we experienced them...chinese spoken words, as frequency is usually determined by scanning written...
TRANSCRIPT
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
PHIL
Back in 2013 the two of us met and quickly discovered that we were both equally passionate about learning Chinese As well as becoming great friends
we started sharing with each other various memory techniques and learning tools we found helpful to our language acquisition As a result we found
ourselves improving many times faster than others in our peer group all while investing less time and seemingly having a lot more fun along the way
After passing the HSK 6 in a quarter of the allotted time as well as a Chinese degree and an award winning thesis we decided to join forces and create a
crash course on how to learn Chinese sharing our knowledge with the local community of Chengdu China It became so popular that we began teaching
online and creating awesome video courses We now have a total of 12 years of experience both learning and teaching Chinese and in that time we have
become acutely aware of the problems Chinese learners continue to face and how to solve them How We experienced them first-hand
Learning Chinese changed our lives forever We discovered that those who embark upon this learning journey are rewarded with knowledge amp wisdom
that comes not just from the language itself but more importantly from the hearts and minds of Chinese people It is as enlightening an experience as we
could have ever hoped for and now it is your turn Letrsquos get to it
WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO
LUKE
1
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
DONrsquoT BE LIKE MOST PEOPLE For most people the road to spoken fluency in Chinese is a slow
struggle Most people donrsquot ever get past the beginner stage before
giving up or losing interest Most people get to a semi-satisfactory level
and stagnate painfully for a long time before accepting mediocrity Donrsquot
be like most people We struggled in the beginning and made many
avoidable mistakes that caused delays in our progress and a ton of
frustration After a lot of research and some intense trial and error we
realized that the problem stems from the way we were taught in school
We were taught languages in school the same way we were taught
mathematics and science by memorizing words and grammar points
as facts to be regurgitated during exam time Unfortunately getting to
fluency in any language (including your native language) just doesnrsquot
work like this Language is acquired not learned Wersquoll go into more
detail about this important difference in tip 1
HOW WE ARE GOING TO HELP YOU Wersquove put together this guide of 10 crucial tips that constitute a general
guide for developing awesome Chinese speaking skills quickly and
independently Whether you are just thinking about starting to learn
Chinese or already well into your journey we guarantee you will get a lot
out of this book
2
INTRODUCTION
FOCUS ON INPUT1
Donrsquot force yourself to speak
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUTPUT IS SECONDARY TO INPUT Our first tip on speaking better Mandarin is to NOT speak (gasp) but
instead to listen and read Wait Before you delete this E-book forever
allow us to explain Over the years wersquove heard many language
teachers say ldquoIf you want to improve your [INSERT LANGUAGE HERE]
yoursquove got to speak morerdquo and they are technically correcthellipsort of
What is very rarely mentioned is the fact that speaking practice
improves your ability to use the words and phrases you already know
Thatrsquos it
Herersquos an idea that sounds obvious but that few people apply to their
language learning Words and phrases are first acquired as passive
vocabulary (words you can understand) speaking merely activates
them Donrsquot believe us Well you didnrsquot come into the world speaking
your native tongue did you You spent years listening babbling
listening some more uttering the odd word and eventually saying
whole sentences Donrsquot worry Were certainly not saying itrsquoll take you
years to babble a few Chinese words just that your focus early on
should be on reading and listening Speaking can wait until later
After all how can you speak if you have nothing to say Your passive
vocabulary always outnumbers your active vocabulary by a lot and
even more so in a foreign language Therefore the more vocabulary
you understand the more you can potentially ldquoactivaterdquo through
speaking
1FOCUS ON INPUT
4
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUTPUT TOO EARLY CAN BE DAMAGING Many Chinese learners look at lists of words using some flashy app or
website and start ldquotrying them outrdquo in conversation without first seeing or
hearing that word in the context of a sentence This leads to incorrect and
sometimes downright funny Chinese coming out of their mouths on a
regular basis
Now if you are paying an experienced and competent Chinese tutor to
pick out mistakes and correct you properly this method may not be too
bad However we can assure you that you cannot rely on native
speakers whether teachers or not to correct you all the time You will
likely be left to flounder and sputter nonsense for extended periods of
time blissfully unaware that you are creating and solidifying an incorrect
version of the language
What is the result of this repeated bad output Usually it means bad
habits which are really tough to break This is partly why people can live
in a foreign country for decades and still speak poorly They donrsquot
consume enough of their target language and they focus too much on
producing it
This should be good news to you regardless of your level You donrsquot
have to feel guilty about not speaking Only ldquofeel guiltyrdquo if you arenrsquot
spending time reading or listening Chinese Whenever you decide you
are ready you can start investing time in regular speaking practice
1FOCUS ON INPUT
WARNING This does not qualify as
reading although we admire this level of
enthusiasm
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoIt is possible that compelling input is not just optimal It
