Quote:
Originally Posted by MMM
Because we wouldn't say that in English. You are still translating in your head, which is normal, but eventually you will want to get away from that. To be a fluent speaker you shouldn't be translating into English in your head, rather, you should have a "Japanese section" in your brain that thinks and speaks in Japanese.
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Exactly! I forgot to make this point. Or at least, I covered it a little when I said "think in Japanese".
Translating will be your biggest bane. Ideally, you want to learn it like a child would; I've been doing a lot of research into this approach. Basically, get access to a Japanese only dictionary, then look up words and try to learn their meanings in Japanese. So that way you don't have translations floating around.
I agree with what MMM said in that you should "partition" your mind, but even better would be to make Japanese an everyday thing for you, just something you're always thinking about.
Here's an exercise I do that's great for nouns and vocab: In whatever room or area you're sitting (classroom, kitchen, bus, wherever), look around and name everything you see in Japanese. What I also do is draw the room in my notebook and label things, so I get a twofer in getting my right brain AND my left brain going at the same time which = increased learning! ☆