how to make clear that your japanese is bad?


When I travelled Japan I always started off talking to Japanese people with
the following sentence:

> すいません、私の日本語は下手です。。。

This would always get the typical "oh" and nodding heads in answer and then
they would start to blabber in their normal speed and difficulty. Of course
absolutely incomprehensible to me as a Japanese language beginner.

As it seems a typical construct (maybe as a form of politeness) to have little
excusing introductions in Japanese. I thought it might be so custom to a
Japanese person. That they just "overhear" what I'm actually saying and just
listen to the fact that I'm talking Japanese. Maybe similar to "sorry for
interrupting...".

Anyway, what do you think is a good way to actually make clear to a Japanese
person. That you really can't speak Japanese well and they have to talk slowly
and in simple sentences?




> You: すいません、私の日本語は下手です…  
>  相手の日本人: えっ？ちゃんと喋{しゃべ}れるじゃないですか。それで十分ですよ。

If you can't follow the full sentence, say the sentence to the point where you
can understand following "なんですか？" with a troubled face.

> You: ちゃんと (pause) なんですか？

Then the Japanese can understand your hearing ability, and say slowly again

> ちゃんと 喋れる じゃ ないですか

Or at the beginning you can say

> すみません、私の日本語は下手です。ゆっくり話してくれませんか？




> You: すいません、私の日本語は下手です…  
>  相手の日本人: えっ？ちゃんと喋{しゃべ}れるじゃないですか。それで十分ですよ。

If you can't follow the full sentence, say the sentence to the point where you
can understand following "なんですか？" with a troubled face.

> You: ちゃんと (pause) なんですか？

Then the Japanese can understand your hearing ability, and say slowly again

> ちゃんと 喋れる じゃ ないですか

Or at the beginning you can say

> すみません、私の日本語は下手です。ゆっくり話してくれませんか？

