ADHD

I'm learning danish while living in Denmark. I have terrible ADHD. I think the biggest two things I've found that's helped my pronunciation and helped a lot with understanding casual spoken speech has been a) singing together with others. I think the dopamine and activeness of trying to predict how a line will be said Vs how people actually sing it shows how words can be changed and chopped up and how they can't (how do people naturally change or squash together syllables to fit the song and/or rhyming)

B) is podcasts. I have found them very good for commuting/gaming. At first they were language learning ones specifically but now its stories, trivia, etc. I still really struggle to listen to podcasts with multiple hosts but im getting there. I think seeing stuff with subtitles is a bit of a trap - i found myself quite reliant on them and couldn't understand anything with them off. Much better to struggle through podcasts bit by bit, pausing where I need, and after a couple of them I was mostly up to speed

Oh, I am also learning a difficult language (Polish).

I did find a couple of things that can be useful:

• Buy a dictionary Japanese - (your native tongue), use it to look for unknown words, do not use your phone, alternatively buy a Japanese dictionary and search for the word meaning.
• Maybe you already are, but opt for language classes with a medium size group (less than 8 preferably).
• In my case my girlfriend is Polish so I ask her from time to time for some specific sentences I may use, if this is not your case, I think a few Preply lessons could help with a native speaker.
• Memes, for some reason I picked up on the language faster through memes, if you are already struggling it helps to “relax” and check for something on the phone, also the words used there are the ones that natives actually use.
• Last one is, use your medication, I have 2 pills, one that lasts 5-7 hours and one that acts immediately after taking it, but last maximum 2 hours.

Happy learning 😇

Nope!

English was so easy to pick up because I consumed so much English language media that it completely fucked me when it came to taking French and Spanish.

Do you watch Japanese shows / movies with Japanese subtitles?

Playing a bit faster can help, yes.

Have you tried listening to subject that interest you?

Don't know about you, but my mind wanders little if I'm fascinated with something.

i don’t know if this has actually been helpful (i haven’t been actively learning new languages due to chronic illness), but i’ve listened to my favorite songs in other languages (disney songs are great for this, probably broadway songs as well)

and when i realize i understand a certain line, i get that sweet, sweet dopamine hit, too

i suspect it’s been somewhat helpful because the languages seem more “familiar” to me, even if i still can’t fully understand them

If you like anime, then listening to Japanese is easy.