How long would it take me to be able to speak Mandarin Chinese?

Question

I am interested in learning how to speak Mandarin Chinese, and I'm curious to know how long it might take me in order to be adequate at the language. I am a college student on summer break right now so I have plenty of free time. Also, I have studied Japanese and French.
Also, lemme just say that I am not interested in learning how to write or read Chinese right now.....all I want to know is how long it would take until I would be able to maybe...listen to a Chinese television show and understand what they are saying, or maybe travel to Asia and be able to get along okay.

Answer 1

It depends on how much time and effort you spend on it. You mentioned that you don't want to learn how to read and write yet, but I think reading and writing are exactly the best way to improve your Chinese if you don't live in the place where people speak Chinese every day. They help you improve your vocabulary and fluency.

Of course, attending classes is a good way to learn beginner's Chinese, but the key to success is that YOU NEED TO PRACTICE YOUR CHINESE EVERY DAY. And here are what you can do:

1.You mentioned you want to understand a Chinese TV show, go ahead and listen to it. Try to find the words you already know, and match the sentence they say with the subtitle in English or in Chinese. If possible, repeat after it whether you understand it or not.

2.You can also talk to your friend or yourself in the Chinese you have learned already. Don't feel embarrassed when someone laughs at you when you make mistakes. This also helps you with your fluency.

3. Practice the pronunciation and changes of tones every day. When I was in the first grade, my teacher used to write the same sound in different tones in Zhuyin Symbols (Chinese phonetic system used in Taiwan) on the board and make us repeat it. You can try to find some sounds in the dictionary and read them in the tones recorded in the dictionary. If possible, have a native Chinese speaker read them for you first and you imitate the way he/she reads them. Some Chinese learners in Taiwan after the age of 20 actually managed to make themselves sound like native Chinese speakers!

4. Read your textbook or other Chinese materials out loud.

5. Force yourself to think in the Chinese you have already know

6. Forget the grammar rules.

7. Create a Chinese environment and be comfortable with hearing Chinese at your residence all the time.

8. Listen to Chinese radio programs or story CDs at least 30 minutes a day.

All in all, all learning takes time and effort. Above are just the methods I think might work according to my experience in learning English. If you practice every day, you will be able to speak fluent Mandarin sooner or later.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Wow that previous answerer is cocky to say the least! I am majoring in Chinese and it is my fifth language. The tones take a few months (of classroom teaching) to get used to so Japanese won't help here as it doesn't have any tones (or just the one, I can't remember). Speaking and listening is quite easy as there are only 250 'word sounds' but all of which will have 4 tones applied to so that makes 1000, then these will have multiple meanings which we contextualise through reading and listening to carefully. Good luck, this summer I will be in Beijing taking a course in Chinese which really will be excellent.

Answer 4

If you're not from a Chinese family and is starting to learn from scratch, it will take you some time to be able to read and speak, and it could be 8-10 years if you're thinking of becoming a professional translator. The Chinese language has no alphabets, the romanized pinyin you see sometimes are just transliteration of Chinese characters so westerners can learn it easier. The reading part will be quite difficult at the beginning for English speakers. Actually after you've learned basic Chinese, it is not that difficult to master. I personally find English being more complicated.

Answer 5

I am Chinese. I studied Chinese for 10 years and Higher Chinese for 6 years. Till today, I am unable to say honestly that I am good at the language. Chinese is a language with a long history and culture. It is not easy to learn.
I'm quite sure that people in Asia speak English.

Answer 6

I am a native Chinese, I'm sorry to tell you that it is very hard.
Just as floozy-niki said 'Chinese is a language with a long history and culture. It is not easy to learn. '
One of my teachers (from US) said that Chinese is the hardest language in the world while English is easiest.
I have learned English for nearly 10 years and now I am not able to follow what the US movies say because it is too fast.

Answer 7

I am an East Asian Language minor and Mandarin is my concentration, and I would say that in order to watch a television show, it would take you three years of intensive study in a classroom with a well qualified instructor. Chinese is apart from a lot of other languages due to it being tonal and the importance of context.

I learned a good amount in a year, but that is only because I am just amazing at languages and it comes very easy for me. (Mandarin was my eigth language). And having seven sessions a week - at the university of kansas- didn't hurt either.

I would also suggest learning to read and write, that is a major part in understanding mandarin. And learn TRADITIONAL BEFORE SIMPLIFIED! All texts before the 60s and everything from Hong Kong and Taiwan use Traditional.

好運 hao3yun4 (Good luck)

Answer 8

It might take a few years to become fluent. Most people who learn when they're older have problem pronouncing the different tones and certain words.

I've studied Chinese my whole life, English being my first language, and I can't say I'm good at it.

To be able to have a basic conversation, maye you could speak to practice. (follow chinese shows, speak to chinese friends)

Answer 9

Try watching chinese movies with chinese/english subtitles. It will help you a lot. You will be familiarize with some of the basic mandarin words in no time.

Answer 10

If you are completely immersed in a language it takes eight years to go from not knowing a word to native speaker. But, that is complete immersion, and I don't think that you have eight years for your summer break. Probably two years of dedicated study would be sufficient for conversation.