If you’ve ever read or been a part of a forum on the subject, you know that it has been decided that using 你好| nǐ hǎo isn’t a very native way to greet someone in Chinese. But relaaaaax — if you have been strictly using Ni Hao, it’s no big deal. But if you really want to sound more native, read more for our list of useful greetings that are great to have in your arsenal.
The third tone in Mandarin: the sound that gets learners bobbing their heads up and down like bulldogs in a car. That wily 全上 | Quán shàng | dip of the head. That dreaded downwards arrow. It is taught as a down-up sound that you are supposed mirror by moving your head down and up along with the sound. Consequently, you feel like a fool dipping your head up and down everytime attempt to speak it out loud. The biggest nuisance of all? No native actually sounds like this when they speak naturally, and you’re going to sound really over the top by doing it. and no native will understand what it is you are saying when you make this exaggerated sound.
Alas! There is a hack. One that is going to blow your mind, and possibly make you roll your eyes. The secret to sounding native when speaking the third tone? Speak it like a Kardashian. Read more to see what on earth I could possibly be talking about.
As the Year of the Monkey swings in to greet us, it’s a great time to reflect on the language learning goals we want to accomplish for the New Year. For those who follow the Gregorian (solar) calendar｜Gōnglì | 公曆 rather than the Lunar Calendar｜Nónglì｜農曆, now ma
y also be considered an ideal time to assess the resolutions you made two short months ago and what roadblocks you may be facing putting those resolutions to action. Did you plan to study Mandarin a certain number of days per week but haven’t yet found the time? Or did you tell yourself that by the end of the year you would be reach a certain level of fluency but have now realized that your weekly routine is not keeping you on track to reach that goal? Read more for some effective tips on setting effective goals to stick with your Mandarin studies! Read More
Who doesn’t love to watch TV? Whether it is a sitcom, romantic drama, crime thriller, or reality series, there’s usually a genre available for every taste. TV is often labeled a guilty pleasure – the more hours you spend in front of it, the guiltier you may feel. While wasting away those hours glued to the screen, a small voice at the back of your head whispers that you should really be reviewing the new vocabulary from your ChinesePod lesson, right? Well, for those of us learning Mandarin, there’s a way to enjoy watching edge-of-your-seat thrillers or tear-jerking romantic dramas without the guilt. At the same time, it will allow those new Mandarin words you just learnt really soak in.
The secret? Chinese dramas. Read more for my five tips for taking advantage of watching Mandarin Dramas to maximize on your language retention.
Wánměi完美. Perfection.
We all strive to achieve it, in various aspects of our lives, whether it be in our careers or relationships. However, just as in these other areas, in language learning, if we are constantly focused on reaching perfection, this focus can become a roadblock rather than a stimulus. While creating challenging goals may inspire you to study harder, striving for perfection can actually become counter-active to achieving successful results in the long term. Below are three “perfect” mistakes which I have seen many people make in their road to Mandarin learning (myself included), that cause you to lose confidence or feel discouraged, and ultimately, result in learning less, at a slower pace, and even Bàn tú ér fèi 半途而废 – giving up halfway. Read More
