Learning a foreign language is an exciting and challenging endeavor. Chinese, in particular, is a language that takes a lot of work for beginners to tackle.
Students should focus on listening and reading first before tackling the spoken language. Setting aside daily time to learn characters is also a good idea. There are a few ways to go about doing this:
Practice makes perfect
When learning Chinese, it’s important to commit to daily practice. There are many different resources for students, including free videos on YouTube and podcasts. However, suppose you’ll spend time practicing your speaking and listening. In that case, it’s best to work to enroll in Mandarin classes with an educator who can give you a structured curriculum.
For example, you can utilize a Mandarin blueprint deck of sentences or Chinese flashcards to practice speaking on your commute or at home. This will help you develop your speaking skills and improve your reading. A structured curriculum will also make keeping your motivation up for the long haul easier.
Similarly, finding a language exchange partner or joining a local group of Chinese learners is a good idea. This will allow you to practice your Mandarin in a real-world environment and learn new vocabulary you wouldn’t find in textbooks. This will help you become more fluent in your Mandarin language and speak like a native speaker. Also, it’s important to make learning fun and not a chore. You’ll lose motivation long before you reach proficiency if it feels like a chore.
Listen to native speakers.
Whether it’s to help students identify Mandarin Chinese tones or learn characters, listening to native speakers is an important part of learning any language. But it’s not enough to rely solely on podcasts, apps, and books (though those are also great tools!). It’s important to set goals and have a plan for what you want to accomplish.
For example, if you want to be able to communicate in a restaurant, it’s good to start by listening to some food-related vocabulary and common phrases in Chinese. After that, you can practice your pronunciation by repeating the words and phrases out loud.
Another good way to improve your listening skills is watching Chinese dramas or shows on Netflix. You can even find Chinese movies with English subtitles suitable for beginners! However, make sure to choose shows that are appropriate for your level. For instance, avoiding shows with complex plots or difficult dialogue is best if you’re a beginner.
Learn from your mistakes.
When learning a language, you must realize that you’ll make mistakes. While ignoring these mistakes and moving on may be tempting, this will only slow your progress. Instead, learn from your mistakes by identifying your errors and how to fix them.
For example, if you’re always using He to connect phrases in English, try changing this to another word or removing it altogether. This will help you understand how to form and join sentences in Mandarin.
Another common mistake is putting adverbs at the end of a sentence when they should go before the verb. Adverbs are extra information about a verb, such as time, place, or manner.
Regardless of your mistakes, it’s important to remember why you’re learning Mandarin. This will help you push past any learning roadblocks and stay motivated. It could be as simple as placing that you want to travel to China, communicate with your Chinese friends, or improve your professional life. Remember these goals when working on your Chinese; they will surely come to fruition.
Ask questions
Learning to ask questions is one of the most important skills for any language learner. This is because most conversation in Chinese consists of questions and answers, so having the right question words at your disposal is essential. Chinese interrogative words include: who, what, where, when, why, and how.
The more questions you can ask, the better! It’s also a good idea to know the tones for this word. Different tones mean different things in Chinese, so you may be misunderstood if you get it wrong.
You can practice asking questions with native speakers or even other Mandarin learners. But be careful not to become too serious about it! If learning Mandarin starts to feel like work, it will be a lot harder to stick with it. So remember why you started learning in the first place, which will help keep you motivated. It could be for travel, a new career opportunity, or to connect with people from China. Whatever your reason, keep it in mind, and you’ll be speaking Chinese in no time!
Make friends
In the world of language learning, it is important to have friends. Having people to practice with can help you learn quickly, and they will also support you when you are struggling. This can be especially helpful if you are learning a difficult language.
Mandarin is very challenging to master, especially with its complicated tone system.
Whether learning in a classroom setting or on your own, finding friends to practice with can help make learning Mandarin much easier. Plus, hanging out with people who speak the same language is always fun! If you live in a large city, there are groups for Mandarin learners. If you need help, try reaching out to locals or scouring your neighborhood for Chinese restaurants, where you can find people interested in learning the language. You may find a group that meets up regularly!