Re: Need suggestions for learning or communicating in Chinese

[Danny]

I am happy for everyone to make their own decisions about what is best for them.

However in my opinion, it is worth studying Chinese properly, through classes.

The way I see it, if I am going to be married to my woman for the next forty or fifty years, which is what I hope for, then it's worth making the investment in time and money to learn the language properly.

The woman I am writing to is just so lovely. I am a very lucky man.

[Vince G]

Danny, You are right and I plan on going to a class or finding someone close near here that could teach me (tutor). The nearest classes I found are in Miami and it's like up to an hour drive there and back. So I've held off that class. But having the electronic translator (still have to get one) is good for now until you learn the language. That's how I see it.

[Danny]

Absolutely, Vince. That's a good enough reason for not doing the class. I was just saying that if you're a newbie, and if you don't know much about Chinese language, you can think/hope there is some easy way of learning it. But really it's a bitch of a language. It's something you're going to have to work at for years and years. It's something you have to be real patient about.

[Vince G]

if you don't know much about Chinese language, you can think/hope there is some easy way of learning it.

Dan, Maybe you heard me laughing? Long long time ago I thought this way too. I figured I learned some other languages already, I could do it with Chinese too... NOT!

It's like in one ear and out the other. Tried plugging one ear but it gets out anyway.

[Danny]

The best thing I think to disabuse yourself of the notion that you're going to learn it quickly is finding out how many different characters/words can be represented by a single sound, like "zuo" for instance. There are literally dozens of Chinese characters for this sound. Of course there are tones, but it's almost impossible to pick out the tones when a Chinese person is talking quickly. English speaking people have difficulty working out the proper way to use the sound "there" for instance, but that is just like nothing in comparison *laughs*

[Jadams79]

tell your girl your moving to China, help her get an inexpensive way to have voice communications with you.  then she will grill you until your ears bleed on the phone with mandarin LOL!  Thats been my approach so far.