Chinese from scratch on your own online. Online learning Chinese

Translation of the Lingholic article

When I started learning Chinese in 2009, I followed the “traditional” path of learning a foreign language. I took classes, took notes, sat in a cramped apartment in downtown Taipei, sketching out hundreds of characters. The training was progressing, but I was exhausted, I was bored. Lacked the motivation to go to class, knowing that each class ends with homework from a lot of written exercises. Familiar situation?

I was about to drop out of school when one day I overheard classmates talking about an online podcast they were listening to. It turned out that there are 3 or 4 programs that createvirtual classrooms.They are going to those who want to learn Chinese. I tested these programs and liked them so much that after 2-3 years I created a virtual Chinese class for myself.

Now I will share with you some of the ways to create these virtual study rooms. I hope this helps you get motivated, streamline your learning, and enjoy your journey to become fluent in Chinese. Deal?

8 websites and programs for learning Chinese - learn Chinese on your own from scratch

In a world where smartphones are everywhere and high-speed internet is a click away, learning foreign languages ​​has changed radically. Today it is not necessary to study in classes; mobile applications and websites make it possible to study anytime and anywhere. So no more excuses for lack of time!

The following eight methods I used on the way from zero knowledge of Chinese to almost fluent in it in a year. Why don't you try them out and form your own opinion about them?

So, let's begin.

1. ChinesePod

If you are serious about learning Chinese and still do not use this portal, then you are missing out on a lot. ChinesePod started out as a simple podcast, but has grown into a popular platform that contains a variety of content. The ChinesePod archive contains 3500+ lessons with dialogues and grammar comments, vocabulary and grammar exercises. There is online teaching. Among so many lessons, it is easy to find the one you need. It's nice that they are all based on life situations - buying a SIM card in a store, booking hotels.

Listening to podcasts in Chinese will improve your understanding by an order of magnitude. In addition, this is a great option to fill the time on the way to work or school.

1. ABCs of Chinese

ABCs of Chinese is a site that uses the method of memorizing hieroglyphs using pictures. This method is an alternative to cramming and endless hours of calligraphy on paper.

Here is how ABCs of Chinese describes himself:

“The fundamental idea of ​​the ABC of Chinese curriculum is that characters are pictures (images). When you look at , you realize that this is not a random collection of lines. This is a stylized pictogram or symbol. Master the basic elements (bricks) that make up most of the hieroglyphs, and then move on.”

Check out their YouTube channel for some great stuff.

1. Pleco

A foreign language learner needs a dictionary. This is vital for learners of Chinese. The Pleco app is a favorite among dictionaries. The number of settings and functions in it is head and shoulders above the competition. Best of all, it's free on Android and iOS.

Pleco dictionary entries provide the following information: a range of meanings of a word, examples of usage in context, order of writing. The user saves the word as a card if they want to repeat it later. Pleco has another great thing - it can recognize a hieroglyph when pointing the camera and gives instant translation.

1. Nciku

Next on the list of cool dictionaries is Nciku.com. It's a simple online dictionary, but here's what caught my attention: when looking up a word, it gave an example of its usage. It was very useful to me when I studied Chinese, because I often got confused in the contexts of the use of a certain word. I prefer to use Nciku on my computer and Pleco on my smartphone while traveling.

Some of us have amazing memory abilities, but most people don't. This is where Anki comes to the rescue. These are applications for memorizing information on cards. Anki analyzes user responses and decides which cards to show more often.

In Anki, you create a set of cards by topic, language, and so on. I had topics on animal names, fish names, food names, slang and words that I had difficulty using in my life. You can add pictures, sound, and articles to the cards. Such a useful application available on computer, Android and iOS.

1. Language Exchange

The more spoken language, the better the knowledge of a foreign language. Facebook constantly hosts events called "language exchange" - a place where native speakers talk with foreign language learners. Therefore, use social networks to find the right event and go!

Except Facebook There are a couple more platforms for communication. LiveMocha presents learning in the form of levels, which are the stages of learning a foreign language.

My Language Exchange is my favorite site. It has registered 1 million people from all countries.

Looking for a cool foreign language chat app? Try HelloTalk.

