How much time would it take me to speak enough japanese to have a conversation with someone from Japan? -

I am currently working on Pimsleur tapes 1-3. What else should I do to speak it. Should I hire a teacher over skype? I am in the navy and will be stationed in Japan in the next few months. Basically I just want to have a decent conversation with urban Japanese. Has anyone learned Japanese over a period of time with Pimsleur and some private classes?

The tapes and some lessons will really help get you started, but the fastest way to learn Japanese is to surround yourself with the language. Basically, go to Japan, even if you re not fluent. I also suggest you learn katakana. Hiragana and kanji may be important, but many items and foods that would be familiar to you will be written in katakana. In fact, one of my uncles lives in Japan, speaks next to no Japanese, and gets by just on katakana. English is all but their second language, you know, so I m sure they ll help you out if your Japanese fails you. Also, learn these phrases: quot;speak slower pleasequot;, quot;I don t understandquot; and quot;Can we speak in English?quot; if you don t know them already.

just immerse into the environment. pickup useful expressions. in time you ll be able to converse japanese. the best practice is to listen and mimic them while understanding what they mean at the same time.