Mistakes Nine Out of Ten People Make When They Learn to Speak Chinese

Learning to speak Chinese is a tough task for many people. I have seen people taking Chinese classes for years, but their Chinese skills are still hardly improved. Why is it so difficult to improve the Chinese skills? In this article, you will find the mistakes that a lot of people make when they learn to speak Chinese or any other languages.

The first mistake is not willing to speak. I noticed this problem when I was teaching English, that some students always like to learn silently. When they read books, listened to tapes, they hardly spoke one word. A lot of them were because they didn't want to be embarrassed if they make mistakes. So they tend to not to speak when there was people around. Later on when I started to teach Chinese I also noticed this problem among my students. When there were people around them they hardly spoke one word in Chinese. No matter how hard you study, if you don't speak out it is not going to improve your Chinese very much. If you don't speak you can't communicate with people, and that is the purpose of learning a new language.

So don't worry about making mistakes. This is your second or third language. Everyone makes mistakes and even native Chinese speakers also make mistakes when they speak. It's just probably they make fewer mistakes then you. I remember when I was teaching in the total immersion English school, students made a saying about speaking out. It was "Don't be shy, just try; if you don't try, you will die."

Another mistake is people don't use Chinese in their life. Some students have been taking weekend class for quite a long time but still struggling with their Chinese skills. They go to class every weekend, but after the class they don't use it. The minute they walk out the classroom they immediately switch back to their native tongue. Learning Chinese is just like learn to ride bike or using other tools, they more you practice the more familiar you get with them. If you are not making progress about your Chinese skills, you can count how much time you actually spend on practicing it.

You need to use Chinese after your class as well. Apply this language into your life, try to watch TV or movie in Chinese, write notes for yourself in Chinese...etc. The most efficient way is to do things you like in Chinese language. My friend likes to play guitar, and when he was learning English he also started to learn guitar in English. He was never bored with English, because he was doing things he likes. This is called kill two birds with one stone.

These are the two major mistakes that slow people down. Try to avoid those mistakes will make it more efficient and joyful to learn to speak Chinese

Sarah Fan is an Chinese Teacher, she shares the knowledge of Learn Chinese at Speak Chinese Easy.com its' a free resource for people who want to learn to speak Chinese. She also shares her opinions about some Best Online Chinese Lessons.