Why It Is Easier To Learn Mandarin Chinese Than You Think

Many people believe it is difficult to learn Mandarin Chinese. It is considered by many folks to be one of the most difficult dialects to become skilled at. However, if you take the time to really study the language and culture, then you will likely find it is easier to learn Mandarin Chinese than you originally thought.

One thing which causes people to think they cannot learn Mandarin Chinese is the alphabet. Most people imagine the pictogram characters when they think of writing in Chinese. For individuals accustomed to the Roman alphabet, the highly stylized characters can be intimidating. However, what you might not realize is you can learn Mandarin Chinese by understanding how to write Pinyin, a phonetic system which uses the Roman alphabet. Pinyin has been adopted in China as a standard method of writing. English speakers find it much easier to master reading and writing the grammar when they gain knowledge in Pinyin.

Another thing people struggle with when becoming proficient in a new language is the grammar. In English, grammar becomes quite complicated, particularly when you start using different tenses. Past and present tenses of verbs can change the word completely. For example, “go” becomes “went” and “is” becomes “are”. As you can see, the original word has nothing in common with the new word. However, when you start to learn Mandarin Chinese you will find verb tenses are much easier to master.

In Mandarin, the verb always remains the same. To note the tense you add a separate word after the verb which indicates to the reader or listener when in time the action was done. Also, unlike some of the Latin-based languages like Spanish and French, Mandarin does not have gender associations with the nouns. For many people, this situation makes the dialect even easier to pick up.

Another thing which makes it easier to learn Mandarin Chinese is the fact the language is very concise. The sentences are short and to the point as they do not include extra words which are often used in English. If you translated Chinese directly into English, then it would sound choppy and rude. But these short, to-the-point sentences make it much easier to pick up the dialect. So, in your studies focus on just a few words to make a complete sentence.

You might have thought it would be too difficult to learn Mandarin Chinese. However, if you take the time to sit down and study the language, then you may be surprised at how easily you can pick it up. Do not let the fear of the unknown hold you back. With time and some studying, you could be fluently and confidently speaking Mandarin.