may be the only way we truly acquire languagerdquo
- Dr Steven Krashen
6
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Speaking practice activates all that lovely passive vocabulary yoursquove
been building up Our advice would be to make sure you invest
between 30 minutes and 2 hours every day in reading and listening
When you feel ready to start improving your speaking we suggest
booking time with a tutor for an hour or so once or twice a week
Wersquoll guide you through our best methods of using tutors and language
exchange partners in chapter 5
SEEK OUT ENGAGING CONTENT Consuming content you enjoy creates emotional connections that
make it much easier to acquire vocabulary It also makes it easier to
consume more challenging content as you care so much more about the
messages you are trying to decipher If you are a beginner then this is
more challenging After all you donrsquot have enough of a skill level to be
too picky However as you improve you can expand to more varied
content that suits your interests As for exactly what content where to
find it and how to use it effectively wersquoll talk about that later in this ebook
series
NEXT CHAPTER Wersquoll be talking about how many words
you actually need to reach various levels of fluency and
where exactly to find these words Itrsquos not as simple as
you may think See you then
1FOCUS ON INPUT
7
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT SUPPORTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Speaking only makes you better at saying what you already know Input increases your knowledge Input should therefore be the main focus throughout your study
Speaking practice has the very important function of activating passive vocabulary but passive vocabulary is always much larger than active vocablulary
Invest between 30 minutes and 2 hours every day on listening and reading to comprehensible and engaging material Throw in some regular speaking practice with a tutor when yoursquore ready
Focus on content that engages you whether that be sci-fi comic books or horror movies Doing this will make learning new words much easier and more enjoyable
KEY POINTS1FOCUS ON INPUT
8
LEARN THE 2
Prioritise spoken frequency
RIGHT WORDS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WHICH WORDS SHOULD YOU LEARN Like most people when starting to learn Chinese we went straight for
textbooks not knowing what else to do We were soon bored senseless
by them never able to make it halfway though one before dropping it
for something else Later we realized our boredom stemmed from
many of the words being too advanced andor irrelevant for that vital
early stage There was little in the way of real life application for the
content One textbook even had tang dynasty poems in it You did not
read that incorrectly Tang dynasty poems in a beginner textbook Sigh
The thing is you donrsquot need that many words to be able to
communicate on a fairly wide variety of topics (ie basic fluency) The
most common 1000 spoken words make up around 90 of spoken
Chinese (or any language really) and should therefore be your main
focus from the get-go As these words become part of your active
vocabulary you will be able to access more and more content that suits
your interests and this is when your progress will really start to take off
HOW TO FIND A GOOD WORD LIST Itrsquos actually a lot harder than you might think to find a good word list for
Chinese spoken words as frequency is usually determined by scanning
written documents The same even goes for those in the HSK exam
(Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) vocabulary lists The lower levels are ok but
generally the more advanced your level the less relevant the
vocabulary tends to become The lower levels (levels 1-3) of the HSK
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
10
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe journey of a thousand miles begins with a single steprdquo
- Laozi
11
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
arenrsquot that bad although they do have a lot of written vocabulary
peppered in throughout Not to worry though here are a few ways you
can get started
1 Here is a spoken frequency list based on TV and movie subtitles
2 Check out Gabriel Wynerrsquos base vocabulary list of 625 words that
apply to any language Wersquore great supporters of his work
3 Here are the HSK vocabulary lists Like we said the earlier levels (1-3)
are ok for spoken vocabulary
After yoursquove started the process of getting the first 1000 or so words into
your active vocabulary you will be able to learn less common written and
spoken words by consuming engaging content more suited to your
personal goals and interests But how best to acquire these words in
the first place This will be explained in detail in the next chapter
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk all about HOW to truly acquire any words
you need QUICKLY without forgetting them Wersquoll go through
many resources you can access instantly online to do this and
walk you through how to use them effectively On top of that wersquoll
share with you the favorite study techniques used by top
language learners that will supercharge your acquisition
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
12
4 Our new course ldquoThe Mandarin Blueprint Methodrdquo covers the most
common 1500 characters and 4000 words Check it out
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You only need around 1000 high frequency spoken words for basic fluency This is around 90 of the spoken language
Words found in textbooks and vocabulary lists become less and less relevant the higher your level Donrsquot rely on them too much
Once yoursquove got a foundation of common vocabulary yoursquoll have the ability to start consuming more engaging content suited to your personal interests
KEY POINTS
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT SUPPORTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
13
LEARN WORDS THE3
Rote learning doesnrsquot work
RIGHT WAY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Speaking a language fluently is essentially just remembering the
