奈津子さん,
thank you very, very much for your comments and help!
Actually, I already got quite a bit of sentence patterns and grammar points, but as I said, only in understanding. The hard part is knowing them, when using japanese, and knowing when to use which form or sentence pattern. That said, I do indeed have some questions!
community.japanese wrote:他の人も参加してくれるかな?
Hope others will aslo join us!
I get the てくれる-part. It's that someone did something for me - is that right? But I don't get the かな-part. Is that the "hope" in the sentence? How is that last part constructed?
1. これは手紙を書いて始まりたいです。With this I want to start some letters to you.
=> Would it be みなさんに手紙を書きたいと思います。 which is literally "I'd like to write letters to you all"?
That one sounds much more natural. Anyway, 3 questions remain:
1. Why is it と思います? I was under the impression that's only for things I think or opinions. Is it for intentions also?
2. If I wanted to keep the "to start" connotation, would it have to be みなさんに手紙を書きたいを始まります?
3. How would the sentence pattern be if I wanted to say "I want to start doing somethingsomething?" My guess would still be "somethinsomething-て始まりたいです".
2. which has one of the key grammar in Japanese.
Please see the corrected sentence below.
日本語は、読んだり聞いたりするだけでは勉強できないと思います。書いたり話したりもするべきです。
Ah, I always forget the -たり -たり construction.

Thanks for the reminder. Do I always have to conclude that with する or only in this case?
3. 日本語を暇に勉強します。趣味です。
I‘m learning japanese in my freetime. It‘s my hobby.
=> That's a lovely hobby!
The word 暇 is a tricky word, as far as its usage is concerned, and "in my free time" in Japanese is
暇な時に
暇な時に、日本語を勉強します。
Thanks. It's a much fun hobby too.
I get the tricky part about 暇 now. I guess I just have to remember that for next time. But the questions 暇ですか is correct, when asking someone if he/she has time to spare, yes?
4. 一回目10年前に始まりました。でも、時間がなかったので、5年ぐらい前にやめりました。
I first started about ten years ago, but about 5 years ago I stopped because I didn‘t have time anymore.
=> Oh, that's a pity, but it was probably just not right time for you then
There can be several different ways to say "I first started about ten years ago", but how about this one?
初めて日本語を勉強したのは10年前です。(Lit. The first time I studied Japanese was 10 years ago.)
OR
私は10年前に日本語を勉強し始めました。(Lit. I started studying Japanese 10 years ago.)
And then,
でも、時間がなかったので、5年ぐらい前にやめました。
It's やめました not やめりました
Yeah, I really didn't get forward during my university years.
Your alternatives are much better of course. I'll try to remember them If I get to a similar sentence construction again.
And sometimes it's hard to differ godan-verbs from ichidan-verbs when they're ending in る.

So やめる is ichidan. check!
5.今、多少の月までもう勉強します。
Now I‘m learning again for a couple of months.
=> Considering the "flow" of your composition, I think it'd be better to say
そして、数ヶ月前に勉強を再開しました。 (Lit. And, I re-started my study some months ago.)
If it was "a couplet of months" (= 2 months), it can be 2か月前 instead of 数ヶ月前
we just don't have "a couple of months" in Japanese, and we simply say 2~3ヶ月for such cases
No, it's a couple. I think 4 months by now. I didn't know that japanese didn't have "a couple of months". Very important information. So I would have to say: 4月ぐらい前にもう始まりました。 (Your alternative is much better of course, but I didn't know the vocab like 再開する... But I do now!

)
Oh, and: why is it written 数ヶ but read すうか? What exactly is the ヶ?
6. 日本の本を読めたいんで、映画やテレビショーを見れたいんです。
I want to be able to read japanese novels and watch japanese movies and TV-shows.
=> 日本の本を読んだり、日本の映画やテレビのショーを見たりできるようになりたいんです。
This is a bit difficult perhaps. Please check the corrected sentence above.
Of course! *hand-slaps-forehead*
Another great example that I know the sentence pattern but don't get it to my head when using japanese.
Again the -たり -たり construction from above (And again with the plain form, this time できる, so I guess the plain form is neccessary after -たり -たり. Just to answer my own question from above.)
And ように なる is the sentence pattern to explain, that one is getting better / good at something. Or in this case: WANT to get better / good at something.

Is that correct?
That's what I meant: the hardest part in a new language isn't to understand a sentence pattern, but to get them stored away in a way that you can use them when neccessary.
7. 不変化詞は一番難しくてことがあると思います。
=> I believe it was supposed to be
不規則変化動詞は、一番難しいと思います。
(Lit. I think irregular conjugation verbs are the most difficult.)
It actually was supposed to mean particles... I never know when to use which one.

I looked that up, maybe I got it wrong.
8. 私はもっとわかりたいんでしょう。 また後で
I‘d like to know more. See you.
=> I think the best and the most natural way to say "I'd like to know more" in this context would be
(みなさんのことを) いろいろ知りたいです。 in Japanese. This is not a literal translation, but
this is how we say in this situation/composition.
Ah, of course I didn't know that. That too, I will try to remember for next time.
Then, ではまた (or またね in a casual way) would be
better, as we use また後で when we literally meet each other later on (in most case, later on the same day).
There are so many different ways to say "bye" in japanese... I guess there only stays the trial and error way, or is there any other way?

I'll remember that one too.
I thank you very much for your effort, really. It's helping me so much!! I know there's still a lot of work ahead of me, but getting my mistakes shown really helps to know where to work. So I truly appreciate it.

どうもありがとうございました。
You left me with some things to ponder upon. I'll try to find similar sentences in my next "letters" to keep practicing them.
またね
くろくま