Quote:
Originally Posted by WingsToDiscovery
I use it right now in class. It's really hard to go into great detail, but...
Positive: It will teach you all of the grammar/writing/vocab to form a solid command of Japanese.
Negative: It focuses solely on keigo, so everything you say will be super polite and unnatural. You'll have to relearn a lot of material to sound casual.
So basically, you'll be able to understand/speak/read/write Japanese, but you'll be talking like you're at a job interview all the time.
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Keigo? Surely you mean ~ますform. Genki doesn't really get into actual keigo till the end of Genki II. Yes masu is too formal to be using with friends, but it's not keigo-level formality. You can easily use it wandering around your daily life without seeming weirdly polite and unnatural. It would be just as odd to be walking around speaking solely in casual speech, and even down-right off if you speak to your teachers/older people without masu.