I know there are people out there that can actually learn languages within a week (I wish I was like that!) but of course I'm not like that :p I have listened to half the audio lessons now and have heard each one at LEAST 5 times. I am at lesson 3.4 now, and when I went to think of questions and phrases I could ask or say, I forgot how to put them together. I am doing the grammar lessons now (started a little late, oops :[ ) but see some phrases that I knew I should have known, but didn't. I have a bad memory and was wondering if I could get some advice in remembering everything much easier? I know practicing them out loud works well, but some phrases I have not met any chances of needing to speak them out loud. Maybe when my girlfriend moves in with me, I can start trying to practice with her and me and her can learn the language together. Of course I'm going to keep going at it anyways before she does move in. Any tips? arigatou.

Konnichiwa!! :cry: Learning a language IS challenging and difficult, especially if you're not in a situation where you are forced to use it. One of the things I have learned is to to use it as often as possibly, even if a sentence is grammatically mistaken, or some words are missing, just keep talking as many Japanese people as you can. Also, just like we all learned to speak out native language through listening as babies to our parents talk...it's very important to listen to a variety of Japanese talk. Like- TV shows, they usually speak the colloquial daily language. Once your ear is able to catch phrases - I believe you will be able to imitate them, and eventually use them yourself. Having someone to learn with, is a major bonus. You can motivate each other and challenge each other, so have fun learning Japanese with your girlfriend! :lol:

Well I have been watching lots of the anime cartoons lately. I did catch many phrases in there, as well as learn some new ones I have not learned yet. For example, they say "soka" for "I see.."...and I noticed "hai" is used for more than just "yes". Like "sure" and "ok". I also realized desu is often omitted in informal speakings. Of course I'm going to keep it in my speaking until I learn how to talk informally later :P I think I am going to end up learning a lot of the vocabulary before the structures of the sentences honestly. So I hope that I can still do good even at that level... Thanks for the tips though :]

こんにちは！ Konnichiwa! Learning a lot of vocabulary will surely help not only your listening comprehension, but also your conversational skills. They say that watching anime is Japanese, is one of the best ways to better your understanding of street-wise Japanese - that is, the Japanese that is actually spoken in everyday life. Keep enjoying those anime's! :wink: