(2016-05-23, 12:35 am)SomeCallMeChris Wrote:(2016-05-22, 10:11 pm)FlameseeK Wrote: When you guys finished going through most grammar points and vocab required for N3, could you listen to podcasts like hotcast at all? And while I'm at it, how about when you finished going over most N2 vocab/grammar?
Not that I'm interested in this specific podcast per se, but I've been told it's one of the easiest ones to get started. The thing is, despite having studied all vocabulary and grammar points in Tobira, it still seems impossible to follow podcast conversations. I mean, I did study these things in advance, so I'm still halfway through the book when it comes to reading and listening. But on the other hand, it seems easy enough to go through the reading and listening sections of a chapter in a single day at this point, as long as there's enough time.
If the answer is no, do you think there was something in particular that helped you bridge this gap?
Once you get your ear well-trained and can identify all the mora in clear, natural speech it becomes a lot easier because you can start looking up words even when you only hear them. Before putting dedicated effort into training my listening though, I misheard far too many sounds to simply jump in like that.
This. This SO much. Once I could identify that XXXXX was a word and wasn't XXXXX stuck together with a particle or two, then I knew I was over the hump.
But after just a few textbooks? Oh hell no. I did a TON of listening first.
If you can't understand, lower the difficulty. Lower it again and again if you have to. Learn to throw away your pride, and accept that it may take a while. Some people will pick it up really fast (*shakes fist in jealousy*), and some of us will take longer. That's just how it is.
In my case, I listened to a ton of Japanesepod101 podcasts, mainly while working out or while commuting. I also watched a lot of TV. The most helpful programs were dramas, the news, and variety shows (like Gatten!), because of bakemoji and because there were a variety of topics presented.
NHK has put out a slow version of their Radio News on their website. You have to do a little digging, though.