It’s Easy to Learn Chinese!
Make it easy to learn Chinese by creating the environment that will boost your speaking skills! The following steps are exactly what you’ll need to begin your journey of learning Chinese. First, you’ll want to ensure that you are absorbed in the language. Second, try to mimic the sounds after you’ve listened for a while. Third, make sure you have an understanding of the fundamentals so that all your work is not for naught! Keep these three principles in mind, and you’ll find that it is indeed easy to learn Chinese!
Make it Easy to Learn Chinese by Your Environment
In order to learn any new language, you must have an understanding of the basic sounds that are used in the language. For this to be possible, you must immerse yourself in the language. It is easy to learn Chinese, but this means that you must listen to Chinese at every available opportunity. (For those who have difficulty listening to audios drone on and on, you’ll want to invest in a movie program to get started).
For anyone whose first language is English, there is both good and bad news. The good news is that there is only one sound (and its combinations) in Chinese that is not at all found in the English language! The bad news is that the concepts needed for culture, grammar, and tones are so extremely foreign to us that learning Chinese feels like swallowing the ocean! This makes it even more important that you have the opportunity to listen to the language daily.
Make it Easy to Learn Chinese through Mimicry
A very important proverb for Chinese could be loosely translated, “You don’t have to be the best, just copy the best.” Hopefully, after you’ve considered that statement fully, a much clearer understanding of the culture will begin to materialize. Upon consideration, you’ll realize that it is often most difficult to be the first to do or try something new. (Yet, we know that without any new research or explorations, we would miss out on such a great portion of history)!
Still, the greatest advantage is taken or the greatest gain is realized when you follow the pioneer and improve upon his or her work. When this is done through careful and thoughtful observation and adjustments, you will have a product, process, or structure that is far superior to the initial model.
By using this proverb to your advantage, you will find that it’s easy to learn Chinese! Listen and copy, listen and follow, listen and repeat so that you will soon find yourself speaking Chinese without even realizing it!
Make it Easy to Learn Chinese by Knowing the Fundamentals
With the right environment that you can follow, you will need to be aware of some basic concepts in order to learn Chinese correctly. The MOST IMPORTANT aspect of the language is the tone—not the word, not the sound, not the grammar—just the tone! In this light, below you will see a few guiding principles.
1. Every time you open your mouth, it should sound like you are singing a song. If it does not, you’ve got it wrong, so try again!
2. Since the tone is the most important, you will want to practice each sound with each of the four tones. (The neutral tone, in this instance, is not necessary since that is how we normally speak English).
3. Daily “singing” (practicing) the “alphabet” (Pin Yin) will be extremely important for your future success. Do not take this exercise lightly! By the end of two weeks, others should notice your improvement in the language.
If you follow these principles about your tones, you’ll surely find it easy to learn Chinese!
