Tag: life in Taiwan

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5 Ways to Learn Chinese for FREE!!!!

I think that anyone who has found there way to my little corner of the web will agree that command of Chinese is a valuable, desirable skill to have. Though not particularly an easy one to obtain. Granted, it helps a lot when you know the right way to approach your studies, but don't be fooled, you are still in for a lot of work if you want to really take your Chinese to the next level.

 

One of the best, if not the best ways to do this is to live abroad and completely immerse yourself in a Chinese speaking culture. There is no lack of language programs for foreigners living in Taipei, Taiwan for example. I myself attended one such school for a semester. You could also higher private tutors from amongst the locals to further your studies. These are both great ideas, but they aren't cheap.

 

In today's article, I'm going to offer you some alternatives: 5 free ways to learn Chinese. I think we can all "afford" free, right? So let's take a look.

 

1. Live with a Chinese family:

 

If you decide to live abroad, one way to rapidly improve your Chinese(especially comprehension) is to live with a local family. I did this for around half a year or so when I was living in Taipei and focused on intensely on my Chinese studies at Shida University.I lived with an elderly couple that went by simply "A'gong" and "A'po", Meaning grandfather and grandmother respectively in Taiwanese dialect. They must've been at least in their 70s, and they didn't speak a lick of English. Needless to say, my Chinese improved immensely just chatting g with them…and boy did they love to talk! If you have the opportunity, I definitely recommend living in a household where Chinese is spoken exclusively, it will really help you speed-up your progress.

 

2. Find a Language Exchange Partner:

 

If you don't have the opportunity to live with a Chinese family, you can at the very least make friends with a local person and have them become your language exchange partner. Trust me, you will have no lack of people wanting o be your friend just to learn English, so why not take advantage of that and learn Chinese? It's a win-win situation for everyone. Because Chinese people can be shy when they feel their Enlish is not up to par, don't let that stop you. Star conversations, be friendly. And when all else fails, check on Tealit.com for people interested in finding an LE partner(if you're in Taiwan), or make a profile on Italki.com and find a partner to Skype with. The bottom line is: Make it happen!

 

 

3. Watch Chinese shows on Youtube:

 

One of the best ways to improve your listening comprehension and vocabulary in a foreign language is to watch TV shows in that language, and Chinese is no different. Do a Youtube search for 康熙來了, one of my wife's favorite shows. It's a talk show with a lot of funny characters. You should also check out 大學生了沒 while you're at it! Or if you are in the mood for something more serious, check out 痞子英雄, a Taiwanese cop drama. Another good option would be to watch the news. These are just a few examples, but you get the idea, now go veg-out in front of the TV!

 

4. Listen to Some Music:

 

Another great way to improve your listening skills is to listen to Chinese music. You can find a lot of music for free on youtube, or on various radio apps. Why not start by searching for these artists' songs on youtube: Lu, zhang, Chen. That will get you off to a good start.

 

5. Go to your local Chinese restaurant:

 

Another idea for improving your Chinese without spending any money is to go down to the local Chinese restaurant and try to speak with your waiter in Chinese. Now, they will most likely be from Hong Kong and primarily speak Cantonese, but most will likely speak Mandarin as well. You'll never know if you don't try! My wife and I have started a lot of conversations by just ordering food, since she is Chinese. It always makes for an interesting time. So go on, be adventurous!

 

I hope that you found something that you could use in this article. It's easy to think that you'll never learn a language due to limitations that you place on yourself, such as being unable to find native speakers to interact with. Just know that there really is a lot that you can do, you just have to have an open mind to see the possibilities. If you want it bad enough, then you'll make it work.

\"Free-Image拷貝\"

PS

If you found this article useful, then check-out my article 10 tips to reverse engineering the Chinese language for more Chinese learning tips!  Also, please don't be afraid to comment below and share your thoughts! 

PPS

Don't forget to join my mail-list to stay up to date with all of the developments here at EazyChinese.com!!!

