As a Chineses, I think I am qualified to say that your mandarin is almost perfect, especially having studied for only a year or so, you have mastered the accent and pronouncing the tones correctly! Congratulations !
the question is what is almost perfect.. theres even native mandrain speakers that i wouldn't consider to be "perfect".. does she know alot of idioms and use it correctly.. some of which needs to be used with proper historical context.. That is someone that i consider speaks perfect mandarin.. that should be the standard.. not someone with no accent.. heck theres even english speakers with an accent but have a strong mastery of the English language..
As a native Chinese speaker, I would say your Chinese is perfect.You've done a great job！And as a English learner I know how hard it is to master a second language.
Here you have a grammatical error before the words "English learner" there should be "an" instead of "a", this was just to help you😁😊, and I'm learning mandarin Chinese as my 3rd language wish me luck
Started learning Chinese in 2020 during the pandemic. I was studying for about 8 months until I completely fell off. Haven't fully studied since 2021. I'm just getting back into it and am looking for motivation to stay more dedicated again. Good luck guys
@@xiangguo7110Some suggestions 1) To find Chinese & English on line or book reference grammars (See Wikipedia websites for both) to compare similar generic vocabulary words. But for each languages unique words, we need to find articles, websites, articles, videos, books etc.Examples-- Chinese yin & yang English hip (Adjective) Zhu ni hao yunqi!!
From my experience, as someone who put off writing for two years, I recommend everyone bite the bullet and learn it. I downloaded Skritter and got the basics of writing down after 15-30 minutes a day for two months. At the same time, I started writing the answers down in my textbook, which was PAINFULLY slow at first (like one minute per character). It helped me notice ordinary radicals in characters a lot better. Also, looking up symbols in pleco when you’re out and about my writing is faster than scanning with Google Translate. There’s no shortcuts. But being able to crack jokes with people in Taiwan in Chinese and talk to my girlfriend’s parents for 10 minutes makes it all worth it.
I just use google input tools on both the computer and on the phone and use pinyin/ jyutping to type in Chinese. From time to time I practice my handwriting too. It helps, but if you're someone on a tight schedule then just being able to type in pinyin is a great bridge.
Two reflections: 1. How faster would you learn the whole language if you dropped the handwriting?! 2. How faster someone who ALREADY RECOGNIZE characters can learn how to handwrite? My hypothesis is: It's faster to learn handwriting after you learn how to recognize characters. Why? Because it's a COMPLETELY different story trying to draw something that you can't even recognize. Be familiar with the characters first and then the handwriting will be much easier In my opinion it's like trying to learn to run in high heels when you don't know how to run nor how to stand with a high heels. First: learn to run; second learn to stand with a high heels; third mix both.
Thank you for this video. As a Chinese descendant born and raised in the West, Chinese was my family language but I've left it aside for so many years I can't even read it well anymore. Your video felt like a call to me, showing me the legacy I've thrown away while you treasure it and turn it to something beautiful. I'll rescue it starting today on. Thanks for the inspiration. See you on the other side.
Hope somebody recommend my videos to those who want to learn Chinese. I’ve made many videos for an illustrated account of Chinese characters in a funny way. About 3000 Chinese characters cover 99% characters in newspapers and books. From my previous videos you can learn about 400 common characters. There are about 120 commonly used Chinese character radicals. From my previous videos, you can learn about 80 basic radicals. I’ve spent about 100,000 hours studying English humor and Western culture, and many years studying Chinese culture and jokes. My native language is Chinese.
@@bdren5116 Teaching Chinese kids to carry explosives like ISIS. . ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_XDNVy1_3oo.html . Teaching Chinese kids how to k*ll as their homework, Part 1 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-e1PRZtC45CU.html . Teaching Chinese kids how to k*ll as their homework, Part2 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-v3IrQqOKGRQ.html
I will say, that learning stroke order is very useful for learning the basic Chinese characters. You don’t need to know it for every character, but I found it super helpful for remembering characters. You can remember them by stroke order, as well as pictographically, and phonetically.
