Also what's the fastest and most efficient way to do so? I'm thinking of pursuing Hindi as well. Any advice on how I could go about accomplishing this on my off time will be greatly appreciated. (I have about eight hours a day to dedicate to my studies).
Thanks in advance!
Question is, how do you have 8 hours a day to dedicate to learning chong. Do you not do anything?
>>17220399
He might have just broke up for summer or something. I'm breaking up soon and have 11 weeks of and would love to at east try to learn a language
I started a few weeks ago with HSK 1 over memrise and a phrasebook.
It's going well
hardest thing early on is speaking fluency.
if you want to be a fluent speaker you're going to have to find real chinese people and actually try to talk to them.
not really much else to say, when I was learning mandarin I just wrote the characters over and over again, incorporated them into sentences, repeated the sentences over and over. I also started gradually replacing things I did every day with chinese, like telling the time in my head, or the date, or the weather, etc
understanding fluctuations in tones when dealing with a native speaker is pretty hard, good luck.
How do I learn Mandarin as a native Cantonese speaker? No employer gives a shit about Cantonese speakers :(
>>17220116
Try the FSI courses. I think Basic Proficiency is the most complete one. Just google FSI Chinese, should come up. You really have to dedicate yourself, but I hear it works like a charm.
Also couldn't hurt to look through the
>>>/int/
wiki
How do you remember new words and grammar? (I'm also interested in learning my first 2nd language)
>>17221200
Obviously some do if they're doing business in southern China or HK or with companies from those areas.
As for learning, it's tonal based so you've got the advantage that you can speak (and listen) better than anyone else. Then it's a matter of learning Chinese like everyone else from the pinyin and up...
If you are a native English speaker then chong is absolute hell
>>17220116
This is mandatory reading for any English speaker thinking of learning Chinese: http://pinyin.info/readings/texts/moser.html
tldr: Unless you marry a Chinese woman and move there, raising your children to speak Mandarin, you have no hope of actually learning the language. Even if you become a PhD in Chinese studies state-side. You will not learn Chinese in your "off time."
Though if your aim is to run around non-Chinese people, spouting Chinese phrases out of context and practicing writing jiantizi so you can convince yourself you're some sort of genius, only to lose your marbles after a few years...then have at it.
Qualifications: I wasted several years of my life doing scenario #2 above.