 

 

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Interview With a Chinese Learner

Thought I was going to say  with a Vampire, right? Alright, that's admittedly a bad joke, even if you get the reference. Moving on…

Hey everyone, today I am bringing you the first article in a series of articles that I will be posting. I'll be interviewing other Chinese learners over the next few weeks, and getting to know a little more about what makes them "tick" as students of Chinese, so to speak. I am a firm believer, that no matter how deep you go into studying a subject, be it martial arts, language, engineering…(you get the point!), there is always something to be learned and some insight to be gained. This is especially true when we share with others, as everyone has a different thought process, and perhaps listening to them for a bit will help you to further your own understanding.

On that note, I have recently interviewed the talented and intelligent Swedish-born Olle Linge, who currently resides in Taipei, Taiwan and like myself, is a Chinese fanatic! I also thought it was really cool that we share another interest besides Chinese language: I myself started my martial arts journey with the study of Taijiquan. Granted, I had already been living in Taiwan for over a year, and had already learned Mandarin to a decent level, but taking Taichi lessons, taught in Chinese no-less, really pushed me off the deep-end with  respects to my fascination for Chinese culture. Keep reading below for the full interview. Also, be sure to check out Olle's website Hackingchinese.com for more excelent articles. Enjoy!

\"螢幕快照Q: What Made you decide to learn Chinese?

It wasn't a decision really, it was more like a gradual change from thinking that Chinese looked interesting to being immersed in a master's program taught entirely in Chinese. The reason I became interested in the first place is also something of a mystery, but it's definitely related to practising Taijiquan and through that becoming interested in Chinese philosophy.

Q:How long have you been a student of Chinese, and how long did it take you to become conversational?

I've studied for about seven years, but language learning should probably be counted in hours. I would say around four of those years were really full-time, the rest of the time I was busy with other things as well. The answer to the second question depends on what you mean by “conversational”, but I didn't speak much Chinese before I moved to Taiwan. That was about one year after I started, so becoming conversational took perhaps a year and a few months.

Q:What was your biggest challenge learning Chinese? And what came easiest to you?

The biggest challenge was (and still is) the seemingly infinite variety of the Chinese language (and I don't specifically mean other dialects than Mandarin or classical Chinese here). There are words for everything, usually several of them, and trying to figure out the differences and understanding them when spoken without clear context is really challenging.

I don't think anything came particularly easy for me, but I suppose I got basic pronunciation down pretty quickly. However, perfecting pronunciation in a foreign language is a lifelong process and I'm still working on it. You can listen to an interview with me on Language is Culture where I speak more about pronunciation.

Q:What advice would you give to our readers who are just embarking on their journey with Chinese?

I have written many, many articles aimed at beginners, so that's not something I can easily summarise here. If you want a summary, I have selected seven pieces of advice that I find absolutely crucial for beginners here. If forced to choose, I would say that avoiding perfectionism is the most important advice, simply because it applies to so many different areas and is overlooked by many ambitious learners. If you study Chinese in your home country, you should also start looking for extra-curricular ways of learning from day one.

Q:Do you have a favorite Chinese phrase? If so, what is it and why?

I have a penchant for adding fragments of English while still retaining Chinese syntax and/or morphology, so I like phrases like “O不OK” and so on. I also like sentences where Chinese people habitually include incorrectly inflected English words, such as “她很fashion”. Note that if you're learning Chinese, don't take this as a call to pepper your sentences with English, listen to what people actually say and go with that. Don't invent your own hybrid sentences.

Q:What's your one biggest "hack" for learning Chinese?

I've written more than two hundred articles about how to hack Chinese, so it's really hard to pick just one hack. However, if I could choose one particular hack that I could travel back in time and teach myself, it would probably be using phonetic components to hack the pronunciation and writing of Chinese characters. I think most attentive and serious students find this out sooner or later, but way too many students think that meaning in Chinese characters comes from combining pictures of objects with each other, which of course isn't true for a huge majority of characters.

 

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Lesson 13: I like to…

http://youtu.be/BC-rWwCGrdA

In today's lesson, you will be learning how to answer one very important question: What do you like to do? So next time you're speaking with some of your Chinese friends, try out some of these phrases. Who knows? Maybe you'll share similar interests! Although some of the material in today's lesson has been covered in previous lessons, I still think that it is always great to review, and who knows? You'll most likely learn something new too!  Enjoy!

