Hello. Since I started MA I studied about it's culture, origine and a little bit of philosophy. And now...I want to learn Chinese. I've already bought a book but I want to know if there (on internet) are any free tutorials. Thank you
Osu, Let me be clear: Nobody sane will want to learn Chinese... it is too bloody hard! Maybe you want to know Chinese, and are ready to pay the price? But I doubt it as you are looking for freebies. Nevertheless, here is my advice, and I don't give a Chinese rat's f#ck if you like it or not: Once you believe you have made up your mind to go ahead with your crazy plan, think long and hard once again: ------- There is so much BS going around and being said in China, that I very very often regret I understand and speak the language! Once you know it, it is impossible to unlearn it and you have to live, understanding whatever crap is being said around you!!! Pay the price: - You will either **** away 3 years drinking beer, screwing locals and occasionally go to univ to learn in China... - or hire a personal teacher to give you lessons one on one --- you'll need around 300 hours + some time in China. That will get you to a point of relatively fluent usual conversation... learning to read and write in on you and on top of the above! Best of luck! Osu!
I tried Rosetta Stone, they may be more useful for Latin languages but I thought it was useless for Chinese. Paid $300 for it and tossed it. Right now I learn through videos for free: http://english.cntv.cn/learnchinese/ They have a ton of video learning programs there, I wouldn't really bother with paying for other programs. Videos (aside from personal teachers and talking to locals) I've found are the best way for learning Chinese, because it's contextual. I've spent a lot of time on flash cards but have no idea what they say because so many of the words sound so alike. So I think listening to the conversations through videos works better. Here's a blog by Tim Ferris about learning languages, though the videos break it down pretty simply already, this is just more information if you're up for it. The basic thing about learning languages is that it's you want to learn it to where it becomes a response. It's about learning enough patterns. I don't spend much time on grammar, but just simply practice and note the patterns. http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/01/20/learning-language/ http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blo...t-master-any-language-in-1-hour-plus-a-favor/
Osu, I am yet to meet anyone that speaks decent mandarin without paying the price... In my case, time was more precious than money, so it was one on one with a native teacher, and a western method. It took me 3 months of daily 3 hours with the teacher + 5-6 hours on my own to be able to sustain a decent conversation over the phone. Stop wasting your time on internet! Why a western method? because it is my experience that Chinese are among the worst educators on the planet! Osu!
I'll put some time in on the videos, but by and far the best way is one-to-one. And actually what I've done is hired a university student for 20 rmb/hour and told him how to teach me, because they way they were taught through school is one of the worst ways of learning a language. They simply memorize vocab and learn grammar, that's about it. Most of them after 10 years can't speak English that well at all. In class they sit passively, it's traditional Confucius style of learning.
I disagree, it is the lazy way ignoragmusses and incompetents chose to teach! Nothing to do with Confucius! Osu!
I suppose they got that too. I went to the university for a year, didn't study all semester and crammed the last two weeks doing a make up midterm exam and a final exam, walked out with a C. Sounds like you've been in China for awhile. How long have you been? It's going on 3 years for me.
Nice!! Me is just a grasshopper. Liked your links you posted in kung fu school thread, some insights into this place. Any other sites you frequent about China and Kung Fu?
I agree with Fred, learning Chinese is a LOT of hard work. And unless you have a rare talent for languages, you are going to have to put your blood, sweat and tears into it. In my travels to China, I've met a fair amount of people who studied Chinese Language in a North American or European University for how ever many years and you know what? Nobody understood what they are saying. It's a difficult language to learn.
This would not surprise me at all. I have studied 3 very elementary Mandarin courses and found the difference compared to learning French, German, Italian, Dutch, Spanish(all relatively manageable); incomparably difficult. 2 things stand out for me that make Mandarin difficult:- 1) the phonetic delivery and tonality is like nothing compared to a European language. 2) there isn't a grammar as such like European languages, almost all of which derive of Latin and Greek - but there is a structure around which conversational idioms are built. By this, what I mean is being able (or not in my case), to identify patterns of conversation. When Chinese people hear me speak (in my extremely limited vocabulary), they almost always burst out laughing! They do understand me after about the 3rd phrase repetition beyond very basic phrases, Hon Hao, Ni Hoa, Zijian, MingJian, ZoaJian etc. (I doubt I even get the PinYin correct.) A long, long way to go.
ROFL ....... don't doubt any longer Embra For westerners, there are no commonalities in the sounds or roots. As an English speaker, if you spend enough time watching German or Dutch TV (or an Italian watching French or Spanish TV), you will be able to understand the language... Your ear and your brain will have made the necessary connections from the sparse dots of common roots, common grammar and common sounds. You can spend 10 years watching Chinese TV, and all that will happen is that you'll die of boredom! The fact that the writing is so different only makes it more difficult. Osu!
Hello. I thank you very much for your replies. Excuse me that I didn't replied earlier, I was in a trip. Fred, I really believe your advices about learning chinese as you live in China. The problem is that I don't have any teacher in my city. I want to learn chinese because I want to stay in China too (hope it won't be just a dream) , I suppose I'll have to learn the language in it's country, and, as a teenager I don't have too much money to spent , hihi I guess I have to limit at reading about everything about Asia and especially China. Black41, thank you for your experiance share. I really appreciate your replies as the experience is the most truthfull. WhitePanda,47MartialMan, I thank you too for your resources sites.
You will find some in youtube but in order to really learn the language I think you need to enroll in a class and have some one you can talk with in chinese.
