人に 親切 だ
people(indirect object case) kind is
is kind to people.

think of に as a case marker for an indirect object case. In this case mean marking the word the target of the predicate.

人に親切だ = is kind to other people. This is another where the basic meaning of 'to/toward' makes sense.

酒に酔う ... I would say 'get drunk on sake.'

Aye, it makes perfect sense. I overcomplicated it in my head.

I've been thinking that it might be effective to translate/interpret a lot of very complex sentences with as many different grammar rules as possible (with the ones you know, anyway). Once you get the hang of that, anything less complex should be a piece of cake. I notice that right now while I can pretty easily translate simple sentences, my brains are overwhelmed by trying to decipher many different grammar rules at the same time.

It will be slow at first, but I think the learning process will be faster overall once you start getting the hang of it. Now, I don't know where to look for these kind of sentences though.

You can study however you like, of course, but I have found that carefully parsing out a complex sentence doesn't really help future understanding much.

You want, of course, to always be reading sentences a little more complex than what you've been reading, or very simple sentences that demonstrate just the new grammar point. However, outside of textbooks sentences aren't sorted that way.

You can often search around on ALC for sentences that contain the grammar point you're interested in, though they'll be mixed in complexity.

So the dictionary arrived yesterday. I'm not sure how to approach reading it though, since it's in a dictionary form. I'll either read through it from the beginning to end or read the topics in random order... It's very useful though, explains a lot of nuances that Tae Kim doesn't. Not to say that I'll remember them.

Betelgeuzah Wrote:So the dictionary arrived yesterday. I'm not sure how to approach reading it though, since it's in a dictionary form. I'll either read through it from the beginning to end or read the topics in random order... It's very useful though, explains a lot of nuances that Tae Kim doesn't. Not to say that I'll remember them.

You could also use a JLPT list and go through it in that order, though it doesn't cover everything. That's what I'm doing, mostly.

I love the dictionaries. They're lovely and make so much sense.

Betelgeuzah Wrote:So the dictionary arrived yesterday. I'm not sure how to approach reading it though, since it's in a dictionary form. I'll either read through it from the beginning to end or read the topics in random order... It's very useful though, explains a lot of nuances that Tae Kim doesn't. Not to say that I'll remember them.

Like nohika, I also love those dictionaries. If I was stranded on a desert island with only one Japanese resource, that set would be what I'd want. (Okay, so it's not a very likely scenario, but you get the picture.)

To address your question, I read through the Basic volume from start to end, and marked any sentences that seemed particularly useful, interesting, or that I was weak on. In addition, whenever I needed clarification on a particular grammar point, I'd read that section out of order.

I think you're right that remembering the points--internalizing them so you can later actually use them--is the real challenge. If I were starting over again, I would enter the sentences I had marked into Anki.

I SRS the key sentences and the examples (like a lot of people).

Didn't think of SRS. I guess I'm just lazy at making decks of my own. That needs to change.

Fortunately I'm only at letter D!

The weird thing is that reading the book is so fascinating and even addictive (I'm not used to that as far as educational books are concerned, lol). I can almost feel my knowledge accumulating.

With quality content comes quality price tag too, though........

Betelgeuzah Wrote:Didn't think of SRS. I guess I'm just lazy at making decks of my own. That needs to change.

Fortunately I'm only at letter D!

The weird thing is that reading the book is so fascinating and even addictive (I'm not used to that as far as educational books are concerned, lol). I can almost feel my knowledge accumulating.

With quality content comes quality price tag too, though........

I agree with Japaneseruleof7 - deserted island and these books. Heck yes. Well, okay, and my other books, too. But those aren't Japanese.

Annnyyyways.

Anki has a deck already made for all of these books. It's not totally perfect (there are some errors, and uchi/ie is a nightmare), but for someone like me who works full time and goes to school, it makes it essential to have a pre-made deck that I can just check and go as it saves time. So it is there.

nohika Wrote:Anki has a deck already made for all of these books. It's not totally perfect (there are some errors, and uchi/ie is a nightmare), but for someone like me who works full time and goes to school, it makes it essential to have a pre-made deck that I can just check and go as it saves time. So it is there.

