On the average with steady practice.
2007-12-12 11:23:59 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Travel ➔ Asia Pacific ➔ China
1. learn pin yin well. that is the ABC in Chinese.pin yin helps you to pronounce a Chinese word correctly.i know remembering them is hard,but you have to.
2. the image thing the 1st answer mentioned is not so helpful in learning chinese(sorry to say that,but it is true). it can explain the formation of some character, but just some. it can add some fun to beginners.but you can't learn it by this way since what you are learning for sure is SIMPLIFIED chinese.many words can't be explained by image.even in traditional chinese, just a few could be done in this way.
3. listen to some chinese songs and watch chinese movies.
learning a foreign language is never a easy thing especially when it is chinese.
there is no shortcut. spend more time and make a really good basis at the early stage.or later you'll find it will become more and more confusing.
Hope you will make a great progress in your chinese learning.
recommend you a site-http://linese.foreignercn.com/foreigner/index.jsp
you can learn chinese from there and it's free!
2007-12-12 14:42:13 · answer #1 · answered by Hopemazzy 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It depends on how fluent you want to be. Do you want to be able to carry a simple conversation? Do you want to be able to speak at a level where you can do high level interpretation? I would say with about a year of steady practice you could have basic conversations, several years if you want to be really really good.
I've studied Mandarin Chinese for over a decade (on and off) and I have really enjoyed learning the language. The most important piece of advice I can give you is...
LEARN THE TONES!
Mandarin is a tonal language, and you must learn the tone for every single word. Learn the tones even if it means it slows down your learning. If you speak Mandarin Chinese without the proper tones, you will sound ridiculous to native speakers.
And here's a good website for learning Mandarin Chinese:
2007-12-12 13:13:22 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
To be brutally honest, if you live outside of China: never. You'll be able to communicate, but you won't be fluent. Fluency: 3-4 years in China with regular study. You may have high school fluency in that time. Maybe.
Reading and writing are almost like 2 different languages. You can also become fairly fluent in speaking but not reading if you choose.
Chinese pod is ok, but does not replace a teacher. I also like Pimsleur as a learning device for strict beginners.
2007-12-12 23:12:29 · answer #3 · answered by Big Fat Cat 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Even if you're already fluent in a moment language, it will have to take a local speaker of english no less than 2200 hours of labor (88 weeks). The different severe is Esperanto, wherein such people can achieve fluency in 6 weeks
2016-09-05 10:21:32 · answer #4 · answered by flerme 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try to find a Chinese family to stay with.Chinese are full of hospitality,better with a child around 10-15 years old.They also need English help.Plus it is very cheap in this way,almost cost nothing.
2007-12-12 18:56:50 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
living in China - somewhere where there is little English, maybe 2 years
living outside of China - long time
2007-12-12 18:31:53 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
at least 5 years
2007-12-13 19:51:09 · answer #7 · answered by tidelin 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are in China, then it should be ok.
2007-12-13 03:01:19 · answer #8 · answered by White Shooting Star of HK 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