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Page 1: How to learn chinese

How to Learn

Page 2: How to learn chinese

How to Learn Chinese Learning to speak Chinese isn't rocket science.

There are some things you can do to make it

painless or nearly so. You should speak to Chinese

people when you get a chance, and in their native

tongue. Doing so can improve your Chinese fluency

quickly.

Page 3: How to learn chinese

Learning to Speak Chinese

1 Learn some basic vocabulary. The first thing to do

when learning a new language is to memorize some

simple yet important words and start practicing with

them as soon as possible. Although things like

Page 4: How to learn chinese

grammar and sentence structure are important, they

mean nothing until you develop a basic vocabulary.

Here's a short list to get you started:

Hello = nǐhǎo, pronounced [nee hauw] With 2 third

tones. Not "ho" or "how" somewhere in the middle.

Listen to a native speaker as a reference.

Yes = shì, pronounced [sher]" But not as in "sure".

ALWAYS listen to a native speaker, as describing

with English pronunciations in the learners minds will

be difficult.

No = bú shì, pronounced [boo sher] look above.

Goodbye = zài jiàn, pronounced [zai jee-ian]

Morning = zǎoshàng, pronounced "[zauw-shaung-

hauw]"

Afternoon = xià wǔ, pronounced There is almost no

clear way to describe the "x" in pinyin with English

pronunciations. Look it up and listen to a native

speaker say it. Contrary to popular misinfomation,

the "x" DOESN'T AT ALL sound like "sh"!

Page 5: How to learn chinese

Evening = wǎn shàng, pronounced [wang shaung]

Head = tóu, pronounced [toe] with a 2nd tone, that

goes up.

Feet = jiǎo, pronounced [jee-yau]

Hands = shǒu, pronounced [show] With a 3rd tone,

this goes from neutral to lower to neutral.

Beef = niú ròu, pronounced [nee-o row] but not with

the soft "r", more defined "r".

Chicken = jī, pronounced [jee]

Egg = jī dàn, pronounced [jee dan] "dan" has a 4th

tone, that goes down. Slightly forceful sounding. (not

too forceful sounding!)

Noodles =miantiao pronounced [miàn tiáo]

Always look up pronunciations of every word spoken

by a native speaker. Most Mandarin pinyins just

simply cannot be described perfectly with English

sounds!

Page 6: How to learn chinese

2 Learn some basic phrases. Once you've built up a

little vocabulary, you can start working on some

basic phrases and expressions that will help you to

navigate everyday conversations. Here's a few to

get you started:

Page 7: How to learn chinese

How are you? = nǐ hǎo ma? pronounced [nee hau

mah] (see above for pronunciations)

I'm fine = wǒ hěn hǎo, pronounced [wuh hen hau]

Thank you = xiè xiè, pronounced There is almost no

clear way to describe the "x" in pinyin with English

pronunciations. Look it up and listen to a native

speaker say it. Contrary to popular misinfomation,

the "x" DOESN'T AT ALL sound like "sh"! The "ie"

part sounds close to "yieh"

You're welcome = bú yòng xiè, pronounced [boo

yong xi-yeh]

Sorry = duì bu qǐ, pronounced [dway boo qi] Like

with the Mandarin "x" a proper pronunciation

described with English letters is almost impossible.

As always, I can't stress enough the importance of

looking up native speakers pronouncing the pinyin.

I don't understand = wǒ bù dǒng, pronounced [wuh

boo dong]

Page 8: How to learn chinese

What is your surname (family name)? = nín guì

xìng, pronounced [neen gway xing] (I'm sure you

know by now why I just put "x" instead of the

phonetics.)

What's your name? = nǐ jiào shén me míng zì,

pronounced [nee-jee-yow shen-ma ming zi]"

My name is _____ = wǒ jiào _____,

pronounced [wuh jee-yau]

Page 9: How to learn chinese

3 Learn the tones. Chinese is a tonal language,

which means that the same word can mean different

things depending on the tone used to express them

(even if the spelling and pronunciation are the

same). This can be difficult for English speakers to

grasp, but learning the tones is essential if you want

to speak Chinese properly. There are four major

tones in Mandarin Chinese, as well as a neutral

tone:

The first tone is a high, flat tone. It is expressed in a

relatively high voice, with no rising or dipping. Using

the word "ma" as an example, the first tone is

expressed in writing as "mā".

The second tone is a rising tone. It starts at a lower

level and gets progressively higher, like when you

say "huh?" in English. The second tone is expressed

in writing as "má".

Page 10: How to learn chinese

The third tone is a dipping tone. It starts at a

medium level, then dips lower before rising again,

like when you say the letter "B" or the word "horse"

in English. The third tone is expressed in writing as

"mǎ".