right words at the right time Here are the most efficient and enjoyable
ways to truly acquire new Chinese words so they are always there for
you when you need them
USE SRS (SPACED REPETITION SOFTWARE) SRS prevents you from forgetting what yoursquove learned in the most
efficient and rewarding way possible Despite having a bit of a learning
curve Anki is definitely the best choice of SRS because you can make
your own flashcards although shared decks are also available There
are a bunch of web and mobile language learning apps that use SRS-
powered flashcards
Our huge video curriculum The Mandarin Blueprint Method provides
you with over 7000 flashcards to learn how to read understand write
and speak the most common 1000 Chinese words Check it out here
THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT SRS
1 Set realistic goals The more new cards you do the more reviews
will build up Be careful not to over-do it
2 Finish your reviews every day The algorithm can only guarantee
90-95 retention if you finish your reviews every day
3 SRS is not a learning tool itrsquos a reviewing tool Learn the word first
then use SRS to review otherwise you are just rote learning and that
is proven to be ineffective (and incredibly boring)
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
15
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
SO WHATrsquoS THE BEST WAY
TO LEARN A CHINESE WORD
LEARN CHARACTERS
Make sure to make learning characters a part of your daily study routine
ldquoBut hey I want to learn speaking I donrsquot care about the characters Irsquoll
learn them later if at allrdquo While this is an understandable response itrsquos a
trap that slows you down in the long run To speak fluently you need
vocabulary To get vocabulary you need to read and listen a lot To
read you need characters
LEARN WORDS IN CONTEXT
The first step towards learning a word is to learn itrsquos definition However
this is the equivalent of shaking someonersquos hand and learning their
name Thatrsquos it See that person several more times in different contexts
and yoursquoll really get to know them Words need context to truly become
part of your vocabulary
To truly acquire a word you need to see that word in a sentence and
depending on the complexity of the word you will need to see it in
several contexts many times before it can be fully acquired and used
Find at least one sentence for each usage of the word in question and
make a flashcard Here are some quick tips regarding sentences and
sentence flashcards
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
16
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will first need to get at least a couple of hundred of the most
common words under your belt before being ready to start reading
sentences
Sentences should be 4-9 words in length on average Long enough
to show a decent level of context and demonstrate a grammatical
structure or two but not so long that it becomes too hard to focus on
a single concept
Your sentences should be informal so they can be applicable to real
life
Just reading sentences is a good start but using the ldquocloze deleterdquo
function with anki (shown below) or wwwclozemastercom is
especially effective as it forces you to work a little harder
Add an image or two to sum up the ldquomessagerdquo of the sentence and
create deeper connections to the word(s)
At the time of writing this chapter our favorite resource for finding
Chinese sentences is bingcomdict (pictured left)
Our new course The Mandarin Blueprint Method contains all of the
flashcards and memory techniques you need to learn the most
common 1000 Chinese words Click below to start your free trial
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
17
LEARN MORE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
After starting to review words in sentences move onto the next vital
resourcehellip
GRADED READERS You donrsquot have to wait until yoursquove acquired 1000s of characters and
words before you start reading Not by a long shot You can start
reading articles short stories and podcast transcripts with as little
as 150 characters and words Here are our favorite resources to do so
LINGQ (PICTURED)
LingQ is an aggregated graded reader that has content sourced from all
over the internet including tons of proprietary material Higher level
learners can also import any content they want from elsewhere We are
currently reading A Song of Ice and Fire in Chinese using LingQ and are
addicted to itrsquos incredible functionality The best part about it is that itrsquos
quick look-up feature allows you to read material above your level that
would normally be far too frustrating in book form As if that wasnrsquot good
enough they also have excellent SRS functionality amp the ability to export
words to Anki
THE CHAIRMANrsquoS BAO (TCB)
The Chairmanrsquos Bao have real news articles edited for different HSK
levels (even HSK 1) Yes with only a couple of hundred characters and
words you can be reading real news articles in Chinese This site is being
updated with new fantastic features all the time and has a great app too
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
18
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoYou donrsquot know a person because you know their
name and you donrsquot know a word because you know itrsquos
definitionrdquo- Khatzumoto of ajattcom
19
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
MANDARIN COMPANION
Do you prefer the feel of a real book in your hands These books can be
read with only 300-450 characters under your belt They have a bunch of
classics for lower levels that are still compelling despite being heavily
edited
GO FOR EFFICIENCY To get the most out of that precious hour or two each day that most of
us can spare for language learning make sure you use the following
techniques for maximum return on your time investment
INTERLEAVING
Studies have shown that it is more efficient in the long term to flit
between various different types of content within a study session than to
learn one thing at a time in blocks This is referred to as ldquointerleavingrdquo or
ldquointerleaved learningrdquo Donrsquot spend hours pouring over the same material
