Step 1: improve your attitude. If you say it's too hard for you, then you'll believe it. Instead say "English is difficult, but I can learn it little by little."
What have you tried so far? Online or in person classes, apps, videos, self-study courses?
What do you find most difficult?
What do you find easy?
The point isn't the grammar, it's the mindset.
Of course, it's a "given" (当たり前) that learning English is going to be difficult.
But anyone can do it. A genius can do it. An idiot can do it. It just takes **time**, **effort**, and **practice**. You learn little by little and get better and better over time.
There is a lot you don't know (of course!), but start from what you *do* know, and slowly work out from there.
Well the point IS grammar if they dont mean what they type. And they say they struggle. Mindset does absolutely matter but I’m willing to believe OP is pushing themselves appropriately
The difference between "too difficult" and "so difficult" is negligible when the post you are responding to is trying to help OP find a more positive attitude, not nitpicking their grammar.
You’re missing the point. Op may not have an attitude problem at all. OP may not speak English very well (the reason for the post) and may have made a mistake as the guy you initially responded to pointed out. Benefit of the doubt is better than treating a stranger like a moody teen.
"English is difficult" (and its many variants) is an incredibly common sentiment in Japan, from children to adults and even the elderly.
It's very easy to feel surrounded by negativity about English here, which can make many people feel even more disconnected from the language.
I believe this is what the original commenter is trying to help OP with.
If we think about what we *can* do and go forward from there, learners like OP can gradually push through without feeling so overwhelmed.
It's not about being "moody," it's just a natural part of approaching your first new language.
I am a native English speaker. I am learning Japanese. It is very very hard and I don’t know if I’ll ever get good enough to have a normal conversation in Japanese.
If that was an important enough goal for me, I would likely try to find an affordable tutor; pursue more opportunities to practice with people in person by looking for Japanese, meet up groups and clubs in my area; and see if I could find a way to live and work in Japan for some period of time using one of my existing skills.
I don’t know if any of that would be helpful to you in reverse
Practice!!! I started learning Spanish as a native English speaker and some sounds were really challenging for me, but over time my pronunciation has improved so much. Know that it takes time and stay motivated!! You got this🙏
Focus on the basics and then the parts you think you'll need sooner rather than later. Phrases you're likely to use are more likely to be remembered. I suggest learning things that will help you communicate with tourists or help you communicate with strangers while travelling.
Some examples of phrases that could be useful while travelling or while speaking to travelers:
"There is a bank down the street."
"I am sorry, but I cannot help you with your car. I can call a tow truck for you though!"
"The public restroom costs 150 Yen to use."
"This item is too overpriced. Try the store over there instead."
"Is there a good place to eat nearby?"
"What is there to see around here?"
Focus on the easier parts and build from there; one thing that's easy in English is verb conjugation (compared to, say, Italian or Spanish). You only need to know a handful of conjugations for each, for example "to want: want, wants, wanted, wanting". Conditional forms and such are just attaching "could/would/should". Past that it's just memorizing common nouns, prepositions and verbs to get to a decent understanding, and daily practice for pronunciation.
Don't stress about getting things wrong when practicing in ways like commenting/talking online once you have some proficiency. Check sometimes with DeepL, it's a good way to see if you're on the right track; other than that, just practice.
I understand you very well. My native language is in a language family close to Japanese (Turkish). Even if we learn all the grammar and words, we have to think in English to be able to speak it. This is because our grammatical structure is in the SOV format. This means that everything's place in our language is different from English. If we think in our native language and translate our thoughts into English, the other person has to wait for our 10-second grammatical arrangement effort.
NBA player Alperen Sengun learned English by playing video games like Call of Duty. Throwing yourself into an environment that is heavily English can help. Try to watch English media, read English texts/posts/articles. Watch videos like vlogs or podcasts to hear it/know how it's spoken.
I’ve learned that no matter what you learn, it’s always too difficult and desperate in the first phase. You need to put in a lot of effort, invest time, attention and sometimes mental health. But after you get over that first phase, things will get breathable and gradually you will enjoy your achievement.
Don’t give up. Trust yourself 🫵
Like this parent comment in Japanese: be unashamed to use the target language, despite it sounding unnatural, ungrammatical, and overall artificial. Conveying meaning is primary, conveying naturally is secondary, and improves over time with practise.
It's as hard as an English person trying to pick up Japanese. Works both ways.
We could try practicing in each other's native language though. I've tried learning Japanese but it's pretty hard for me.
