For first timers to J-Drama, I would recommend watching
Nihonjin no Shiranai Nihongo (a drama recommended by our Japanese teacher)
This drama is a comedy about teaching Japanese to foreigners, so you will definitely learn something new and interesting from this drama
Jibba and I both did unique topics within our class, he clearly did better than me, but there are many reasons to pursue researching a topic that interests you, I was talking to him about this a couple weeks back, and we will hopefully have some stuff to share with this year's jap sl cohort in regards to researching and succeeding with a unique topic.
If you wanna know just how unique our topics were, mine was:
メディアをとおして 広がる 女子高生のイメー
basically, Japanese Media's widespread image of the japanese schoolgirl LOL.
How did you actually go about researching? Do you just Google the topic and and hoped to find related articles with statistics, etc.?
And are there any general key points that everyone should take note of when researching? I've heard that it's good to know the pros and cons of any topic (like vending machines, etc.)
Also how did you find doing a topic that no one else did? My Japanese teacher is discouraging us from doing that. Like a girl in our class wants to do Japanese superstitions but he said it'd be hard if she chose a topic different to everyone else cause she wouldn't be able to practice with anyone.
I'm going a bit off topic here.
But i'm thinking of doing jap for my electives at monash uni.
I know that I won't be eligible for jap dip. lang,
since that'd take an extra year.
But given my circumstance (b. comm/ b.eco),
if i take Jap as my electives, how proficient could i be
at jap? Keep in mind, I haven't studied Jap at all.
Vending machine is way better than obentou.
If her child does not eat everything she puts in the obentou, then dishonour and shame are brought upon her and her family's name and she will be considered a bad mother by all the old women who gossip over green tea. She may only redeem herself by dancing the can can in the light of the full moon.
I'm doing Japanese 11 & 12 at monash this year, pray for me :3Do you know what Proficient 1 is ? ie: in terms of those levels :S
I'm doing Japanese 11 & 12 at monash this year, pray for me :3
I'm actually learning korean from scratch at uni this year, and I'm finding it incredibly hard.... I started watching drama in korean this break and I've picked up new vocab here and there and am starting to get an understanding of the language :) (Also it's becoming more fun as well ! )
I'd strongly recommend watching drama to improve your japanese and make study fun :D
I'm actually learning korean from scratch at uni this year, and I'm finding it incredibly hard.... I started watching drama in korean this break and I've picked up new vocab here and there and am starting to get an understanding of the language :) (Also it's becoming more fun as well ! )
Btw, I'm going to Japan for ten days in Dec for a holiday. It's not much, but is there anything I could do to somehow make it more worthwhile?
If you have the chance, I would recommend going to Osaka! The people on the street there are much more friendly than the people in Tokyo (my personal opinion). When I went to Osaka, people on the street would come to talk to us, try their best to speak English when the conversation got stuck and were really friendly. In Tokyo, especially the city areas like Shinjuku, people seem to be too busy with their own lives. But that just depends on who you happen to bump into xD.
last minute but how strict are japanese assessors in their marking? especially for reading section where (usually the last question) requires you to sorta make a conclusion (as in a question where you can't really just copy off the given text)? e.g. in 2010 exam, the last question in the reading section. does your answer have to be exactly the same as what's shown in the assessor's report?
last minute but how strict are japanese assessors in their marking? especially for reading section where (usually the last question) requires you to sorta make a conclusion (as in a question where you can't really just copy off the given text)? e.g. in 2010 exam, the last question in the reading section. does your answer have to be exactly the same as what's shown in the assessor's report?
I think there is some leeway, but usually you want it to be as close as possible to that answer :)
I would say the closer you are to their answer, the higher you will score. So they will be quite strict IMO.
You don't have to use exactly the same words they use but you must suggest the same idea. (ie: in the 2010 response, Author wants students to enter universities based own their own interests and career rather than entering universities just because they are famous). In the 2010 exam, they basically wanted a summary of the last paragraph (which showed the author's reasoning) in one sentence to show you understood it.
Also I remember when I did that exam for practice, i got confused with the use of えらんでもらいたい to end the sentence. I myself got the incorrect meaning when doing it in class, I thought it was saying that's what IS happening now. But of course the use of えらんでもらいたい means that is what the author wants to happen in the future. Look out for the endings of sentences!
They didn't have such a question last year, so can't say for sure what will happen tomorrow. But good luck!
Try not to panic. Even with those conclusion type questions, the answer is still in the text. I would suggest to underline words in the text that look relevant (ie: in 2010 exam, 勉強の目的 and 将来の仕事) and use those in your response.
Also look how in responses in the assessors report, the grammar in the text has been changed.
有名な大学ではなくて is altered to 有名な大学に行くより in the assessors report.
きめたほうがいい is altered to えらんだほうがいい
If you can think of tweaking the wording and usage of grammar in the text, that will give you extra marks.
Also, you can write articles in plain form (ie: ending with ~だ、~ある). Don't use casual spoken form as it is a writing piece (ie: ~ちゃった、~なきゃ). The exception is unless you are using something as an example and put the casual speech in quotation marks.
@FAyres
With listening, I've repeated it a lot already if you read my first post, but watching J-drama and listening to J-music really helped me with my listening skills. Other than that try learn as much VCE vocab from your textbook as you can. That will help with following the conversation in Listening tests and help you to not get lost. Once you learn the vocab, watch drama and try look out for words you learnt. As you hear them being spoken in conversation, they become easier to recognise, will stick in your head and will help you write down notes faster during the listening sections.
Hey jibba, just curious.
How did you prepare for your oral exam? Specifically the casual conversation component?
Did you just free-ball it or did you have a script which you rote-learnt and memorised?
Currently I'm horrible at speaking (can't string a sentence together) but am pretty good at writing it down and then speaking it. I find it difficult to come up with a reply in English, and then translating it into Japanese, whilst keeping the sentence fairly sophisticated. I know I dont have the luxury of time in the oral, so what are some tips you can give that will improve my oral skills?
Hey, just on the whole "thinking in Japanese" thing, this is a bit of a stupid question but how exactly does one go about doing that? When you hear something in Japanese don't you instantly try and translate it to English in your head?
I don't mean "why" as in, because people don't steal and there aren't many robberies and things. But I'd like to know why not many people steal etc. - along that line of things.
Hello again!
