My Japanese italki Conversation with Kurumi San Part 1

Learn Japanese through conversation! I practice speaking with Kurumi san, a Japanese community teacher on italki. It's a good listening practise resource for those studying beginner and intermediate Japanese.
I'm personally between an N4-N3 level, although I still struggle a lot with speaking.
I used to benefit a lot from Benjiro san's italki videos so now I hope these will be helpful to other learners as well. Do subscribe if you'd like to see more of them!
Get a $10 italki credit when you sign up with this link:
www.italki.com...
Kurumi san's italki profile:
www.italki.com...
If you'd ever like to buy me a coffee :D
www.buymeacoff...

[@charmantcoeur]

Uh, this is fantastic. Like, for so many reasons. I mean, start a patron and we’ll basically pay for your lessons to experience them vicariously? The vocab you put up as you go is so helpful!

[@RJCMaxification]

It's weirdly difficult to find organic sounding intermediate level conversations like this to listen to. Thanks for uploading! Defs going to be watching your channel. I'm doing 1hr study per day for the N3 next year.

[@GermaineJapanese]

Thanks for watching and I’m glad you find it helpful. All the best for your N3. I haven’t taken the exam myself, haha

[@ymik1299]

Germaine さん☺️ クラスをしたくるみです🌸 すてきなvideoですね！！！！！💖 そしてクラスにきてくれて、ありがとうございました☺️ おはなしができてとてもうれしかったです。 日本語がとても上手だったので、むずかしいことばもすこし使いながらお話ししました。 Germaineさんはすばらしいどりょくをされていると思います！！ わたしのクラスでは、日本語を話すことを楽しんでほしいと思っています。 またいっしょに話せたらうれしいです☺️ Germaineさん、そしてこの動画をみているみなさんの日本語のべんきょうを心からおうえんしています！！💕

[@GermaineJapanese]

くるみさん！動画を見ましたか？なんか恥ずかしいです😅コメントありがとうございます！レッスンは本当に楽しかったです。次のレッスンを楽しみにしています！☺️☺️☺️

[@chienimurmann]

The occasional translations on top left hand corner is very useful . Thank you very much.

[@shayd3136]

思わずに動画の最後まで見ました！アップロードくれて本当にありがとうございます！リスニングの練習にもなって、面白い会話も聞けました！日本語の勉強これからも頑張りましょうね😊💕

[@Oceancurve]

Germaine this content is absolutely fantastic for beginners like myself. Thank you for taking the time to edit these lessons for the language learning community. You are carrying the Benjiro flag with great pride. Kurumi is a natural and positive teacher.

[@GermaineJapanese]

Thanks so much, Paul! Glad you like them! And yes, Kurumi san is a really great teacher.

[@jasonkueh4023]

It’s maybe not my place to say this but you seem more comfortable talking and the vocabs and sentence variety improved a lot since your wayyy first video. I’m also happy to see that! Thank you so much for continuing to provide materials to Japanese learning community and I wish you luck in your own studies!

[@GermaineJapanese]

Hi Jason, thanks for saying that. Actually I feel like I've been quite stagnant in terms of my progress. I do decently when I stick to familiar topics but I think I might have to try to get out of my comfort zone soon.

[@マディ-f8h]

Thank you so much for making these videos!

[@GermaineJapanese]

Thank you for watching! 😊

[@alantamayose]

I'm learning a lot from your channel! ありがとうございます。がんばってね。

[@GermaineJapanese]

Thanks for commenting! I'm really happy to hear that!

[@GermaineJapanese]

Hey guys, part 2 is up here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5OVlmWPnMqhhbs Thanks for always watching and supporting!

[@Cosmicgardening]

I wish my pronunciation had sounded so good at this point. I'd be so much less embarrassed of speaking if i sounded this good this early.