The fourth tone is a falling tone. It starts at a

medium level and gets progressively lower, like

when you are giving a command (such as telling

someone to "stop") in English. The fourth tone is

expressed in writing as "mà".

The fifth tone is a neutral tone. It does not rise or

fall, like the first tone, but this tone is expressed in a

flat voice.. The fifth tone is expressed in writing as

"ma".

Page 11: How to learn chinese

4 Work on your pronunciation. Once you have

learned the correct pronunciation of the tones by

listening to native speakers (Youtube is good for

this) and practicing them yourself, you need to work

on applying them to words.

Page 12: How to learn chinese

This is essential, as the same word can have a

completely different meaning depending on which

tone is used. For example, using the tone "mā"

instead of "má" could be the difference between

saying "I want cake" and "I want coke" -- two

completely different meanings.

Therefore, when you're learning vocabulary, it is not

enough to learn the pronunciation, you must also

learn the correct tone. Otherwise you could use the

word in the wrong context and be completely

misunderstood.

The best way to work on your pronunciation is to

speak with a native Chinese speaker who can

encourage you when you get it right and correct you

when you're wrong.

Page 13: How to learn chinese

5 Work on grammar and sentence structure. It's a

common misconception that Chinese is a "grammar-

less" language. Chinese has quite a complex

grammar system, it's just very different to that of

English and other European languages.

Page 14: How to learn chinese

Luckily, when learning Chinese you will not have to

learn any complicated rules involving verb

conjugations, agreement, gender, plural nouns or

tense. Chinese is a very analytic language, which

makes it quite simple and straightforward in some

respects.

Another bonus is that Chinese uses a similar

sentence structure to English -- subject-verb-object -

- which makes translating back and forth between

the two languages somewhat easier. For instance,

the sentence "he likes cats" in English is translated

as "tā (he) xǐ huan (likes) māo (cats)" in Chinese

even when the pronouns change!

On the other hand, Chinese has its own grammar

structures which are very different to those used in

English and can therefore be very difficult for the

English speaker to grasp. These grammatical

features include things like classifiers, topic-

prominence and preference for aspect. However,

Page 15: How to learn chinese

there's no point in worrying about these things until

you've mastered basic Chinese.

Learning to Read and Write in Chinese

1

Page 16: How to learn chinese

Learn pinyin. Pinyin is a Chinese writing system

which uses letters from the Roman alphabet instead

of Chinese characters.

It is useful for Chinese language learners as it allows

you to get started with reading and writing Chinese

without the time involved in learning traditional

characters. There are many Chinese textbooks and

learning materials available in Pinyin.

However, it is important to be aware that even

though Pinyin uses letters from the Roman alphabet,

its pronunciation is not always intuitive to the English

speaker. Therefore, it is important to use a proper

pronunciation guide when learning Pinyin.

Page 17: How to learn chinese

2 Learn to read some Chinese characters. Although

the ability to read traditional Chinese characters is

not necessary for learning Chinese, the idea appeals

to many people and makes them feel more in touch

with traditional Chinese culture.

Page 18: How to learn chinese

Learning to recognize and read Chinese characters

is no easy task. In order to read a newspaper, the

average Chinese reader will need to be familiar with

about 2000 different characters -- and that's just the

beginning. It is believed that there are over 50,000

Chinese characters in total (though many of them

are no longer in use).

The major benefit of learning to read Chinese

characters is that you will have access to a broad

array of other literatures, including Cantonese,

Japanese and Korean -- all of which use Chinese

characters (or a simplified version of them) in their

writings, despite the fact that the spoken languages

are very different.

Page 19: How to learn chinese

3 Learn to write some Chinese characters. Once

you have learned to read Chinese characters, you

may be interested in learning how to form them

yourself. Writing Chinese characters is a complex

skill, which requires patience and a touch of artistry.

Page 20: How to learn chinese

The first step in learning how to write Chinese

characters is to learn the "radicals" -- these are the

individual brush strokes that form the building blocks

of each character. There are 214 radicals in total --

some can stand on their own as individual

characters, while others are only used as part of a

more complex character.

When writing Chinese characters, the order of the

brush strokes is very important and you must follow

a specific set of rules -- such as top to bottom, left to

right and horizontal before vertical. If the stroke

order is incorrect, the completed character will not

be accurate.

Page 21: How to learn chinese

4 Read Chinese texts. If you want to improve your

Chinese reading skills, you'll need to practice a little

reading for at least 15 to 20 minutes a day.

To begin with, you could try using some children's

readers or workbooks (which are nearly always

written in Pinyin) to practice your basic reading skills.

Page 22: How to learn chinese

You should also be able to find some good

resources for reading Chinese online.

