i just finished n4 grammar and was wondering if i should further my grammar learning , i tried to learn the n3 grammar points but it was wayyyy too difficult, i couldn’t understand anything, it is as though it was a whole different world from n4 and n5 grammar, i want to further my learning but i don’t know what to do with n4 grammar level, what should i do? should i dive into it regardless of the difficulty?
Sounds like you should probably pause for a second until you have completely internalized N5 and N4 grammar first, before moving into N3 territory (especially given that you’ll now enter synonym hell with N3, which is confusing in and of itself).
I agree with @Jose7822 about taking some time to review N5 and N4 material, but also wanted to ask a follow up question. Is there a certain aspect of N3 grammar that you are having difficulty with? Is it unfamiliar vocab? Long example sentences? Unclear nuances in the grammar itself?
Depending on what it is, I would try focusing on that area in particular and building your skills there before rushing ahead with N3. So for example, if it’s vocab, try reviewing N4 vocab and slowly adding in new N3 vocab to get more comfortable with. If it’s longer example sentences throwing you off, try looking for N4 reading material. Even if it’s easier than N3, it will still help you get better at reading overall and make it easier to parse things. If it’s unclear nuances, Google and Youtube are your friend! Sometimes it just takes someone explaining something a different way and giving different examples for it to click.
I don’t have any particular resources to recommend at the moment since I’m not sure which area you’re struggling with, but hopefully the above advice helps. Remember, learning a language is a marathon, not a sprint so it’s okay to take things a bit slower sometimes if it helps solidify your knowledge overall!
I’m in the same boat man… I’ve forgotten all n4 grammar and a lot of n5 too. I think you probably should take some time off n3 to revise the old grammar. I need to do so too
If you aren’t doing it already then now is probably a good time to try and start grappling with native media. Everything in N5 and N4 is so fundamental that you will be reviewing that material just by reading/listening to any random sentence. Seeing what you have learnt actually being used will dramatically increase your understanding of it. If you can’t stomach native media yet then try using something like Tobira to give you a leg up.
Don’t worry about speedrunning through every grammar point. You can pause adding new grammar to SRS but still read through the N3 lessons and then when you feel comfortable you can start adding things to the SRS again. N3 is when things start to move into reality a bit more and I believe around the end of N4 (in general, not on Bunpro) is when there is the largest amount of attrition amongst learners. There are many similar humps but I think around that point is the first big one. It is worth taking your time to really cement the basic grammar concepts in your mind as being solid with the basics makes everything else 10x easier. Just keep going!
Good luck!
thank you all, i decided to pause my grammar learning until next year, it’s better this way, i will just focous on only reviewing everthing i’ve learned, hopefully i can start learning n3 grammar from next year
When you’re ready, you can look through the N3 grammar deck and cherry pick the easy points to do first.
You might already know some.
Some might seem like natural extensions of what you already know.
Some are pretty much just like new vocabulary words.
Soon you’ll be in way deeper than you’d have thought.
Sounds like you’ve already decided, but thought I’d add a couple thoughts.
I intentionally stop (for a few months) between levels to let the points settle in. Beyond more time to do the usual reviews on Bunpro during this “transition”, it gives me a chance to focus on cram sessions, review vocab/kanji, and (before moving on) practice JLPT exams. I’ve found this approach good for solidifying my knowledge, and also conveniently creates time to enjoy some media at my current level (lots of resources around for grading media “difficulty”—happy to share if you want).
The variety of review/exposure is really helpful to keep my focus from becoming too narrow. (Otherwise, it can be hard to apply what I’ve learned later.) Of course, what works best for you will depend on your interests/focus