In my recent travels across the internet I came across this article on ConfusedLaowai.com. Neil raises some really interesting points, firstly about motivation (which I’ve addressed here) and also about study habits and methods which I’d like to talk about now.

Of course, everyone goes about study in their own manner; some people can study for hours and days on end (NOT me), and some people struggle to put 5 minutes of solid study together. Some people seem to like noisy classrooms, and some seem to like solitude while studying. The point is, everyone is different and there is no wrong way to go about it (well, other than not studying), but it’s often useful to have an insight into what other people are doing, and so I thought I’d share a few of the methods that have worked for me and others that I’ve known – maybe you’ll be able to find a useful tip too.

Oh, and of course, the other important thing to remember is there are really four main distinct aspects of studying Chinese, or any language for that matter, which are listening, reading, writing and speaking. I find each facet requires a different learning method. I you wanted to go into details I’m sure you could add grammar, culture etc. to the list, but I always felt you kind of just soaked them in along with the rest of your study.

In this article, I’d like to address listening and speaking, because I think they are the two most crucial to being able to achieve real communication. So without further ado, let me talk about how I practice listening and speaking (we can save reading and writing for a later date), and some useful resources that will hopefully help you out:

Listening:

 

For practicing my listening skills I have several handy methods. Although when I was living in China I found it very hard to find interesting television shows, now that I’m back in New Zealand and have a little more time on my hands, I’ve stumbled across a number of useful, interesting shows which I find very helpful (all links are to Youku):

• 喜羊羊与灰太狼 (Happy Sheep and Big Bad Wolf) – a childrens cartoon with lots of morals and tales that you might recognize. Pretty entertaining, and good for all ages.
• 锵锵三人行 – A kind of talkback show where they sit around and talk about all sorts of current topics – generally the vocabulary is not too difficult.
• 我爱我家 – an old Chinese sitcom, can be very entertaining at times, and a good way to learn real Chinese.
• 经济半小时 – another interesting current affairs show, and if you look around, you can find transcripts for it floating around on the internet.
• For more good shows, check out this great post at eChinaCities.com.

Another really useful method to practice listening are podcasts – there are really quite an array of them out there, some free, and others not quite so free, but if you have a search around, you should definitely find some that suit your style. Here are some that I like:

• 慢速中文/Slow Chinese – This is a fantastic podcast aimed at more advanced learners. They cover a really broad array of topics, and provide transcripts too. The liner notes on the MP3s also have the transcripts so you can follow along;
• CSLPod – A huge array of lessons at all levels, and transcripts with a number of different translations to boot. Well worth checking this one out;
• Popup Chinese (itunes link) – this is more of a premium model, but it seems all of their podcasts are available through iTunes. They have some pretty entertaining podcasts available, and a range of levels.
• Mandarin Chinese with Serge Melnyk (iTunes link) – Another premium oriented model, but about 180 podcasts available through iTunes, beginner level.
• iMandarinPod – Quite a selection of podcasts available, and quite a different take on things since it’s run by Chinese folk, as you’ll soon realise when you land on the site. I really like the 慢速新闻.
• There are many others available – let us know your favorites in the comments.

When I was living in China, I also made the point to spend as much of my time as possible with Chinese people; whether working, studying, teaching, whatever, there are millions of Chinese people who would love to spend there time with you – make the most of these opportunities and practice your Chinese with them. Learn to play Chinese card games (斗地主，升级，杀人游戏), learn to play mahjong. Anything to spend more time in a Chinese speaking environment. The more listening you do, the better!

Speaking:

 

Speaking is something people often seem to find the trickiest – luckily for me, I like to talk a lot, and hence I’ve had quite a bit of practice. The key again is taking advantage of all opportunities that present themselves.

When you are in China the opportunities are limitless, just walk on the street and find someone to talk to; visit local schools and universities, and turn the tables on the students who’d like to practice english with you; try and find a Chinese boyfriend or girlfriend (or both – whatever works for you) – not just for the language of course; even a taxi ride can turn in to a lesson if you play your cards right; basically just get outside and get amongst the locals.

My personal favorite is playing games like mahjong and 杀人游戏 (killer game?). With mahjong you have a lot of chit chat going on around the table, and you always get involved in lots of small talk. 杀人游戏 is a game where you have to talk the whole time – the aim of the game is to convince people who are the good people, and who are the bad. It really is an amazing way to practice your speaking.

“Speaking is something people often seem to find the trickiest – luckily for me, I like to talk a lot”  Sinomatter

When you are back in your home country, things can seem a little more difficult. Maybe there aren’t quite so many Chinese people wandering around, or you don’t know where to start out from. I’m pretty lucky because in the area I live the local Chinese Friendship Society organises a regular ‘Chinese Corner’ event – I understand there are many of these around, so maybe that is one thing worth checking out. Maybe you could even organise one yourself. If you’ve lived in China before, you probably have some friends left behind. Keep in touch with them and talk Chinese! I talk to several friends on a weekly basis, and it really helps keep my wheels greased, so to speak.

There is another surefire solution though – there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Chinese international students around the world. When they come to your country, and especially if their English (or which ever language you speak) isn’t so fluent, life can be pretty hard for them. Find them. Make friends. Be social. I have met a lot of people like this, and they always feel just as happy to meet me and talk with me as I am to meet them, after all, there aren’t so many foreigners that speak Chinese. At least not yet!

 
Another option is language exchange websites – I don’t have too much experience with these myself, but I’ve heard good things from numerous people singing their praises. This is a really useful method as you don’t even have to leave home to find people to chat with. Easy, huh? There really seem to be a huge number of people on these sites, and you are bound to find plenty of people to practice your Chinese with.

One option for when you are getting desperate is to practice talking to a mirror: I know it sounds very unusual, but I know a lot of people who use this method. Sometimes you just have to get the sounds out, to practice the pronunciation, especially when you are first learning, and this is also a good way to help you remember new words. You don’t have to have a full blown conversation, but even getting the words out for half an hour or so can make a big difference.

Summary:

There are lots of different ways to approach learning Chinese, and these are just a few of them. The main point is you can only get out what you put it, so after reading this why not try some of these ideas and let us know what works for you. Short of motivation? Check this out.

Any great ideas, shows or podcasts you think we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments, and we can all learn together. 互相帮助! Thanks for dropping by.