I was just wondering if anyone could give their opinion on why it is that Japan has all these really interesting vending machines (even though not as common as beverage/snack vending machines though obviously) such as umbrella ones and even underwear ones, but Australia doesn't.
(My Oral exam is the first day back term 4 which is 10 days! Very stressful :'( )
Thanks.
@tommyboy
It's hard to really cram listening as it is a skill developed over time rather than actual knowledge, but what you can do is cram some of the vocab in your textbook (Wakatta right?). I knew about 90-95% of the vocabulary in Wakatta, and that helped me a lot during listening.
Sometimes you get lost in dialogues, but it's important to persevere and try write down something even if you did not understand that word which was said, as that can lead to you getting the answer later (ie: looking it up in the dictionary, or just understanding it later).
I write in roomaji as its faster for me, but take notes however you find it more efficient.
Watch bits of japanese dramas and things on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6s2ijTvsPc
It might teach you something (like above video), and will help you remember vocab you saw in your textbook if it pops up. Try listen to the dialogue first then read the subtitles for words you didn't understand (if you can).
Lastly, of course do all the practice exams you can, you can try do JLPT 4 or 5 listening if you run out of VCE SL exams. Or do the listenings in Wakatta textbook, or download the Genki textbook (using google).
Haha yea, well it's more of a skill. The more vocabulary you know, the better your comprehension of the spoken phrase will be (and the more that will stick in your head).Lol when I do take notes like crazy (I'm a pretty fast writer) I tend to write everything I here. How do I restrain myself so that I only take note of the important stuff?
Also, that's why you take notes like crazy, so you can pull as much info out as possible.
If you didn't get it, at least write something down from your notes and use your gut to 'fill in the blanks'.
eg: When i did my exam, I didn't quite get one of the answers but I correctly guessed 'Mother's Day' because he was doing something for his mother.
@ jibba
Just wanted to thank you for all you've done
To the 2013 Japanese cohort I wish you the best of luck for the exam!!!
Ganbatte~
Also, can someone please explain to me when you have to use 'place + に’ and ' place + で’.
I have asked alot of my Japanese teachers that question, but the answer always seems to be a bit vague.
Thanks!
Do you have any advice for a year 11 Japanese student who wants to improve their speaking?
We are learning the ’そうです。’ pattern in class right now, to describe what things look like and I was confused as to whether these were right or wrong.
It doesn't look like it will rain:
雨がふらなそうです。
It did't look like it was going to rain:
雨がふらなそうでした
It doesn't look quiet:
しずかじゃなそうです
It didn't look quiet"
しずかじゃなそうでした。
Thank you! I would ask my Japanese teacher but I don't understand her well and sometimes she gets confused herself! :s
Hi Razz
When using そうです with a negative such as ~ない or ~じゃない it becomes ~なさそうです or ~じゃなさそうです
You might've learnt that いい becomes よさそうです in your text book, this is just an extension of that.
All your sentences are missing the さ
so they should be
It doesn't look like it will rain:
雨がふらなさそうです。
It didn't look like it was going to rain:
雨がふらなさそうでした
It doesn't look quiet:
しずかじゃなさそうです
It didn't look quiet"
しずかじゃなさそうでした。
Hope that helps :)
@Razz
No because よくない also ends in ~ない (negative) so it would become よくなさそうです :)
Just remember that さそうです is used for negatives and いい
They mean な adjectives : )
If you were saying "I am strong at Japanese"
Do you use the particle 'は’ or 'が’
eg1. 私は日本語はとくいです。
eg2.私は日本語がとくいです。
Or can the 'が’ particle only be used in this context when you are saying "My Japanese is good"
- 私の日本語がとくい です。
Thanks!
If you were saying "I am strong at Japanese"
Do you use the particle 'は’ or 'が’
eg1. 私は日本語はとくいです。
eg2.私は日本語がとくいです。
Or can the 'が’ particle only be used in this context when you are saying "My Japanese is good"
- 私の日本語がとくい です。
Thanks!
Does the term 'あまり’ mean "not really" and "very much"
How would you know when which definition is being used?
And also can it be spelled 'あんまり’ as well?
If you were saying "I am strong at Japanese"
Do you use the particle 'は’ or 'が’
eg1. 私は日本語はとくいです。
eg2.私は日本語がとくいです。
Or can the 'が’ particle only be used in this context when you are saying "My Japanese is good"
- 私の日本語がとくい です。
Thanks!
I would get into the habit of always using が when describing things with adjectives such as 'I'm good at..."
So to say I'm good at Japanese, you should say
私は日本語がとくいです。
The third example kind of makes an exception to the general rule, as 'My Japanese' becomes the subject of the sentence so you would need は particle instead of が
私の日本語はとくいです。
But if you had another subject in the sentence, you would use が like you do with the general rule of adjectives
ie:
先生は私の日本語が上手だと言いました。
Note how you have to use 上手 instead of とくい as someone else is stating you are good at something (make sense?)
Hope that helps!
Hi Razz
When using そうです with a negative such as ~ない or ~じゃない it becomes ~なさそうです or ~じゃなさそうです
You might've learnt that いい becomes よさそうです in your text book, this is just an extension of that.
All your sentences are missing the さ
so they should be
It doesn't look like it will rain:
雨がふらなさそうです。
It didn't look like it was going to rain:
雨がふらなさそうでした
It doesn't look quiet:
しずかじゃなさそうです
It didn't look quiet"
しずかじゃなさそうでした。
Hope that helps :)
I would get into the habit of always using が when describing things with adjectives such as 'I'm good at..."
So to say I'm good at Japanese, you should say
私は日本語がとくいです。
The third example kind of makes an exception to the general rule, as 'My Japanese' becomes the subject of the sentence so you would need は particle instead of が
私の日本語はとくいです。
But if you had another subject in the sentence, you would use が like you do with the general rule of adjectives
ie:
先生は私の日本語が上手だと言いました。
Note how you have to use 上手 instead of とくい as someone else is stating you are good at something (make sense?)
Hope that helps!
@Razz
You cannot use きれいじゃないでした, it's grammatically incorrect.
Always use じゃなかったです
it's because じゃない is treated similarly to い adjectives. So the polite past tense is じゃなかったです similar to い adjectives such as おもしろかったです or さむかったです. You can't say おもしろいでした, さむいでした (they are grammatically incorrect)
And that's correct, you can't use にがて or とくい when talking about other people.