Native Chinese speaker here~ From my experience of learning english. It''s very important to listen more(If you only have time to learn it in extra free time). We had english lessons at school so after mastering the basic pronouciation, words and grammar, I started to listen to podcasts 4 years ago and keep doing that until now(After work/study, around 10-20min before sleep). It's kind of like a natural leraning process. At first, I struggle to understand each words in sentences but I find myself gradually cultivating a sense of this language and can guess the word after hearing words before it. And sometimes I don't know a word but I know its pronouciation and can guess its meaning so I try to type it in dictionary to see whether I'm right or not. I also find myself spearking more fluently~ I learn new words from podcasts or videos and I will do some readings(most efficent way to increase voca) before my lunch breark. Now I can understand most of what you say without the subtitle(You speak quite clear!!) and I'm still using this way to improve my english(Listening more plus reading sometimes). I think this approach can apply to every language(e.g. I like watching korean dramas and suprisingly find myself have cultivated a sense of korean).
Your technique is "acquiring" English. It is how native learners acquire their language, and polyglots that use it to gain extra languages say that it helps learners to learn more naturally and to keep what they learn (as long as you don't give it up) Well done!
Thank you sooo much for posting these detailed videos describing how you learned on your own. When I search online everyone is selling their own materials and there are not a lot of people describing how they went about learning on their own.
Well done - it took me about 4 years to get to HSK 5 on self-study, and about 7 years for HSK 6 (although I was not learning every day and only as a hobby)
I mean 7 years to reach hsk6 level is excellent, I know few foreigners that reached that level. I lived in China and studied Chinese very seriously (like 8 hours per day for 1year, non stop) but I was still far away from the hsk6 level. So I think you should be proud of yourself.
@@arnaud2816 it took me 2 years to reach hsk level 3 and that's because I didn't study every day and I took a 14-month break. I spend my time constantly reviewing things Easy to forget if you don't use it everyday
in brief: The video is about the narrator's approach to learning Mandarin Chinese while having limited time due to their medical school studies. They started studying Mandarin a year ago, and they're planning to make more progress in 2022, so they share their learning strategies, resources, and time planning. Firstly, they emphasized the importance of goal setting, which includes understanding why you're learning Mandarin and setting priorities. They personally prioritized communication skills and digital literacy and de-prioritized handwriting skills, considering modern means of digital communication. They have an Excel spreadsheet for tracking their progress using various resources. The structure of their learning is loosely based on the HSK curriculum, which is a standard for Chinese proficiency, and they aim to reach HSK 5 level by the end of 2022. The narrator uses HSK standard course books and workbooks, Anki decks, and the websites MDBG and Pleco for learning vocabulary. They plan to learn around 10 new characters per day, although they acknowledge that this might be ambitious. For speaking practice, the narrator schedules weekly chats with native Chinese speakers. They find their language partners on italki or other language exchange websites. Alternatively, they suggested finding a teacher. They also emphasize the importance of comprehensible input, language that they can mostly understand, as a way to naturally acquire the language. They listen to ChinesePod, a podcast for learners of Chinese, during their morning routine and watch Mandarin-speaking TV shows on Netflix using a Chrome extension called Language Reactor, which shows dual subtitles and has other helpful functions. They believe this approach, while demanding, is the most efficient and enjoyable way to learn Mandarin in their spare time. They are using a service that links certain words to dictionary definitions, aiding in understanding while consuming content in Mandarin. They intend to incorporate watching Chinese TV shows as part of their learning and relaxation routine. They use a software called Anki for spaced repetition learning, with two different decks, one of which contains full sentences (spoon-fed) and another with just the HSK vocabulary words and their meanings. The individual has set a goal to learn 1,300 new words and complete the HSK5 vocabulary within 222 days, despite the challenge of being a full-time medical student. The spreadsheet used for tracking progress has details about their Anki card learning progress, HSK book curriculum progress, listening and speaking practice, and even a journal for recording their feelings and experiences each day. They also maintain a list of all the resources, TV shows, music, etc., relevant to learning Chinese in one place. Their philosophy toward learning is attributed to a quote by Confucius, emphasizing the importance of continual progress, regardless of speed. The individual plans to share more about their Mandarin learning process in future videos and encourages viewers to comment on what they'd like to see next.
