
The Chinese language is the group of languages used by Chinese people in China and elsewhere. It forms part of a language family called the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. Chinese includes many regional language varieties, the main ones being Mandarin, Wu, Yue, and Min.
Can I learn to speak Chinese in a year?
It depends on your gift with language-learning as well as the time you are able to dedicate to learning it. If you study a few hours every day you’re going to learn a lot faster than someone who only spends one day a week learning Characters. If you are able to practice speaking along with your vocab and grammar memorization, then your conversational fluency will improve faster than someone who only studies out of a textbook. For example, if you study on your own it may take upwards of 5 years to reach a certain level of fluency, while the entire language-school system in China can be completed in less than 2 years
Let’s have a look at how you can learn to speak Chinese in a year.
Do you already know any language similar to Chinese?
If you know any language that is similar to Chinese then it will be easier for you to learn the language. Languages have their individual family origins, and the languages that come from the same family will share similar characteristics. I think it would be easier to learn Chinese after learning Japanese and vice versa because too many Chinese characters are used in Japanese.
So how long will it take to learn Chinese?
This is one of the first questions anyone interested in language learning asks, and unfortunately, there’s no easy way to answer it. Learning a language is a complex process that is different for each individual based on several different factors.
- Your Previous Language Learning Experiences: If you already speak a foreign language or were raised bilingual, you may save yourself some time as you learn Chinese. Bilinguals find it easier to learn a third language, as several linguistic studies have proven.
- The Language You Are Learning: Even if Chinese is considered one of the most difficult languages for English speakers to learn, this fascinating language is very conceptual, and this means that once you understand a framework, it’s very easy to get to the details.
- How You Are Learning: Your learning methods also play an important role in how fast you learn Chinese. If your language learning is limited to a classroom setting, then it will probably take you a little longer to learn. If, however, you also are exposed to Chinese outside of classes, then you can cut down the time needed to learn it. Reading, listening to the radio or eBooks, speaking, watching Chinese movies, and traveling to China can all help to speed up your learning process. We also recommend taking advantage of today’s technology to spice your daily life up with some Chinese elements!
- The Time You Dedicate to Learning: Naturally, how long it takes you to learn Chinese also depends on how much time you plan to dedicate to language learning daily, weekly, or monthly. Studies have proven that learners who are willing to dedicate an hour a day to language learning–whether that be by studying grammar, memorizing vocabulary, watching a movie, or reading a book–learn significantly faster than those who just attend a weekly class.
- Your Attitude: Your attitude also plays a huge role in how fast you learn Chinese. If you approach language learning with a positive attitude and see it as a fun and fascinating opportunity to broaden your horizons, you’ll be more open to learning.
- Your Motivation: It’s no secret that staying motivated is key to learning a new language. There have been so many studies proving the importance of motivation in language learning.
U.S Foreign Service Institute-
The U.S Foreign Service Institute performed a study and came to a conclusion that for English speakers learning Chinese will take approximately Mandarin is notoriously difficult to learn. The language is tonal, and fluency requires mastering thousands of characters. Mandarin competence takes 2,200 class hours, with half of that time spent in a country where it’s spoken. But this also varies from person to person according to different factors.
How much Chinese immersion you will be able to get and how much time you can contribute?
Studies reveal that many people could learn Chinese in one year with nearly full-time commitment and immersion learning. They could speak Chinese fluently within 12 months. Wow! That’s a great achievement. So you can do it too following the same method.
Immersion learning means a language-learning-method where you are surrounded by the language you are studying. Through immersion learning, you learn words naturally through context and repetition and here you don’t require to translate back and forth between your native language and Chinese. Immersion is accepted as one of the fastest ways to learn a language. But there is something you need to know regarding this. And that is to achieve total immersion you need to be living in China. Many people even from India followed this method and by immersion in China 24/7 along with getting a bit of focused language study they most of them got fluent within six months.
Along with this, what amount of time you are devoting to learn Chinese also matters to a great extent. Time and commitment are the fundamental factors of learning a new language. The more time you devote the faster you will learn. That’s simple logic!
Your ability to understand the language also matters.
Your language sense and ability to co-relate Chinese words will determine the time you will take to learn Chinese. Along with this, your focus on the Chinese grammar structure will also matter a lot.
What are the methods used by you?
Methods and techniques are other important points that will determine the speed of your learning. By simply working hard and putting in all your effort won’t work until and unless you are using the correct method of learning. You need both to succeed.
Speak and practice until you are tired.
You need to speak a lot without the fear of making a mistake. Making mistakes and learning from them will gradually help you to learn the language faster. Keep on practicing as it will make you more perfect!
Find a suitable Chinese tutor and try to leverage language hacking rules.
We all know that information is present in abundance but willpower is not. And one of the reasons why most of them fail to reach fluency in learning Chinese or other languages is the lack of proper accountability and guidance. Trying to find a coach or tutor to guide you throughout your language learning journey will make the journey very simple.
Also, try to leverage each and every possible advantage you can take to reach your goal faster instead of following just the traditional rules.
Conclusion
Chinese may be one of the most difficult languages for English speakers to learn, but that makes it all the more rewarding!
Keep in mind, however, that the quality of your study is more important than the quantity. Immersion experiences or daily practice can significantly limit how long it takes for you to learn Chinese.
Don’t be discouraged. You can and will learn Chinese faster than you expect. There are even cases (as the internet will surely tell you) of people who learn it in less than a year.
It’s also important to keep in mind that language learning is synonymous with practice. That means that reaching a certain level doesn’t guarantee that you will keep it for the rest of your life. Taking care of your Chinese is like taking care of your pet: you have to feed it, cuddle it, and take it out for a walk every once in a while.
In the end, You decide how quickly you become fluent in Chinese and how good your skills remain. With the right attitude, dedication, situation, and motivation, any language are within your reach. Also, last but not least do not forget to enroll online in a Chinese course of your choice.
All the best!