Tip: Don't forget the ChinesePod lessons when talking to Chinese people. Print 2 copies of the lesson and study it together! This will be a great practice, and besides, you won’t have to sit through boring textbooks.

1. Television shows and films

I can't say how many hours I spent watching Chinese cartoons, women's talk shows, and other mind-numbing TV shows. No matter how boring and unpleasant these TV shows are, watching them increases vocabulary, improves grammar without memorizing rules, improves listening skills and gives an order of magnitude better understanding of the language.

Here is a nuance. Surely you will not want to watch a video with a technical focus. Choose videos with dialogues. If you encounter an unfamiliar word, then pause the transmission of the video and look at the translation from the dictionary. Memorize frequently used phrases.

Search for videos and movies on Youku and Tudou, these are two large portals. This is how I search for videos:

1. Perapera

With this plugin, I confidently used Chinese sites and even paid bills (remember, I live in Taiwan).

I hope that the sites, programs and applications I have proposed will be useful to you in your studies. Even if you study with a teacher, these methods will speed up learning Chinese.

Video

Watch a video about ways to learn Chinese.

Hello. Today I want to discuss a topic that I think will be interesting for those who teach or are just thinking about learning Chinese. The question of where to start learning Chinese is, I think, of concern to many, so I decided to draw up a small action plan that should be guided at the initial stage of learning.

First - study materials or books

My first book was "Introductory Chinese Course" Done by Huang Shuying, which I bought from an online store. Naturally, before buying, I downloaded its electronic version from the Internet, but, to be honest, I quickly changed my mind and decided to still purchase its paper version. Firstly, I like paper books more, and secondly, I noticed that it is easier for me to remember and assimilate material that was obtained from a regular book than from an electronic one.

Second, get familiar with the pronunciation.

Fourth - communication or feedback

In order to understand in which direction you are moving, you need conversational practice, without which it is impossible to learn Chinese. Having learned a couple of words and expressions in English, we can be sure that if we pronounce them somewhere in an English-speaking country, in most cases we will understand. With Chinese it's the other way around. We can never be sure we have learned a certain Chinese word correctly until we pronounce it and get feedback from a native speaker.

Naturally, not each of us has the opportunity to go to China or Taiwan and learn the language there, but with the help of the Internet, we can easily solve this issue. There are a lot of sites on the network that provide the opportunity to find people who are interested in a language exchange. That is, you can quite easily find a person online who would teach you Chinese for free in exchange for your Russian. One of the most popular sites that provides this opportunity is italki.com.

P.S. Before you start learning, ask yourself the question: “Why or why do I want to learn Chinese?”.

Popularity: 48 806 views

Learning Chinese is an ambitious task in itself and will require a lot of effort. And for self-study it takes an iron will and self-discipline. In this article, we will give some recommendations for those who are wondering "how to learn Chinese on their own" without the help of tutors and special courses.

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Self-taught Chinese from scratch

For self-study of the subject, the self-instruction manual is a necessary element of the organization of the educational process. How to start learning Chinese?

Today on the Internet you can find many types of tutorials. All of them can be divided into the following subgroups:

• Study sites. This is a fairly convenient form for self-study. On such sites, in addition to lessons and assignments, reviews and comments from those who use the portal are collected. Many different learning formats can be used - textual information, audio recordings, video recordings.
• Video lessons. Videos that are not part of the courses on various sites are hosted on Youtube video hosting. The advantage of this format is that you can see and hear teacher.
• Audio courses. They are aimed at the formation of oral perception and pronunciation, but listening should always be supplemented by communication with native speakers, since the pronunciation on the recordings does not always fully correspond to free speech.
• Tutorials on paper. This is the oldest format for self-study, and it is still in demand. There are several textbooks that are still popular today. This, for example, is Kondrashevsky's Practical Course, "Fundamentals of the Chinese Language" by T.P. Zadoenko and H. Shuin. They will help lay the foundations for the learner.

Important! When studying a subject on your own, you should not concentrate on one type of benefits, it is better to combine them, making the most of the advantages of each.

