Hello everyone.

I am new to the forums but not new to the site.

I have recently started sentence mining after finishing RTK1. I am using a subs2srs deck of Gokusen 3, because I love that show. I have had some experience in learning Japanese from beginner sources outside of RTK.

I was wondering if you would be able to help me with some grammer questions and translations that I have while im on my mission to learn 10,000 sentences a la AJATT.

The first sentence I don't understand fully is..

でも あの３Ｄの連中は 半端じゃないっすよ

I translate it as "But those guys from 3d arnt a (something)"

Some more..

勇気あるわよね あの３Ｄに１人で乗り込むなんて。

WHy is there a わ in the first half of the sentence. And why is there a む after 乗り込

next

不良達を卒業させた 実績のある方ですから

something like "made the delinquents graduate, but the second part i dont get" What is the purpose of のある方 also.

AJATT says that you should just learn the sentences verbatim and if you dont understand its ok. But I need to have at least a basic understanding of what im reading don't I?

Thanks for your help.

taedfolk Wrote:勇気あるわよね あの３Ｄに１人で乗り込むなんて。

WHy is there a わ in the first half of the sentence. And why is there a む after 乗り込

わ is a female-specific emphasiser: see this page in Tae Kim's guide.

The む is because 乗り込む is a word (a verb) and 乗り込 is only half a word, ie gibberish.

Quote:不良達を卒業させた 実績のある方ですから

something like "made the delinquents graduate, but the second part i dont get" What is the purpose of のある方 also.

The whole of 不良達を卒業させた 実績のある is a modifier of the noun 方 (meaning "person"). So the underlying form of the sentence is fairly simple: "X方ですから" "because [he/she] is a X person". の is acting to mark the subject in a modifying clause (実績のある方 : a person who's achieved something, got real results, in this case that they got the delinquents to graduate).

If this kind of thing doesn't make sense yet I think you need to find a textbook/basic grammar guide/etc.

heresy

If you're going to use the AJATT method, you should try to follow it accurately. Here are some example "sentences" that he recommends starting out with:

子への愛
結婚の相手
化け物が出た
馬鹿な奴

i.e. not sentences with clauses within clauses.

Quote:How do you decide which sentences from your input to copy over to your SRS?

Pick the ones that stretch your knowledge slightly, not so much that you’re lost, and not so little that you’re simply tagging “です” on the end.

Quote:Where do you get the sentences? (internet, etc?)

When I first started, I got them from the Starter Oxford Japanese Dictionary.

etc.

For SRS I wouldn't focus on understanding entire sentences, just put one word or grammar point you don't understand in a different color and focus on understanding that. If a sentence has multiple things you don't understand then make a separate card for each thing. If you just can't make any sense of the sentence no matter how much you try looking through a grammar book, then don't worry and just ignore it. Just keep reading. Even if you can only get the gist of what you're reading, keep going. Eventually grammar you've never looked up before will make sense, just from reading so much.

And also, there's no shame in SRS'ing a textbook or language resource book of some sort. Khatzumoto talked about how he started off SRS'ing the sentences from "All About the Particles". Getting the grasp on the basic stuff then helps when you're tackling the more complicated stuff found in everyday dramas.

welcome to the forums. I've found that if i have any questions about a sentence the following thread has been a lifesaver

The what's this word/phrase thread
http://forum.koohii.com/showthread.php?tid=3249

Hello everyone thanks for your responses.

As for..

不良達を卒業させた 実績のある方ですから

I guess I was just getting stuck on the meaning of 方, as it has many meanings. It makes sense now thank you. It's silly when you understand something you wonder how you came to not understand it in the first place.

I agree, maybe I’m biting a bit more off than I can chew here. But I wanted to jump into real Japanese, and also make sure it is fun. if it isn’t fun, I need to stop doing it (according to AJATT).

So, I signed up to jpod101.com and mined sentences from there. I burnt out fast and got bored.

The only way I’m staying interested in sentence mining is to get material from things I like to watch. Ie Jdrama (Which I like a lot).

So if you have any recommendations of non dry study material which is both engaging and at my level i'd be very pleased to hear it.

I've since started reading Tae Kim.

But thanks for taking the time to point me in the right direction. I'll make sure to direct any further requests to the thread you linked. Rather than starting a new one.