mix it up Not only will this be way more engaging yoursquoll also progress
faster
TIMEBOXING
Using timeboxing (also known as ldquoThe Pomodoro Techniquerdquo) will
greatly enhance the efficiency and enjoyment of your study
Traditionally you should study for 25 minutes then rest for 5 minutes
then repeat This means 50 minutes of focused study per hour instead of
15 minutes of study and 45 minutes daydreaming and looking at
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
20
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You can also do all sorts of time-boxes for variety Anywhere from 30
seconds to 25 minutes with 25 minutes being the maximum We love to
combine timeboxing with interleaving working on 2 or 3 different study
resources at a time with really short time-boxes For example a few
minutes on learning characters then reviewing flashcards then listening
to a podcast then resting This turns a study session into a fun game
doing wonders for your motivation
LISTEN WHILE READING
Listening is the easiest and most convenient way of improving learning as
itrsquos hands-free and you can focus on other things while doing it However
if you can read what you hear at the same time the benefits multiply
to be greater than the sum of its parts The reading makes it easier to
understand what you hear and what you hear improves your reading
speed If you choose material either at or slightly above your level and try
this technique out it really feels like yoursquore super-charging your Chinese
ability
SHADOWING
This is a technique made famous by Professor Alexander Arguelles
Shadowing is reading listening and speaking all at the same time Do
it while out and about for best results Just a few minutes a day of this will
improve pronunciation spoken fluency reading and listening
simultaneously We do it almost everyday and it really does speed up the
acquisition process more than anything else wersquove tried Just make sure
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
21
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
you choose a voice to imitate that yoursquod actually like to sound like
(especially when you choose the dialect or gender of the speaker) Herersquos
a video of The prof himself talking about the technique in more detail
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk to you all about how good pronunciation
practice improves your speaking ability listening ability amp even
reading ability plus wersquoll talk about where to find the best
resources to pronounce Chinese like a native speaker
Using spaced repetition is vital for your early days learning Chinese (or any language for that matter)
Learning characters is an unavoidable step in learning Chinese
You must see new words in a sentence before you can acquire them Reading graded readers is even better as it provides more context and engaging topics
Incorporate interleaved learning shadowing and timeboxing into your daily study routine for the most efficient results
KEY POINTS
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
22
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
LEARN PRONUNCIATION4
It will pay off huge dividends later
EARLY AND WELL
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
At Mandarin Blueprint we take pronunciation very seriously This is
mainly because we know first-hand the negative effects of poor
pronunciation instruction
Bad pronunciation slows the development of your listening reading
and speaking ability which is bad enough But by far the most
profoundly painful outcome of poor pronunciation is the damage done
to your lsquolearnerrsquos egorsquo early on When you are misunderstood partially
understood or not at all understood it hurts your confidence You then
associate speaking Chinese with negative emotions and become less
and less willing to start talking Itrsquos a vicious cycle of negativity that we
want you to avoid
HERErsquoS A PROBLEM WE WANT YOU TO HAVE 1 A Chinese person asks you a simple question that you understand
2 You answer the question with simple Chinese but with great
pronunciation
3 The Chinese person listening to you immediately assumes you
speak incredible Chinese and proceeds to unload a litany of
questions and comments
4 After an awkward silence you say 听不不懂 (tīngbudǒng) which
means ldquoI donrsquot understandrdquo
5 The Chinese person laughs asks a few more questions before
realizing you were actually serious Awkwardness intensifies
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
24
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
THE SKINNY ON MANDARIN PRONUNCIATION If you want excellent spoken Chinese you first need to be completely
aware of how to produce understand and read all of the sounds of the
language Some people can do all this naturally by ear with very little
training Unfortunately the law of averages states that you are most likely
not in this group Sorry -(
Not to worry though With only 409 different-sounding syllables (1200 if
you include tones) Chinese has relatively little to learn in terms of
pronunciation especially when compared to the 16000+ syllables of
English There are however many challenging and potentially confusing
aspects to Chinese pronunciation which means that you can learn what
you need to know about pronunciation in a relatively short time but you
need high quality expert guidance and study materials to do it
TUTORS ARENrsquoT ALWAYS THE WAY TO GO If you want to learn pronunciation it seems like a logical decision would
be to look for a tutor right Unfortunately most teachers do not have
the knowledge or experience to teach you Chinese pronunciation
well But why is this Well theyrsquove spoken mandarin since they can
remember right They have no frame of reference for comparing tongue
positions or vowel aspiration to English so how could they explain it to a
foreigner How would they know what it feels like to learn Mandarin
pronunciation as an adult
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
25
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe first thing I have to do to erase my french accent is to believe itrsquos actually possiblerdquo