I've just started learning Chinese and I'm so happy to have stumbled on your amazing channel with a budget friendly and researched approach! I can already tell how much your videos and advice will help me
Hello ~ I am a Chinese, I want to find a friend who wants to learn Chinese. I can give you Chinese instruction for free. Look down if you need to. What can I do? 1. I can guide your Chinese pronunciation and give you the most standard oral instruction 2. I can give you appropriate topics to practice according to your Chinese leaver. 3. I can help you learn to write Chinese . What do I need? 1. I need you to help me practice spoken English. 2.There is a fixed time every week to learn from each other. What I expect from my language learning friend Age: 18-30 years old I'm a girl, so it would be better if you were a girl too. Accent: I need a good American accent Education: High school or above Personality: cheerful, honest, sincere, Other: Have a fixed time each week to study together. My self-introduction My name is Chenin, and my English level can handle the normal daily communication . However, my pronunciation is not good , I need someone to correct my pronunciation and give me some authentic language advice. I'm 21 years old and I just graduated from college and with some research on Chinese language education. I can give you professional advice and correct guidance on Chinese learning. if you need and match condition. please send me a message!!
Hi Izzy, native Mandarin speaker here. I came across your channel by accident and I would like to point out how good your accent is. You can differentiate all the tones and that’s very impressive.
Wow you're so inspirational. I'm struggling balancing a fulltime job, an online store, and basic stuff like home maintenance, pet care, laundry, etc. The fact that you're a full time student and still making youtube videos is very motivational. Thank you!
Thank you for this!! I'm relearning Chinese after not taking it seriously when I was younger. So all the best to those learning as well. Don't give up 🙌
Hi, I am on the way to learning Chinese as my third Language. After successfully learning English (now I can use it in my daily working life as my primary language), I want to learn Chinese. I must admit that self-study Chinese is hard for me, but when scrolling RU-vid, I found your video, and watching it, gave me an idea of how to execute it. Thank you for your comprehensive explanation, including the complete breakdown of budget tools. It helps me.
Hello ~ I am a Chinese, I want to find a friend who wants to learn Chinese. I can give you Chinese instruction for free. Look down if you need to. What can I do? 1. I can guide your Chinese pronunciation and give you the most standard oral instruction 2. I can give you appropriate topics to practice according to your Chinese leaver. 3. I can help you learn to write Chinese . What do I need? 1. I need you to help me practice spoken English. 2.There is a fixed time every week to learn from each other. What I expect from my language learning friend Age: 18-30 years old I'm a girl, so it would be better if you were a girl too. Accent: I need a good American accent Education: High school or above Personality: cheerful, honest, sincere, Other: Have a fixed time each week to study together. My self-introduction My name is Chenin, and my English level can handle the normal daily communication . However, my pronunciation is not good , I need someone to correct my pronunciation and give me some authentic language advice. I'm 21 years old and I just graduated from college and with some research on Chinese language education. I can give you professional advice and correct guidance on Chinese learning. if you need and match condition. please send me a message!!
Your tips of learning mandarin inspired me how to improve my methods of English learning! I really enjoy your voice! I hope you can record some covers of Chinese songs.
你的发音音调很标准哦~继续加油！Like most of the time when i see someone trying to speak in mandarin they struggle to get the tone right but i see you handling it pretty well , WELL DONE IMPRESSIVE
Great tips. Something I did with my first language which was English and I am actually using on my new target language is movies, soap operas, radio, music or anythyng fun that you actually enjoy. It really works!!!
I only just discovered Izzy on RU-vid. Such a bright, articulate useful person for anyone wishing to work hard on their Mandarin. She has a very reflective take on personal study program planning and really practical tips on resources and methodology. Good on you Izzy.
