Annoying habits of Japanese people

[untmdsprt]

This also could be said of any country though:

My Japanese friends and other aquaintences will always try to finish my sentence or instantly correct me when I'm trying to speak Japanese. It's bad enough that I have to stop and think of what I want to say, but then add on someone doing either of these?!? It's to the point of why even bother speaking when someone's going to do it for you. I'm not around these people to be my teachers, and I certainly don't interrupt them when they are trying to speak English.

It's bad enough my own mother does this to me in our native English, and I'm trying to get her to stop. How do you tell these people that I don't want their help, and to allow me to finish my thought first?

[jemstone]

maybe they're excited to help you coz you're learning their language. i'm thinking,

scenario 1:
they find it awkward to correct a friend when the friend makes a mistake during a conversation so instead of getting into that awkwardness, they'll help you get the correct sentence so.

scenario 2:
they may think that what they're doing is a good way for you to learn their language but may not realize that you can't learn effectively this way.

as for how to tell them to stop this habit... i'm not sure... i'm not good at telling people to stop doing something politely.. heehe.

if i were stuck in your situation, i'll just not tell them anything, but in the background i'll work doubly hard and speak doubly quick so that they can't finish my sentence for me. if i say something wrong, we'll all have a good laugh is all.

[untmdsprt]

Umm, I can always correct their English and finish their sentences for them until they find me annoying.

Or, I can tell them to go ahead and speak for me.

[Tom]

Say one or two words, then pause for them to complete, then try saying the next two words, ... Or leave out just enough of every sentence that they would have to correct you after every thing you say!

Muahaha, so passive-agressive!

[jemstone]

Umm, I can always correct their English and finish their sentences for them until they find me annoying.

the danger with doing that is they might actually find it helpful and want you to do it all the time!

[Ulver_684]

This also could be said of any country though:

My Japanese friends and other aquaintences will always try to finish my sentence or instantly correct me when I'm trying to speak Japanese. It's bad enough that I have to stop and think of what I want to say, but then add on someone doing either of these?!? It's to the point of why even bother speaking when someone's going to do it for you. I'm not around these people to be my teachers, and I certainly don't interrupt them when they are trying to speak English.

It's bad enough my own mother does this to me in our native English, and I'm trying to get her to stop. How do you tell these people that I don't want their help, and to allow me to finish my thought first?

untmdsprt-san!

Great Topic!

[southurst]

you're lucky, i wish my japanese friends would correct me -- usually they just let me stumble through and then look at me like i just stepped on a snail with bare feet (yeah i know, my japanese is awful). but man, i want them to tell me what i'm doing wrong...

[jemstone]

but that's cool... if they give you weird looks after your japanese speech, just ask them if what you said was correct... usually it's correct but just doesn't come out right coz of very minute errors.

in my experience with my only japanese friend in church (actually three of them, husband, wife, and their 1 year old daughter), he would generally get the idea of what i'm trying to put across, but just some changes or modifications here and there he'd tell me.

[untmdsprt]

I no longer have the Japanese friends when I first posted this topic. Just as well, one of them would command me to speak Japanese like I was a dog.

I think I should just pay a teacher to correct my Japanese. Now to find a good one that won't speak English to me and is capable of teaching.

[jemstone]

I no longer have the Japanese friends when I first posted this topic. Just as well, one of them would command me to speak Japanese like I was a dog.

that's mean!

[untmdsprt]

I don't know if she meant it that way or not, but that's how I felt.

[Ulver_684]

I no longer have the Japanese friends when I first posted this topic. Just as well, one of them would command me to speak Japanese like I was a dog.

that's mean!

Jemstone-san!

I agree with you! I prefer to speak Wolf Japanese.

[untmdsprt]

Update: I've found a wonderful 20 year old Japanese man who is more than happy for us to chat in either language. He helps me with my Japanese, and I help him with English.

He's a hoot to talk to, and now if I can get him to understand when you to use "a" and "the" and when you don't.

Last time I talked to him was via webcam for 3 hours about 開く、and　開ける, vegetables, and fruits. Yeah I know, simple topics, but it got us talking in each other's language!! We both like ザクロ, and Newbie lesson #13 helped me with the kanji he was using.

It's fun when you learned something from Jpod101 and can finally use it in the real world!!

[Ulver_684]

Update: I've found a wonderful 20 year old Japanese man who is more than happy for us to chat in either language. He helps me with my Japanese, and I help him with English.

He's a hoot to talk to, and now if I can get him to understand when you to use "a" and "the" and when you don't.

Last time I talked to him was via webcam for 3 hours about 開く、and　開ける, vegetables, and fruits. Yeah I know, simple topics, but it got us talking in each other's language!! We both like ザクロ, and Newbie lesson #13 helped me with the kanji he was using.

It's fun when you learned something from Jpod101 and can finally use it in the real world!!

Untmdsprt-san!

Those are great news, thanks for the updates!

[ShiroiNeko]

I wish I had a Japanese speaking friend to talk to

I practice my lessons with our cat - I have taught her to "kite kudasai" but apart from she is not much of a conversationist - she just goes to sleep

Fierce cat