Ha! You're right. It had it's name in kanji so I didn't notice it.

I can still keep being lazy, fantastic.

Betelgeuzah Wrote:

nohika Wrote:Anki has a deck already made for all of these books. It's not totally perfect (there are some errors, and uchi/ie is a nightmare), but for someone like me who works full time and goes to school, it makes it essential to have a pre-made deck that I can just check and go as it saves time. So it is there.

Ha! You're right. It had it's name in kanji so I didn't notice it.

I can still keep being lazy, fantastic.

It was just updated, too, so some of the errors have been rectified.

The cards are pretty barren, though. I'm not sure if the translation alone is going to be enough to convey the different nuances without any explanations.

nohika Wrote:Anki has a deck already made for all of these books. It's not totally perfect (there are some errors, and uchi/ie is a nightmare), but for someone like me who works full time and goes to school, it makes it essential to have a pre-made deck that I can just check and go as it saves time. So it is there.

Sweeeeeeet.
Thanks nohika.

@Betel:
The explanations are in the books, so...

EratiK Wrote:@Betel:
The explanations are in the books, so...

lol let's just say that my laziness knows no boundaries.

also sometimes it might be hard to say whether I misunderstood a nuance even if I get the translation 'right'. but that's just a guess, maybe it's not a problem.

Betelgeuzah Wrote:

EratiK Wrote:@Betel:
The explanations are in the books, so...

lol let's just say that my laziness knows no boundaries.

also sometimes it might be hard to say whether I misunderstood a nuance even if I get the translation 'right'. but that's just a guess, maybe it's not a problem.

As much as I'd like the explanations, I gave up adding them simply because it took soooooo much time (and I don't have much). If I felt uncertain about the interpretation, I simply mark the card and look it up in that section (I tag them by sections) afterwards or take a break during reviews to look it up.

nohika Wrote:If I felt uncertain about the interpretation, I simply mark the card and look it up in that section (I tag them by sections) afterwards or take a break during reviews to look it up.

Same here.

Betelgeuzah Wrote:

EratiK Wrote:The explanations are in the books, so...

lol let's just say that my laziness knows no boundaries.

When I see such level of laziness in some individuals, I loose any motivation to help them.

@Betelgeuzah
I guess you don't contribute your stories to RevTK either?

Inny Jan Wrote:

Betelgeuzah Wrote:

EratiK Wrote:The explanations are in the books, so...

lol let's just say that my laziness knows no boundaries.

When I see such level of laziness in some individuals, I loose any motivation to help them.

What a loss.

Laziness is what makes people look for alternative, more efficient solutions. Laziness is what brought me to RtK in the first place. Laziness is why, instead of stubborningly doing more work than I have to for no reason whatsoever I researched some more and found a better deck for the Basic edition with explanations on the cards.

You may find some satisfaction in doing things the hard way, I don't. Sorry.

Betelgeuzah Wrote:I researched some more and found a better deck for the Basic edition with explanations on the cards.

How about sharing the name of the deck with everyone else?

Inny Jan Wrote:

Betelgeuzah Wrote:I researched some more and found a better deck for the Basic edition with explanations on the cards.

How about sharing the name of the deck with everyone else?

I agree, please do! That would help so much.

And I don't necessarily think it's "laziness". Well, there is some laziness. But for some people, they learn so much better making the cards. I generally do, but it's compounded by the fact I have less than a half hour a day to set up my Japanese study.

The name is simply 'A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar'. It's small in comparison but I've noticed that using both that deck + the 8500 sentence deck helps me to remember the grammar points better.

I think it could still be improved with more sentences, but in the end I think this will take me far enough.

I'll have to figure something else for the Intermediate book!