[@styl3k1fry]

Hi Germaine really thank you for your upload, you don't know I much I've been improving my listening skills thanks to you.As always keep up with the good work

[@GermaineJapanese]

Hey Roi, thank you for dropping a comment again. It's encouraging to know that you guys are still watching and that it's actually helpful for you! 😊

[@rezaulhoque9640]

ありがとうございます とてもやくにたちました

[@GermaineJapanese]

😁

[@fffuuuiiis2948]

Hi Germaine, very interesting and well done, I listened to the whole video (which is very rare for me...haha). I actually had bookmarked Kurumi-san as a possibility while searching italki previously, but have not decided to try her or not, so this video helps a lot to see your interaction with her. Don't know how long you have been taking lessons and how often, I could follow perhaps 85%-90% of your conversation, makes me a bit depressed now, there are some words that I don't know. You're really good. Also italki conversation sessions can be tough I feel, I run out of things to talk about, sometimes it's just the same mindless talks about food, shopping or Korean drama for example. I struggle try to look for a topic to focus on practicing each week (I'm not the talkative type...haha). I had a teacher previously, and she gave me grammar lessons which I feel were really good and I was progressing. Now I do conversations with a different tutor whom I adore. But with only one 45-minute lesson a week for the past 2 years, I feel I haven't improved, sort of stuck at the same level. Perhaps I need to find ways to expand my vocabulary. I'd be happy when I get to your level. Anyway, I meant to say I'm not sure if watching these videos would help a learner or not although it's very interesting. Good, well done though.

[@GermaineJapanese]

Hi, thanks so much for watching and commenting. How long have you been studying Japanese? I totally agree with you that italki conversations are tough. Even though I've done so many now, I still stress out over them, and my brain always feels like it's working at 100%. It's also hard finding things to talk about so there is the danger of always falling into topics one is comfortable with. In my next conversations (not posted yet), I actually forced myself to talk about different things just so I could get out of my comfort zone a bit. It wasn't great but I felt like I was pushed a little more. I think watching conversational videos help if the conversations are a little above your level, just nice enough for you to catch some new words. If it's too easy then it defeats the point I think. One thing that helps is listening to more native Japanese content and shadowing. Noriko sensei's Japanese podcasts are great for that in my opinion. you can check her out! If you can output a little through writing that helps too because it reveals all the things you are unable to express in Japanese.

[@fffuuuiiis2948]

Hi Germaine, good to read your response. I've had a little over 2.5 years of Japanese, 1 hour a week, about 130 hours come to think of it. The first year was with a teacher and mostly grammar from Minna no Nihongo and some conversations and journal writing, then the past year or so all conversations with a tutor, my conversation skills improved a lot then. I adore both of them, always looking forward to seeing them every week, a lot of fun and laughter, not stressful at all. I started to do shadowing with my tutor now. I just feel lately I've reached a plateau and have not improved, so feeling a bit depressed about that, trying to break out of my rut. I still think listening to general chit chats do not help. Perhaps you can set a topic for each of your future videos, checking in a hotel or making some food or whatever your interests maybe, or discussing an easy news topic. Just a thought. Good luck with your videos.

[@GermaineJapanese]

To be honest, I think 1h x 2.5 years is really not that long, so I'd be very impressed if you've reached a stage where you can communicate fluently. It's generally said that Japanese fluency demands around 2,200 hours of study time-that's six years if you study for an hour a day. If you're thinking of really pushing yourself out of that plateau then I think some deliberate study of more advance vocabulary might help too. In any case, I wish you the best in your studies!

[@Yokai_94]

I am at a level where i can understand basic conversations in japanese but speaking is still kinda difficult what would you recommend doing in order to become better? Also i really like your videos 😀👍 i watch a lot of conversations like these.

[@GermaineJapanese]

I understand how that feels. I feel like I was stuck (and have been stuck) at the intermediate stage for very long. I think one think you can try doing to improve speaking in particular is to pick short pieces of content that you like (or might be relevant to what you might use in real life). Listen to it multiple times and then, referring to the english translation of it, try to replicate it yourself. It's a mixture of memory and translation skills, but over time I think it helps you come up with Japanese sentences quicker and more accurately.

[@Yokai_94]

So recently i listen to a lot of podcasts in about upper beginner lower intermediate level, and two i really like are "nihongo con Teppei" and "Learn japanese with Noriko" they also have a podcast where they speak together. These have really helped me but most importantly for me are entertaining so i basically go for hours sometimes just listening to them, i really recommend their podcasts if you don't know them.

[@Uein]

This tutor doesn't seem to be active.

