LANGUAGE LEARNING
Ways To Learn Mandarin Effectively
5 practical tips to help you learn Mandarin
Most Mandarin learners are thrown in for a loop when they begin learning the language. Unlike learning how to read, speak or write English, learning Mandarin involves learning tones, reading Mandarin vowels and consonants. Let’s not forget memorising the rules of pronunciation while trying to match them with the right Chinese characters where you are expected to burn them permanently into your brain.
So, if you’re just starting to learn Mandarin, here are some practical tips that might come in handy for you.
#1: Lay your foundations right no matter what
It doesn’t matter how many characters you can memorise and write out perfectly, the most important thing about learning a language is to speak and to be understood by a native speaker successfully.
Due to the tonal nature of Mandarin it is absolutely vital to get your tones and pronunciation accurate because just a slight difference in tones could potentially alter your sentence and cause confusion or comical results to your conversations. Practice daily for 1 to 2 months so that speaking Mandarin becomes second nature to you.
#2: Develop a daily habit of learning characters for at least 30 minutes a day
You can build your own flashcards or create digital flashcards from apps like Quizlet. One friend actually printed out the Chinese numbers from 0 to 10 with the pronunciations and stuck the paper in the toilet so that they would be there as a constant reminder.
You could also start your own personal vocabulary lists with things you can relate around you e.g. putting Sticky Notes on items in the house so that you get familiar with talking about them and using them in your daily conversations with family and friends.
#3 Shadow your pronunciation through Chinese movies or songs
Shadowing is a language learning technique where you listen to the recording and simultaneously echo what you hear. Shadowing gives you a sense of rhythm found in a Mandarin sentence too. Shadowing is also a more accurate way to learn pronunciation as digital apps tend to have a fixed way of pronunciation that might not be 100% tuned to the context or emotion of a sentence at the time. So, try watching a Chinese show or listening to Chinese tunes and shadow the pronunciation.
#4 Learn the culture and history behind the language
Would you rather just stare at a page of characters and pinyin? How about diving into the Chinese culture itself so that you can understand the reason behind the way the characters look and why phrases are said the way they are in Chinese. The more connections you make in your learning journey the easier it is for you to remember the language.
#5 Practice with a native speaker
Last but not least, you’ll need someone to practice with! Mandarin relies heavily on memory therefore, having 2 to 3 times weekly conversations with a native speaker will help a lot. Conversations help to build your confidence as you practice your intonations and learn about the cultural aspects of China. These conversations will also subconsciously train your language “reflexes” when conversing in Mandarin.
In a nutshell, don’t approach learning Mandarin like how you’ve learnt English because you certainly won’t be able to speak or read Mandarin without applying a few concepts of the language at the same time. So make sure you utilise these six tips and you’ll be ready to go beyond that first 你好 nǐ hǎo!
