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Originally Posted by dogsbody70
My friend records some sentences for me which is useful but she doesn't have time to let me practice speaking with her. I cannot really afford to go to evening classes although I did go for some calligraphy lessons.
Wonder what others think about Helen Gilhooly.
I think where I really floundered was in the numbers and the various ways of counting.
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If your friend doesn't have time to practise, have you considered perhaps making friends online from Japan? It's just Skype and MSN would be very good ways to talk, be heard and have someone commuinicate back, and it's free too. If you did a search for pen pals or e-pals there's plenty out there of Japanese people seeking to learn English, as you're seeking to learn Japanese, it could be a good exchange. Some people on the forum may be willing to talk with you too
I have tried Helen Gilhooly, she's the one who wrote the "Teach Yourself" series I mentioned. I think that although she's excellent for beginners that she perhaps struggles with students who've progressed higher. I learnt a good and solid foundation from her works, but at the same time I did not get any real education in reading/writing or anything past the basics. I had to then get extra materials elsewhere to learn these things. So she has both good and bad points.
Also, I wouldn't be disheartened at struggling with the counting. The Japanese counting system is very complicated, and my billingual friends often count in their mother tongue because it's more natural to them, they can count in English but it's then a matter of not only translating the words but then counting in a different way too (if that makes sense?). So it's just a matter of patience and finding a way that works for you