.
I studied Spanish and if motivated I could reach easily my old intermediate passive level. Here I predict the same thing happened to my last attempt with French.
He'd like to understand Japanese, but I'm not sure how to deal with it because I'm more interested in the "decipher kanji" thing. It means two different strategies in learning and materials to use and I am the one who have to build the study plan for both.

I could go on with Chinese and study for HSK 2, but it's not an urge.

Nothing new on shandra's front.

The only plan I know I can follow now is: English input (TV series) and finish Pride and Prejudice.

But I'd like a serious side project :?

It seems I am here only to complain :oops:
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shandra
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Joined: Tue Dec 29, 2015 11:35 pm
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Languages: Italian (N), English (B1), Spanish (SIELE: Reading B2, Listening C1), French (A2), Chinese (HSK1), Japanese (JLPT N5) Frozen: Danish, Forgotten: Romanian
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Re: Il viaggio di Shandra

Postby shandra » Sat Jun 17, 2017 8:51 pm

I'm sad.
I've just watched Attack on Titans Season 2 Finale (Jap, sub Ita) and now I have to wait again (maybe one year) for new episodes.
(Ask me for spoilers.)

I'm considering Gramática de Uso de Español.
Amazon offers four books: A1-A2 (yellow cover), A1-B2 (red), B1-B2 (blue), C1-C2 (green).
I think I need to revise the B Level, but the red book (A-B) is really cheap.
I'm not sure if A1-B2 was split in two books only to allow students to spend more money for each level.
I'm considering the C Level book because it begins with simple things as name's gender and so on.

A good thing to do could be Dialang's test to understand my current level.
Then I could makes plans, and don't follow them...
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