 

你喜歡做什麼？

nǐ xǐ huān zuò shé me ？

What do you like to do?

 

1.看電影

kàn diàn yǐng

Watch movies

 

你喜歡看什麼電影？

nǐ xǐ huān kàn shí me diàn yǐng ？

What kind of movies do you like to watch?

 

我喜歡看動作片和愛情片。

wǒ xǐ huān kàn dòng zuò piàn hé ài qíng piàn

I like to watch action and romance movies.

 

2.收集漫畫

shōu jí màn huà

Collect comic books

 

我聽說小傑收集很多蝙蝠俠的漫畫耶。

wǒ tīng shuō xiǎo jié shōu jí hěn duō biān fú xiá de màn huà yē

I heard that Jie collects a lot of Batman comics.

 

喔！那我朋友Patrick跟他當朋友。

ō ！nà wǒ péng yǒu Patrick gēn tā dāng péng yǒu

Oh! Then my friend Patrick should be friends with him.

 

3.做運動

zuò yùn dòng

Exercise

 

嘿！你喜歡做怎樣的運動呀？

hēi ！nǐ xǐ huān zuò zěn yàng de yùn dòng ya ？

Hey! What kind of exercise do you like to do?

 

你開玩笑的嗎？我最愛的運動就是舉重。

nǐ kāi wán xiào de ma ？wǒ zuì ài de yùn dòng jiù shì jǔ zhòng

Are you joking? My favorite exercise is lifting weights.

 

4.畫畫

huà huà

Draw pictures

 

嘿！Ruby這是你畫的嗎？

hēi ！Ruby zhè shì nǐ huà de ma ？

Hey! Ruby, I'd you draw this?

 

對呀！因為我很喜歡畫動物。

duì ya ！yīn wéi wǒ hěn xǐ huān huà dòng wù

Right! Because I love to draw animals.

 

那是斑馬嗎？

nà shì bān mǎ ma ？

Is that a zebra?

 

是我們家的南瓜。

shì wǒ men jiā de nán guā .

It's our cat, Pumpkin(Note: our cat is named Pumpkin, lol!)

 

好丟臉呀！

hǎo diū liǎn ya ！

How embarrassing!

 

5.去ＫＴＶ唱歌

qù ＫＴＶchàng gē

Go to the KTV and sing

 

Ruby你知道嗎？我住台灣五年，也沒一次去KTV唱歌過。

Ruby nǐ zhī dào ma ？wǒ zhù tái wān wǔ nián ，yě méi yī cì qù KTVchàng gē guò 。

Ruby, do you know? I lived in Taiwan for five years, and I never once went to a KTV to sing.

 

那太可惜了，那下次我們一定要去。

nà tài kě xī le ，nà xià cì wǒ men yī dìng yào qù

What a shame, then next time we definitely have to go.

 

對呀！那下次請我去唱歌。

duì ya ！nà xià cì qǐng wǒ qù chàng gē

Yeas! So next time invite me to go singing.

 

好！沒問題！

hǎo ！méi wèn tí ！

Okay! No problem!

 

That's it for today! Practice, practice, practice and I'll see you next time!

 

 

 

 

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10 tips to reverse engineering the Chinese language

I know what you're thinking, "how am I possibly going to learn Chinese to a proficient level, that stuff sounds so hard!" Well, that it is. If you go about thinking of it as something foreign and put it of reach. By placing your mastery of Chinese on the proverbial pedestal, you are guaranteeing yourself a long, arduous journey. So let's do it the smart(dare I say lazy?) way. Using the following tips, I have "mastered" the Chinese language (realistically, everyone will always have room to improve, so no matter how good you get, don't go and get a big head!)

Tip #1:

Make associations- When learning new phrases, it is often very easy to apply the structure learned to the rest of the language. Chinese grammar is very simple for the most part. For example, if you learn the phrase " 這是我的…" once you learn your pronouns, you should be able to switch the 我 out for 你, 他, 她, 他們, etc. Trust me, when you approach your learning with intuition you will make a load of progress in a relatively short time, so get cracking!