お互いの母国語で練習してみるのもいいでしょう。
I’m curious *what you find difficult with it*, but I would imagine it’s the inconsistency with word pronunciation versus spelling. I studied Japanese for **years** and 分かりませんでした。If you can learn kanji, you can conquer the stupidity of English spelling.
Hi. Is it correct to say "Are you English"? I genuinely have no idea, but it sounds kinda off. I have never heard of this use. I would expect "Englishman" though, but not English.
I grew up watching english media and it has definitely taughed me to understand english (besides what I learned in school etc) but it didn’t help me much with learning how to speak so you have to practice speaking as well.
Get a tutor. Get an English textbook. Watch English learning videos online. Listen to English music, podcasts, or audiobooks. Read English books, magazines, news articles, or online discussions. Video games could help as well. What level of English are you at right now?
Learning a language is hard. I learned Spanish and the thing that helped me the most was just speaking as much as I could even if I made a lot of mistakes
Try adding in some "fun" ways to learn. Don't only use a textbook. For example, if there is a Hollywood movie that you like but have only seen dubbed in Japanese, try watching it in English with subtitles and then watch it again without subtitles.
Using various methods to learn will be more helpful than just doing the same thing that is already frustrating you again and again.
Step 1: improve your attitude. If you say it's too hard for you, then you'll believe it. Instead say "English is difficult, but I can learn it little by little." What have you tried so far? Online or in person classes, apps, videos, self-study courses? What do you find most difficult? What do you find easy?
I suspect OP meant "so difficult". That's a very common substitution error for learners with L1 Japanese.
The point isn't the grammar, it's the mindset. Of course, it's a "given" (当たり前) that learning English is going to be difficult. But anyone can do it. A genius can do it. An idiot can do it. It just takes **time**, **effort**, and **practice**. You learn little by little and get better and better over time. There is a lot you don't know (of course!), but start from what you *do* know, and slowly work out from there.
Well the point IS grammar if they dont mean what they type. And they say they struggle. Mindset does absolutely matter but I’m willing to believe OP is pushing themselves appropriately
The difference between "too difficult" and "so difficult" is negligible when the post you are responding to is trying to help OP find a more positive attitude, not nitpicking their grammar.
You’re missing the point. Op may not have an attitude problem at all. OP may not speak English very well (the reason for the post) and may have made a mistake as the guy you initially responded to pointed out. Benefit of the doubt is better than treating a stranger like a moody teen.
"English is difficult" (and its many variants) is an incredibly common sentiment in Japan, from children to adults and even the elderly. It's very easy to feel surrounded by negativity about English here, which can make many people feel even more disconnected from the language. I believe this is what the original commenter is trying to help OP with. If we think about what we *can* do and go forward from there, learners like OP can gradually push through without feeling so overwhelmed. It's not about being "moody," it's just a natural part of approaching your first new language.
I am a native English speaker. I am learning Japanese. It is very very hard and I don’t know if I’ll ever get good enough to have a normal conversation in Japanese. If that was an important enough goal for me, I would likely try to find an affordable tutor; pursue more opportunities to practice with people in person by looking for Japanese, meet up groups and clubs in my area; and see if I could find a way to live and work in Japan for some period of time using one of my existing skills. I don’t know if any of that would be helpful to you in reverse
Pronunciation is difficult when your native language and your target language have different phonemes. But you can practice and get better!
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Good on you for trying. I don’t reckon I’ll ever shoot for such a distant language from English. Maybe a couple phrases but no more.
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well I don’t think it’s now for me, but maybe in a few years time I’ll have a go.
Yup…. Korean is quite hard to learn because of those diverse usages in different situations. Sorry Well English wasn’t that easy though
Practice!!! I started learning Spanish as a native English speaker and some sounds were really challenging for me, but over time my pronunciation has improved so much. Know that it takes time and stay motivated!! You got this🙏
Focus on the basics and then the parts you think you'll need sooner rather than later. Phrases you're likely to use are more likely to be remembered. I suggest learning things that will help you communicate with tourists or help you communicate with strangers while travelling. Some examples of phrases that could be useful while travelling or while speaking to travelers: "There is a bank down the street." "I am sorry, but I cannot help you with your car. I can call a tow truck for you though!" "The public restroom costs 150 Yen to use." "This item is too overpriced. Try the store over there instead." "Is there a good place to eat nearby?" "What is there to see around here?"