- Marion Cotillard
26
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
There are fantastic tutors out there who can teach you pronunciation
properly but they can be like finding a needle in a haystack Not to
mention with the hourly rates you are likely to rack up hundreds of
dollars in fees for average results
INTRODUCING ldquoPRONUNCIATION MASTERYrdquo Wersquove been training our clients on pronunciation through live sessions of
our Pronunciation Mastery course for 2 years now and the results have
been fantastic Wersquove now finally finished transforming it into an 8 hour
video course that will teach you everything you need to know about
Chinese pronunciation all from the unique perspective of us Two
Chinese learners who made the journey ourselves from beginner to
advanced fluency This is all delivered using HD video crystal clear
explanations supported with slick design over a thousand multimedia
SRS flashcards over 80 PDFs amp native audio for reference and review
Wersquove put our hearts and souls into this course along with our extensive
experience and feedback from live teaching over the past 2 years Plus
itrsquos already helped hundreds of Chinese learners around the world Itrsquos
the video course we would have wanted when we were starting out
with Mandarin
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
27
CHECK IT OUT
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
NEXT TIME Wersquoll dive into the topic of Chinese tutors Wersquoll be
sharing with you where to find the best free and paid tutors how
to work with them in the most efficient and fun way possible
Pronunciation is the vital first stage for learning any language
Bad pronunciation affects all other areas of your Chinese skill but most importantly it hurts your confidence
Compared to English there is much less to learn to master Chinese pronunciation
Chinese teachers rarely have the training and experience necessary to teach you pronunciation properly
Mandarin Blueprintrsquos ldquoPronunciation Masteryrdquo course has everything you need to develop great pronunciation quickly and cheaply Check it out today
KEY POINTS
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
28
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
USE TUTORS
Connect with them regularly
EFFECTIVELY
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will notice that this is way down the list of tips for speaking like a
native speaker Thatrsquos because it actually isnrsquot the highest priority straight
away at least not anymore The sheer number of resources available
to you as a Chinese learner today means that you can do most things
you need to do on your own without a tutor As avid Chinese learners
ourselves we can both attest to this fact However a tutor is an
absolutely vital part of your journey to spoken fluency and to get the
most out of them you need to know how to work with them
First off what is a tutor for exactly Itrsquos not as obvious an answer as you
may think Understandably most people get a tutor straight from the
beginning hoping to receive all the materials and guidance they need
to make them fluent and literate in Chinese This is a lot to expect of
anyone let alone someone who never actually learned Chinese as a
second language So what are reasonable expectations to have then
THE ROLE OF A CHINESE TUTOR 1) FOR ACTIVATING PASSIVE VOCABULARY
Go into a session and try to use the words yoursquove been learning through
listening and reading Focus on steering the conversation to topics
you find meaningful and interesting Agree on these topics in advance
A good tutor is a good communicator someone who can speak to you
in a way they know you understand and ask you the right questions to
keep a conversation going Push your limits of what you know and ask a
lot of questions on how to use any words you arenrsquot sure about
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
30
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
DONrsquoT BE LIKE MOST PEOPLE For most people the road to spoken fluency in Chinese is a slow
struggle Most people donrsquot ever get past the beginner stage before
giving up or losing interest Most people get to a semi-satisfactory level
and stagnate painfully for a long time before accepting mediocrity Donrsquot
be like most people We struggled in the beginning and made many
avoidable mistakes that caused delays in our progress and a ton of
frustration After a lot of research and some intense trial and error we
realized that the problem stems from the way we were taught in school
We were taught languages in school the same way we were taught
mathematics and science by memorizing words and grammar points
as facts to be regurgitated during exam time Unfortunately getting to
fluency in any language (including your native language) just doesnrsquot
work like this Language is acquired not learned Wersquoll go into more
detail about this important difference in tip 1
HOW WE ARE GOING TO HELP YOU Wersquove put together this guide of 10 crucial tips that constitute a general
guide for developing awesome Chinese speaking skills quickly and
independently Whether you are just thinking about starting to learn
Chinese or already well into your journey we guarantee you will get a lot
out of this book
2
INTRODUCTION
FOCUS ON INPUT1
Donrsquot force yourself to speak
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUTPUT IS SECONDARY TO INPUT Our first tip on speaking better Mandarin is to NOT speak (gasp) but
instead to listen and read Wait Before you delete this E-book forever
allow us to explain Over the years wersquove heard many language
teachers say ldquoIf you want to improve your [INSERT LANGUAGE HERE]
yoursquove got to speak morerdquo and they are technically correcthellipsort of
What is very rarely mentioned is the fact that speaking practice
improves your ability to use the words and phrases you already know
Thatrsquos it
Herersquos an idea that sounds obvious but that few people apply to their
language learning Words and phrases are first acquired as passive
vocabulary (words you can understand) speaking merely activates
