how’s it coming along, by the way? just give it a go!

i always say “start small; start now” you’ll know much better after you do a couple.

did you ever notice “the mistake pancake”… it’s when you’re making pancakes and the first one tends to come out wrong? so i always accept this, and just make a small “mistake pancake”.

And I mangle Japanese grammar every day! But at least I’m getting better.

are you studying in japan or elsewhere?

1. Avoid making mistakes. Work hard on using good grammar.
2. Never let fear of mistakes keep you from practising your new language.

If you ignore #1, you’ll end up lapsing into poor constructions that are “good enough” to be understood but will permanently hold back your language proficiency. If you’re going to cement sentence patterns into your head, make sure you’re cementing *good* patterns. I know so many non-native English speakers who will never be able to speak well because they got lazy and didn’t avoid broken English when they were learning.

If you ignore #2, you won’t make very fast progress on your new language.

It’s helpful to find a native tutor who will make you speak Japanese for a full hour once or twice a week, and correct your sentences when appropriate. By repeating and learning the corrections, you can establish good speaking habits.

By the way, “enjoy the discovery” is excellent advice. And everything in Japanese is a fresh new discovery!