 

Tip #2:

Make the language relevant to you- What I mean by this is, instead of memorizing endless lists of vocabulary words to the point of insanity, learn what interests you. Whether it be sports, cars, movies, whatever, everyone has a hobby. Make that hobby work for you. If you are trying to learn how to talk with your Taiwanese friend that you shoot hoops with about what a big Jeremy Lin fan you are, chances are you'll be a lot more motivated and learn faster than you would just memorizing some moldy old wordbank(yuck!).

 

Tip #3:

Mimic your way to mastery- instead of over analyzing your own Chinese pronunciation, grammar, whatever, make it your goal to focus on really listening and copying a native speaker, through videos, mp3s, in person if you can or any combination of the above. Chances are, when you stop focussing on yourself you'll make a lot of progress. So in other words, monkey-see-monkey-do…err monkey-say? 

 

Tip #4:

Live the Language- By far, the best way I know to learn a language, and what in fact was a huge factor in my own success, is to actually live in a country where people speak it…I know, I'm blowing your mind now, right? Unfortunately, this is now going t be possible for everyone. Most people have jobs, families, pets, mortgages…you know, responsibilities. That's cool. It's part of life. Still, don't let that stop you, you can plan on vacationing in Taiwan or China to "test" your Chinese, or even as an excuse to pick a little up. Still, not everyone has the time or resources for trips around the globe. Don't fret, the answer to your dilemma just may lie down in Tip #5!

 

Tip #5:

Find a way- While it's true that not everyone has the means to make the "pilgrimage" to the Chinese speaking world, that doesn't mean that they can't bring the world of Chinese to them. It's the twenty-first century people! There's a new invention called the World Wide Web, or hadn't you heard? Chances are, if you're reading this, then you have =) Alright, sorry for being obnoxious, it's getting late and I apologize. But I digress. There are SOOOO many tools at your disposal available various places online. You've already found EazyChinese.com, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. One very useful website is italki.com. Italki is a networking site that allows users to connect with other users all over the world. Hop over there, create a profile and you can find a language exchange partner or a tutor. I'll be writing to you about more Chinese learning resources in the future, so make sure you take advantage of them!

 

Tip #6:

Get uncomfortable- Just like when you learned how to ride a bike, swim, or pretty much any other skill you may have picked up since being born into this wild world, you have to first suck at Chinese. Now don't freak out! I know we all have an ego, even if we'd like to believe that we don't, and we all hate losing face by allowing people see that we aren't good at something. But step back an look at the big picture for a minute: you don't expect to waltz into a jiu-jitsu class and start beating everyone on the first day, right? Do you see how ridiculous it is to expect otherwise? So now I want you to take that attitude and apply it towards learning Chinese. You'll stumble and fall at first, but all you have to do is get back up and back on that bike. The truth is you won't make much progress in Chinese until you learn to be uncomfortable with being uncomfortable. So step outta' your comfort zone already! 

 

Tip #7:

Dive in deeper- Chinese is a rich, beautiful language, and to truly understand it, one must understand Chinese people, as language and culture are closely intertwined. This can be witnessed in many Chinese phrases and idioms. For example, 吃 means eat and  飯 means rice, but Chinese will say 吃飯 (literally eat rice)to mean eat. This is because rice is a traditional staple of the Chinese diet. This is just one example, as this topic could easily fill a book on its own!

 

Tip #8:

The pen is mightier than the sword!- This one may seem a little counter-intuitive at first, but hear me out. A great way to improve your Chinese vocabulary is learning to read and write Chinese characters. Doing this serves two purposes. 1. You will have a deeper understanding of Chinese, and knowing the characters will give you insight into the true meanings of Chinese words, which will allow you to pick up vocabulary at an alarming rate. 2. Read books in Chinese(I'm a fan of comics my self!) to learn useful vocabulary and see how they are used in everyday spoken Chinese. I can't emphasize the importance of this enough, so go grab a Chinese book and download Pleco and get started!