So refreshing to hear about your language learning approach from someone who isn't trying to be a polyglot; those channels get very old very fast. This has been helpful even though I'm trying to learn other languages, thanks!
wow...I have been living in China (Shanghai) for the past 20 years and she speaks very good mandarin with no accent for the such a short amount of study time. good for her, if she comes to China no one even would think she is a foreigner specially since she does look very Chinese too.🤩
Started HSK2 last month and I think I can finish HSK2 by end of March. Will aim for HSK3 in Apr and May, HSK4 in Jun, Jul, Aug and finally HSK5 in Sep, Oct, Nov and Dec. My motivation? Your achievements and outlook in life are very inspirational. Wish me luck
Hello ~ I am a Chinese, I want to find a friend who wants to learn Chinese. I can give you Chinese instruction for free. Look down if you need to. What can I do? 1. I can guide your Chinese pronunciation and give you the most standard oral instruction 2. I can give you appropriate topics to practice according to your Chinese leaver. 3. I can help you learn to write Chinese . What do I need? 1. I need you to help me practice spoken English. 2.There is a fixed time every week to learn from each other. What I expect from my language learning friend Age: 18-30 years old I'm a girl, so it would be better if you were a girl too. Accent: I need a good American accent Education: High school or above Personality: cheerful, honest, sincere, Other: Have a fixed time each week to study together. My self-introduction My name is Chenin, and my English level can handle the normal daily communication . However, my pronunciation is not good , I need someone to correct my pronunciation and give me some authentic language advice. I'm 21 years old and I just graduated from college and with some research on Chinese language education. I can give you professional advice and correct guidance on Chinese learning. if you need and match condition. please send me a message!!
Agreed back when I was in college my professor recommended watching shows in Chinese to get more use to how it sounded. And it helped with the class. He also said listening to certain music in that language helps with the enunciation of certain phrases and words.
I guess what you need to learn is ancient chinese since this language is always used in chinese vintage books and articles, mandarin is actually a modern system and cannot be used to understand those classic art craft
To really understand or even pronounce rhymes, we need to also study Middle and/or Ancient & Cantonese or other modern dialects. In English there are a few books on earlier Chinese & modern dialects. Wikipedia articles on modern dialects also include some historical sound changes. Poems written before 1500 AD CE used rhymes that still work in modern dialects but not in modern “Mandarin”. Fortunately there are some English language textbooks, dictionaries, etc. for Cantonese & less for others. The sound & tone changes descriptions even in English, are like a a different language Major words at times had major meaning changes like Mandarin de Cantonese dak at 1st meant power, as in transla of title of a Daily De Jing as the Way & It’s Power. But now, de means ethics & morals. Zhu Ni😢hao yunqi!! Juk nei hou wanhei!!
This video has actually motivated me to STOP trying to learn new things and to hammer down on my fluency. I had no idea you were an HSK4. Your pronunciation and speed sounds very similar to my native Chinese teachers. I mock-test at HSK4 with a recommendation to study 5, but I find that I am unable to actually produce the vast majority of what I've learned. Lately, I have been focusing on review and making myself handwrite traditional characters as part of my spaced repetition (I am NOT studying medicine at Cambridge and have the luxury of a bit more time.) I've found over the last two months that it actually saves me time to do so. I seem to learn them better by making myself also cover handwriting, and that cuts down on the time it takes for me to learn words overall. I think for the next month I'll just focus on review and speaking so that I can feel more confident with my fluency before moving onto the next level. After all, there's not much sense in me being able to watch the news and talk about terraforming mars or global warming if I can't even reserve a hotel room without stumbling all over the place.
Nice video! I’m learning chinese mandarin part time too. For me I’ve had a tough time finding comprehensible input. I like to get into Native content as soon as possible. I highly recommend Bilibili (chinese RU-vid).
