{"id":677,"date":"2020-04-03T12:37:54","date_gmt":"2020-04-03T10:37:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.swaplanguage.com\/?p=677"},"modified":"2020-04-03T12:37:54","modified_gmt":"2020-04-03T10:37:54","slug":"10-tips-to-help-you-master-mandarin-chinese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.claireb.dk\/index.php\/2020\/04\/03\/10-tips-to-help-you-master-mandarin-chinese\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Tips to Help You Learn Mandarin Chinese"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

More people decide to learn Mandarin Chinese, as it is considered one of the best languages to know in recent years. The Chinese language is beautifully complex with a rich history. Of which, Mandarin has gained increasing international recognition, especially in school and business settings, and it is now the second most spoken language in the world<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is to say, recently, we had an article on Chinese<\/a>, introducing basic Chinese writing systems, grammar, and 4 tones in Mandarin. We also gave some fun facts and quick tips on how to start learning Chinese. Check it out if you haven\u2019t yet because it was a great hit \ud83d\ude09 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, we decided to share 10 useful tips to help you master Mandarin Chinese. 
Note: <\/em><\/strong>Since Mandarin is a spoken form of Chinese, we will focus on boosting your speaking and listening skills that will help you speak like a native in no time!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Find out your motives & set measurable goals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"set<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Before you start learning Mandarin, our advice is to find out WHY<\/strong> you want to learn this language. Is it because you are doing business in China? Or are you interested in Chinese history and culture? It is essential to know your motives to set good goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A good goal is measurable and realistic<\/strong>; it usually involves numbers, for example: \u201cI want to learn 10 new words per week,\u201d which helps a lot to track your progress. Contrarily, a goal like \u201coh, I just want to be able to say something in Mandarin,\u201d is too vague and hard-to-measure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things to keep in mind: <\/strong>Your goals need to be realistic, meaning that you take your current level, resources, and time into consideration. <\/strong>If you work 8 hours a day and go to the gym 3 times per week, then aiming to study Mandarin 3 hours per day is probably unrealistic. Setting realistic goals is important to keep you going. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do I identify Mandarin Chinese tones?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

2. Ensure a solid understanding of the 4 Mandarin tones <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The 4 tones in Mandarin can be confusing for new learners whose native language is non-tonal. But since the meaning of a Chinese character really changes depending on the tone, spending time to get a solid understanding of the 4 tones, in the beginning, will carry you a long way. Listen to them repeatedly, try to imitate, and distinguish the differences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things\/Goal to keep in mind: <\/strong>There are 20 combinations of the tones. Our tip is to master these different combinations using this tone-pair chart.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This tone-pair chart does wonder to train your brain and tongue to become familiar with the tones. Once you have learned the 20 pairs, you can easily pronounce any 2-character Mandarin words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Learn the 4 Mandarin Chinese tones in phrases, not individual characters <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Related to tip #2, it is better to learn the tones for phrases or compound words rather than just individual characters. Why? Because when you speak in Mandarin, you usually don\u2019t just speak in singular words. It helps you to see how the characters sound, or even influence one another when they are together in a phrase or a sentence. That\u2019s the reason why we gave you the tone-pair chart above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things to keep in mind: <\/strong>There are some tone-changing rules in Mandarin. Take a common word as an example,\u300c\u4e00\u300d<\/strong>(\u201cone\u201d)  is naturally in tone 1 \u201cy\u012b\u201d, but its tone changes when it is placed with other characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n