How I Learned to Speak Mandarin (up to HSK 4)

I learned to speak Mandarin Chinese by 1.) hiring a tutor; 2.) getting tons of foot massages; 3.) pursuing hobbies with my Chinese friends and foreigners who also study Mandarin; 4.) asking my Chinese girlfriend nonstop questions about Mandarin; 5.) consuming a ton of Chinese media like movies, music and TV shows; 6.) using study apps like Pleco… Also, living in China off and on since October 2013 hasn’t hurt.

Top Comments:

1. Very wonderful tip for learning Chinese. I learned my English from native English speakers doing foot massage to them
2. So my chinese journey started with meeting my girlfriend, and hearing her speak chinese with her friends and family members. One year later (which is 10 months ago) I started chinese lessons and did a LOT of the same stuff you did, try to expose myself to as much Chinese as possible , including pratically camping in the Chinatown of Lisbon (my city).
3. Having an online Chinese teacher works great too 🙂
4. You’re the man Kevin! It’s refreshing to see a dude like you with such a real personality, positive attitude, and that MILLION DOLLAR SMILE! haha.. Keep doing your thing and all the best! – Nate
5. I’ve been learning Chinese now for about 3 months and the tips you give are really practical. I try to tackle the language in the same way that I taught (French and German) for many years, ie by tackling the 4 skills (LISTENING. SPEAKING, READING, WRITING) in that order and not worrying about writing until the very end. The hardest aspect living in the UK is finding opportunities to practise speaking with native speakers because although the Chinese population here is quite high in numbers, they’re mostly Cantonese (from Hong Kong). The best I can achieve is going to my favourite Chinese restaurant in Liverpool where the staff are all Mandarin speakers and are very obliging and patient with my spoken efforts. It’s a truly fascinating language and I’m loving the challenge.
6. My Chinese studying journey has been a long interesting road. I have been studying Chinese for around 6 years now. I’ve had the opportunity to live in China twice. I will also be going back for the third time very soon. I took HSK 5 earlier this year and I plan to take HSK 6 next year.
7. Such great tips! Hard work and trying your best to catch every opportunity to practice will get you results😄
8. I am super impressed. I speak two languages these days and I learnt French as a third language in high school. I can still speak some French but as I never had a reason to speak it, much has been lost. For most people out there, learn a second language. Learn Chinese Mandarin. So important that you do. I learnt other languages 50 years ago and knowing what I know now, Chinese would have been the premier language that I would have studied and learnt.
9. Thank you ! I’m studying mandarin in school right now and i would really like to study in china after graduating, and i think i will use your tips to get better grades in my chinese class ! 谢谢🙏🏻
10. Solid advice. Use the opportunities available to you at your job. Find a private tutor. LOVE the review during a foot massage technique! LOL That’s a novel one for sure!