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What is the best way to learn how to improvise sentences in Japanese?

The best way to practice improvising in any language is to have a conversation in that language, especially if your partner is a native speaker of that language. Do you have any classmates, friends, or family who also study or speak Japanese? If so, maybe you could have a conversation together, coming up with challenging questions that encourage you to think of new answers. If there isn't anyone who can speak with you in-person, you...

The best way to practice improvising in any language is to have a conversation in that language, especially if your partner is a native speaker of that language. Do you have any classmates, friends, or family who also study or speak Japanese? If so, maybe you could have a conversation together, coming up with challenging questions that encourage you to think of new answers. If there isn't anyone who can speak with you in-person, you could consider finding an online "penpal" who can video chat with you in Japanese. Many tutoring companies now offer video-chat for students who are working with their tutors from a distance-- this might be a good way for you to practice with someone who can correct your grammar if need be.


Alternately, you could try the following exercises which do not require conversation partners. The first exercise is essentially writing and re-writing a sentence. Think of a question or phrase which might come up in conversation, such as, "How are you?" Next, write down as many possible answers, in as many possible variations as you can think of. While both, "Good," and "I'm doing very well," carry similar meaning, they express different levels of formality. This is a great way to help you strengthen your mental bank of answers to questions which might come up in conversation, allowing you to improvise more easily. The next exercise I recommend is to create some flash cards of verbs, nouns, and adjectives. Draw several from the "deck" of cards, and challenge yourself to create a sensible sentence using those words! 


You might also enjoy watching films or television programs in Japanese to hear the many different ways one phrase can be said. Japanese language employs different word forms and grammar structures based on level of formality, so watching a variety of films may help you get a feel for when it's appropriate to use certain forms of language. 

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