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Learning Chinese |OT| - 我们一起学习吧!
- Thread starter Deleted member 23212
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Maybe something about radicals? They're my weak spot honestly, they were kinda glossed over which is probably why I struggle with writing
Also, it shouldn't be 這個醫生 at all. It should be 這位醫生 since the name of the unit used for counting is extremely important in Chinese.
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OK, I think I need a list of resources in the OP!! Other than that I think it should mainly be considered done.
The big cities are so interesting like that. You can basically live your entire life just by using WeChat and you don't have to say a word because people generally keep to themselves.
It's nice to be able to speak to people though and ask "what event is going on" or "where is the best place to get some noodles?"
To make the X sound I put my tongue (mostly the front) pretty flat against the roof of my mouth, and I think I push the tip up to make it a sibilant
I struggle to seperate the palatal and retroflex sibilants in fast speech though, my mouth just wants to mix them
I struggle to seperate the palatal and retroflex sibilants in fast speech though, my mouth just wants to mix them
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Improving the OP and seeing if I can think of ways to build a community.
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So everyone, I need help with the resources section!! I would really appreciate those who are willing to lend a hand.
Pleco Dictionary app for iOS and Android
Yellow Bridge online dictionary
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Oh yeah. Though to be honest, I have a pretty big gripe with Pleco in that it doesn't tell you which translations are more commonly used than others; I've frequently had people not understand what I am trying to say because I use one that Pleco gave me when it may be used sparingly.
lol, that's quite true
I had a big issue at first understanding 厉害 because all the top definitions were dated and the one everybody meant in daily speech was basically "awesome"
The big advantage with Pleco is it's quite comprehensive and has easy access to words containing the character and example sentences. I find the context really useful and you can get a better idea of the meaning of a character by seeing what type of words it is used in.
Reviving the thread*
I've been following a book as well as YoYoChinese (bought the whole thing cause I like Yangyang Cheng teaching style), Id already had an introductory in person Chinese class for a year in undergrad so I was/am familiar with some things but that was years ago.
Honestly prefer writing more than speaking, but its fun either way.
Going at a rather slow pace (just still on like how to introduce your self, Wo/Ni shi [insert name}. Wo/Ni shi Mei guo ren) [someday I'll find how to type Pinyin/characters on pc] but now that I just have this to focus on and not like four other classes with heavy memorization and homework I can absorb stuff better...
that said, hardest thing so far is just getting the tones down and Pronouncing "R" Quite sure I've heard "R" said so many ways like a regular english R to a J sound to some sort of weird mixture.
I've been following a book as well as YoYoChinese (bought the whole thing cause I like Yangyang Cheng teaching style), Id already had an introductory in person Chinese class for a year in undergrad so I was/am familiar with some things but that was years ago.
Honestly prefer writing more than speaking, but its fun either way.
Going at a rather slow pace (just still on like how to introduce your self, Wo/Ni shi [insert name}. Wo/Ni shi Mei guo ren) [someday I'll find how to type Pinyin/characters on pc] but now that I just have this to focus on and not like four other classes with heavy memorization and homework I can absorb stuff better...
that said, hardest thing so far is just getting the tones down and Pronouncing "R" Quite sure I've heard "R" said so many ways like a regular english R to a J sound to some sort of weird mixture.
Are you learning pronounciation just with a book?
For that I would use YouTube or something else. My teacher years ago did 3 lessons just on pronounciation. I also know people who can talk a lot, but Chinese cant really understand them, since they never took the time to learn the pronounciation right and then got used to the wrong one.
For that I would use YouTube or something else. My teacher years ago did 3 lessons just on pronounciation. I also know people who can talk a lot, but Chinese cant really understand them, since they never took the time to learn the pronounciation right and then got used to the wrong one.
Both the audio CD from the book (has a male and female voice) amd the yoyochinese is a online course with videos and two different voices thus far. Also the fight has a pinyin chart with all 400+ sounds voiced.
At least when I practice with the native chinese people at work they've mostly complimented my pronunciation which has been inspiring.
Lots of Chinese speakers flat out mispronounce because Mandarin isn't their native dialect and the retroflexes are usually lacking in the southern dialects. For some there are zero retroflexes so Sh=S Zh=Z Ch=C which is especially tricky when they say something like 14 (i totally didn't accidentally pay them 40).
There is a spectrum of pronouncing R from kind of like an American R (retroflex approximate) to a voiced Sh depending on how close the tongue is to the roof of your mouth. That's ignoring nonstandard which can be more like a Yod sound I think.
Been really focusing time on pronouciation rather than rushing full speed ahead for more conversation things immediately. Want to at be understood rather than have to be asked, "what did you say, repeat that, actually the right way to say it is..."
also little things throw me off like saying ~uan (juan etc). and also sun. like it is all just one syllable or two "Swen, or Su-wen" or "Ju-when" "jwhen" (as examples).
also little things throw me off like saying ~uan (juan etc). and also sun. like it is all just one syllable or two "Swen, or Su-wen" or "Ju-when" "jwhen" (as examples).
