I had my first private conversation lesson with a Japanese tutor today, and it was such an eye-opener. I’m currently on Lesson 12 of Genki I. I know that’s still pretty beginner level, but I thought I’d be able to handle a simple chat a little better.
Once the lesson ended, I kept replaying parts of our conversation in my head and realized all the different things I could’ve said—or should’ve added—that totally blanked out in the moment. It was kind of humbling but also motivating.
I’m curious… has anyone else gone through that same “I thought I knew this stuff but my brain froze” feeling when speaking for the first time? I took so long to come up with responses and had to resort to English a few times. I can’t help but feel like I should be better at speaking since I’m already at lesson 12 of Genki 1. At the same time, I think I’m being a bit harsh on myself, but I can’t help but push myself to reach the higher level I’m aiming for. I’m trying to stop negative self talk and focus on being positive.
I’ve decided to make conversation lessons a regular thing. I figure it’s the only way to really improve my speaking ability—and working with a textbook alone just isn’t going to cut it. Would love to hear your guys thoughts. Thank you!
by LookYung