Yes for both.
It's better to always use が for describing something at this stage.
There are some instances where you can use は instead of が, but in the majority of circumstances if you use は instead of が it will be unnatural.
So I think it's better to always use が for adjectives in VCE.
What does the particle 'には’ mean?
I read some sentences which went like this: ’日本には。。。’ instead of ’日本に。。。’
eg: 日本には夏がきれいです。instead of: 日本に夏がきれいです。
What is the difference between the ’には’ and the ’に’ particle? :)
In a Japanese sentence, は is a topic marker. Both には and just に are grammatically correct, but using には brings more attention to the topic 日本. This is especially important if you're making a comparison.
For example, if I were to say このホテルには、プールがあります, it would mean 'In THIS hotel, there's a pool.' This may be in comparison to another hotel which has no pool.
このホテルにプールがあります is also grammatically correct, but it would be closer to 'There is a pool in this hotel.' Here the sentence is just stating a fact.
Jibba you have my respect.
I really want to get 40+ in japanese but just at this rate I don't think I can.
Do you know of any more resources?
Doushio
Sorry for the late response!
I always recommend watching drama, trying to make Japanese language exchange partners to improve your speaking, just rote learning vocab, etc.
You can even make skype language exchange partners through forums like japan guide just to speak with real Japanese people (although be careful of giving away too much of your identity). I ended up meeting with my skype language partner in Japan so you can make some real friends too!
Good way to improve your usage of grammar is to try use what you learn immediately in conversation with real people. Even if you are not confident with your Japanese level, just give it a try, it's a lot of fun and very beneficial!
In terms of exam practice, there's not much other than past exams. Maybe you can check out JLPT N4 books (which is slightly beyond VCE).
Hey jibba, have you passed N1 yet? I enrolled to take it this December (x.x)
Same boat as you! I'm planning to take it in December! I passed N2 last year !
One way that I am trying to improve my listening is by watching the Japanese news whenever possible and checking up some of the common words that I don't understand.You probably can learn a lot of new vocab from watching daily news, but I found that they use a lot of difficult words that I don't know either in some news stories. Understanding about 50-70% is still really good at VCE level!
Would you recommend this to VCE students? Am I wasting my time?
Is understanding somewhere from two-fifths to three-quarters of that (depending on the level of difficulty and the day) anywhere near idyllic? (Usually a good portion of this is me listening, not watching.)
You probably can learn a lot of new vocab from watching daily news, but I found that they use a lot of difficult words that I don't know either in some news stories. Understanding about 50-70% is still really good at VCE level!
If you want to watch Japanese news programs, I'd recommend maybe looking for special news reports where they introduce something. Probably the vocab used in those types of segments is more useful and easier to understand!
Maybe like this from Asahi TV News: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNcMaHSYoHg
I only watched Japanese News when I was looking for things for detailed study related things! I think just youtubing clips from drama might be more helpful though because the daily conversation and vocab used is more like what you will probably have in your exam. :)
Hey Jibba
I'm really struggling with the listening task, I just find that I cant keep up with what their saying. Any ways to help improve my listening, for Japanese. Also what are some interesting J-dramas you can recommend?
One way that I am trying to improve my listening is by watching the Japanese news whenever possible and checking up some of the common words that I don't understand.
Would you recommend this to VCE students? Am I wasting my time?
Is understanding somewhere from two-fifths to three-quarters of that (depending on the level of difficulty and the day) anywhere near idyllic? (Usually a good portion of this is me listening, not watching.)
You probably can learn a lot of new vocab from watching daily news, but I found that they use a lot of difficult words that I don't know either in some news stories. Understanding about 50-70% is still really good at VCE level!
If you want to watch Japanese news programs, I'd recommend maybe looking for special news reports where they introduce something. Probably the vocab used in those types of segments is more useful and easier to understand!
Maybe like this from Asahi TV News: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNcMaHSYoHg
I only watched Japanese News when I was looking for things for detailed study related things! I think just youtubing clips from drama might be more helpful though because the daily conversation and vocab used is more like what you will probably have in your exam. :)
@Edward
Try watch some dramas with Japanese + English subtitles if you can!
Liar Game is a good one! I remember I watched it with Japanese + English subtitles when I was in high school.
If you can't keep up with the lines, it is usually because you are not familiar with the vocabulary. Also might be you have come across the vocabulary before but you haven't heard it being spoken before so you are unable to recognise it quickly. Either way, it's good to watch drama and listen for vocabulary you do know and also write down ones that you don't know but hear regularly.
Good luck (y)
This is going to sound really ignorant, since I am doing Year.11 Japanese at the moment, but what exactly are 'General conversation' and 'Detailed Study' for Japanese?
What are the writing conventions used in writing an email?
Like how in a letter you open up with a greeting and comment on the season etc, what are the key features used in emails?
What sort of email? Who are you writing the email to?
It's an email to my friend Kazumi persuading her to stay in Australia because she wants to go back to Japan (2008 exam)
The oral exam has two sections: General Convo (~7 minutes) and Detailed Study (~8 minutes). General convo is just the really generic conversation, like travel, family, work, study, hobby etc. and it could go anywhere. Detailed Study is a discussion on a topic that you choose to research about. For example, my topic is Pop Culture, and I researched on a girl band named AKB48. So I'll present some information and research that I found and the assessors will ask me questions on that to facilitate deeper discussion.
Hope this helped :P
Could someone please explain the 'て きます' pattern?
My Wakatta book says that it means to go do something and then come back, but would that be used in translations from Japanese to English?
For example: "パンを買ってきます’ would that be: I will go buy bread and come back?
What are the writing conventions used in writing an email?
Like how in a letter you open up with a greeting and comment on the season etc, what are the key features used in emails?
あなたはVCEの試験(しけん)のあと、ホストブラザーのたくみに会うために、もう一度(いちど)日本に行こうと思っています。たくみに初(はじ)めてメールを書いて、あなたがどのようにして日本で時を過(す)ごしたいか、説明(せつめい)しなさい。
You are planning to go to Japan after the VCE exams to visit your host brother, Takumi, for a second time. Write an initial email to Takumi to explain how you would like to spend your time in Japan.