I'm in a similar situation as you, I work full time and study Chinese during my spare time. Everything you say is spot on, especially with the writing Chinese characters part, I wouldn't say it's a waste of time, but it's not time used well considering the return on investment. I live in China and I've never had to write anything by hand except for my Chinese name and a few times my address.
Yes completely agree - I’d love to learn writing at some point but it’s just not the best return on time spent at the moment! I hope your mandarin studies are going great！😊 加油！
It's true. If you work in some country's company you might need do paperwork by writing. But most of those situations we seldom writing after we leave school work. As it turns out, writing is really hard for beginners. Even though I start learning writing since primary school, I still can't write fluently until grade 3. It's for a local writer. 🙄
很好，讲得不错！ I grew up with bilingual education. I can imagine how difficult it is to pick up another language as an adult. At school, there's many friends to practice with. As adults, the opportunities to practice can be hard to come by. You did really well.
Time is luxury for adults, I just want to lie on the bed and watch some funny videos after a-whole-day work. In general, most adults lose motivation and passion to learn new skills.
Hi. This is really inspiring. I’m Chinese but born in Paris, France. My Chinese level is so fluctuating depending on how much I practice it with my family. However, I’m learning Korean because I’m doing an exchange semester soon and I’m definitely going to incorporate some tips I learnt here ! Afterwards, I will absolutely start over learning Chinese to become an authentic native ! Thanks.
actually as a native, I can say its not rly hard, at least easier than my mother tone Cantonese. For Mandarin, you can start with pinyin and read some child books for basic vocab. And there are four sound for all pronunciation.
Hi there. Very long-term learner of Chinese here, and I also taught it for several years. I think you have over-estimated the difficulty of stroke order for writing characters. The rules are pretty straightforward and not at all random. Physical writing is quite relaxing and it will help you with character recognition through mind-muscle memory. It doesn't mean you need to remember how to write every character, unless you want to. Jia you!
I tried taking mandarin as my second high school language this past year and so far I am at grade 1 level 🥲. It is so hard trying to learn mandarin after learning French for 8-9 years, part of it being in French immersion. Your mandarin is so good compared to mine. I am having problems understanding that you’re self taught while I have a school teacher 🥲.
Are you from Canada? I also wanted to take mandarin but I ended up sticking with extending french (between core and immersion) after doing immersion in elementary. I struggle with french and I just started learning. Do you have any tips for beginner material to study? I only tried using duolingo and I just found hello chinese but none seem very effectivez
Lol. I took French for 3 YEARS in high school. Cant speak a word of French. I realised language "learning" in America (not sure how it differs elsewhere) is about learning sentence structure and grammar, which is completely useless if you can't speak the language.
@@limmy1931 Yes I’m from Canada. My French is pretty good like I can hold decent conversations ( although I love lost some abilities over the years) but I think that’s because I had deep immersion while learning it. I remember getting detention if I spoke a word in English.
I want to learn Mandarin to be able to understand my Chinese students, I have few in my classes , but it’s nice to communicate and show respect.And a new language helps me evolve.
Thank you so much for sharing your learning process of learning a new language! Mandarine is hard, mostly the reading and writing part! I'm willing to try out and build a spread sheet of my own to learn Japanese and also to brush up my Chinese too! Mostly the reading and writing part! Keep up the amazing work Izzy! Really love what you do and you're such an amazing inspiration! Thank you for sharing what you love! Looking forward to more new tips and advice on how to learn and improve language learning and never stop learning and improve ourselves!
Even if i cannot know how to be pronounced Chinese i think you are doing so well. I also have passionate about speaking chinese. great advice from a gorgeous girl i am impressed
So happy to find your channel, you are amazing. I was feeling bit stuck learning chinese at HSK 3 and it was getting really hard but with your tips, I'm happy to continue the journey again. 谢谢您 🙏
Thank you! Liked and subscribed! I was spinning my wheels for a bit and gave up for awhile. Learning Mandarin, but gf speaks Cantonese, natively and therefore Mandarin with that accent, so asking her for help was a frustrating nightmare ("How do you NOT know tones and Pinyin when you use it to type ALL THE TIME?!?"). Your video got me re-motivated, I think. I put it in my 'Watch Later' and actually DID watch later. Several times. Copied your Excel with some modifications. Lucky for me, the Fenway of Boston has a HUGE Mandarin-speaking student population, so hopefully, I can move into the actual conversation phase of things smoothly. Seriously, your decision to wake up one day and make this video seriously motivated an old man an ocean away and probably a lot of other people, too! Good luck with your goals!
