Top 5 Things To Consider for Learning Mandarin Chinese
Learn Mandarin Chinese can be done in many different ways. As there is so much resource online now, but sometimes it’s a bit confusing for many new Chinese learners.
Follow our site and you will find lots of interviews, and research to help you learn mandarin along the way. In this article we will cover 5 major things we usually get asked about:
1. Learning Chinese in Mainland China or Taiwan
Despite all the Chinese learning resources/tools we have today, many of Chinese learners we interviewed told us the similar thing:
The most effective way to learn Chinese and the best way to become fluent is to study or live in China. Needless the say, living in China gives you lots of opportunities to practice Chinese, and also give you the opportunity to learn about the Chinese culture and etiquette. So if you are serious about improving your Chinese, consider living in China.
2. Great places to practice your Chinese
In most Chinese first tier cities like Shanghai, Beijing locals are more likely talk to foreign people in English. In order to avoid that language battle, some foreigners find it living in second tier city like Chengdu where English is not widespread will have more chances to practice their Chinese. Plus, the living cost is much cheaper in those second tier cities.
3. Mix with local Chinese when in China
Many foreigners will usually go to western restaurant or bars with their foreign friends even though in China. It’s not very helpful to practice Chines if you could only speak English all day long. It’s similar to those over sea Chinese who live in Chinatown that still speak poor English after so many years.
4. “1 on 1” learning Chinese
Instead going to a big class or school to learn Chinese (It’s expensive as well), 1 on 1 learning proves to be very effective to improve your Chinese quickly. If you are living in China right now, then finding yourself a Chinese tutor is much easier and the cost is lower. It’s probably the best ways to improve your speaking Chinese.
5. You can find lots of great resources for free
If you are a student or your budget is very tight. Choosing the right resources is very important. In fact, we recently did a research about how to learn Chinese. We asked more than 50 Chinese learners the top resources they use to learn Chinese. For example, ITALKI is a great tool mentioned by many times. It helps you to find native speaker in low cost. In the research we just mentioned above, there are more than a hundred free and low cost resources to get started.
Last but not least, the key take away is it takes time to become fluent in any language. Chinese language is not exception. I understand so many langue learning blogs or products out there claim to help you speak fluently in days or couple of months. From the interviews we did, it takes years of hard work to get you to the advanced level. I hope you enjoy learning Chinese and become fluent in the future!