たくみさんへ 、
お元気ですか?ひさしぶりにメールを書いています 。しかも、いいニュースです。私は十二年生のしけんの後で、日本に旅行することにしました!とても楽しみにしています。日本で行きたい場所がたくさんあるので、そのことについて知らせたいと思います 。
まず 、日本に行ったら、コンサートに行きたいです。多分、もうよく知っていると思うけれど、私はスキャンダルというバンドのファンです。ネットのじょうほうによると、十二月に演奏会(えんそうかい)があるそうです。一緒(いっしょ)に演奏会に付(つ)き合(あ)っていただいてもいいですか?たくみさんもスキャンダルの曲(きょく)をよく聞きますね。いい機会(きかい)でしょう。来週から、きっぷを売り始めるそうなので、できれば、きっぷを買っておいて いただけませんか。ありがとうございます。
それから、私は東京の秋葉原(あきはばら)や渋谷(しぶや)などにも行こうと思っています。留学生(りゅうがくせい)の時、秋葉原(あきはばら)で一日しかすごせなかったから、今度(こんど)こそ秋葉原(あきはばら)で買い物をしたり、見物したりするよていです。メイドきっさに行くつもりはないので、安心してください。
では、これで終(お)わりです。お返事(へんじ)を待っています 。
(Copyright to jibba, please don't plagarise or reproduce/distribute in other places)
When indicating direction, are the particles へ and に interchangeable?
If I were to say, "I will go to Japan" which would be more grammatically correct?
1.) 私は日本に行きます
or
2.) 私は日本へ行きます
?
Yea, in cases where you can use へ you can replace it with に (ie: for direction)
With your previous question, おもいます should technically translate to 'I think' and おもいました should translate to 'I thought'
The tense before the おもいます ie: だった v だ should translate to 'was' or 'is'
ie: 本田さんのドレスはすてきだったとおもいます I think that Ms Honda's dress was beautiful.
本田さんのドレスはすてきだとおもいます I think that Ms Honda's dress is beautiful
I don't think that using I thought in 本田さんのドレスはすてきだったとおもいます is incorrect, because it sounds more natural in English to say I thought when using past tense.
For the second example, I think it sounds natural saying 'I think Harry's birthday was yesterday' so it's okay. If you wanted to say I thought you'd use おもいました
(Apology for late response)
Hope you all did well for your speaking exam and feel free to ask any questions for the final exam! (I'll try be prompt~!)
For the Japanese written exam are we allowed to bring in any type of bilingual dictionary, or is it only specific brands?
Fyrefly's way is the way to do it in real life, I do it like that when I had to email teachers in Japanese unis.
VCE doesn't require you to be so formal and in-depth i'd think.
I've attached an email i wrote in VCE. I always started with ~について知らせたいと思います as it clearly states the intention in the introduction and i finished with では、これで終(お)わりです。お返事(へんじ)を待っています to clearly show the conclusion. Email depends a lot on the topic, just use a lot of grammars in the body paragraph and answer the question. The length seems short but that's about 500ji
@moreovermodels
Sure, I can have a look at essays for you. But is it okay if I post the corrections to this thread? (I think it could help others too as this is a communal thread :) )
Re: time management strategy
I posted how I went about allocating time in the exam in my first post (just reposting it here)TL;DRSpoilerMy Exam Strategy & Tips
Reading Time: 15 mins
Spend at least 5 mins deciding a topic for Section 3: Writing and coming up with a plan in your head
Spend around 5 minutes reading Section 2: Reading in Japanese (looking up words you don't know in dictionary)
Spend remainder of time getting familiar with Listening questions, if you finish quickly go back to reading comprehension
Listening Section: 30 mins
Answer in English
Take notes in English
This section is about translating Japanese into English as accurately and exactly as you can. I made the example between 料理(りょうり)を作ったことがない vs 料理を作ることができない on the second page of this thread.
The translation of these two into English is different. 'I have never cooked' vs 'I cannot cook'
The markers will be particular about vague translations
Students aiming for a high score should try to get all the answers during the first listening (using the second listening for confirming answers)
(In my exam, I was able to get all of them except one part in the first listening)
Use any extra time for planning your writing or for reading comprehension (Obviously make sure you got the answers in English correct and written down first)
Answer in Japanese
Take notes in ROOMAJI (my technique) - Try to write down exactly what you hear into roomaji
If there are words you cannot understand or hear completely, attempt to write down what you hear. It might lead you to getting the correct answer later on
This section is about copying the Japanese you hear and correctly putting it as the response to the relevant question
They don't want you to change the way they say it, you can simply just copy it as they say it
You may need to phrase your answer to suit the way the question is asked.
For example with last year's paper, you could've summarised the three advantages into one paragraph. Although you could also have three individual sentences
Reading Comprehension Section: 40-45 mins
Answer in English
Maybe spend 15-20 mins on this section, but it depends on length of texts and number of texts
Same as I said above, try translate the Japanese into English as accurately as you can
Answer in Japanese
(The killer section and the one where the good students set them selves apart from the rest)
Try to correctly use as much VCE grammar as you can in your responses (use it appropriately though) [Random Tip: I used to use ~そうです (I heard) to end answers where you had to provide information from the text]
Make sure all the VCE Kanji is used in your responses
Stating the obvious, but make sure your response answers the question completely! Do not add unnecessary information for the sake of using grammar
Writing Section: 30 mins
The suggested time is 50 mins, but the quicker you can finish the more time you will have to re-check all of your answers and fix mistakes
Students aiming for 40+ should try to finish in 30 mins
In my exam, I wrote a story as every year the least amount of students attempt that one. Doesn't mean everyone should write a story, but if you are confident in your Japanese it might be easier to score better writing the least popular topic.
Choose the topic you are most confident with.
If you can follow those time suggestions you should have 15-20 mins at the end to re-check everything
In my exam, I had around 15 minutes, which I used to fix kanji, spelling of words, and minimise as many grammatical errors as I could
Personally I think the re-checking time is crucial, because in my case I found a lot of silly errors in my responses, which I was able to fix because I left time at the end.
You should aim to finish your writing piece in 30-35 minutes (I finished it in 30 minutes). This will give you 15-20 minutes to double check your responses and fix grammar/spelling/kanji mistakes in the rest of your exam. I believe that having this extra time double checking really helped me achieve my 50 score because I found many little mistakes that would've lost me those crucial marks in that time. Under exam pressure, you will inevitably make silly mistakes so it's good to try and practice writing your essay in 30 mins rather than 50 so you have extra time to check your exam paper at the end.
re: improving listening skils
It's quite late, but there is still a lot you can do. Other than past exams I found that doing textbook listening problems really helps you improve and get used to certain grammars, learn new vocab, and help you identify the relevant/irrelevant pieces you need from the dialogue.
