Learning Chinese is not all about the books, the dictation, and the interactions in class between teacher and students. In fact, most of the vocabulary, pronunciation and sentence structure I’ve learned during the past 3 months I’ve been here in Shanghai, have been through interaction amongst friends or strangers and reading billboards and signs. In this blog post, I will briefly touch base on some of the ways to learn Chinese.

1) Having a conversation in Chinese (of course)

This includes practicing your Chinese whenever you can, making Chinese friends or having a language partner. Learning a new word in class and utilizing it in conversation is a good way to embed it in your brain.

2) Travelling

My Chinese improves tenfold each time I travel to a different city in China. Interacting with strangers; asking for directions and recommendations is the best way to practice. You’re forced to use your brain and remember Chinese vocabulary and phrases to get around.

3) Watching movies in Chinese

Following the dialogue with the caption, not only will you learn new vocabulary, you are able to learn the latest slang and culture. This method works well and it works even if you’re not in China. I know lot of people who‘s told me that the reason their Chinese is so good is because they watch Chinese dramas almost religiously.

Learning a new language doesn’t have to take a lot of effort. It really is about pushing beyond comfort zones and barriers. It’s about willingness to let yourself make mistakes and know that mistakes helps you learn; there is no need to be ashamed or scared to make them. Once you pass that point, it is like a kick start and then learning comes naturally.