How to start writing texts or questions in Chinese / 汉字?

user76423
 November 26, 2009, 04:20 PM posted in I Have a Question

How did you start writing texts or questions in Chinese? What strategies do you use (e.g. if you don't know a word)? How much grammar and pattern knowledge do you need?

Profile picture
bodawei
 November 26, 2009, 04:33 PM

1. Find something that you are fairly sure is correct (eg. something in a textbook, or in a ChinesePod lesson) and vary the words in the question or text. 'Modelling' is a common approach to learning any language.  

2. Try to use a pattern that is different to English, such as yinwei (because...) [......] suoyi (so...).  That way you avoid just 'speaking Chinese in English'. You feel that you are really making progress if you use a Chinese pattern that is different to English.