help me learn japanese?

[Elhayym]

i've taken 1 semester of a 2 semester japanese course...and i still can't hold a conversation. could someone help me with basic, informal talking in japanese please?

thanks much.  

[Meriru]

Elhayym

i've taken 1 semester of a 2 semester japanese course...and i still can't hold a conversation. could someone help me with basic, informal talking in japanese please?

thanks much.

Well, how much do you know? Or what have you learned so far in your course?  

[Elhayym]

dunno, i've forgotten most of it...like...we covered the first half of the first genki book. idk if you know that one but....

ok...i can't actually remember much beyond watashi wa Elly desu. you know, and random words like kitsune.

sorries.  

[Meriru]

Im familiar with Genki, and I'm using it for self study. Looks like you forgot quite a lot. Do you still remember how to read and write hiragana and katakana?  

[Elhayym]

mostly but my comp. is having trouble enabling the languages..so i have to wait for that part...in real life, i can write them..though sometimes i forget...  

[Meriru]

Elhayym

mostly but my comp. is having trouble enabling the languages..so i have to wait for that part...in real life, i can write them..though sometimes i forget...

Well, I can help you out with mostly basics. It will be hard for me to just explain everything. So if you have any questions about Japanese grammar, I'll answer with what I know. We can start from there.  

[Elhayym]

cool thanks. Um. so i guess we all know what wa and desu mean. desu ka is like a question. desu yo is for sure and desu ne, is like isn't it? or so it is...like soo desu ne.

otenki ga atsui desu ne. (hope that's right)

ga and wa are sometimes confusing...like ga hoshi(i) and ga suki.

i guess you just have to memorize when to use ga?  

[xX Baby Ougi Xx]

Elhayym

cool thanks. Um. so i guess we all know what wa and desu mean. desu ka is like a question. desu yo is for sure and desu ne, is like isn't it? or so it is...like soo desu ne.

otenki ga atsui desu ne. (hope that's right)

ga and wa are sometimes confusing...like ga hoshi(i) and ga suki.

i guess you just have to memorize when to use ga?

Don't get too comfortable with using "ne" it isn't used as a formal tongue of speaking, it's rather rude and slang. Something you would only use when speaking to close friends. The particles "wa" and "ga". "wa" Marks the topic of the sentence and the particle "ga" marks the subject of the sentence. Example: "I know where you live." (Watashi "wa" anata "ga" doko ni sunde iru ka shitte iru). "I" would be the topic and "you" would be the subject. Things like "sou desu ne" are from anime I can tell that much. That way of speaking, it won't paint a pretty picture for you. (Communication wise.)  

[Meriru]

Elhayym

cool thanks. Um. so i guess we all know what wa and desu mean. desu ka is like a question. desu yo is for sure and desu ne, is like isn't it? or so it is...like soo desu ne.

otenki ga atsui desu ne. (hope that's right)

ga and wa are sometimes confusing...like ga hoshi(i) and ga suki.

i guess you just have to memorize when to use ga?

From what I know, "yo" is a sentence ender that makes your statement more assertive.

That watch is expensive. = sono tokei wa takai desu.
...as opposed to...
That watch is expensive! = sono tokei wa takai desu yo.

"ne" is a sentence ender that seeks approval. Yes, it can mean "right?" or "isn't it?". Your example is correct.

The weather is hot, huh? = otenki ga atsui desu ne.

But "ne" can also make your statement for friendly. For example, I've had penpals who have said "arigatou ne". Of course, that can't actually mean, "thanks, isn't it?" or "thanks, huh?". The "ne" is there for friendliness.

As for "ga", this is confusing for beginners. Even I had problems with this. You don't need to memorize when to use "ga". "ga" is a subject marker, just like "wo" is an object marker. "wa" is the topic marker. One technique to differentiate "wa" and "ga" is to equate "wa" as "As for...". For example:

Kanojo wa utsukushii desu. = As for her, beautiful. = She is beautiful.

kono kabanwa yasui desu. = As for this bag, cheap. = This bag is cheap.

Now let's use a sentence with "wa" and "ga".

watashi wa anata ga suki desu. = As for me, you, I like. = I like you.

Other uses of "ga" include emphasis.

I am Meriru. = watashi wa Meriru desu.
I am Meriru. = watashi ga Meriru desu.

In the first sentence, think about me answering the question, "Who are you?". In the second sentence, I am answering the question, "Who is Meriru?"

I hope I answered your questions. "ga" is actually a hard particle to learn really. It took me a long time to finally get it.