 

Tip #9:

That voice in the back of my head- This is going to one across as cheesy, but it's simple and it works. If you are in a situation where you seldom have someone to speak in Chinese with, then you can carry on Chinese conversations in your head, or why not narrate your life in Chinese! Don't be surprise if you start dreaming in Chinese if you do this often enough!

 

Tip #10:

It's okay to be a couch potato- Watching movies and TV shows in Chinese is one of the bet ways to improve our listening and comprehension. Pick a good kungfu movie, like Ip Man, and watch it in Mandarin. But turn off the English subtitles! Granted, you aren't going o understand a whole lot at first, but give it time and you will. For an added challenge, turn on the Chinese subtitles and use them to practice your reading!

So there you have it, my top ten tips for hacking the Chinese language. Put one or a few of these tips into practice and your Chinese will start to improve dramatically. Make them ALL a part of your Chinese learning process and I guarantee results. Thanks again for stopping by, and make sure to subscribe to my mail list, and enjoy your next 7 days of free Chinese lessons! And feel free to update us on your progress or ask any questions you may have over here at EazyChinese.com. Talk to you soon, and good luck!

 

#Picture from: Google search

 

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Lesson 12: This is Mine!!!!

…Okay, fine. I'll share. Today I am introducing a few Mandarin Chinese phrases that will help you to make your Chinese more meaningful and complete. They will also help you with expresssing yourself.  And please, remember to share! 

Here they are:

 

1. 這個–這個是我的

zhè gè –zhè gè shì wǒ de

This– This is mine.

 

2. 那個–那個是姐姐的

nà gè –nà gè shì jiě jiě de

That– That is my big sister's.

 

3. 哪裡–我的錢包在哪裡？

nǎ lǐ –wǒ de qián bāo zài nǎ lǐ ？

Where?– Where's my wallet?

 

4. 那裏–你的書包在那裡

nà lǐ –nǐ de shū bāo zài nà lǐ

There– Your backpack is there.

 

So there you have it. Now you have added some powerful new phrases to your little black book of Chinese. I hope You enjoyed this lesson, and please share it with your friends and comment below! I'll see you guys in a few days with our next lesson.

 

P.S.

I've been working really hard on a new project that I am very excited about. I can't wait to share it with you! Stay tuned for more news on that over the next few weeks!

 

 

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Lesson 11: Chinese Pronouns!

 

Hey everyone, welcome to the first official post on my new website! I have been working hard on a series of videos to help you to learn Chinese. The videos are intended to be quick, effective and entertaining(hopefully!). Basically, I'm trying to immerse you in Chinese, but at the same time I don't want to overwhelm you with new vocabulary, if that makes sense. Further more, each video in this series will build on the last, and will hopefully help you to develop a well-rounded command of Chinese. But that ain't gonna happen with you just standing there looking pretty, so let's get started!

Pronouns in Mandarin:

1. 我– 我想買車子。

wǒ — wǒ xiǎng mǎi chē zǐ

I/me- I want to buy a car.

 

2. 你–跟你借本書。

nǐ –gēn nǐ jiè běn shū

you- I'll borrow a book from you.

 

3. 他/她/它– 他去上班了。

tā — tā qù shàng bān le

he/she/it- He went to work.

Note: The pronunciation for the words he/she /it are the same in Mandarin, though the written characters are different.

 

4. 我們–我們一起去看電影，好嗎？

wǒ men –wǒ men yī qǐ qù kàn diàn yǐng ，hǎo ma ？

we/us- Let's go to a movie, okay?

 

5. 你們–你們在幹嘛?

nǐ men –nǐ men zài gàn ma ?

y'all- What are y'all doing?

 

6. 他們–他們說這間料理很好吃。

tā men –tā men shuō zhè jiān liào lǐ hěn hǎo chī

they- They said that this restaurant's food tastes great.

 

7. 其他們–其他們都不了解我。

qí tā men –qí tā men dōu bù liǎo jiě wǒ

others- Nobody understands me.

 

There you go! Practice the vocab and sentences from this lesson and I'll see you guys soon. Later!

Also, If you enjoyed this lesson, remember to sign up for your Free 7-Day Chinese E-course NOW! All you have to do is sign up wth your email on the sidebar and you'll be good to go! 

