Do you feel nervous when talking to someone in Japanese?

Even if you have no trouble speaking in your native language, having a conversation in a language you’re still learning can feel overwhelming.

So… what can you do?

Actually, all you need to do is add short phrases or sentences you’ve learned.

Sounds simple, right? Let’s give it a try!

1. Start with a smile and a greeting:

「こんにちは！今日も暑いですねー」
“Hello! It’s really hot again today!”

→ Just like that, you’ve made small talk about the weather.

「今日は（気温）33℃もあるそうです。」
“They say it’s 33 degrees today!”

→ You’re adding a bit more information. Great!

What could you add next?

2. Bring up a seasonal topic:

こんな日は、かき氷を食べたくなります〜。あ、スイカもいいですよね。
“On a day like this, I really feel like having shaved ice. Oh, watermelon sounds great too!”

→ Now you’re talking about summer foods that help you cool down.

You’re doing well so far! Let’s keep going by adding one more kind of sentence…

3. Ask the other person a question:

〜さんは、暑い日に何を食べますか？
“What do you eat on hot days?”

Now the other person replies:

わたしは毎日、ガリガリ君を食べちゃうね！
“I end up eating Gari-Gari-kun every day!”

(Gari-Gari-kun is a cheap and popular popsicle sold at convenience stores and supermarkets in Japan.)

4. Respond to what they say and keep going:

あ、それ、いろいろ種類がありますよね。
“Oh, that comes in so many flavors, right?”

→ You’re reacting to what they said. That’s good conversation!

Why not ask a bit more?

何の味が好きですか？
“What flavor do you like?”

They answer:

わたしは、やっぱりソーダ味が好きかな。
“I’d say I like the soda flavor best.”

You:
ソーダ味、いいですね〜。家の近くにコンビニがあります。食べたくなりました。行って買ってみます！
“Soda flavor—nice! There’s a convenience store near my house. Now I feel like eating one too. I’ll go buy one!”

Did you notice something? Does that conversation seem long?
Actually, all we did was add short, simple sentences one at a time!

Let’s look at the full conversation:

You:

こんにちは！今日も暑いですねー。今日は（気温）33℃もあるそうです。こんな日は、かき氷を食べたくなります〜。あ、スイカもいいですよね。〇〇さんは、暑い日に何を食べますか？

Partner: 

わたしは毎日、ガリガリ君を食べちゃうね！

You:

あ、それ、いろいろ種類がありますよね。
何の味が好きですか？

Partner: 

わたしは、やっぱりソーダ味が好きかな。

You:

ソーダ味、いいですね〜。家の近くにコンビニがあります。食べたくなりました。行って買ってみます！

By simply adding short phrases you’ve learned, you can build a full, natural conversation in Japanese!
And being able to talk like this feels great, doesn’t it? 😆✨

So give it a try—start with small, easy Japanese sentences you know and build from there.
You’ll find that conversations can be fun and achievable!