Chinese is by far one of the most widely spoken languages worldwide. However, things can prove stressful for new students since becoming fluent to join the billions speaking Chinese is not an easy undertaking. Whereas there are some difficulties with learning any new language, but for some students Chinese is way different from their mother tongue and end up making unintentional mistakes.
Luckily, you can avoid suffering the same fate as long as you make ample preparations before you finally decide to learn Chinese online. To lend a helping hand, here are some of the most common mistakes to avoid when learning Chinese; be it online or offline.
Choosing to Ignore the Tones
Being a tonal language, Chinese makes use of differences in pitch to distinguish between words. That explains why native speakers of a non-tonal language find it difficult in the beginning. Even though you may think it is not important to learn the tones at first, this decision will certainly turn out to be costly.
A good teacher will have you practicing the tones before you move on to the next step. Keep in mind there are four tones in Mandarin Chinese that you ought to master. Once you have an insight into these tones, be rest assured you won’t struggle with learning Chinese.
Trying to Directly Translate
This is undeniably one of the most common mistakes people make when learning Chinese even for intermediate students. In some languages, it is possible to directly translate words and sentences. However, this is not the case in Chinese and you should always steer clear from doing that. Rather than trying to translate word by word, it is highly recommended that you focus on the central meaning of the sentence. It is then that you can translate it using proper Chinese grammar.
Final Thoughts
These are some of the common mistakes you might end up making the next time you decide to learn Chinese online. The good news is that you can overcome these mistakes and even use them to get way better at the language. If in doubt, then there is nothing wrong with asking your teachers for help.
Fortunately, a reputable Chinese language school such as Linda Mandarin will help you overcome any challenges that you may face. Check out their official website today and examine what they have to offer students.