I keep getting mixed up

Bunpro
#1

There’s a lot of terms and grammar patterns that are similar to one another and when doing reviews there’s no way to really tell them apart. For example っこない and ようがない could both be translated as “there’s no way” or “impossible”. You could probably throw そうもない in there as well, and よりほかない is similar enough that. What am I supposed to do when during my reviews I think the answer is one pattern but it’s actually the other? I usually just fail them but then they go to ghosts even if I kinda understand them, the problem is that the English translations are similar.

On that note, I wish we could have a mode that tests us on our ability to differentiate between similar points and explains the problem when we make a mistake.

12 Likes
#2

Welcome to synonym hell :tada:

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#3

Slogging my way through N2 with very low success rate for this reason. Apologies for dragging the global average down.

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#4

Yeah that is really frustrating:(

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#5

i really think that having a better clarification between synonyms would be really helpful. most of them are like “Nice guess, try something else that works” but no other clarification. I think the からして, からすると, からみると, ところをみると, etc family of grammar points are an example of synonyms done really well. if more grammar points had detailed advice on what to change it would make the review experience so much better than guessing 15 synonyms

the best solution for now is to report something if you think an answer is valid but is marked as incorrect, but this solution isnt perfect. ive had few that ive reported and i would say it breaks down like this

  • 1/3 are like “yeah that should be a synonym and its added as a synonym”
  • 1/3 are like “no that answer doesnt work for this reason”.
  • 1/3 i get no response
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#6

I have that already at N5 and N4.

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#7

me with あく、あける、ひらく、and ひらける

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#8

I haven’t got that far yet, but I plan to drag the global average down to the floor when I get there.

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#9

Cries in Japanese

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#10

Agree on how those have been improved with the hints including the different nuances which I totally hadn’t picked on when learning. If I’m being honest with myself, most of the time I’m memorizing the answers and putting them in, but over time, slowly slowly s-l-o-w-l-y that does improve…

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#11

Same here. Some sort of clarification would help retrieve the correct answer. What I do is, if it was truly a case of just mixing up similar terms, I undo and re-enter the answer. But if I could use the review (which tbh is most of the time!) I’ll let it become a :ghost:

1 Like
#12

Once you get past around the n4 level, I recommend changing all your reviews to reading/self-review type. Not only will it completely eliminate the synonym problem with fill in types, but it will also reinforce a Japanese first style. Additionally, it will help you associate the grammer/vocab not with an English word, but with the concept or idea so that instead of translating what you hear/read into English, you simply understand the Japanese. Dropping the translation step/thinking in Japanese is a very difficult jump, but you should strive to do it as early as you can, especially if you want to have conversations in Japanese.

7 Likes
#13

I’ve also found this idea helpful, particularly with extremely long or nuanced grammar. it basically becomes guided reading.

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#14

that’s a great point, I agree translation is something to avoid at all cost and that this would absolutely help in that regard.

However I am not sure this is that beneficial to bunpro as if you put it to read-type you are doing almost the same thing that you are doing when reading any content outside (books etc…), which you should progressively do more and more anyway.

Bunpro is really a memory drill so I personally go for the most demanding which is the fill-in type but there is a benefit to both indeed. Now I feel my reading covers the other side just fine.
maybe switching to hints in japanese only is the best of both worlds ? but it is too time-demanding for me.

1 Like
#15

All but given up trying to read the N2 sample sentences at the moment, the subject matter is so different to what I read, don’t know most of the words, but that’s on me for being N3 level at reading/vocab and tackling N2 grammar.