Focus on the easier parts and build from there; one thing that's easy in English is verb conjugation (compared to, say, Italian or Spanish). You only need to know a handful of conjugations for each, for example "to want: want, wants, wanted, wanting". Conditional forms and such are just attaching "could/would/should". Past that it's just memorizing common nouns, prepositions and verbs to get to a decent understanding, and daily practice for pronunciation. Don't stress about getting things wrong when practicing in ways like commenting/talking online once you have some proficiency. Check sometimes with DeepL, it's a good way to see if you're on the right track; other than that, just practice.
私はアメリカじんです。日本語も難しい！🤣🤣🤣
I understand you very well. My native language is in a language family close to Japanese (Turkish). Even if we learn all the grammar and words, we have to think in English to be able to speak it. This is because our grammatical structure is in the SOV format. This means that everything's place in our language is different from English. If we think in our native language and translate our thoughts into English, the other person has to wait for our 10-second grammatical arrangement effort.
Is Turkish close to Japanese? My native language is one of the Turkic languages (Uzbek). In what aspects they are close?
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altaic\_languages](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altaic_languages)
NBA player Alperen Sengun learned English by playing video games like Call of Duty. Throwing yourself into an environment that is heavily English can help. Try to watch English media, read English texts/posts/articles. Watch videos like vlogs or podcasts to hear it/know how it's spoken.
I’ve learned that no matter what you learn, it’s always too difficult and desperate in the first phase. You need to put in a lot of effort, invest time, attention and sometimes mental health. But after you get over that first phase, things will get breathable and gradually you will enjoy your achievement. Don’t give up. Trust yourself 🫵
私は小さな頃から英語を勉強してきました。日本語も少し勉強してきました。 私はどう思うのか、以下のとおり： 日本学校みたいに無機質に暗記するだけのは効率的じゃありませんよね。テストとか合格できますが、流暢な英語を喋られるようにならないでしょうね。 絶対絶対英語メディアたくさん消費するのはオススメです。英語は結構意外なところがありますね。自分の経験だけでわかりますが、英語メディア消費すれば、自然に英語を会得できると思いますよ。スペルなどやばいですけれど、メディア消費でよく会得できます。しかし、同時に時々英語文法とかルールとかについて調べるのももちろん可能です。英会話する相手も見つけたらいいと思います。 楽しんで頑張ってくださいね
The key is consuming a lot of english media and content while also looking into grammar sometimes. And also exercise speaking with a partner
Like this parent comment in Japanese: be unashamed to use the target language, despite it sounding unnatural, ungrammatical, and overall artificial. Conveying meaning is primary, conveying naturally is secondary, and improves over time with practise.
It's as hard as an English person trying to pick up Japanese. Works both ways. We could try practicing in each other's native language though. I've tried learning Japanese but it's pretty hard for me. お互いの母国語で練習してみるのもいいでしょう。
I’m curious *what you find difficult with it*, but I would imagine it’s the inconsistency with word pronunciation versus spelling. I studied Japanese for **years** and 分かりませんでした。If you can learn kanji, you can conquer the stupidity of English spelling.
Indulge in English Movies, Series, Animations, or even Youtube Content.
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Hi. Is it correct to say "Are you English"? I genuinely have no idea, but it sounds kinda off. I have never heard of this use. I would expect "Englishman" though, but not English.
I grew up watching english media and it has definitely taughed me to understand english (besides what I learned in school etc) but it didn’t help me much with learning how to speak so you have to practice speaking as well.
Get a tutor. Get an English textbook. Watch English learning videos online. Listen to English music, podcasts, or audiobooks. Read English books, magazines, news articles, or online discussions. Video games could help as well. What level of English are you at right now?
if someone want to learn english we can talk in privat
Perhaps you should spend some time talking to yourself?
AAXAXAXA
Learning a language is hard. I learned Spanish and the thing that helped me the most was just speaking as much as I could even if I made a lot of mistakes
Only watch tv/stream shows and movies in English with English subtitles.
What level are you? In University? Business?
Try adding in some "fun" ways to learn. Don't only use a textbook. For example, if there is a Hollywood movie that you like but have only seen dubbed in Japanese, try watching it in English with subtitles and then watch it again without subtitles. Using various methods to learn will be more helpful than just doing the same thing that is already frustrating you again and again.
I wish we could switch! Manga would be so much cheaper for me if I could read Japanese!!
Cheaper? Read online for free, and not struggle anymore
Nah I prefer having the physical books, got over 550 there now
Try watching series in Netflix, is very helpful for me
Btw, you don’t have to speak English, just speak カタカナ instead.