them Donrsquot believe us Well you didnrsquot come into the world speaking
your native tongue did you You spent years listening babbling
listening some more uttering the odd word and eventually saying
whole sentences Donrsquot worry Were certainly not saying itrsquoll take you
years to babble a few Chinese words just that your focus early on
should be on reading and listening Speaking can wait until later
After all how can you speak if you have nothing to say Your passive
vocabulary always outnumbers your active vocabulary by a lot and
even more so in a foreign language Therefore the more vocabulary
you understand the more you can potentially ldquoactivaterdquo through
speaking
1FOCUS ON INPUT
4
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUTPUT TOO EARLY CAN BE DAMAGING Many Chinese learners look at lists of words using some flashy app or
website and start ldquotrying them outrdquo in conversation without first seeing or
hearing that word in the context of a sentence This leads to incorrect and
sometimes downright funny Chinese coming out of their mouths on a
regular basis
Now if you are paying an experienced and competent Chinese tutor to
pick out mistakes and correct you properly this method may not be too
bad However we can assure you that you cannot rely on native
speakers whether teachers or not to correct you all the time You will
likely be left to flounder and sputter nonsense for extended periods of
time blissfully unaware that you are creating and solidifying an incorrect
version of the language
What is the result of this repeated bad output Usually it means bad
habits which are really tough to break This is partly why people can live
in a foreign country for decades and still speak poorly They donrsquot
consume enough of their target language and they focus too much on
producing it
This should be good news to you regardless of your level You donrsquot
have to feel guilty about not speaking Only ldquofeel guiltyrdquo if you arenrsquot
spending time reading or listening Chinese Whenever you decide you
are ready you can start investing time in regular speaking practice
1FOCUS ON INPUT
WARNING This does not qualify as
reading although we admire this level of
enthusiasm
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoIt is possible that compelling input is not just optimal It
may be the only way we truly acquire languagerdquo
- Dr Steven Krashen
6
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Speaking practice activates all that lovely passive vocabulary yoursquove
been building up Our advice would be to make sure you invest
between 30 minutes and 2 hours every day in reading and listening
When you feel ready to start improving your speaking we suggest
booking time with a tutor for an hour or so once or twice a week
Wersquoll guide you through our best methods of using tutors and language
exchange partners in chapter 5
SEEK OUT ENGAGING CONTENT Consuming content you enjoy creates emotional connections that
make it much easier to acquire vocabulary It also makes it easier to
consume more challenging content as you care so much more about the
messages you are trying to decipher If you are a beginner then this is
more challenging After all you donrsquot have enough of a skill level to be
too picky However as you improve you can expand to more varied
content that suits your interests As for exactly what content where to
find it and how to use it effectively wersquoll talk about that later in this ebook
series
NEXT CHAPTER Wersquoll be talking about how many words
you actually need to reach various levels of fluency and
where exactly to find these words Itrsquos not as simple as
you may think See you then
1FOCUS ON INPUT
7
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT SUPPORTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Speaking only makes you better at saying what you already know Input increases your knowledge Input should therefore be the main focus throughout your study
Speaking practice has the very important function of activating passive vocabulary but passive vocabulary is always much larger than active vocablulary
Invest between 30 minutes and 2 hours every day on listening and reading to comprehensible and engaging material Throw in some regular speaking practice with a tutor when yoursquore ready
Focus on content that engages you whether that be sci-fi comic books or horror movies Doing this will make learning new words much easier and more enjoyable
KEY POINTS1FOCUS ON INPUT
8
LEARN THE 2
Prioritise spoken frequency
RIGHT WORDS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WHICH WORDS SHOULD YOU LEARN Like most people when starting to learn Chinese we went straight for
textbooks not knowing what else to do We were soon bored senseless
by them never able to make it halfway though one before dropping it
for something else Later we realized our boredom stemmed from
many of the words being too advanced andor irrelevant for that vital
early stage There was little in the way of real life application for the
content One textbook even had tang dynasty poems in it You did not
read that incorrectly Tang dynasty poems in a beginner textbook Sigh
The thing is you donrsquot need that many words to be able to
communicate on a fairly wide variety of topics (ie basic fluency) The
most common 1000 spoken words make up around 90 of spoken
Chinese (or any language really) and should therefore be your main
focus from the get-go As these words become part of your active
vocabulary you will be able to access more and more content that suits
your interests and this is when your progress will really start to take off
HOW TO FIND A GOOD WORD LIST Itrsquos actually a lot harder than you might think to find a good word list for
Chinese spoken words as frequency is usually determined by scanning
written documents The same even goes for those in the HSK exam
(Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) vocabulary lists The lower levels are ok but
generally the more advanced your level the less relevant the
vocabulary tends to become The lower levels (levels 1-3) of the HSK
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
10
