That’s close to what I want, though not exactly there. Nevertheless it is an improvement, thanks.
I’d love to see an option of sentence ordering. So for instance you have an english sentence, and blocks of Japanese words, particles etc that you need to arrange into the correct sentence structure. This for me would help solidify grammar points.
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Another thing I’m noticing, something different from WK and I could be wrong on this: Are reviews designed to where if you get a review wrong, it won’t repeat until the other reviews go first? I feel like that’s what I’m noticing, though like I said, could be wrong.
If that is how it is, is there a way to change that? Pretty dang disheartening going through 20+ reviews, getting each one wrong over and over and over again. It’s nice on WK every once in a while to get something wrong and right up next is that one I just got wrong, meaning I can finally knock it off – for now, at least.
The point of reviews going in this particular way is so you read the explanations in-depth about why you’re getting the same thing wrong over and over. Even if it takes you 2-3 tries to actually get it correct, I would imagine that on the third time you would really understand why you entered the answer the way that you did and why it’s the correct option instead of what you were doing before. The alternative way that you talk about just sounds more like memorizing the answer instead of understanding the answer.
To answer your question though, there’s no easy way unless someone on the forums made a custom script or something. You could, theoretically, wrap up the review every 3-4 things you get wrong so you could knock those out and then go back into reviews after. Would be annoying without a doubt, but certain would solve the problem.
People learn in different ways. Getting something wrong over and over and over and over again only makes me want to drop the site – I think I got 100+ Ghosts already. Just feels like I’m being punished. Not only am I not understanding the answer, I’m not memorizing it either. It’s nothing.
WK will throw me a bone sometimes, which is real nice at the low SRS levels.
If you have over 100 ghosts despite being on the site for only a week then it’s clear you just added too many points at once. In the settings you can reset your account to have everything at SRS level 0 - I would highly suggest doing that, and then start from scratch by adding grammar points a lot more slowly. Anyone in that situation would have their brain be overwhelmed and not be able to understand everything that’s being asked for them. People resetting is a common thing when they accidentally dive too deep into the pool without getting their feet wet first.
Learning a language should be fun, and I think if you did that you’re going to end up having a lot more fun with everything. Just my 2 cents though, if there’s ever any grammar points you’re confused about then you can open the forum link on its grammar page and ask any questions big or small you may have.
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Yeah, I was thinking I was using the site wrong. I’ll see. Thanks.
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I’d say this grammar point is too much complicated, it’s like three rules in one point. I think it would be nice to separate it to three different points maybe?..
Also it breaks SRS in a way, because one would remember one part of the point and correctly fill gaps in a sentence but totally forget about another parts and constantly fail it.
@okayfrog I had a similar experience at first, but in my case it was my fault for adding too many grammar points in one go. I came to this site with what may be considered upper-intermediate or advanced Japanese level and decided to add quite a lot of grammar points that I wanted to review/refresh myself on. And it was way too many (as I didn’t really understand how the site worked / or how the review schedule works). I think I was ghosting quite a bit because I couldn’t remember exactly which grammar point they were asking for (as there are quite a lot of ways to say nearly the same thing). On one hand, I think I have incidentally memorized sentence patterns (aka I am able to get some correct answers because I recognize sentences I have seen), but I actively try to use the more useful points I review, and I will say that quite a few have stuck (meaning I have moved from passive usage (reading and listening comprehension) to actively being able to call upon grammar points I have reviewed here. I can even sometimes see a new sentence for the first time and input the correct grammar point without hints (sometimes). And I often come upon grammar points in books I’m reading, so at least the passive learning is there.
My advice is to stick with the site, and just take the grammar points you have added piece by piece, working on committing a few at a time to usage. Best case, you are able to use what you learn here (though as others on the site have iterated, it does take conscious effort beyond Bunpro). At the very least, you’ll have some new grammar input and you’ll reduce those ghosts, being able to use the site at a manageable pace.
of course as @EdBunpro mentioned
Hope you stick with it!
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Thank you, but I think I’m going to look elsewhere. I need something a bit more structured and less punishing. Maybe if I can’t find anything else, I’ll come back to Bunpro.
EDIT: For now, just turned off ghost reviews. Maybe things’ll be a bit nicer without all the punishment.
But this is how real Japanese talk.
Also I think some indication when you actually kill a ghost would be nice, a text pop up at the minimum but a simple little animation would be much preferred! Makes it more transparent.
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The phrases where I come across, sometimes feel natural, sometimes it feels that the use of Gairaigo is being forced for the sake of understandability of the phrase without introducing the minimum vocabulary possible.
In the phrase in particular I quoted, it doesn’t feel that natural to me, more like a dogen comedy skit of abusing Garaigo for the sake of making a point.
At least that’s how I feel, that’s without getting into the philosophical question if we should normalize it or not. In the end is just an opinion, and I don’t think many people felt that way since I posted that message and didn’t react until now, so feel free to just think of my message as avent/rambling.
I’m sure this has already been suggested, but I would love an oops button on vocab reviews. As well, for something with an accent like café, if I type cafe without the accent it would be nice to still have it accepted. I know that I can add synonyms but I feel like it’s something that should be default.
In my university course we cover a chapter’s worth of grammar from Genki I every three weeks, which feels exhausting especially since there is a grade attached to one’s understanding.
I agree with you in that going slow with the grammar is very important, you can remember the word and sometimes understand its use, but you won’t really internalize it.
Doing 1 grammar point a day is very impressive.
A chapter of Genki 1 every three weeks? Huh, that’s interesting although when you’re only meeting 2x/3x a week it makes sense. Although it’s funny, when I took Mandarin in college I remember how even though the pace wasn’t too fast, it still felt a little funky at times. I feel like in my Japanese studies (100% self-taught) it’s a lot faster but I’ve never really felt like I did when inside a classroom.
If you don’t mind me asking, how are the classes structured with regards to the chapters’ grammar, vocab, example sentences, exercises, etc.? Do you start with the vocab first then shift into grammar and spend the last week going over exercises? Like you said though, as long as you’re learning at the end of the day (and having fun!) it really doesn’t matter what the pace is.
I would really apprecciate a listening training feature, where you are getting a random list of example sentences.
I really enjoy the Audio for every grammar example sentence and I am making great progress in understanding specific grammatical sequences in whole sentences. I would love to test (and practice) if i can still understand the whole sentence just listening if i don’t know beforehand which grammar point is used. Maybe something like “listening practice - N5 example sentences”.
What do others in the community think about it?
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Don’t know if it is the right place to say that but it would be great if what was considered an error for vocab reviews was changed a little bit, I know that there is an “oops” button for those instances but sometimes I just press enter two times because I thought my answer was correct and go onto the next review with what could be considered a correct answer but was marked as false.
For example どうして is “why?” but it will count as a mistake writing only “why”, それでは is “well then …” but will not count as correct a “well then” and will put that little blue text saying you made a typo if you write “well then…”
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No I don’t mind. It is an online class so no lectures, we just use the books and do the assignment/tests the teacher gives.
Test-wise it goes Vocabulary → Kanji → All material (grammar, vocabulary, listening, etc.) + prev. chapters.
Assignment-wise its about the same but more intermingled, with little emphasis on vocabulary, since you’re expected to know it after the first week.
Interesting! Thanks for sharing, appreciate it. Hopefully Bunpro is helping you prepare for your lessons whether it’s learning the grammar being taught or using the vocab SRS to help keep the vocab words fresh in your mind. Best of luck in your classes!