I can't post links to the textbooks. But the listening problems from Genki 1 (later exercises) and 2 textbooks are good. Just google 'Genki workbook download' 'genki listening download'. Also if you haven't done listening exercises to your Wakatta textbook make sure to do them!
Just memorising vocab from your textbook is also a good way to prepare too (if you have done all the past exams).
@moreovermodels
Sure, I can have a look at essays for you. But is it okay if I post the corrections to this thread? (I think it could help others too as this is a communal thread :) )
Re: time management strategy
I posted how I went about allocating time in the exam in my first post (just reposting it here)TL;DRSpoilerMy Exam Strategy & Tips
Reading Time: 15 mins
Spend at least 5 mins deciding a topic for Section 3: Writing and coming up with a plan in your head
Spend around 5 minutes reading Section 2: Reading in Japanese (looking up words you don't know in dictionary)
Spend remainder of time getting familiar with Listening questions, if you finish quickly go back to reading comprehension
Listening Section: 30 mins
Answer in English
Take notes in English
This section is about translating Japanese into English as accurately and exactly as you can. I made the example between 料理(りょうり)を作ったことがない vs 料理を作ることができない on the second page of this thread.
The translation of these two into English is different. 'I have never cooked' vs 'I cannot cook'
The markers will be particular about vague translations
Students aiming for a high score should try to get all the answers during the first listening (using the second listening for confirming answers)
(In my exam, I was able to get all of them except one part in the first listening)
Use any extra time for planning your writing or for reading comprehension (Obviously make sure you got the answers in English correct and written down first)
Answer in Japanese
Take notes in ROOMAJI (my technique) - Try to write down exactly what you hear into roomaji
If there are words you cannot understand or hear completely, attempt to write down what you hear. It might lead you to getting the correct answer later on
This section is about copying the Japanese you hear and correctly putting it as the response to the relevant question
They don't want you to change the way they say it, you can simply just copy it as they say it
You may need to phrase your answer to suit the way the question is asked.
For example with last year's paper, you could've summarised the three advantages into one paragraph. Although you could also have three individual sentences
Reading Comprehension Section: 40-45 mins
Answer in English
Maybe spend 15-20 mins on this section, but it depends on length of texts and number of texts
Same as I said above, try translate the Japanese into English as accurately as you can
Answer in Japanese
(The killer section and the one where the good students set them selves apart from the rest)
Try to correctly use as much VCE grammar as you can in your responses (use it appropriately though) [Random Tip: I used to use ~そうです (I heard) to end answers where you had to provide information from the text]
Make sure all the VCE Kanji is used in your responses
Stating the obvious, but make sure your response answers the question completely! Do not add unnecessary information for the sake of using grammar
Writing Section: 30 mins
The suggested time is 50 mins, but the quicker you can finish the more time you will have to re-check all of your answers and fix mistakes
Students aiming for 40+ should try to finish in 30 mins
In my exam, I wrote a story as every year the least amount of students attempt that one. Doesn't mean everyone should write a story, but if you are confident in your Japanese it might be easier to score better writing the least popular topic.
Choose the topic you are most confident with.
If you can follow those time suggestions you should have 15-20 mins at the end to re-check everything
In my exam, I had around 15 minutes, which I used to fix kanji, spelling of words, and minimise as many grammatical errors as I could
Personally I think the re-checking time is crucial, because in my case I found a lot of silly errors in my responses, which I was able to fix because I left time at the end.
You should aim to finish your writing piece in 30-35 minutes (I finished it in 30 minutes). This will give you 15-20 minutes to double check your responses and fix grammar/spelling/kanji mistakes in the rest of your exam. I believe that having this extra time double checking really helped me achieve my 50 score because I found many little mistakes that would've lost me those crucial marks in that time. Under exam pressure, you will inevitably make silly mistakes so it's good to try and practice writing your essay in 30 mins rather than 50 so you have extra time to check your exam paper at the end.
re: improving listening skils
It's quite late, but there is still a lot you can do. Other than past exams I found that doing textbook listening problems really helps you improve and get used to certain grammars, learn new vocab, and help you identify the relevant/irrelevant pieces you need from the dialogue.
I can't post links to the textbooks. But the listening problems from Genki 1 (later exercises) and 2 textbooks are good. Just google 'Genki workbook download' 'genki listening download'. Also if you haven't done listening exercises to your Wakatta textbook make sure to do them!
Just memorising vocab from your textbook is also a good way to prepare too (if you have done all the past exams).
Hey jibba, any tips for not failing N1 in 24 days? :PI'm fully expecting to have to do it again next year. I still haven't started N1 kanji/grammar yet Σ(゚д゚lll)
I'm fully expecting to have to do it again next year. I still haven't started N1 kanji/grammar yet Σ(゚д゚lll)
Hi kani,
Those points are good starters. I think you should put in some problems/negative points associated with valentine's day customs and your suggested solutions/opinions in relation to those problems. Some type of negative point would usually be asked by the examiners I would think so I'd prepare that too!
Other than that, very good topic and sub-areas!
Good luck!
Also you could reference Korea's 'Black Day' on April 14 if you wanted, or China's Single's day, just for comparisons too!
There's no difference in meaning! ゆきます just sounds more poetic than いきます
Yeah, that sentence is correct but in VCE it's better to use a grammar pattern in your sentences!
果物と同じように肉が好きです。
I think できます in hiragana is okay, but I always write こんにちは as 今日は. It makes sense to write it using the kanji because it shortens the amount of boxes you would use in your genkoyoshi!
I think できます in hiragana is okay, but I always write こんにちは as 今日は. It makes sense to write it using the kanji because it shortens the amount of boxes you would use in your genkoyoshi!
Honestly, writing either in kanji is unusual.I have been told off for writing 行けません instead of いけません and 置きます instead of おきます for grammar (i.e. 掃除しないと行けません, 今から準備して置きます). And that's even though it's still technically correct.
I actually strongly recommend against writing 「今日は」... I've never seen a modern-day Japanese write it like that.
