How to Improve Chinese?

Foreigners seeking a job in China are flocking to learn the language, which will help them better assimilate into the local culture. Moreover, understanding Chinese is a huge benefit while looking for employment, since Chinese companies feel that foreigners who speak Chinese can work more efficiently with Chinese colleagues. However, learning a language is a marathon, not a sprint, and you must review the same materials everyday to retain what you have learned.

So, if you want to learn Chinese rapidly, the following six tips may assist.

Pronunciation Work

Pronunciation is very important in Chinese. The fact that the Chinese phonetic system has four tones reflects its importance.

Furthermore, many characters in Chinese have the same pronunciation, so comprehending what a Chinese person is saying relies on your entire comprehension of the context.

Thus, even a little error in a character's pronunciation (particularly in its tone) might cause confusion. If you are a complete novice, you should work on improving your pronunciation with a native Chinese speaker, since it is difficult to improve your own pronunciation after you have become used to the improper sounds.

Daily practice is required to advance in pronunciation, so make time for this important aspect of Chinese study.

Chinese Word Order

In order for others to comprehend your Chinese, you must pay close attention to the word order.

Unlike most European languages, Chinese sentence structure is “way above your expectations”. For example, a time like 7 p.m. cannot be written at the conclusion of a sentence as in English, but either before or after the subject.

So, in Chinese, “I go to school at 7:00” means “I go to school at 7:00”. Also, interrogative pronouns like “what” and “where” frequently follow a question. The proper word order for “What is this?” in Chinese is “This is what?”

Other sentence structures will need to be learned in order to generate acceptable Chinese sentences, but it is not impossible to learn if you put in the work.

Locate a Language Partner

Finding a language exchange partner can help you fast enhance your Chinese language abilities.

Many young people in China want to learn English (or other major foreign languages like French and German) and make friends from various countries to learn about other cultures while improving their language abilities.

In general, Chinese youth are eager to share their culture and customs with outsiders. So don't worry about whether or not the locals will want to hang out with you.

Take a Chinese Course

Sign up for a Chinese course if you want to study Chinese fluently or pass the HSK test.

Attending Chinese lessons may help you enhance your Chinese language abilities and acquire confidence in your spoken Chinese by engaging with your instructor and classmates (if it's a group class). If you and your instructor become friends, you will also be able to acquire vocabulary and phrases that are not normally taught in standard textbooks.

Although studying Chinese at a language school may be costly, it may help you rapidly obtain a basic grasp of the Chinese language. If you live or study in a big city like Beijing or Shanghai, you may select from many Chinese language schools.

Even if you reside in a small town or a second-tier city, you may learn Chinese online with a reputable language school.