Are you interested in finding a highly effective method to master the Chinese language? In the modern, globalized world, knowing how to read, write, and converse in Chinese is becoming increasingly useful. But considering its intricacy, studying Mandarin Chinese might be intimidating.
Enrolling in an intensive Chinese language course in China is the most effective approach to acquiring Chinese rapidly. You will learn Chinese more fast than any other approach if you surround yourself with it all the time. Therefore, you may accelerate your learning even more by staying with a host family, developing Chinese friends, and requiring yourself to speak exclusively Chinese. We will offer helpful Chinese learning ideas and recommendations to assist you learn Chinese more fast and efficiently so that you may rapidly increase your Chinese language abilities.
The several upsides to learning Chinese
It is impossible to exaggerate the importance of studying Chinese. More and more multinational corporations are requiring their executives to be fluent in Mandarin Chinese in addition to English, a highly prized talent in today’s job market. Mandarin is a widely spoken dialect of Chinese. Among the most beneficial languages to acquire for professional purposes, Mandarin has several advantages:
1. Thanks to its 1.1 billion native speakers, it far surpasses all other languages spoken globally.
2. As of 2012, 68% of urban families in China belonged to the middle class, up from 4% in 2000.
3. Taiwan, Singapore, and the UN all recognize Mandarin as their official language.
Learning Mandarin might be intimidating because of its complexity, large character set, and variety of sub-dialects; nonetheless, there are many personal benefits to making the effort to learn Chinese.
How to acquire Chinese language skills? The quickest methods for novices
1. Hire an instructor
Learning Chinese one-on-one will be far more efficient than taking group sessions if you have a busy schedule.
Group lessons do, however, have the benefit of allowing students to study with one another and work together as a team to comprehend the language.
However, one-on-one instruction gives you the flexibility to tailor classes to your tastes, making learning more unique.
You can reap enormous benefits from this targeted strategy if your teacher gives it their whole attention. But keep in mind: that speedy outcomes are not inexpensive.
2. Use Chinese on a daily basis
Talking Chinese daily can help you learn the language more fast. It takes consistency to see results. It’s been believed that habits are formed after doing something consistently for 21 days.
You may begin by studying for only thirty minutes a day, and based on your progress, you could progressively increase the amount of time you spend studying.
Research has demonstrated that setting aside 30 minutes per day yields greater results than packing in long sessions that may cause exhaustion.
Try playing and repeating recorded sentences to improve your speaking and pronunciation by imitating native speakers.
Take a phone video of yourself and listen to how you sound compared to native speakers. This will assist you in recognizing your errors and working to correct them.
3. Watch TV series
This is the ideal choice if you enjoy binge-watching television shows. This is the ideal justification for spending the weekend curled up on the couch with a Mandarin television show.
The good news is that you might pick up new vocabulary and enhance your listening and reading comprehension at the same time.
Learn Chinese subtitles are typically included in Mandarin shows, so you may become accustomed to the various characters’ voices and appearances.
In addition, you will learn Chinese culture, which is an important but often overlooked aspect of language acquisition. The good news is that you have a plethora of choices.
To help you learn Chinese, consider watching these shows:
· The Brightest Star in the Sky
· Ode to Joy
· Empress in the Palace
4. Go out and meet some Chinese folks:
Establishing friendships with fluent Chinese speakers is a great way to learn the language. You may enhance your language abilities while also gaining insights into Chinese culture through this. The best way to learn Chinese is to do it in a relaxed and enjoyable setting, like going out to restaurants or pubs together or on day trips throughout the country.
This may be facilitated and long-lasting connections can be formed by opting to stay with a Chinese family through a homestay arrangement.
People from China are famously kind and easy to talk to. Finding a native speaker to talk to on a frequent basis about everyday topics in the target language will help you learn it faster. To seem genuine and fluent, practising in real-life situations is crucial.
5. Become a part of the culture
If you are short on time but still need to learn the language—for example, if you are going to China for school and have to memorise a lot of phrases—then soaking in local culture is your best bet.