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe journey of a thousand miles begins with a single steprdquo
- Laozi
11
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
arenrsquot that bad although they do have a lot of written vocabulary
peppered in throughout Not to worry though here are a few ways you
can get started
1 Here is a spoken frequency list based on TV and movie subtitles
2 Check out Gabriel Wynerrsquos base vocabulary list of 625 words that
apply to any language Wersquore great supporters of his work
3 Here are the HSK vocabulary lists Like we said the earlier levels (1-3)
are ok for spoken vocabulary
After yoursquove started the process of getting the first 1000 or so words into
your active vocabulary you will be able to learn less common written and
spoken words by consuming engaging content more suited to your
personal goals and interests But how best to acquire these words in
the first place This will be explained in detail in the next chapter
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk all about HOW to truly acquire any words
you need QUICKLY without forgetting them Wersquoll go through
many resources you can access instantly online to do this and
walk you through how to use them effectively On top of that wersquoll
share with you the favorite study techniques used by top
language learners that will supercharge your acquisition
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
12
4 Our new course ldquoThe Mandarin Blueprint Methodrdquo covers the most
common 1500 characters and 4000 words Check it out
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You only need around 1000 high frequency spoken words for basic fluency This is around 90 of the spoken language
Words found in textbooks and vocabulary lists become less and less relevant the higher your level Donrsquot rely on them too much
Once yoursquove got a foundation of common vocabulary yoursquoll have the ability to start consuming more engaging content suited to your personal interests
KEY POINTS
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT SUPPORTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
13
LEARN WORDS THE3
Rote learning doesnrsquot work
RIGHT WAY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Speaking a language fluently is essentially just remembering the
right words at the right time Here are the most efficient and enjoyable
ways to truly acquire new Chinese words so they are always there for
you when you need them
USE SRS (SPACED REPETITION SOFTWARE) SRS prevents you from forgetting what yoursquove learned in the most
efficient and rewarding way possible Despite having a bit of a learning
curve Anki is definitely the best choice of SRS because you can make
your own flashcards although shared decks are also available There
are a bunch of web and mobile language learning apps that use SRS-
powered flashcards
Our huge video curriculum The Mandarin Blueprint Method provides
you with over 7000 flashcards to learn how to read understand write
and speak the most common 1000 Chinese words Check it out here
THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT SRS
1 Set realistic goals The more new cards you do the more reviews
will build up Be careful not to over-do it
2 Finish your reviews every day The algorithm can only guarantee
90-95 retention if you finish your reviews every day
3 SRS is not a learning tool itrsquos a reviewing tool Learn the word first
then use SRS to review otherwise you are just rote learning and that
is proven to be ineffective (and incredibly boring)
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
15
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
SO WHATrsquoS THE BEST WAY
TO LEARN A CHINESE WORD
LEARN CHARACTERS
Make sure to make learning characters a part of your daily study routine
ldquoBut hey I want to learn speaking I donrsquot care about the characters Irsquoll
learn them later if at allrdquo While this is an understandable response itrsquos a
trap that slows you down in the long run To speak fluently you need
vocabulary To get vocabulary you need to read and listen a lot To
read you need characters
LEARN WORDS IN CONTEXT
The first step towards learning a word is to learn itrsquos definition However
this is the equivalent of shaking someonersquos hand and learning their
name Thatrsquos it See that person several more times in different contexts
and yoursquoll really get to know them Words need context to truly become
part of your vocabulary
To truly acquire a word you need to see that word in a sentence and
depending on the complexity of the word you will need to see it in
several contexts many times before it can be fully acquired and used
Find at least one sentence for each usage of the word in question and
make a flashcard Here are some quick tips regarding sentences and
sentence flashcards
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
16
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will first need to get at least a couple of hundred of the most
common words under your belt before being ready to start reading
sentences
Sentences should be 4-9 words in length on average Long enough
to show a decent level of context and demonstrate a grammatical
structure or two but not so long that it becomes too hard to focus on
a single concept
Your sentences should be informal so they can be applicable to real
life
Just reading sentences is a good start but using the ldquocloze deleterdquo
function with anki (shown below) or wwwclozemastercom is
especially effective as it forces you to work a little harder
Add an image or two to sum up the ldquomessagerdquo of the sentence and
create deeper connections to the word(s)
At the time of writing this chapter our favorite resource for finding
Chinese sentences is bingcomdict (pictured left)
Our new course The Mandarin Blueprint Method contains all of the
flashcards and memory techniques you need to learn the most
common 1000 Chinese words Click below to start your free trial
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
17
LEARN MORE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
After starting to review words in sentences move onto the next vital