Also, I write 「出来ます」 but I had a teacher tell me recently that I should write 「できます」. I still write it in kanji out of habit, but it's probably better to write 「できます」.
Hello,
I'm a bit confused about the words 国さい(こくさい)and 国さいてき(こくさいてき)as they both mean 'International.'
However the second word is an adjective, whilst the first one (国さい)is not.
In my dictionary (Kodansha) it says 国さい is added to noun bases to make a word. For example, 国さい電話(こくさいでんわ)= International phone.
But if you used 国さいてきな電話 wouldn't that also translate to 'International phone'?
So my two main questions are:
1.) When would you be able to distinguish between which word to use (国さい vs 国さいてき)
2.) What is the word 国さい classified as grammatically if it not an adjective?
I have been told off for writing 行けません instead of いけません and 置きます instead of おきます for grammar (i.e. 掃除しないと行けません, 今から準備して置きます). And that's even though it's still technically correct.
If any of you use http://jisho.org , it usually says 'usually in kana' or something like that. I usually check like that/use the hiragana version because there is nothing wrong with it.
Not that I'm an expert or anything lol :P
Ah yeah, don't write those in kanji either! Rule of thumb is that if it's used in a grammatical sense, you don't write the verb in kanji. I don't know if that's a satisfactory explanation, but it seems like you already get it anyway.It was, thank you :D Hopefully it might help some others who made the same mistake as I lol.
Great answer from sarangiya! Very indepth and correct! Great understanding ! (y)Thanks so much ;D
I'll just re-iterate in my own words :)
You basically identified the difference yourself: こくさい is a noun and こくさいてき is the adjective.
1) To distinguish when to use them is to identify if you are describing a noun (then use the adjective) or you just stating the name of something
ie: 私は国際関係(こくさいかんけい)の仕事(しごと)をしたいです
I want to work in international relations
私は国際的な経験(こくさいてきなけいけん)が欲しいい
I want international experience
You can see in the second sentence how the こくさいてきな describes the けいけん, so in that case you needed to use 的 but for the first sentence you state the name of the field of work (international relations) so you don't need to use the describing word.
2) as stated before it's a noun.
頑張って!
I think できます in hiragana is okay, but I always write こんにちは as 今日は. It makes sense to write it using the kanji because it shortens the amount of boxes you would use in your genkoyoshi!
If you write こんにちはas 今日は wouldn't that get confused with きょうは(今日は)?
Not sure if I'm allowed to post here but I'm a 3rd year uni student who took Jap 1 (learnt up to Te-form) in semester 1 of 1st year uni. I want to pick Japanese back up, does anyone have any recommendations?
Thanks :)
Of course you're allowed to post here, lol :)
In what sort of ways are you hoping to improve? At your level, it's valuable to continue building your vocab and grammar knowledge base. Kanji will be useful too, but I think focus on that a little later unless you're enthusiastic about kanji and find it fun to study them.
At a basic level, there's value in continuing to work from your textbook. Flash cards. If you want digital flash cards, then Anki (free) or Skritter (paid). Play games. My sister speaks Indonesian, not Japanese, but I used to play charades and make her guess what Japanese word I was acting out. Even now we have this in-joke because of how pathetic I was at acting out "potato" and "octopus", lol.
Yep, and the words for "paper" and "god" are pronounced the same - but in any speaking exam, the examiners will know the difference based on the context you give. Similarly, in a written assessment, the context will tell the examiner (and any person you're writing letters to, because you learn languages for life~) which you meant.
Not sure if I'm allowed to post here but I'm a 3rd year uni student who took Jap 1 (learnt up to Te-form) in semester 1 of 1st year uni. I want to pick Japanese back up, does anyone have any recommendations?
Thanks :)
Would it be correct to say that the japanese word for 'everyone' is spelled: みんな but when adding the ’さん’ to this word to make it more polite, it is spelled as: みなさん instead of みんなさん?Correct!
Arigatou! :)
:) Thanks for your reply Fyrefly.
I want to improve in pretty much all aspects. I've still got to review (re-learn) all the content from Jap 1 :P
I did VCE chinese SL (was horrible at it though) so I find some of the kanji quite similar to the stuff I did in chinese :)
May I ask how far you went with Japanese with the diploma Fyrefly? Would you say you're at a level where you are fluent?
I initially was going to do a Dip Lang (concurrent with Ugrad) for Jap but I bailed out since I didn't want it to detract from my other subjects/GPA. I looked at a Graduate Diploma in Languages (Japanese) but I'm not sure if I want to take it esp if I can't take it concurrently with postgraduate study.
Sorry for all these questions out of the place but did you take Jap 1/2 or VCE jap?? If so, what level of japanese in uni would equate to the same standard in VCE?
Thanks again!
Correct!
you shouldn't say みんなさん, always みなさん
This might sound really silly, but in Japanese when stating
"Because...." for e.g. "Because its hot"
would it sound strange to say: "あついのでです” or should you just stick to saying: "あついからです”
Also I was reading about the か particle being used to say "or" and I was wondering, does the か always have to come before a noun?
So if I was saying: You can eat food or watch TV would it have to be: あなたは食べ物を食べられることかテレビを見られるができます。
or can you merely say: あなたは食べ物を食べられるかテレビを見られるができます.
Sorry, I have been trying to find a website to properly explain the 'or' Grammar pattern in Japanese using か、but have been unable to!
Thanks in advance! :)
This might sound really silly, but in Japanese when stating
"Because...." for e.g. "Because its hot"
would it sound strange to say: "あついのでです” or should you just stick to saying: "あついからです”
Also I was reading about the か particle being used to say "or" and I was wondering, does the か always have to come before a noun?
So if I was saying: You can eat food or watch TV would it have to be: あなたは食べ物を食べられることかテレビを見られるができます。
or can you merely say: あなたは食べ物を食べられるかテレビを見られるができます.
Sorry, I have been trying to find a website to properly explain the 'or' Grammar pattern in Japanese using か、but have been unable to!
Thanks in advance! :)
When online dictionaries such as jisho.org states "usually written using kana alone" By kana are they referring to hiragana?Kana (仮名)refers to both hiragana (平仮名)and katakana(片仮名), but obviously you would write it in hiragana unless it's foreign.
Thanks :)
For sentences involving the explanatory の particle
e.g. あなたは学生なの?
