How do you practice?
rickardlindberg
March 26, 2009, 06:11 PM posted in General DiscussionI am also learning Chinese in class. We learn quite a lot of vocabulary but I feel like I can not use a lot of it. I would like to practice using Chinese more. I am looking for tips on how to practice. It feels a bit difficult to practice on my own (how can I know if I am right?). But anyway, what do you do to practice your Chinese?
beijingstrong
April 02, 2009, 02:32 AMHi, rickardlindberg
Speak out what you have done and thought during a day, and let a native person specailly a beijing local correct your errors and pronunciation.
For example, 今天上午，我在学校上课的时候，感觉大脑昏昏沉沉地想睡觉，可能是昨天晚上跟朋友们在网上聊天，一时聊得兴起就忘了时间，睡得晚了。有时候聊天还挺上瘾，我以后得注意了，免得患上“网络依赖综合症”。
When you do not know how to express your thoughts in Chinese, write it in English. I will translate it into Chinese and give you a correct expressing.
The best way to improve Chinese rapidly is not to study in school, because you receive passively the teaching from your professor.
That you say Chinese to a real Chinese can stimulate your brain to run more actively than in class.
I have sent you a message via this website.
BeijingStrong
2009.04.02
raymondc
March 26, 2009, 09:33 PMBest way to learn is start with grammar rule, then vocabulary will follow. No matter how many series of 汉字 you write you will forget them. Learn key phrases
As for practicing, someone on activity section asked how to get a Chinese girlfriend to practise. You can really improve if native speakers are around. You can find Chinese comunity in your country.
Raymond
dunderklumpen
March 26, 2009, 09:41 PMI usually go to a restaurant to practice. There are a few at my place. If you have no restaurants, maybe there is a university with some chinese excanhe students at your place? They may want to learn your language... Check this old discussion: http://chinesepod.com/community/conversations/post/1677
There are some language excange sites on internet. Maybe you can find someone to chat with there.
Sometimes a chinese person post an advert here on chinesepod. Maybe you can contact them and have some practice.
antony73
March 26, 2009, 09:42 PM@urbandweller I completely agree with you. Native Chinese can be found most places in the world, even Mumbai: http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1149241. Reach out! Express your love and interest in their language and culture, build relationships. Practice then becomes natural, enjoyable and progressive... in fact, it becomes not practice at all, but communication with friends
Try also the new Activity feature
vikram
March 26, 2009, 09:44 PMnothing quite like a face to face practice session
urbandweller
March 27, 2009, 05:02 AMyep restuarants are great for practice...but i also suggest bookstores and marketplaces...anywhere you can find a 中国人in his/her natural habitat!! most of the time a get a warm reaction just by giving a friendly 您好！do you have a chinatown anywhere near you??
哈哈哈哈!
also, stick around here for a few days and you will see a cool chinese person looking to make friends and exchange converstation...then just send them a PM, download SKYPE and there you have it my friend!
yolin
March 27, 2009, 05:09 AMwww.sharedtalked.com
u can find native speakers there to practise with ( both text chat or voice chat )
Have fun ;)
vikram
March 26, 2009, 08:35 PMI cant really practice either :(
No chinese restaurants here in Mumbai have chinese speaking people.
So i just practice talking to myself in Chinese and sometimes people around me think i'm crazy lol
Just saying something in your mind and letting it play in your head repeatedly doesnt help either. You really want to put what you've just learnt to use and show off maybe.
Sadly i get none of those opportunities.
Like that guy from the language power struggle lesson says 我应该去中国为了学习中文
mazubato
March 27, 2009, 09:52 AMur case same as me becuase I've been in China to study Chinese also, but u r fortunate more than me cuase I've no anything in Chinese. So I've to start from 0.I've blessed u "Fighting Fighting".
rickardlindberg
March 27, 2009, 04:42 PMThank you all for the suggestions. I guess I just need to be more open and look out for all oppertuneties to practice.
ocean2sun
March 28, 2009, 07:02 AM哈哈 大家好 我就是个非常地道的中国人。I am glad that you are so intersting in chinese . If you want i can give you some suggestions .YEAH, chinese is not easy to learn ,but it is very mazing.
There are many different prounaces in China . I think the best way to learn chinese is that you should chat chinese people .
BEST WISH FOR YOU !
xsqfeather
March 28, 2009, 09:15 AMPlease try to use QQ.
kristykc
March 28, 2009, 10:21 AMas far as i know ,speaking out only with chinese people as soon as u can .come on .enjoy youself .
best wish for u
tvan
March 28, 2009, 02:32 PMI have friends and family to talk with, but find they aren't always the best. They know me too well, and understand my mistake... so I never get corrected. As some of the native Chinese have suggested, it's best to find a native speaker to practice with. However, I would suggest you choose your practice partner with care.
I have two practice partners that I talk to with Skype for about an hour each week, alternating languages. Both share common interests (outdoors and business), and we'll usually each cover a topic in each other's language (e.g. shipping documents, whitewater, etc.), alternating languages weekly. For this type of partnership, you need to select your partners carefully.
Of course, casual chat is fine as well but, without common interests, I find that the conversations grind into repetitive inanity quickly.
urbandweller
March 26, 2009, 08:06 PMthe next time that you're hungry just quickly go to the nearest Chinese restaurant, run in and say...
你好！我很饿！！
you will get lots of practice there!! seriously!