Learning Mandarin

Learning Mandarin: Things You Should Know Before You Begin

Mandarin is a very popular language, used by a lot of people. If you want to learn it, well...I think you should consider some things first. That way it might help you make some of your decisions.

Did you hear that? MIGHT.

But of course, if you don't think you need any considering, well, alright then!

So...first things first. Decide, if you want to learn it, how you want to learn it. Online...or face to face? With a friend that knows and that can teach you Mandarin, or with a tutor? Using the internet or with a person? Or even go to Chinese School (if your school doesn't learn Mandarin as a second language, then Chinese School is a must for Mandarin learners)? (I suggest you not use Google Translate...it's not that accurate at translating some of the words...)

So now...let's begin with the pros!

Another language you know!
If, for example, you and your sibling are the only people in your family who know Mandarin, well, you can pass secret messages to each other!
If you go to China, well, you won't have too much trouble-or no trouble at all-communicating with the Chinese people there!
People who hear you speak Mandarin, if you aren't Chinese, will be like, "Woah! She/he can speak Mandarin?? That's so cool!"
It could be something to be proud of!
Some words are really easy! For example, the Mandarin word one is just a horizontal line. Literally.
There are things called "Pinyin" to help you mark how you say certain words if you forget their pronounciation, or if you don't know it at all!

Of course, in learning any language, there is always some cons to go with the pros!

The strokes are very important, and the order you do them in.
One teensy weensy mistake could change the word you are writing into something else! Another word, perhaps!
People who learn Mandarin as their second language might have a hard time pronouncing words correctly...(but no worries! At least not to me!) cause, for example, the words sleep and dumpling in Mandarin sound VERY VERY close.
Some words, in my opinion, have WAY TOO MANY STROKES.
You have to keep all sides of the words (whether it's "divided" vertically or horizontally) tucked nice and snug together, otherwise someone could mistake that word as TWO words. Or more. Of course, it might even be you yourself!

Now, let's say that you learned a whole bunch of Mandarin words. That took a lot of work, patience, and perserverance! Wouldn't it be a bit of a waste to forget all the words that you learned?

If you agree, then here's how to NOT forget them: USE THEM!

Now, let's pretend that you've decided to learn Mandarin through Chinese School.

Here are also some things that you must consider:

Chinese School is every Saturday. Are you willing to give up your Saturday for more school?

Do you have time on Saturdays for Chinese School?

Chinese School, like any other school, includes homework! Will you do it?

All the teachers will speak Mandarin, and so, if your first language was NOT Mandarin, it might be a little hard to understand the teacher.

Chinese School is your typical school; only instead of learning LA, SS, Math and Science, you're learning Mandarin! Are you ok with that?

Are your parents ok with you going to Chinese School to learn Mandarin? Are they willing to pay for Chinese school?

Chinese school is long as school! Well, the school that teaches you LA, SS, Math, Science, etc.

PS:It's possible to skip grades!!

PPS: Some Chinese schools do end-of-year performances!

Did you say yes-yes=positivily confident-to all those questions? If so, then you should be all set to go to Chinese School! (Oh, don't forget! Your Chinese School might require you to buy textbooks and practice books!)

If you are going to learn Mandarin with a friend, face to face with someone else, online tutoring, or through the internet, then you have to make sure that 1) You're being taught MANDARIN, not any other language (ex.Cantonese, Japanese, etc.) 2) You're being taught the right form of Mandarin and of course 3) You are learning safely.

Four important things to take with you in order to, after a VERY LONG TIME, speak Mandarin like a pro:

1.Patience: As I said before, Mandarin takes a VERY LONG TIME to learn, so if you wanna speak Mandarin like a pro, well, first you gotta learn the whole language. And that takes patience.

2.Perserverance: Gotta keep trying! Every time you fall...GET UP! And don't fail to believe in yourself!

3.Dedication: If you wanna learn Mandarin in the shortest amount of time possible, you gotta dedicate yourself to learning it. Otherwise...things might not end well.

4.Faith: Believe in yourself! If you keep saying "No, I can't do this, it's impossible,etc." then your brain will trigger something that will make you actually not able to do it!

So, is this website enough help for you? Did it help you make a decision, or no?

Roses are red,

Violets are blue!

I learned Mandarin,

So can you!