Mandarin can be better understood by immersing oneself in media such Chinese films, music, and novels, rather than relying solely on online classes or other resources.
A deeper understanding of cultural history not only makes the language more meaningful, but it also inspires you to study it more.
6. Enrol in virtual courses.
Taking online courses, whether for group or one-on-one training, can also have a lot of advantages. The learning process is kept interesting when you have a teacher who customises sessions to your requirements and interests. Having someone to practise Mandarin with makes a difference, if nothing else.
7. Make attainable objectives
Depending on what you want to achieve, you may study Mandarin at different speeds. It may only take a few months of committed study to get the language abilities enough for a weekend getaway.
But it may take years of consistent practice to become fluent and master the language to the level of a native speaker. Acknowledge the difficulty of learning Mandarin and establish reasonable, attainable objectives.
If you’re just starting out, I recommend setting a daily goal of learning five new terms. Not only is this a simple target to hit, but it will also contribute to your vocabulary growth.
8. Install applications
Given that practically everyone has a smartphone these days and that there is a mobile app for nearly anything, the abundance of online Chinese learning applications is not unexpected. Using engaging and uncomplicated Chinese learning applications is one quick and easy method of learning Mandarin.
They provide interesting flashcards and quick, bite-sized courses that help you expand your vocabulary by introducing new words every day. These applications frequently come with brief tests to check your understanding and reinforce what you’ve learned. When pondering how to study Chinese, take into consideration these apps: Italki Duolingo, ChinesePod
9. Listen to podcasts
While Chinese learning apps are an excellent resource, one thing they don’t offer is appropriate, real-world dialogues. The majority of the classes are designed with novice learners in mind, thus they are slowed down and simplified.
Mandarin may be used to have real discussions at very fast rates. Therefore, one piece of advice for learning Chinese is to work on your listening comprehension if you want to be able to carry on a decent conversation. Listening to Chinese podcasts is the most effective approach to accomplish that. You may learn new terms while listening to real Mandarin conversations, and the majority of podcasts can be downloaded to your mobile device. You can learn on the fly thanks to this.
The majority of your native language acquisition was accomplished by listening to your parents and other nearby speakers. What makes learning a second language any different, then? Gaining better listening skills takes time and won’t come fast. Fortunately, there are two ways we may approach it: actively and passively.
10. Practise simple phrases
Learn some simple expressions, such as “hello,” “thank you,” and “goodbye.” Commence with rudimentary conversational Chinese to get familiarity with the language. Look up the terms for common greetings like “hello” and “welcome” in Mandarin or Cantonese. Ensure that you can say “How are you?”, “thank you,” and “goodbye.”
For instance, “ni hao” is the Mandarin term for “hello” in informal communication and “nin hao” in professional conversations, such as those with co-workers or business associates.
“Neih hou” means “hello” in Cantonese.
FAQ
Can I study Mandarin by myself?
Through studying Mandarin textbooks and practising speaking out loud, you can learn a language on your own.
How many years does learning Chinese require?
The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) scale estimates that native or bilingual Chinese competency will take English speakers 88 weeks (2,200 hours of active learning). Of the five languages that native English speakers find most difficult to learn, Chinese is one of the hardest.
Conclusion
For those who wish to enhance their language abilities or get ready for a trip to China, learn Chinese fast. Instead of trying to master every word of Chinese all at once, focus on learning the most fundamental phrases and terminology so you can have natural conversations in Chinese. You may also improve your Chinese language skills by listening to audio, reading audiobooks, or watching Chinese television shows. Confidence in your Chinese language abilities may be enhanced by one-on-one tutoring and practice in Chinese restaurants with native speakers.
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Get started free!Master’s degree in Chinese language and philology. She has 8 years of international Chinese education experience, 6 years of international Chinese first-line teaching experience, and 2 years of international Chinese teaching and research experience, including Chinese pinyin teaching, Chinese character teaching, and Chinese entrance exam teaching. She is also responsible for the development of Wukong’s original content and curriculum design and development.