Izzy I’ve been looking for someone to share their self-learning process or structure while juggling other full-time responsibilities. Although I’m learning Dutch which isn’t the most mainstream one out there, 我觉得你的方法会对我有用，我会试一试！一起加油吧🙌🏻
Hi Izzy, how did you master the Mandarin's four tones? Your tones sound excellent, and I think that I and other Mandarin learners would be really interested in learning how you mastered the tone system.
For myself a breakthrough came a few years in when I realized there are (only) 15 two-syllable combinations to know, i.e. 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 and then 2.1, 2.2 etc. With 3.3 (two third tones) as we know eliding to 2.3, that gives 4x4 or 16, minus the one elision gives 15. These 15 combinations are the tonal building blocks you'll need to get down. You can make list of words with the same tonal contour, e.g. kan4shu1 and mian4bao1.
Hi odd1ty! I think I can help with your Chinese. Don`t worry, I don`t charge any fee since I`m also a language learner, and I hope to meet more friends.
It's my summer day break after 3rd yr med school and i'm planning to start picking up mandarin again. I know basic vocabs and it's quite a coincidence to find a vd made by other med student.
As a Chinese native speaker, your mandarin speaking skills are excellent, besides I really want to learn your English pronunciation (its so attractive and impressive)
Thank you Izzy for this absolute amazing advice, yeah...you're right. Even though, I learn arabic language almost 10 years...I still can't speak because i didnt practice with my friends. By the way, its really helped me a lot...I hope you're always in good health and long live...I'm from Malaysia...and also your pronounciation, voice and expression is perfect. Tq again
Thank you for inspiring to take on another language once again. I never am consistent enough to use my target language. I work graveyard full time and i have minimal time sometimes. I know its possible
Quite inspiring. Have met a lot of people try to learn mandarin part time (even living in China) but it is a minority that are able to get past the basics. Impressive to do from the Uk and good tips for language learning overall. When I was studying I saw a benefit in writing to help remember and recognise characters which is ultimately helpful to separate so many homonyms. Like you mention Pleco was a great tool for this, and mdbg brought back memories! However, I think this is due to peoples learning style so what was best me may not be everyone. Good luck with the hsk!
Hi! I'm very reluctant when it comes to learning Chinese. I've been living in China for almost 5 years now and my Chinese is terrible... I was thinking to study it but "I don't have time".... Your video arrived at the right moment to tell me that this is the time to start learning this language. Hopefully, I'll get through.
@@yadongli3420 body language and phone... You don't actually have to speak that much for your everyday life needs. Of course, it will be much more easier. That's why I'm planning to try to find some time to learn Chinese this time..
Haha! I’m a Darwinian and my Cambridge experience led to my making many Chinese friends. This, in turn, led to an interest in Chinese culture, history, hanyu, and hanzi. I am currently at the 10 months’ intense learning mark and have an online teacher and two language exchanges from Beijing. Thanks for your advice! See you at the Darwin May Ball, June 24th? 🍾🥂😉
Wow this lady is brilliant! I have many Chinese friends that don't speak Mandarin or Cantonese. It has been my experience, the second generation usually lose their language.
