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Posts: 186

Governor

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Q: How many foreigners have actually tried to learn Chinese language?

The Actual Question is :

How many foreigners have actually tried to learn Chinese language with a purpose other than finding a girlfriend?

 

Some of my friends are trying to learn Chinese language with the sole purpose of finding girls.

Honestly, I am also guilty of the same crime !!  

I also started with the same goal but once I picked up some basic sentences, I realized that my purpose of learning the language was hollow.

Off and on I get my "Master Card moment" when Chinese people talk about me in Chinese language in front of me and think that being a foreigner I wouldn't understand; and I tell them in my broken Chinese that I could actually understand what they were saying ! The looks on their faces - priceless.

Now I just try to chat up with anybody and everybody just to learn a few new words every day.

My goal - one new word every day.

How about you ? 

9 years 44 weeks ago in  Culture - Guangzhou

 
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Emperor

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Learning Chinese is a double edged sword. On the one hand you can communicate with the locals better, on the other, you can understand all the crap they say.

laowaigentleman:

And if you're a teacher, they'll make you go to their staff meetings.

9 years 16 weeks ago
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bojackhorseman:

yeah learning the language is what ruined chinese people for me.  they are so fucking boring, it's unbelievable.  I sat listening to a young couple in a noodle shop, their conversation went as follows:

 

Girl: I ordered a large, this bowl is small.

Guy: Yes, that's not a very big bowl.

Girl: If this the large, how small is the small?

Guy: Maybe very small.

Girl: Yes. 

Guy: They should give you a bigger bowl.

Girl: I'm actually not very hungry, so a small bowl is ok.

Guy: I still think that bowl is too small for a large.

Girl: But I'm already full.

Guy: ok.

Girl: Next time I'll order a small bowl

Guy: But maybe that will be too small.

Girl: I can't eat very much.

Guy: You should eat more.

Girl: No, I am trying to lose weight.

Guy: Ok.

Girl: En.

Guy: En.

Girl: Even though it's a small bowl, i am already full.

Guy: I will finish it for you.

Girl: You should order a bowl too.

Guy: but I already ate.

Girl: I like these noodles.

Guy: I think they're just ok.

Girl: But the bowl is too small.

Guy: yes, they should give you a bigger bowl.

 

AND THIS WENT ON FOR A FULL HALF HOUR

8 years 17 weeks ago
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9 years 44 weeks ago
 
Answers (26 - 41 of 41)
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Posts: 380

Governor

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I really met Chinese people for the first time when I was working in the Middle East a few years ago.  It really intrigued me that there is a world out there of which I knew virtually nothing at the time.  I then started taking Mandarin lessons for a year, and then by immersion learned enough to get by quite well.  I now have a Chinese GF and our home language is Mandarin.  Actually I found Mandarin not as difficult as people are let to believe, the grammar is quite simple and pronunciation using pinyin is exactly the same as my native South African Afrikaans language.

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9 years 12 weeks ago
 
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General

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I'm a teacher who's major is Teaching chiese as second language. It' interesting to get to know that the main purpose of learning Chinese is to get girl ,hahaha.

 

Well, I did have some adult students who learned Chinese from me and then try to flirt with me,I give them a shit coz it's kinda waste my energe to prepare lesson for them so well

 

but I did meet lots students that they learn chinese because they enjoy the culture behind the language.

 

Chinese language is beautiful,  the more you learn, the more you would love it

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8 years 23 weeks ago
 
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I'm a teacher who's major is Teaching chiese as second language. It' interesting to get to know that the main purpose of learning Chinese is to get girl ,hahaha.

 

Well, I did have some adult students who learned Chinese from me and then try to flirt with me,I give them a shit coz it's kinda waste my energe to prepare lesson for them so well

 

but I did meet lots students that they learn chinese because they enjoy the culture behind the language.

 

Chinese language is beautiful,  the more you learn, the more you would love it

Kaiwen:

What an ironic post!

 

That is to say you taught them the words needed to flirt with you and then make a deal out of them trying to flirt with you. Perhaps they were just practicing what you had taught them to see if it worked.

 

wink

 

 

8 years 23 weeks ago
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8 years 23 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1059

Shifu

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I have tried to learn Chinese but just cant make stay in my head.I find it very difficult.

JackinChine:

Hi Rob, where do you live? I can teach you if you still want to learn.

