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Chinese Conversation + short trip to Chin | ||
Tags: Mandarin | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Advice Center |  | |
| CelticBasque Newbie United States Joined 4580 days ago 18 posts - 20 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Russian, French | Message 1 of 10 16 March 2015 at 7:00am | IP Logged | ||
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I'm applying to take an intensive conversational course and then going to China for a couple weeks.
It will probably only amount to about 25 hours of study prior to leaving for China, so I know it won't result in much at all. But I hope to continue learning Mandarin after the trip in addition to my primary language of study at the moment (Russian). Anyways, aside from that, does anyone have any advice for what I can do to make the best of this conversational course and this trip? 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| tarvos Super Polyglot Winner TAC 2012 Senior Member China likeapolyglot.wordpr Joined 4693 days ago 5310 posts - 9399 votes  Speaks: Dutch*, English, Swedish, French, Russian, German, Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Afrikaans Studies: Greek, Modern Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Korean, Esperanto, Finnish | Message 2 of 10 16 March 2015 at 7:38am | IP Logged | ||
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Focus on the basic essentials of what you will have to use during your trip in China.
I am living in China right now, and I can tell you from experience that you will need to be able to do the following: - Understand prices/times when spoken. - Use basic greetings and conversational introductions. "I am..." - Hope you're a lucky one and get a Chinese name - this will immensely help the Chinese in their dealings with you. - Learn the names of food and drink items - Ask when/where questions - Read some essential characters to travel around This is what you should focus on. The rest can come later. You may wish to practice some medical words too (fever, cold, flu, diarrhea, ache). Train/bus/subway signs you may also need I can do all these basic things except read menus (and in restaurants, point at stuff and you'll generally be ok). Edited by tarvos on 16 March 2015 at 8:06am 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| CelticBasque Newbie United States Joined 4580 days ago 18 posts - 20 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Russian, French | Message 3 of 10 16 March 2015 at 7:52am | IP Logged | ||
Thank you very much, that's exactly the kind of advice I needed. Do you agree with the language profile on htlal that claims spoken Chinese isn't too overly challenging? and that aside from the tones and completely foreign words, most of the difficulties arise from reading and writing? 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| tarvos Super Polyglot Winner TAC 2012 Senior Member China likeapolyglot.wordpr Joined 4693 days ago 5310 posts - 9399 votes Speaks: Dutch*, English, Swedish, French, Russian, German, Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Afrikaans Studies: Greek, Modern Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Korean, Esperanto, Finnish | Message 4 of 10 16 March 2015 at 8:01am | IP Logged | ||
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I never agree with any language profile ever because experiences and mileage vary, but
from my experience with Chinese, the spoken area is easier to deal with - given that you're speaking to someone who speaks standard Mandarin, and good luck finding those people, you're limited to teachers and people in public offices and such. Almost everyone has an accent. I live in Chengde, where people speak fairly standard Mandarin, and I understand all the basics, but when they go on a rant or when they discuss complex matters I am up shit creek without a paddle and that current looks like it's going the other way dangerously. That's another thing I forgot: forget about words in the first week of learning, just ram tones into your head like an idiot. You will need them. I speak Chinese with a terrible accent but most of the time people understand my tones and that's all I need. And my Chinese certainly wins no awards for its quality. Get your tones right. Do it before you do anything else. Once you're satisfied with them after a week (NO MORE. DON'T OVERDO IT) move on to the basic pleasantries etc. Or learn them concomitantly, but concentrate on the tones. Always do the tones first. Edited by tarvos on 16 March 2015 at 8:03am 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Kc2012 Diglot Groupie South Africa Joined 4459 days ago 44 posts - 65 votes Speaks: English*, Afrikaans Studies: Dutch, Mandarin, Russian | Message 5 of 10 16 March 2015 at 12:36pm | IP Logged | ||
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Hey there, I'm also living in China right now so I'll try give you some advice as well :)
Where will you be going? If it's a big international city like Beijing or Shanghai try to stay away from the touristy places as many people speak English there. Stick to the smaller, more local places outside the city centre. A great way to practice Chinese is to bargain with them at the markets. It often results in a lot of dialogue and a lot of laughing. Bargain with a smile always and you'll have a great time (but remember they are pros at it) oh and of course learn the vocab for this, like 'tai gui le' - 'too expensive' and learn numbers so you can put forward prices. All the things that Tarvos listed are the essentials to learn really as you can always use it. Chinese people often will praise your mandarin after just hearing you say 'ni hao' but don't let the conversation stop so early, try to learn some questions like 'are you from this city?' 'where's your hometown?' 'Have you been overseas?' etc, and even if you don't understand the response just nod and smile. Definitely learn and rehearse a self introduction and make sure you can answer these three questions: Where are you from? Why did you come to China? How long have you been in China? Good luck and have fun!! 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| tarvos Super Polyglot Winner TAC 2012 Senior Member China likeapolyglot.wordpr Joined 4693 days ago 5310 posts - 9399 votes Speaks: Dutch*, English, Swedish, French, Russian, German, Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Afrikaans Studies: Greek, Modern Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Korean, Esperanto, Finnish | Message 6 of 10 16 March 2015 at 1:06pm | IP Logged | ||
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Oh yeah you need to be able to answer those questions. I always get asked how long
I've been studying Chinese, especially when they figure out I can say more than one sentence and have a vaguely normal conversation. In Beijing, if you want to go to the international places, go to Sanlitun (that's where foreigners get wasted) but otherwise stick to some of the more Chinese parts of town. Do ramble around some hutongs and stuff, it's fun! Be warned, that responses may be said in thick accents outside Beijing and the Northeast (and even in Beijing you will notice the Beijing accent). Sichuan accents are apparently really funny. Most of these people will speak Mandarin to you but they'll speak their local dialect/language/whatever the hell it is they speak in some parts. If you don't get it, ask again! China is a very safe country and Chinese people love it when foreigners speak Chinese. 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| CelticBasque Newbie United States Joined 4580 days ago 18 posts - 20 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Russian, French | Message 7 of 10 17 March 2015 at 8:35am | IP Logged | ||
I'm going to Chongqing and Shanghai, so two massive mandarin speaking cities. I know Shanghai is famous for its dialect, but some of the people in my group I'm going with speak Mandarin, so at the very worst, I could try and talk with them a little bit. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| CelticBasque Newbie United States Joined 4580 days ago 18 posts - 20 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Russian, French | Message 8 of 10 17 March 2015 at 8:37am | IP Logged | ||
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Thank you very much to all of you for the advice! this is my first time really focusing on the conversational aspects
of any language, let alone mandarin! If I do end up getting accepted for this program, I'll try and post a language log, but that probably won't be of much interest to you since you all are already ahead of me. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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