You can also try to incorporate your Chinese

learning into your everyday life. You can do this by

reading the Chinese labels on food products at the

Asian supermarket, or asking your server for the

Chinese language menu at a restaurant.

Once your reading becomes more advanced, you

could try to get your hands on a Chinese newspaper

(which are printed using traditional Chinese

characters) and do your best to read through the

articles. This is also a good way of familiarizing

yourself with Chinese culture and current affairs.

Page 23: How to learn chinese

5 Write a little Chinese everyday. In order to practice

your Chinese writing skills, you should try to write a

little everyday, whether in Pinyin or in Chinese

characters.

One option is to keep a small personal diary in

Chinese, where you write down simple things like a

Page 24: How to learn chinese

description of the weather, how you are feeling that

day, or what you did. If you're not to shy about it, you

could ask a Chinese-speaking friend or

acquaintance to look it over and check for any

mistakes.

Alternatively, you could try to find a Chinese pen-pal

to write letters to. This could be mutually beneficial,

as you could get some practice writing in Chinese,

while your pen-pal could practice their English. You

could also ask your pen-pal to include the corrected

version of your original letter when replying.

A last way of practicing your writing is to make

simple lists in Chinese, like your shopping list, or to

make Chinese labels for items around the house.

Page 25: How to learn chinese

Immersing Yourself in the Chinese

Language

1 Practice with a native Chinese speaker. The

absolute best way to learn Chinese is just to speak it

with a native speaker -- this will force you to think on

your feet, help with your accent and expose you to

Page 26: How to learn chinese

more informal or colloquial forms of speech that you

won't find in a textbook.

If you have a Chinese-speaking friend, ask them if

they'd be willing to sit down with you for an hour or

two each week. They'd probably be happy to help --

as long as the coffee's on you!

If you don't know any Chinese speakers personally,

you could try placing an ad in your local paper or

online forum. Alternatively, you could look into

finding a Chinese conversation group or oral

Chinese class in your local area.

If all else fails, you could try to connect with a

Chinese speaker on Skype, one who'd be willing to

exchange 30 minutes of Chinese conversation for 30

minutes of English.

Page 27: How to learn chinese

2 Listen to Chinese tapes/CDs. Listening to Chinese

podcasts or CDs is a great way to immerse yourself

in the language -- even when you're on the go!

It doesn't matter if you can't follow everything that's

being said -- just try to be an active listener and

Page 28: How to learn chinese

attempt to pick out key words and phrases. Slowly

but surely your overall comprehension will improve.

This is a great option for people who have long

commutes as they can simply stick a Chinese CD on

in the car or listen to a Chinese podcast on the train.

You could also try listening while exercising or doing

housework.

Page 29: How to learn chinese

3 Watch Chinese films and cartoons. Watching

Chinese films and cartoons is a more fun, relaxed

way of immersing yourself in the language, however,

it will still help to expose you to the sounds and

structure of Chinese.

Try watching short cartoons or clips on Youtube, or

rent a full length Chinese film from your local movie

store. You may need to use subtitles at first, but try

not to rely on them too much -- see how much of the

dialogue you can understand on your own.

If you're feeling particularly proactive, you could

pause the film after particular words or phrases and

try to repeat them -- this will help your accent to

sound more authentic.

Page 30: How to learn chinese

4 Don't be afraid of making mistakes. The biggest

obstacle that will stand in your way of learning

Chinese is your fear of making mistakes.

You need to try to overcome this fear -- and even

embrace it -- if you are to reach your goal of fluency.

Page 31: How to learn chinese

Remember that everyone makes mistakes when

they are learning a new language, and you are

bound to have your fair share of embarrassing

mistakes and awkward moments, but this is all part

of the process.

Remember that you are not aiming for perfection

when you are learning Chinese, you are aiming for

progress. So go ahead and make as many mistakes

as you like -- as long as you learn from them and

continue to improve.

Page 32: How to learn chinese

5 Consider taking a trip to China. Can you think of a

better way to immerse yourself in the Chinese

language than a trip to its native land?

China is an amazingly diverse country -- from the

busy, bustling streets of Beijing to the ancient

majesty of the Great Wall. There is something for

Page 33: How to learn chinese

every traveler -- whether you're looking to immerse

yourself in traditional ethnic cultures, to sample the

many delicious Chinese delicacies or to travel to the

sites of ancient ruins and epic battles.

Alternatively, you could take a tour of other places

with large Chinese-speaking populations, like

Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.

Just make sure that you are prepared for differences

in dialect (not all are mutually intelligible) before you

book your flight!

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No.1 Learn Chinese Product

View more: http://bit.ly/1ZA87A7