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7 Day Chinese Course-Day6: Action

http://youtu.be/zK8516cGk2s

In today's lesson, we are going to be learning some common actions. This will help you to speak about what you or someone else is doing, or to tell them what to do if you're feeling bossy! Practice performing the action while you say it and you'll be able to remember it better! Follow along with the video here!

Day 6:  Actions

坐著 zuò zhe

站起來 zhàn qǐ lái

轉圈 zhuǎn quān

跳 tiào

伸展shēn zhǎn

 So that's it for today, we did't learn to count all the way to a billion, but we got off to a good start, and lucky for you, if you got 1-20 down, then the rest will come incredibly easy, as it all builds off of the foundation you formed today! Nice, huh?

Also, remember to check out more free lessons on my website eazychinese.com. See you tomorrow with more lessons, until then enjoy!

Logan 

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7 Day Chinese Course–Day 5: Numbers

http://youtu.be/vXyHF_pMc8M

Day 5:  Numbers

Today we will focus on numbers, because if you can't count, then you're not going to get far! Seriously, when it comes to learning how to deal with different everyday situations, like buying groceries, for example, knowing your numbers is going to help you keep from looking totally clueless, heck it helped me! Follow along with the video and practice counting like you did back in the first grade!

 

1 一  yī

2 二  èr

3 三 sān

4 四 sì

5 五 wǔ

6 六 liù

7 七 qī

8 八 bā

9 九 jiǔ

10 十 shí

11 十一 shí yī

12 十二 shí èr

13 十三 shí sān

14 十四 shí sì

15 十五 shí wǔ

16 十六 shí liù

17 十七 shí qī

18 十八 shí bā

19 十九 shí jiǔ

20 二十  èr shí

So that's it for today, we did't learn to count all the way to a billion, but we got off to a good start, and lucky for you, if you got 1-20 down, then the rest will come incredibly easy, as it all builds off of the foundation you formed today! Nice, huh?

Also, remember to check out more free lessons on my website eazychinese.com. See you tomorrow with more lessons, until then enjoy!

Logan 

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7 Day Chinese Course- Day7: Action2

In today's lesson, we are going to be learning some more common actions. This time we'll be making  simple sentences with them too.  Practice performing the action while you say it and you'll be able to remember it better! Follow along with the video here! 

http://youtu.be/pATyDjxuqdw

Day 7:  Actions 2

聽—聽我說。

tīng– tīng wǒ shuō.

Listen–Listen to me.

 

說—我不會說話。

shuō–wǒ bù huì shuō huà.

Say/speak–I can't speak.

 

讀—小朋友不喜歡讀書。

dú–xiǎo péng yǒu bù xǐ huān dú shū.

Read–Kids don't like to read.

 

寫—你會寫漢字嗎？

xiě–nǐ huì xiě hàn zì ma ？

Write–Can you write Chinese characters?

 

看—嘿！我看到你了耶。

kàn–hēi ！wǒ kàn dào nǐ le yē

Look/see/read–Hey! I see you!

 

This concludes your seven day Free Chinese Course, I hope you found it to be useful, and I urge you to continue learning! Use it or lose it!

Also, remember to check out more free lessons on my website eazychinese.com. Keep in touch and let me know how I can help you to better learn Chinese!!

Leave a comment, tell us how much you learn so far!

Logan 

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7 Day Chinese Course — Day 3: Face

http://youtu.be/BCABx8v_pCo

Day 3:  Face

In today's lesson, we will be keeping the same theme as yesterday: the parts of the body. Today, we'll be focussing on the face, though, so listen up, because this is some essential vocabulary. Please follow along with the video here, and practice aloud until you are blue in the face!

Vocabulary 

臉 liǎn             Face

眼睛 yǎn jīng  Eyes

鼻子 bí zǐ         Noise

嘴巴 zuǐ bā      Mouth

耳朵 ěr duǒ     EAR

That's concludes today's lesson, give yourself a pat on the back, because you rock! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to leave comment here, I am always eager to help!

Also, remember to check out more free lessons on my website eazychinese.com. See you tomorrow with more lessons, until then enjoy!

Logan