Hello all 
I’ve been doing Bunpro for a while and am currently on N3 however while I understand past grammar points, I am unable to just create a sentence during conversation using most of the grammar points. It was sort of this way with Wanikani too where I learn the words, can read them easily, but if I heard it in conversation (or even try to use it in a sentence) I fail. So what are some ways you guys learn beyond typing the grammar into a sentence?
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A nice way to start is this thread here, where an ever growing number of people try to write sentences based on the grammar they have learned daily and constantly get help from other really nice members who are already ahead: Have you written your Japanese Sentence today?
As I’m “just” around level N5-4ish I have not as much grammar at hand then you already do, but I still try to create some practice dialogs or take them from my old class book (Minna no Nihongo). I’ve done a little bit of reading but as my vocab is still a little bit lacking, I’ve returned to growing that before diving again into a book.
And lastly, if all else fails, the best practice is always to find someone to speak with. May it be now via some online platform, in a class, or people you met.
I for example love going to a Japanese restaurant here in Germany which is run mainly by Japanese who get a lot of Japanese customers and try to practice there my limited skills. For example I try to order in Japanese, try to pay in Japanese and if possible do a short small talk with the staff.
I know it’s sometimes feels a little weird, because I and they know that I could just order or speak in German, however you try to get in practice wherever you can unless you already live in Japan
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This topic is already in discussion here: https://community.bunpro.jp/t/can-you-use-your-studied-grammar-in-conversations/3789/17
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I have had many similar experiences. I (along with many others) explain my experience in detail on this thread but in short, I say that it’s an extremely long process with lots of stumbles across the way! You will reach a point where it comes naturally though!
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In my experience, the most readily-available grammar to me when I’m speaking is always the grammar I’ve studied on 文プロ. It’s still not easy, because we can only practice tiny snippets of sentences here, and when speaking, you’ve got to formulate the entire sentence (vocab and all), but still.
This site is the closest thing I’ve found to a resource that’ll allow me to practice production, outside of… genuinely practicing production with people who speak Japanese natively. It’s a good step in the right direction.
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Just gotta do it for real. Yes, it is difficult at first. HelloTalk and things like that are good opportunities to practice
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HelloTalk and similar resources are really good to start solidifying grammar by using them more often. Or just doing any sort of writing. Eventually, though, you have to start speaking them a d using them in conversation. You can do this on your own just thinking or talking to yourself in Japanese all day, which is also pretty good, but the final step is always being able to use it “live”, which tends to be when it finally starts to feel more natural.
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I am halfway through N5 only and I use everything I learn on HelloTalk. I get corrected A LOT but it’s super helpful!
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Consumption and production are two different things, haha. I find it much easier to read or listen than to speak. But I’m working on it x3
My ways of practicing:
-Italki and HelloTalk, though I mostly use the former.
-‘Diary’ writing. I used to do this daily, but I got lazy, haha. Basically type up a couple sentences about a topic or my day, record it, and write it down while listening back to it. This also acts as pronunciation checking and physical writing practice 
-Talking to myself. Either in my head or out loud. Just random made up conversations.
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This is brilliant and is exactly the way I do it and how I got fairly fluent. Do you live in Japan? Because the way I did it was to learn the grammar point and attempt to use it in a conversation with a friend. I would say it would take about 6 months from me first learning the grammar point to using it naturally in conversation without thinking about it - and that’s with me hanging out with Japanese friends almost every day. It does take time so it’s good to see you’re persevering.
About half the grammar from N2 and basically all the grammar from N1 doesn’t really come up in daily conversation so I’m struggling now on how to make it come naturally to me. I’m not the kind of character who can sit quietly and read a book, although I kinda wish I was 
This is great. Even if you’re surrounded by it 24 hours a day, thinking in Japanese is one of the hardest things to master and I still can’t do it properly. For example, if I look at a train time, I’ll think “the train leaves at twelve thirty-four,” not 「電車は１２時３４分出発」 then I’ll realise and think “ahh, I wish I’d have thought that in Japanese.” Respect to anyone who can think in Japanese without consciously deciding to.
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Don’t get me wrong, this is all conscious effort still xD I’m very much still new to this, haha. But it all adds up 
That’s when you rethink it again in Japanese. Build up that habit until it is automatic
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Living in Japan for 2 and a half years and I’m still only about halfway there. This is a mega long process haha
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About halfway in two and a half years sounds awesome to me! Take some pride in your progress and efforts
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Haha cheers
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This is the one I probably do the most. I basically talk to myself about anything and everything. Narrate what I’m doing, what I just did, what I’m going to do. I tell myself about stuff that’s happened to my friends, or celebrities I like.
When I’m at home, that is. I don’t sit there on the train nattering to myself out loud, lmao. I do try to think as Japanese as I can, but as @matt_in_mito said, it’s a case of thinking it in English and then going “Wait, hang on–ちょっと a minute” and trying to think it in Japanese instead. We’ll get there!
I’m also an occasional HelloTalk user, but I use Twitter more often than anything. I’ve been lucky to have made a bunch of friends who also like enka and have been more than happy to chat with me and try to correct me when I make mistakes. Because very few of them have much English ability, and because we’re talking about Japanese music too, it really forces the Japanese out of me.
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Ha, I don’t! I’ve been there once and I might go again, but who knows? That’s why HelloTalk is so great, I can talk to native people from the comfort of my small European country haha. I was hesitant at first because my native language is very obscure. I do less teaching and more learning, which is fine by me.
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