8 years 19 weeks ago
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8 years 23 weeks ago
 
Posts: 7204

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Nahh
I have enough trouble with English

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8 years 23 weeks ago
 
Posts: 2774

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You will hear the ubiquitous comment "Learning Chinese is too hard for foreigners" What a load of bollocks.

In fact learning chinese isn't that hard. I have never opened a book or attended a lesson and am basically the laziest bastard you will meet when it comes to study. If you live in China and pick up one or two words per day you will become "survival fluent" in a matter of months. Grammar is pretty basic. If you then wish to speak about something interesting, you will have the basics down and your friends will help.

 

Foreign friends can help the most. They can help you understand the next step much more easily than a Chinese person can. And their explanations make quick sense.

 

Ironically, locals who have studied English for 10-15 years and can barely mutter a coherent sentence in english will mock your chinese, especially pronunciation. Brush that shit off. You will never sound like a local because you aren't a local. It's about time Chinese people realise that.

 

Take every chance to speak. In a restaruant, when you order and the waitress immediately looks at the chinese person you are with, without listening to you at all, politely attract her attention and calmly repeat what you said as many times as necessary until she gets it. She will and she will be happy. It isn't that your chinese is so bad, it is because she just isn't listening to you because you look "wrong".

 

Reading....that is an entirely different story.

 

 

Karma101:

Thanks, that was informative.... 

8 years 23 weeks ago
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iWolf:

You're welcome....although the language isn't a problem, I'm still leaning how to Chinar properly.

 

I recieved this same advice when I first came to China and it has held me in good stead.

 

I support the Cha Bu Duo Chinese learning methodwink

 

P.S. beer improves fluency...up to a point...... Then you drink one more.....aaaaaand it's gone

8 years 23 weeks ago
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8 years 23 weeks ago
 
Posts: 6

Governor

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If we say that Chinese language is difficult also true but it can also be said that even it is hard to memorize the Chinese character one by one,but i experienced that the writing is very hard than to remember the words i salute that person who can easily write more than 1000 words or characters .

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8 years 20 weeks ago
 
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General

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Once you master the Chinese, what you have got is far from a girlfriend, there are something much more important, like boot business if you do business with Chinese people, make friends, enjoy the Chinese culture and more.

Change your goal to learn Mandarin Chinese to make your life more meaningful

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8 years 17 weeks ago
 
Posts: 149

Governor

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actually the best way to learn Chinese is to get a girl whose English is minimal and just speak Chinese with her.  you'll learn out of necessity.  In two years with my lady I've gone from useless to basically fluent, and I can read about 3000 characters thanks to www.memrise.com

iWolf:

Sorry to disagree mate, but that is a crock.

8 years 17 weeks ago
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8 years 17 weeks ago
 
Posts: 3

General

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environment is very important for learning new languages, I have been using yespohttp://bit.do//yespocne1 for months. It really helps because it is a human translation and interpretation app; they got professional interpreters. I uses it whenever I need transalation when I learn Chinese; now, I can already communicate with Chinese!

ScotsAlan:

How much does that cost per minute?  I would be wary of this, what you think might only take a minute might end up taking 40.

8 years 2 weeks ago
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ScotsAlan:

Looking again at the website you posted, it seems a bit bare. No mention of languages spoken. No mention of charges. But lots of info on how to pay. Are you sure this is not a scam? Have you used this service? How much did it cost? Was it efficient ? How did you find it? If you think it is good, I think you need to tell us why.

8 years 2 weeks ago
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8 years 2 weeks ago
 
Posts: 211

Governor

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I know some Chinese, I never really actively learnt it. But yeah it's a double edged sword. Whenever I go out I get asked a 100 questions by strangers I meet. It's annoying but useful. Normally I just ignore them.

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8 years 2 weeks ago
 
Posts: 2578

Emperor

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I learned 30 characters in my first few months here ....... then dead end...... then I met a guy that said he learned 300 in a few months ....so I quit  ..  now I know zero  maybe one  - or =

 

great expectations but it is tough

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8 years 2 weeks ago
 
Posts: 126

Governor

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Most foreigners who come to China are teaching 25 hours a week and so they barely have the time to learn Chinese to a good level. Most only learn a few survival phrases and supplement it with English and gestures if needed.

Janosik:

You mean this as a joke, do you?

8 years 2 weeks ago
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Chhris:

Why? You go home dead tired after a long and mentally exhausting day, do you still feel like studying Chinese?

8 years 2 weeks ago
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8 years 2 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1153

Shifu

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if iam not mistaken 9452 people atr ttying to learn chinese

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8 years 1 week ago
 
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