Difficulties in learning Chinese

Is it hard to learn Chinese at home? The answer to this question is unequivocal - Chinese from scratch difficult to learn, especially for those people who are used to the alphabetic alphabet. The following factors contribute to this:

• If in languages ​​based on alphabets, words are formed from individual letters, and the letter itself rarely carries a meaning, then with hieroglyphic languages, everything is different. Chinese characters can mean a whole word, and depending on the context, they can change the meaning. Also, writing is important for the hieroglyph.
• The pronunciation is quite difficult. Firstly, it has different tonalities, and depending on how the vowel is pronounced, the meaning may change. Secondly, there are many dialects, and the pronunciation can also change from the dialect. Therefore, when teaching, it is necessary to choose The official dialect is Putonghua.

Attention! Despite the complexity, you can learn the subject, for this you need to show enough perseverance and patience.

How to learn Chinese fast on your own

The question of language learning speed is very subjective. In any case, you cannot learn it in a week or a month. Success depends on the number, regularity and duration of classes.

If you devote 3-4 hours of study every day, approach the issue comprehensively and have the opportunity to communicate with native speakers, it is possible to comprehend the basics of Chinese in a couple of months. However, if you practice from time to time - and the result will have to wait much longer.

How do some teachers answer the question "How long does it take to learn Chinese?" daily lessons for an hour:

• In about 3-4 months, you can learn simple everyday phrases, ask a simple question and maintain a simple conversation.
• In 1-2 years, you can begin to speak more freely, express your thoughts on more complex topics and keep up the conversation, but there will still be topics that will be difficult to communicate on;
• After 2-3 years of study, you can already say that you speak the language. You will be able to communicate more freely on various topics, and the pronunciation will be close to natural.

In any case, the key to rapid learning is regular classes.

How to start learning Chinese on your own

To learn Chinese on your own, you need to set a clear goal and draw up a lesson plan. Even before they start, you can chat on the forums or read the stories of people who taught the subject on their own. So in advance you can understand what difficulties and pitfalls can be.

The sound system is the main feature, and its difference from European ones. To begin successful development, you need to understand the principle of constructing syllables. The number of syllables in Mandarin is limited, there are only 414 of them, and each syllable has its own character. Latin spelling of Chinese syllables called pinyin. Therefore, it is recommended to start the study by getting acquainted with the sound system and memorizing it.

An important point is the tonality - 4 tones that can be applied to each of the 414 syllables expand the phonetic composition. The strict limitation of syllables leads to the fact that homonyms are very common. And because of this, context is very important, because it largely determines the meaning of the word.

Chinese characters for beginners

The second point to explore is the study of written language. The hieroglyph is the basis of Chinese. Most words consist of one or two hieroglyphs. Only complex terms or foreign words require designations of three or more hieroglyphs.

The total number of characters is very large, and it is difficult to learn them all. But for ordinary communication it is enough to know 3 thousand. This is the basis of the language, the most common to use.

Testing for beginners as a form of learning

Tests, as an element of learning, are quite an effective way to assess the assimilation of the material. In training, they can be used in the following ways:

• to assess the memorization of keys and hieroglyphs;
• to assess the perception of hieroglyphs in context;
• using audio materials to assess the assimilation of pronunciation features.

Today, you can find many different sites on the Internet, but the quality of tests on these portals is not always equally good. For a beginner, it is difficult to assess how well or correct the test is. But in general, you can focus on standard materials.

HSK is State exam. It is taken by foreigners to confirm knowledge of Chinese. Therefore, any other test that can be found on many sites must meet its standards.

The state test, unlike many others, is divided into oral and written, and they can be taken separately. At the same time, the oral exam can also be taken for the entry level.

How to teach your child Chinese

For children learning any language happens easier and faster. Despite misconceptions, children quite clearly distinguish between different language constructions and pronunciation. Especially under the age of two, babies learn new information very easily.

The key to successful learning is child's interest. Therefore, for him, classes should take place in a playful way. The game additionally stimulates the imagination and thinking of the child, contributing to better memorization, because when playing, he does not just memorize words and expressions mechanically. During the game, memorization goes in context, which means that in the future he will be able to more easily reproduce words and phrases in similar situations.

