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哈哈哈

I'm not sure how to define this. I didn't learn how to write hanzi. In terms of hanzi, I just learn how to construct and recognise them so that I'm able to read and "type/write" them on my keyboard. Is this considered knowing how to write?

i would love a video on how to sound more native in mandarin!!

Looks amazing!😯

While I find this concept intriguing and unique for Mandarin learning, the pricing seems hard to justify. I lived in China for a year and attended an intensive Mandarin program, and the total cost for 12 months was around £8,000. This included everything-travelling across China, a two-week trip to Taiwan, round-trip flights, rent, food, and visa costs. Spending over £4,000 for just two weeks in a simulated environment with other foreigners and some teachers, rather than genuine cultural immersion in China, feels excessive. I can see how this might appeal to those who can't commit to living abroad, but I believe the steep price will deter many potential learners. Thank you for sharing anyway, as I am sure for some people it would be worth the cost.

I love this channel

lol "the only event that exists of its kind" they have the same thing in both the phillipines and south korea.

This is a standard immersion field trip that most students in official language learning programs would do.

Something very similar to this exists for French in Canada. It's a 5 week immersion program, although you don't have as much of an opportunity to do cultural activities, you're fully immersed in french for 5 weeks. It was an amazing experience which I go to experience this summer. I would love doing it for other languages if it existed in more that I already speak!

I think dreaming in a foreign language really shows your brain is making real permanent adaptations to accommodate the foreign language. Native speakers generally don't dream in their native language per se but I bet they did way way back when they were children learning their first language. They just don't remember anymore.

You can find out more information about Mandarin Retreat 2025 here: www.peakmandarin.com/mandarinretreat The discount code for 25% off is: EARLYBIRDRETREAT

Could you give a rough guide on cost, where and date when held, Will?

oh you went as the teacher/ expert wow

I found its better to start with the final phrase (coda?) & get that worked out, then work back..the end cadence determines the how the sentence starts...

I subbed, great logic behind all study points! Btw, what are your thoughts on the du reading app, and chatgpt's Chinese ability? If I limit my output but just constantly read in Chinese for like a year or so and watch podcasts/movies/etc, wouldn't output be way easier for me when I focus on it later? Is it okay to just do a ton of input? Like a baby might. I actually have a permanent messed up throat and can't really speak much. But still wanna learn Chinese.

Did you ever use pinyin on your cards? It seems essential as a total beginner to have hanzi, pinyin, and an audio file on every card. No translation based on your advice.

Como mexicana, entendí muy bien, y si te entiendo, ¡entonces vas por buen camino chaval! Si puedes, solo sigue rodeándote de gente que hable español. ¡Buena suerte!

谢谢 赞赞赞

I’m Chinese, and you speak better Chinese than me lol. You are a genius!

Measuring progression and setting goals. No matter how much i study it doesn't feel like i am moving forward or making progress. Need a structured method to learn

I have noticed that usually the better a person is at Mandarin the more subtle their tones are...

I started duolingo chineese about a week ago, and my biggest pretension is that i don't understand how it listens to me. Is it good or not for training tones?

If I had to choose just one... It would be Jonathan Kos Read

It sounds crazy but I started talking to my dog in Chinese

I am still rather confused about the 3rd tone as some Chinese dramas I watch depending on the character's speaking style, I'm pretty sure I often hear the 3rd tone rising bit...

5-Year Goals and Current Actions: 1. Read at a higher level: I think I'm making good progress with graded reader stories in the HelloChinese app. 2. Perfect pronunciation: I want to do a pronunciation bootcamp with Rita (Fan Laoshi) in September. For now, I meet a Chinese teacher each week and read sentences from a textbook, and he corrects my pronunciation (I'm not sure if this is a good method). 3. Speak with colloquial grammar: I watch Chinese reality dating shows like 我们恋爱吧 for exposure to introductions and small talk. 4. Improve the sound of my voice in Mandarin: I'm stuck here. My Chinese voice seems much higher-pitched than my natural voice, and sounds strained (even when the words/pronunciation are right). I want to find a native speaker who sounds the way I want to sound, and see if I can find some kind of repository of common phrases said slowly and fast. That way I can listen to the recordings on repeat and try to imitate them.