Is there a polite form of these sentences? Would the polite form of the above example sentence be: ’あなたは学生なのですか’?
Thanks! :)
What does the word もう mean in Japanese?Hello, as I'm still learning (inexperienced) feel free to correct me!
I have seen it been used in quite a few Japanese sentences and am unsure of the meaning!
Thanks in advance :)
For VCE purposes, ofcourse you must write the prescribed kanji in any words which include these prescribed kanji, however what do you do when you get a word in which some of the kanji is prescribed and some is post-VCE.
Just write the kanji you know and the rest of the word in hiragana right?
Yes, that's what I usually do.
However, I am a bit stumped when you get words in which you don't know which hiragana characters belong to which kanji.
For example: 生意気(なまいき)The first and last kanji are part of the VCE Japanese course, so if I were to write this word excluding the middle kanji, I don't know how because I don't know which hiragana accounts for the middle kanji.
What should I do in this situation?
I don't want to be penalised for not using appropriate VCE kanji, but at the same time, I don't want to spell the word wrong?
Hi there!
I'm almost sure you are NOT gonna get penalised if you use the CORRECT kanji even they are not 'prescribed'.
And for 生意気(なまいき), you should know that 「生」 can pronounce 「なま」 which means "raw", and of course 「気」 is 「き」, then the middle kanji must pronounce 「い」.
I think a lot of people would not know the difference between all the 'Ifs and whens' so I'll try do a simple summary
~ば
Can't use with past tense, always use in present.
Cannot use with completed actions
ie: うんてんすれば、色々なところに行けます
~たら
Can use with completed actions
Can use both past/present tense
The 'second action' occurs after the 'conditional'
ie: 飲みすぎたら、歩けなくなった
日本に行ったら、あきはばらに行きたいです
*If you can use ~ば you can also use ~たら to replace that grammar, but not the other way around (because ~ば can't be used with past tense, where as たら can)
~なら
For なら the 'second action' comes before the conditional
うんてんするなら、れんしゅうがひつようです。
日本に行くなら、日本語のれんしゅうがひつようです。
You can only use this with present tense
~もし
Always use for hypothetical situations
もし、明日ひまだったら、いっしょにえいがを見に行きますか?
~と
Also we have と
This one is a natural cause and effect, where the second action will always happen after the conditional
酒を飲むと、うんてんできなくなる。
Hope that helps :)
It's referring to the action after ば or たら
ie: 飲みすぎたら、歩けなくなった
you CANNOT say 飲みすぎれば、歩けなくなった
Does anyone know where I can download Genki 1 or Genki 2 workbook listening tasks?
I was also trying to download the JLPT N4 and N3 listening exams, but wasn't sure where to get them from. Can you download them from the JLPT website itself?
Any help would be great!
Hi guys,
I have a listening SAC in about two weeks and I have a few questions.
1. Do we have to write full sentences or can it be incomplete sentences.
2. Can we answer questions in plain form?
Thanks!
Does anyone know where I can download Genki 1 or Genki 2 workbook listening tasks?
I was also trying to download the JLPT N4 and N3 listening exams, but wasn't sure where to get them from. Can you download them from the JLPT website itself?
Also in the VCE study design for Japanese SL, there is a table containing the Prescribed Themes/Topics for the VCE Japanese course, such as The Individual, The Japanese speaking communities, The changing world.
Does this mean that in the final VCAA exam the listening, reading and writing section will all be based within these topics?
Any help would be great!
What would be the best way to improve my writing? Would it just be best to write atleast one essay per week on any practice prompts? Is there a more specific way to go about it, such as focusing on each theme/sub-topic and writing essays related to these one at a time, so that.you can.cover all the possible type of topics you could get in the exam? Thanks :)
Would it be correct to say that the words こちら、そちら、あちら、どちら have three sets of meanings?
The first one set of meaning being in terms of direction: this direction/that direction/that direction over there/which direction?
And the second meanings being the polite form of これ、それ、あれ、どれ?
And lastly the third meanings, being the polite form of ここ、そこ、あそこ、どこ?
Also, for the set of words: これら、それら、あれら would the question word be どれら?
:) Thankyou
Thanks Jibba and Deshouka! :)
Is ううん the casual way of saying いいえ in Japanese?
:) Thanks
If I wanted to say: " My grandmother gave my sister flowers" would the correct word to use be くれる?Yep! A good way to remember is that when a more distant person gives you or a closer person something, its くれる。
Thanks :)
Thanks Fyrefly! :)
In my textbook (Wakatta) for the そう pattern to describe how things look/sound it says:
"If you are looking directly at something or someone and it is obvious what it or he/she is like then you will not use the そう pattern. If you are looking at a cute baby, you would not use そう and say the baby looks cute because everyone can see that the baby actually is cute."
This confused me. Then when would it be okay to use そう to describe what something looks like? Is it only when you are not directly looking at the object?
But then one of the example sentences given in the book is: けんたろうくんのお父さんはうれしそうでした。In this case wouldn't the speaker have to be looking directly at Kentarou's father to comment on what he looks like?
Any explanations would be great :)
Hey guys, I'm in desperate need of help when it comes to essay writing. I have a solid grasp of the grammar patterns and vocabulary however when the time comes to writing, I can't string together a sentence that is, you could say, up to par with Japanese 3/4. The entire essay ends up being very robotic and formulaic, consisting of statements after statements which lack the "flow" and cohesion that would be present in a conversation or an email. Its strange but honestly, I just don't know what to write or even how to start, no matter the topic. Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated!Try reading really easy Japanese novels/books/articles/written things on the internet. Use Lang-8 and make a few story-like entries and ask for advice on cohesion and composition. The best thing you can do is read it or just in general be exposed to Japanese and take notice of the flow or how things are expressed. I'm personally against 'grammar patterns' because I think it's treating a language too much like a mathematical formula - and as such there is that lack of 'flow' or the artistic element that all languages have.
For the 'うちに' grammar pattern, which means "while" can you use noun before the 'うち’に' part?
:) Thanks
I can't think of an example where that would make sense. Do you have something in mind?
If I wanted to say "While I was a child, I liked dolls" could I say: 子供のころのうちににんぎょうが好きでした。?
If I wanted to say "While I was a child, I liked dolls" could I say: 子供のころのうちににんぎょうが好きでした。?
