Jul 5, 2020

How hard is it to learn Mandarin Chinese? In this episode of the Millennials in China podcast Chris and Hope dissect the approaches one can take to conquer this seemingly impossible task. Mandarin, although difficult for Westerners due to its entirely different language roots and logic, can be learned and mastered with some determination, persistence, and smart learning methods.

Show Notes:

• Chinese is widely seen as a tough language to learn and even tougher to master, but learning it will open a whole new set of doors in China.
• Hope’s perspective on speaking Chinese as someone who was born in China but spent most of his life in the West.
• The best cities for picking up Chinese culture and learning Mandarin - not Shanghai!
• Chris talks about having a Chinese wife and what effects that has on his Chinese skills.
• Chris shares his methods for learning Chinese, and how long it took to get the hang out things.
• Chinese characters - reading, writing, and how they are actually easier than speaking.
• Keys to immersion and fast Chinese learning - having a good private tutor, practice with locals such as taxi drivers, and spend time with Chinese friends!
• The logic of the Chinese language and how different it is from Roman languages.
• The most difficult part of learning Chinese - the four tones.
• Good practices for learning Chinese - consistency is key.

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/millennials-in-china/id1503870294

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0MwEJZnnZ2sNWje7wP0GaW?si=tWqgkgwoQCueTrEfeI3-6g

Listen on Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cDovL21pbGxlbm5pYWxzaW5jaGluYS5jb20vcnNz

Listen on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm6jqVbJ1SR_g9iTLFxyF1g

Podcast Website: http://millennialsinchina.com

Podcast Facebook: https://facebook.com/millennialsinchina

Podcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/MillennialsCN

Chris' Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChrisWood1821

Hope's Twitter: https://twitter.com/hope_freiheit

Hope’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/hope_freiheit

Hope’s Website: https://hopefreiheit.com