Thanks for your "coaching" advice, Will. Very appreciated. Actually, what you suggest is what I have tried to introduce in my learning process since a couple of years ago. My challenge now is going back to "tones", as I have underestimated their importance in the beginning. So I reframed my goals: from "passing HSK4 by 2024" to "improve my speaking and understanding fluency in daily conversations on basic topics". I have 1:1 lessons a couple of times every week and dedicate 1 hour daily (actually, the first hour of my day). I use LingQ and I find it useful. Reframing from quantity to quality is my focus now and I confess I am struggling a bit on this (repetition, chorusing, mimicking the same thing). It is reassuring to remind myself that some wise person say that often "it's better to read a book 100 times than 100 books just once". Thanks for your great contribution to chinese learners, you are really inspiring.

This is great advice Will.

Hey Will! Hope you’re well. I remember you mentioning that when you went to university you struggled to understand what people were saying even though they understood you- how did you overcome this? I’ve been learning for a couple of months and I’m at that stage right now. It’s awkward because I understand a fair amount but what I don’t understand is also crucial so I’ll either stop and ask my friends or (and this happens more frequently) they’ll translate the harder words that think I’m unlikely to understand (which while helpful I’m sure is a little annoying for them). How long did it take you to understand almost everything they were saying? At any point early in did you experience them speaking to you like a complete learner? (As in slowing down significantly/translating words without you asking)? I appreciate your tips so thanks in advance :)

Thank you very much, I decided to leave my job because I lose my way. So now I have time to try again chinese studying. I joint a chinese course but I couldn't catch them. They taught too fast. I stoped it and teach it by myself, hehehe . Hopefully it works

I have watched your several videos before, as a native Chinese speaker, I would like to say that your pronunciation is really authentic.😂

我说很好。我是越南人，我会跟着你。谢谢你很多。

In defense of Duolingo using strange phrases: i think it teaches learners the different ways new vocabulary can function in a sentence, and it encourages learners to treat the words like lego blocks when building their own phrases.

好棒！！！！

“文化水平这么低”哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈

my goal is literally to speak well but I don't practice speaking 💀 called out in this video haha~ thanks for the tips!!

Thanks Will, this is just what I needed to review my own learning routine.

I'm trying to prepare for the HSK 3 exam, so I tried using Anki. But, I don't quite understand how to ONLY have the HSK 1-3 words and sentences. I have a 'complete' HSK 1-6 set, so it also asks me very difficult words and sentences. Does anyone know where I can get a set with only HSK 1-3 sentences and words, or know how I can make a sub-selection to only get HSK 1-3 sentences and words?

😂😂😂

Du Chinese app. The best I’ve found so far. Suitable to all levels..

Thanks for watching the video, hope it was useful! What problems are you guys currently having with learning Mandarin?

I use HelloChinese, but I mostly use it as a primer just to get vocab under my belt / have some exposure and familiarity so that I have more context when trying to memorize the characters via Anki or doing listening practice

if you want improve your Chinese ,just connect to me , 我会教你学习中文，free 免费。

thanks😊😊

Great advice! Thank you so much.

I started in college and I have been learning Mandarin for coming on 20 years. I am at a B2 level and no longer think my Chinese sucks. But it's still not perfect. The thing I realized was that I had no handle on things are actually said in colloquial speech. Yet in my college classes, the nitty gritty details of how Chinese people actually speak weren't really discussed, it was mostly formal grammar. Through having tutors for years, and just listening to podcasts with subtitles, and looking up thousands and thousands of new words and phrases and 成语, I can now reasonably understand spontaneous casual conversation and most topics. But that level of B2 in Chinese is very hard wrought compared to other languages. I've been studying on and off for so long because there were periods where I just wanted to give up with it. I suppose I would have gotten much farther if it hadn't been on and off, but I genuinely had no idea how to improve because learning this language is like throwing mud at a wall and expecting it to become a painting. But the key to getting better really does lie in 1. learning as many words as humanly possibly, 2. keeping a record of everything you learn, and writing sentences with those words, and 3. doing the nitty gritty work of watching conversations with subtitles, and then analyzing the sentence structure and the words used. That is what will really make the difference, at least if you can't make it to China.

Thanks will for the video. I'm currently struggling with understanding what I listen. What do you recommend me to do?..I'm trying to find content to listen to it everyday.

great analysis: I have been a mando buff for several years: I'm now 70 so the question of 5 years time may be academic...I have zero conversational skill ( lack of opportunity ) but I enjoy actual Chinese light novels (crime/military/love stories). Also watch tv dramas. A free of charge resource is Google Translate - I use it to record phrases/sentences from my reading & I can pull it up again to revise- i do that in periods of insomnia at night.

What were the (conversational) intermediate podcasts you recommended to her? Overall, great advice Will!