Imma be a bit IPA here if that's ok, at least similar symbols lol
There are two registers of vowels, high and low, and some consonants (initials) can only be with one.
The most obvious is Z/C/S, Zh/Ch/Sh and G/K/H that can only be with low vowels and J/Q/X that can only be with high.
If we now look at the U we now have two values for it: regular U sound, low, similar to English like Chun - high U sound, a Y phonetically, this is what it'll always be when it's after J/Q/X - when there are two vowels it is more a semivowel, basically a W when it's low and a kinda Yod sound when high.
There's no such thing as a polysyllabic character, stuff like Xuan and Tian are all one syllable with the first vowel functioning as a glide. With three it's a glide into a diphthong like Shui -> Sh W Ei.
I recommend listening to a bunch of Chinese, whatever fits, so you get a good feel of the sounds. There are only a handful of possible vowel sounds possible so you'll quickly be able to figure out what they're saying phonetically with some accuracy.
Fun fact, you might find the G/K/H syllables never having high vowels a bit strange (like *Ki is an impossible syllable and Ge sounds like someone hit your stomach) but it's because those all turned into the J/Q/X sound and if we remember archaic romanization made the G into K and B into P suddenly old names like Peking for Beijing make much more sense.
Started to at least listen in more indepthly to my Chinese coworkers, glad I can recognize some words.
And listening to a few more videos in general just to practice identifying pinyin and tones.
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Slowly recognizing and remember characters definitely easier to do it when I have sentences versus learning in isolation.
So how do you know the correct place to put Bu in a sentence?
Like in the sentence "I can not speak chinese"
To me has two places to put bu.
Like in the sentence "I can not speak chinese"
To me has two places to put bu.
Didn't expect to see this topic on the first page. I spent ten years of my childhood trying to learn this hot mess of a language and I'm still awful at it. Like, can't hold down a proper conversation with a 3rd-grader awful (well, if that 3rd-grader was a native speaker, as I found out to my detriment on an exchange programme to Nanjing). Godspeed to anyone in this thread taking a serious crack at it.
That being said, I think I know the answer to this one. What are the two places that you have in mind?
I always think of Bu as a negative modifier. So, here it would be "Bù nén", or can not. Another example could be "bù yào" or don't want
I would have put it in front of speak, since you are doing the opposite of speaking.
Use it the same way you use not in english. The standard way to say it is "wo bu nen shuo zhong wen"
I would use 会 (hui) for "able" regarding language and put bu ahead of it since it goes before the verb and the meaning isn't "I'm able to not speak Chinese".
我不会说中文
能 (neng) as I learned it is more physical ability whereas hui is more whether or not something is learned. Like I "hui" speak chinese, but I don't "neng" since I've lost my voice.
我不会说中文
能 (neng) as I learned it is more physical ability whereas hui is more whether or not something is learned. Like I "hui" speak chinese, but I don't "neng" since I've lost my voice.
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Feels like learning characters is more about recognizing them and just immersing myself in them daily.
this throws me off as it's translated to "I will not speak Chinese".
Alternative would be 我不可以说中文。
This textbook is kinda hard to read being in three languages, but it defines hui in that way here and the first example is quite similar:
If you're using a translator try to remove 说 as it is a bit ambiguous though a Chinese speaker shouldn't have an issue understanding you. 要 is usually used for "will" while 可以 can sound like it's got to do with permission. "I may not speak Chinese"
I think I overused 可以 quite a lot though asking merchants if I could look at stuff, but it was the only way I knew of asking that :p
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I think it sounds better keeping it in both times.
马马虎虎
Sounds so cute.
Also wow. Been at learning for three months now. Was afraid at the start I'd give up.
Sounds so cute.
Also wow. Been at learning for three months now. Was afraid at the start I'd give up.
Hi all! I'm a native speaker, but my reading/writing is poor and I probably can't go further than intermediate conversational chinese. I spent a few of my formative years in chinese school, but I've definitely lost all of the hanzi by not using them for 15+yrs lol. Are there any good hanzi-focused resources for someone like me? I've tried taking some more advanced courses in college, but I always got bored of relearning the same grammar stuff.
And now that I've found this thread, love to pitch in to help others too :)
And now that I've found this thread, love to pitch in to help others too :)
I start out, make great progress for about a month, and then all of the sudden it becomes way too hard, I get frustrated, and give up for months at a time.
finding time to continuing practicing while on vacation at my parents for 18 days is uncredibly challenging.
can finally express opinions, I think.
我觉得美国菜很好吃。
我觉得你很漂亮。
can finally express opinions, I think.
我觉得美国菜很好吃。
我觉得你很漂亮。