[@ssibal444]

I don't think you're between N3-N4. That's too humble, and I personally would rate you at least way above even in average N3 holder, or in N2 level. You said your speaking is not great, but JLPT level doesn't depend on your active vocabulary but your passive vocabulary for you to be able to actually just understand.

[@GermaineJapanese]

Thank you for saying that! Honestly though, I feel that the topics in this conversation happened to be ones that I’m more comfortable with. I might struggle a lot more with other ones! My listening is definitely better than my speaking but I also sometimes try to guess contextually when I don’t understand what is being said. I’ve been working through N3 in the last year or two, but haven’t really been able to get through everything yet. But yea, I do think I’m now around the N3 level, although I haven’t taken the exam yet (not sure if I will either) That said, I guess it is true that JLPT levels aren’t really the most representative of one’s true ability anyway!

[@バカカバ-o4k]

@@GermaineJapanese Hi Germaine, Lately I’ve been listening too this channel a lot kzbin.info%E3%82%AF%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B9%E3%81%AE%E9%83%A8%E5%B1%8B I hope that link works lol the channel is called Chris’s Room クリスの部屋。It has really levelled up my listening ability a lot. It is a channel aimed primarily at Japanese people, but the way Chrisさん speaks is really clear, and for some reason I have found it really easy to understand. So it’s giving me a lot of really good comprehensible input. The actual content of the videos is really good as well. Check it out if you’re interested, and let me know what you think! ☺️

[@GermaineJapanese]

Omg! Hahha I watch his videos too! Don’t know how I stumbled on his channel but I think I watch a lot of these stuff in English so I figured why not kill too birds with one stone and watch content like that in Japanese.

[@バカカバ-o4k]

@@GermaineJapanese Oh really! Haha awesome! That’s cool. Yeah I don’t know why but for some reason I find him really easy to understand. Then I find another video with someone else speaking and I almost understand nothing again 🤣 it’s so weird! Maybe he’s actually speaking English 😆🤔 How do you find watching Dramas? Of course it depends on the specific Drama.. but generally I find them more difficult to understand, compared to a KZbin video of someone speaking about a current topic or social issue or something... How about you? Do you feel like Dramas are more difficult??

[@GermaineJapanese]

Yea I think KZbin videos tend to be more formal presentations so that makes the content easier to understand. I find dramas harder to understand but I think they might be more representative of natural Japanese speech.

[@naturalmedicinewriting5208]

Great video and editing とても明るいです

[@GermaineJapanese]

Thank you!!! ☺️☺️☺️

[@hridoybormon7091]

😍😍

[@easywaywin]

Hello I have also KZbin Chanel. About japan and Japanese language. So I want talk to you in Japanese language

[@wajdiammar]

When you give me a lessons in English too ..plz ..haw can I speak to you

[@GermaineJapanese]

Hahha so maybe I should consider becoming a teacher on italki too? 🙊

[@wajdiammar]

@@GermaineJapanese HHhH maybe but I want you help me as a friend 😢 I promise I don't bother you to o much, just a few time per month and if you find me annoying just ignore me or block me ..but plz meme give a way to contact you (Facebook, watshap, ..) I have been study English for 9 months now and I need to starting output ..I wataing for your response

[@GermaineJapanese]

@@wajdiammar Thank you but I for now I think I only have time to focus on my Japanese. You can try going on conversationexchange.com to find a language buddy though! That's what I did!

[@wajdiammar]

@@GermaineJapanese Thank you ..I try this but I don't found Americans who wants learn Arabic against English 😢.. So thanks for your response meme 🌹I hope you change your mind one day .. have a good day

[@psychicgeneral854]

New subscriber hopefully you will notice me😊

[@sara.cbc92]

What ethnicity are you?

[@GermaineJapanese]

Hi Sara, I'm a Singaporean of Chinese descent. My family doesn't communicate in mandarin but I've learnt it since kindergarten so I do speak it.

[@fortemusicislandpiano]

GermaineさんはN1じゃない😁日本語をペラペラねー❗️🌸

[@GermaineJapanese]

そうだったらいいのになあ！

[@fortemusicislandpiano]

@@GermaineJapanese ❤️😊