The aim of most people, if not everyone, who joins Mandarin classes Singapore is to speak Chinese fluently. Speaking Chinese fluently for a non-native speaker is not easy; however, neither it is impossible.
Here are 7 tops tips to help you speak Chinese fluently.
- Learning to pronounce Chinese – For many beginners, the biggest obstacle while learning Chinese in Singapore is learning to properly pronounce Chinese. While the task can appear daunting when you’ve just started learning Chinese, with the right kind of attitude and regular practice, you can achieve native-like pronunciation faster than others. A tip would be to focusing on the third tone to help you pronounce better.
2. Taking feedback positively – Some people don’t take criticism and feedback well and consequently struggle to learn new things. You would not do well in most things if you make this mistake. People who correct you when you use the wrong word or pronunciation while speaking Chinese are actually helping you. You should thank them for correcting you and learn from your mistakes.
3. Limit your focus initially – The natural tendency is to focus on all things at once when we are learning something new. However, Chinese is quite a difficult language to learn, especially in adulthood. If you focus on many aspects, you are going to end up feeling all confused and will not have much to show for your efforts. That’s why you’ve to break the task into smaller ones and focus on one or two tasks at a time. Here’s an example: Focusing on bettering your Chinese pronunciation is something that’s too vague. On the other hand, limiting your focus to the fourth tone is a better strategy and likely to give you better results.
4. Start slow – It will be a mistake to mimic native speed when you are not proficient in Chinese. This will only lead to more mistakes and bad habits when you speak Chinese. Starting slowly at the beginning will be a much better strategy. In addition to speaking Chinese at a slow pace, don’t be afraid of making mistakes. In fact, when you speak slowly, others can point out your mistakes and offer corrections, giving you an opportunity to rectify your mistakes.
5. Play word games – There are many word games available that allow you to have fun and learn Chinese at the same time. Word games are available for all levels, so you shouldn’t have any difficulty finding a few that are for beginners.
6. Tones are very important – It would be a big mistake to not focus on tones or to think they are not important. Native people speak quickly and reduce tones, but this is not something that a non-native speaker who’s just started learning Chinese can do. As a beginner, you should focus a lot on tones because they are more important than most people think.
7. Record yourself – You can improve your speaking ability by recording yourself. When you’ll hear yourself, you’ll be able to identify any mistakes that you are making. This will help you improve your pronunciation fast.