I'm not even studying Chinese, but this is a good video in terms of a general language learning grindset Good stuff, as a fellow full-time Uni Student who's learning a language I'll try gradually using this combo of language learning methods for a while to see how it goes :)
Thank you for the video, although I am bilingual I learned English through osmosis (while watching shows in english with subtitles in spanish) and never actually made a study plan. Your tips are really helping me :)
Could you please share your excel? 😁I know i am asking too much. I am also learning HSK 3 and it would be great support. Anyway thank you so much for making this video. Love ya 😘😘
Can i get your core topics list please! I am in the middle of trying to learn Chinese for fun, I practiced every day for about 80 days maybe 1 hour a day. Im 90% sure I burnt myself out on learning and have lost a lot of motivation. Any tips to help with this rut? BTW I just wanted to say that i have met many Chinese people looking to learn English as a language exchange on the app tandem, its really good at connecting people.
I think so many of us struggle to keep the pace of learning. The way I approach this problem myself is set myself an absolute minimum amount of study I need to do daily to maintain my goals and not lose my place in learning, something not too long hard or heavy enough that I can get through it even when I'm having a terrible day. Right now for me, that is one 30min pimsleur lesson (listening and speaking /translating) while I am in the shower/getting ready. The lessons are not super difficult, and since I shower everyday it's very hard for me to make an excuse not to do my lesson. This is my compulsory and minimum daily study. On bad days this will be all I do, but most other days I have more time/energy/motivation, so I can add more activities as I wish. Like listening to a Chinese podcast, reading front page of Chinese newspaper, work on grammar/vocab etc. Think of your compulsory minimum task as making the bed or brushing your teeth, on a bad day you don't have time and energy to clean the whole house and pamper yourself, but there is always time to make the bed and brush your teeth, these are minimum compulsory things to maintain your body/house. On every other day you can do as much as you feel like :) this helps me not hit that wall/rutt as you mentioned. Turns it into a more consistent habit rather than periods of all or nothing. Everybody learns differently, but I hope this helps you
Hello Sealey, Thanks for this video too. Very explicit one! I really love the way you track your progress on your excel spreadsheet. But I don't have the technical skills to set a spreadsheet the way you did. Please, is it possible for us to have a link through which we can download a copy of you spreadsheet ?? I would really help me a lot. Xiexie
(I'm using my mum's home) I am from Hong Kong and I do NOT know Chinese,Cantonese, and mandarin. I was born hearing English everywhere. But I was so upset because I couldn't speak any Chinese. People in my class usually just say "How do you not know any chinese?" " Weren't you born in Hong Kong?" and whenever they say that I just get so "Broken". So I learned some Chinese poems, But I noticed, I'm not doing any progress! Until I saw this video, I just want to thank you for giving me some tips to do some progress in my Chinese.
Hey, I am just starting to learn mandarin and the progress is okay. But sometimes I ask myself if I should only learn the pinyin because I don’t need the Chinese characters for HSK 1 and 2. Would you recommend learning them from the beginning so you’re not overwhelmed when you go for HSK 3 and higher? Good video btw:)
i'm a month late but i think its best to familiarize yourself with characters from the very beginning. relying on pinyin means having to study the same words all over again just to memorize the characters. if you havent started yet, maybe watch a few videos on how they're put together (pronunciation, radicals, meaning, etc). i know it can be overwhelming at first, but it's not as bad as you think! good luck on your language journey :)
Mandarin is one of the easiest languages to learn. However, Chinese (which is written) is one of the most difficult. Really depends on your goals, but you can get to the level of a 9 year old native speaker using Pinyin and listening and speaking, without learning to read and write. Then again, if you try to speak with an adult, and you are quite fluent like a 9 year old, they will be very surprised you don't know vocabulary that is normally acquired by reading.
It's definitely not one of the easiest languages to learn First of all, "easy" is only relative to a certain native speaker (OP correctly phrases it this way in her video, referring to it being hard for an English speaker) Even if an English speaker is focusing only on spoken Mandarin, there's no way that's easier than a Romance or Germanic language. It's so much easier to absorb the language when you recognize word similarities to your own language in literally thousands of instances, which won't be the case in Mandarin. You could say Mandarin grammar and pronunciation is easier than a number of the aforementioned Germanic and Romance languages, but that doesn't make the overall learning process easier. Fully 30% of English words come from French, for example! You have to balance all the factors.