@Razz
You can 100% definitely say 行けたら If i'm able to go. If non-native teachers are telling you it's wrong, they're wrong.
Whilst I was in Japan, I found a lot of Japanese people really try to be polite when you invite them to something and they often say "行けたら行く" instead of saying they can't go haha.
Hi guys,
I've been trying to decide on a detailed study topic since like forever, and really want to do japanese teas (matcha, sencha etc).
I was talking to my tutor about it and she said that my detailed study should have an issue I can discuss, I'm not really sure what she means by this :( plus, tea is pretty much only has good points
Hi guys,
I've been trying to decide on a detailed study topic since like forever, and really want to do japanese teas (matcha, sencha etc).
I was talking to my tutor about it and she said that my detailed study should have an issue I can discuss, I'm not really sure what she means by this :( plus, tea is pretty much only has good points
I don't quite understand the usage of 'Verb dictionary form + のに ' to emphasise the means or lack of means for achieving a purpose. (As explained by Wakatta textbook!)
Some example sentences and their translations which have been given are:
着物を着るのにじかんがかかる。It takes time to put on a kimono.
車を買うのにお金がたりない。I don't have enough money to buy a car.
Is it similar to the ために pattern?
:) Any help would be appreciated!
In my textbook the translation for this sentence:
すみこさんの英語のテストは今日だっだそうだけど、どうだっだだろう。
the English translation is given as: "Apparently Sumiko's English test was today, I wonder how she went."
But I don't quite get the meaning of the 'けど' in the Japanese sentence then, because it doesn't seem to come up in the English translation? Is there another meaning for けど other than 'but'. ?
ありがとう. :)
The translation is looking at the meaning rather than the actual content. In fact, in my opinion it's quite a poor translation. It does really have them same emotional nuances.
Anyhow.
けど is indeed 'but' - used to contrast. However, it is still in itself a conjunction and you can use it as such. It works in English the same way.
すみこさんの英語のテストは(subject) = Sumiko's English test...
今日だっだそうだけど、= [seemed to be] today, but
どうだっだだろう。= how was it, [I wonder]?
In my personal opinion - which could be wrong - I think it is a sentence that is meant to convey some worry.
"Sumiko's English test was meant to be today but I wonder how it went..."
Maybe she is wondering if a) the test date was moved, b) where Sumiko went or not, c) how she actually did on the test.
It's probably c) though, because I can't really understand why one would say that for a) or b).
But in any case, you can see how I used 'but'. It wasn't contrasting or differentiating two opinions, it was just leading into the next statement with a little bit of emotion.
That's what I think at least.
Thankyou for all the help everyone! :)
I was wondering, in my Wakatta book it explains the differences in speech between males and females (Such as females will tend to not use だ when speaking in plain form and instead sometimes use わ as a sentence ending particle.)
So if I was writing an essay in plain form, would I have to keep these things in mind, if I was signing off with a female name? (e.g. in a letter to a friend etc.)
Is the general conversation section of the oral exam based of the prescribed topics, given in the study design? (Personal world, daily life, past and future, visiting Japan etc.)
Thankyou :)
Also does anyone have any advice on how to make sentences more sophisticated? I feel like all of mine are very basic!
:) Thanks
Is けど to informal to use in the oral exam? Should I stick to using けれど or が?
Also, is it okay for the oral exam to have a plain form in the middle of the sentence but the ending of the sentence is still polite, (so thus the whole sentence is still polite) or is it better to have polite form throughout?
E.g
Which would be better:
(1). しずかですから好きじゃないです。
(2) しずかだから、好きじゃないです。
Thanks :)
Although I don't think they'll take off marks for just using けど, it's preferable to use が
For your second question, I think it's better to be polite throughout, although again, unless you're going to say おれ or 好きだぞ it really won't matter as long as you're well mannered.
Good luck for your oral exam btw!
In the exam if we use kanji that isn't in the VCE prescribed kanji list, do we need to include the furigana above it?Nope. The VCE assessors should know how to read much more than the prescribed list of kanji. You're wasting your time if you're doing that in the essay section, or anywhere else (Source: my teacher).
Because sometimes for certain kanji I'm not really how to place the furigana.
For e.g. for the word 明後日 I'm not really sure where you would place the 'さって’ part?
Thanks :)
Hello,
Just wondering if there are any advice on answering in Japanese, especially for listening? Although I can understand what is being said I have trouble noting key information down in time and answering in Japanese.
Thank you
Hi xjiaa,
That's quite a common issue SL students have.
I like taking notes in roomaji as I find that a lot quicker to note down key information than writing hiragana. But if you prefer hiragana that's okay too.
Try also just to note down the key vocab and point being said rather than copying the whole grammar pattern.
The first listening is the most important as well, you should do your best to note down as much as possible in the first listening.
If you're understanding the content, that's a great stage to be at, but also knowing a wide range of vocabulary is a great help too. Potentially, you might have instances where you know the vocabulary but you didn't recognise it while listening to it.
It's a good idea to watch some Japanese drama or news to get used to how the vocab you rote-learned sound when said and the context they are used in.
Hope those pointers help
Anyone know the newspaper article format?I'm not sure of the exact genkouyoushi format, but I'd write it in plain form as actual newspaper articles are written in plain form.
I'm not sure of the exact genkouyoushi format, but I'd write it in plain form as actual newspaper articles are written in plain form.
Keep it similar to a regular essay structure: Title (maybe in 「」 brackets), Name on second line, plain form writing, and usual Intro, Body, Conclusion.
Hi everyone,
What are possible questions that might be asked for お正月 (Japanese New Years) as a detailed study?
Thank you :)
Hey mate,
What kind of marks in the exam would approximately give a study score of 40-45? Cheers.
Ok thanks. So would that be 8-10 marks on both the written exam and oral exam or just one of them?
Hi,
My detailed study topic is ‘少子化’ or declining birth rate. What are some possible questions the assessor might ask?
Thanks :)
Hi Jibba,
I'm wondering if you have any samples of your high quality writing pieces (for example, on letter, essay format ect)? If you're not willing to share them, that's okay :) Thanks for your time!
Hi! ;D
I was just wondering: are the JLPT levels a good measure of how well you'll do in VCE? If so, what would each level more or less translate to as a study score? And what would be a good level to reach before taking the 3/4 exam?
And if they're not, why is that?