Introduction:

Before learning Chinese, it is essential to know what is in store for you. Chinese is a language that is both easy and difficult to learn, based on your perspective. Still, there are some things that are intrinsic to the language, such as the sentence order, the characters, and the different tones.

In this blog, we tell you the most important thing while learning chinese.

1. Tones

Chinese is a tonal language, just like Thai and Vietnamese. Mandarin is the most commonly spoken language, especially in China’s northern parts. There are four tones in Mandarin, and the change of tone equates to a change in meaning.

2. Chinese characters

Next to the tones, you should know the Chinese characters as this will aid you in reading texts in the same manner that the tones will help you to formulate and verbalise sentences. It could be a humongous task because overall there are over 50,000 Chinese characters.

3. Word order

Part of the confusion in learning Chinese is the word order. Basically, it is similar to what you are used to if you are an English language speaker. The basic sentence is in SVO or subject + verb + object. While this is a good starting point, in most cases, the subject is not as clear-cut in Mandarin as in English. Mandarin sentences are more focused on the topic.

4. You should have a purpose

Although it is one of the most difficult languages to learn, it is not going to be an impossible endeavor. However, you need to have consistent focus. You should be definite about your purpose to learn the language since it will provide you with the right motivation to study.

5. Choose the right dialect to study

Based on your purpose, you should also identify which Chinese language or dialect to learn. If you want to use the skill for conducting business with Chinese counterparts, you should learn Mandarin, which is the official language in China, and the language used in Beijing. If you are going to work or stay in Macau, the Pearl River Delta or Hong Kong for a while, it is best to learn Cantonese. 

6. Identify the way you learn

People process information in different ways, so you must determine how you learn. Do you learn by repeated recitation, by reading or by hearing? You might respond better to practical instruction instead of an academic approach.

7. Concentrate on listening and speaking

As a beginner, the areas that you should concentrate on are listening and speaking, because, at this stage, the Chinese characters will not help you learn the proper way to pronounce Chinese words

• Conclusion:

If you are determined to learn the Chinese language, you should start learning now. To achieve limited proficiency in the language, you need to study for about a year, spending 30 hours each week on lessons. With determination and the right motivation, you will not be daunted by the fact that it could take 10 years to be completely comfortable with the language.