What is your experience of learning Chinese?
The learning experiences of every person are not the same. And for some of the people, for the sake of learning a language, they go to a huge extent, e.g., going to China. Here I am not going to lie, going to China to study Chinese is a luxury that will help you greatly in your learning language and this is something not everyone can afford.
For me, learning Chinese has been a hobby and a requirement. So, probably this commitment made it easier for me to remain on this journey, despite stretching it out for so long. At the beginning of the journey, everything will be difficult, for this, you need to have good material and need to have a good platform that gets your back. everyone has his or her way of learning the language, I believe. If you do not have one then it is better to follow my rule and try out learning Chinese.
As for my experience, here it goes:
- Follow a Structure — I followed the HSK! This is probably my most important tip specifically for those learning Chinese. Unlike other languages, where you can go quite a distance learning from anyone (including yourself), Chinese requires a method and structure. Fortunately, China’s Ministry of Education has devised a very structured learning Program with 6 distinct levels.
- Listen! Listen! Listen! -Listen first and speak is a traditional method that is used by many linguists to learn a language. Nobody automatically speaks before listening. You first imitate your trainers’ pronunciations before you learn to speak. As long as you listen you will be able to speak correctly. Listen to podcasts as much as you can, you can try out radio too. Listen to good Chinese songs and get familiarise with the tone and the accent of the native. After a regular try, you will be able to understand the accent and the tone of the native. This will not only help you while you learn but it will also help you in the long run.
- Use a Chinese-English Dictionary: there are many dictionaries that you can use to learn Chinese words. It is not shameful to use a dictionary, it is much better than blindly using words that you don’t know. You can try out ‘NEVER-PAPAGO’ which is free and supports many other languages. This has been by far the most important tool in my Chinese language learning kits. What makes Chinese a difficult language is the fact that it is pictographic, rather than phonetic. Most Chinese learners I know are “afraid” of characters. And so was I.so do not worry and follow the flow.
- Grammar is Key: AllSet Learning: Chinese Grammar This resource has been the single most important one for me to ensure that I am able to bring all my learning together and use it all in a practical manner in everyday life. The AllSet Chinese Grammar Wiki does a fantastic job of summarizing all the rules and nuances of Chinese grammar, in the form of an inter-connected referenceable Wiki.
- Join a good online Chinese learning platform- finding a good platform to learn the language is a very difficult job to do. As the Chinese language is a very difficult language to learn, if you are not careful while selecting the platform it will be difficult for you in the long run. You can try the platform called Multibhashi, a wonderful language learning platform that provides everything that language learners need. You can try it out for yourself by visiting its website www.multibhashi.com .
Finally,
Hope this helps you out in your Chinese learning journey as well. Happy learning!