It will take at least two years of regular classes. With self-study, without resorting to Chinese language courses, much will depend on the ability to quickly memorize and learn.

Title: Self-instruction manual for modern Chinese.

Here is a self-instruction manual for Chinese - one of the most widely spoken languages ​​in the world. The advantage of the Self-Teacher is the completeness of information and the availability of presentation for beginners to learn Chinese. With some effort, but in a reasonable time, you will learn how to have conversations on everyday topics and read simple Chinese texts, which will allow you to feel quite comfortable in the Chinese language environment.
The tutorial is equipped with a language course.

The Chinese self-instruction manual is intended for a wide range of readers. This publication is designed as a guide for beginners in the study of Chinese by schoolchildren, students, teachers and other interested people. The tutorial consists of a theoretical part, conversational lessons and educational texts.
When learning any language, special attention must be paid to pronunciation, Chinese is no exception. The main difficulty of Chinese pronunciation is the abundance of palatal and aspiratory sounds unusual for us and the presence of tones. The Chinese language is very melodic, so the presence of musical abilities and hearing greatly facilitates the process of mastering Chinese pronunciation, however, even in the absence of special musical talents, but subject to systematic study and listening to audio materials, it is quite possible to master Chinese phonetics. Another difficulty of the Chinese language is hieroglyphic writing (“Chinese writing”), which is extremely difficult for people who are accustomed to alphabetic writing. The hieroglyphics section contains a table of Chinese keys, the study and memorization of which is essential in order to learn how to read and write Chinese. One of the best ways to memorize Chinese characters is to practice calligraphy and systematically write the characters and their individual elements (see the corresponding section).

Content
FOREWORD
INTRODUCTION TO CHINESE
Pronunciation
Chinese phonetic alphabet
tones
Tone Changes Hieroglyphics
Rules for writing hieroglyphs
Key table Grammar
Parts of speech
Order of words in a sentence
Grammatical constructions
SPEAKING PRACTICE
Lesson 1
Lesson 2
Lesson 3. Age. Family
Lesson 4 Language
Lesson 5 Weather
Lesson 6 Score
Lesson 7 Food
Lesson 8
Lesson 9
Lesson 10
Lesson 11
Answers to the exercises
LEARNING TEXTS with grammar comments
Text I. Sincere Concern
Text 2. Shanhaiguan
Text 3. The Peasant and the Snake (parable)
Text 4. Da Yu controls the elements (parable)
Text 5. Excursion to Xiangshan
Text 6. Letter
Text 7. At a sports festival
Text 8. Yugong moves mountains (parable)
Text 9. Purse
Text 10
APPS
Application No. 1
Grammar Overview
grammar test
Answers to the grammar test
Application No. 2
Minimum vocabulary
Application No. 3
Chinese syllable table
Correspondence table of Russian and Chinese transcriptions (according to Palladium)
Application No. 4
Table of hieroglyphic keys (radicals)
Application No. 5
Chinese calligraphy

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For a long time, Milena Karlova has been a teacher of Chinese, she gives private lessons. She created the textbook "Self-Teacher. Chinese for Beginners”, in which he shares his knowledge with readers. The book will help to master this amazing, but at the same time complex language. It is gaining more and more popularity and is likely to one day become a global language.

Using your knowledge of the language, you will be able to successfully conduct business negotiations, communicate with native speakers and study the culture of the country, you can easily go on a trip without worrying about the difficulties of communication.

The textbook details the material on the basics of the Chinese language, its features and some difficult cases. There is literally everything about hieroglyphs here, it is described what they mean, how to depict them correctly, there are prescriptions. With the help of phonetic material, you can work out pronunciation, which at the first stages of study seems to be very difficult. The book consists of many lessons, for each of which tasks and exercises are given to consolidate the new material.

The author gradually, very smoothly introduces things, so that the classes do not become too difficult or boring. The information is presented logically and sequentially, making it easy to digest. This book will provide answers to many questions related to the interesting features of the Chinese language, and in a few months it will be possible to read simple texts.

On our website you can download the book "Self-Teacher. Chinese for Beginners" by Karlova Milena for free and without registration in fb2, rtf, epub, pdf, txt format, read the book online or buy the book in the online store.