Mandarin Tutoring

1. Be aware of tones

Mandarin is a tonal language, which means that speaking the same word with different pitch will give the word different meanings.

2. Learn Chinese in phrases rather than memorising vocabulary lists

Building vocabulary by learning phrases that contain vocabulary will help to make your communication understood by context, even if your tones are a bit off at first.

Chinese, like other languages, has many words that have the same/similar meaning but are used in particular contexts. Therefore, most students will find it more efficient to learn vocabulary "in context", meaning in phrases where the vocabulary is used.

Unlike some other languages (such as French or Spanish), there is absolutely no connection between English and Chinese vocabulary (aside from random coincidence and a handful of English words that younger Chinese have adopted). This makes memorisation of individual words more challenging, and less efficient than learning Chinese in phrases.

3. Do not put too much emphasis on grammatical rules

The complexity of Chinese vocabulary is partially offset by the simplicity of it`s grammatical structure. And in languages full of exceptions-to-rules, you`ll advance more quickly by absorbing a "feeling" for grammatical structure through practice and exposure, rather than intellectual understanding of rules.

4. Have fun!

If you enjoy learning a language, your mind and efforts will be more focused and you`ll learn much faster.

If you think it would be enjoyable, join a Chinese language group. But only stick with them if they actively work on practicing Chinese - otherwise you`ll be better off using that time to study on your own. Conversational Chinese classes at community colleges can also be fun.

Watch movies in Chinese. There are loads of great Mandarin movies from China, and Hong Kong (Cantonese) has one of the largest film industries in the world. Watching movies was my primary method of learning English, and I`ve heard of many students reinforcing their Chinese language efforts in the same way.

Get a tutor! Yes, that`s a shameless plug for myself but of course you have other choices as well. Any form of one-on-one instruction is usually going to be more effective than a group setting, and more fun if it`s someone that you click with. So if one tutor isn`t working out, try others until you find someone with whom you feel comfortable. Working with a private tutor who gives assignments can also provide some much needed motivation that learning a language requires.

Plan a future trip to China, Taiwan, or Hong Kong, and make it your goal to gain a certain level of proficiency by that time.