resourcehellip
GRADED READERS You donrsquot have to wait until yoursquove acquired 1000s of characters and
words before you start reading Not by a long shot You can start
reading articles short stories and podcast transcripts with as little
as 150 characters and words Here are our favorite resources to do so
LINGQ (PICTURED)
LingQ is an aggregated graded reader that has content sourced from all
over the internet including tons of proprietary material Higher level
learners can also import any content they want from elsewhere We are
currently reading A Song of Ice and Fire in Chinese using LingQ and are
addicted to itrsquos incredible functionality The best part about it is that itrsquos
quick look-up feature allows you to read material above your level that
would normally be far too frustrating in book form As if that wasnrsquot good
enough they also have excellent SRS functionality amp the ability to export
words to Anki
THE CHAIRMANrsquoS BAO (TCB)
The Chairmanrsquos Bao have real news articles edited for different HSK
levels (even HSK 1) Yes with only a couple of hundred characters and
words you can be reading real news articles in Chinese This site is being
updated with new fantastic features all the time and has a great app too
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
18
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoYou donrsquot know a person because you know their
name and you donrsquot know a word because you know itrsquos
definitionrdquo- Khatzumoto of ajattcom
19
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
MANDARIN COMPANION
Do you prefer the feel of a real book in your hands These books can be
read with only 300-450 characters under your belt They have a bunch of
classics for lower levels that are still compelling despite being heavily
edited
GO FOR EFFICIENCY To get the most out of that precious hour or two each day that most of
us can spare for language learning make sure you use the following
techniques for maximum return on your time investment
INTERLEAVING
Studies have shown that it is more efficient in the long term to flit
between various different types of content within a study session than to
learn one thing at a time in blocks This is referred to as ldquointerleavingrdquo or
ldquointerleaved learningrdquo Donrsquot spend hours pouring over the same material
mix it up Not only will this be way more engaging yoursquoll also progress
faster
TIMEBOXING
Using timeboxing (also known as ldquoThe Pomodoro Techniquerdquo) will
greatly enhance the efficiency and enjoyment of your study
Traditionally you should study for 25 minutes then rest for 5 minutes
then repeat This means 50 minutes of focused study per hour instead of
15 minutes of study and 45 minutes daydreaming and looking at
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
20
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You can also do all sorts of time-boxes for variety Anywhere from 30
seconds to 25 minutes with 25 minutes being the maximum We love to
combine timeboxing with interleaving working on 2 or 3 different study
resources at a time with really short time-boxes For example a few
minutes on learning characters then reviewing flashcards then listening
to a podcast then resting This turns a study session into a fun game
doing wonders for your motivation
LISTEN WHILE READING
Listening is the easiest and most convenient way of improving learning as
itrsquos hands-free and you can focus on other things while doing it However
if you can read what you hear at the same time the benefits multiply
to be greater than the sum of its parts The reading makes it easier to
understand what you hear and what you hear improves your reading
speed If you choose material either at or slightly above your level and try
this technique out it really feels like yoursquore super-charging your Chinese
ability
SHADOWING
This is a technique made famous by Professor Alexander Arguelles
Shadowing is reading listening and speaking all at the same time Do
it while out and about for best results Just a few minutes a day of this will
improve pronunciation spoken fluency reading and listening
simultaneously We do it almost everyday and it really does speed up the
acquisition process more than anything else wersquove tried Just make sure
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
21
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
you choose a voice to imitate that yoursquod actually like to sound like
(especially when you choose the dialect or gender of the speaker) Herersquos
a video of The prof himself talking about the technique in more detail
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk to you all about how good pronunciation
practice improves your speaking ability listening ability amp even
reading ability plus wersquoll talk about where to find the best
resources to pronounce Chinese like a native speaker
Using spaced repetition is vital for your early days learning Chinese (or any language for that matter)
Learning characters is an unavoidable step in learning Chinese
You must see new words in a sentence before you can acquire them Reading graded readers is even better as it provides more context and engaging topics
Incorporate interleaved learning shadowing and timeboxing into your daily study routine for the most efficient results
KEY POINTS
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
22
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
LEARN PRONUNCIATION4
It will pay off huge dividends later
EARLY AND WELL
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
At Mandarin Blueprint we take pronunciation very seriously This is
mainly because we know first-hand the negative effects of poor
pronunciation instruction
Bad pronunciation slows the development of your listening reading
and speaking ability which is bad enough But by far the most
profoundly painful outcome of poor pronunciation is the damage done
to your lsquolearnerrsquos egorsquo early on When you are misunderstood partially
understood or not at all understood it hurts your confidence You then
associate speaking Chinese with negative emotions and become less
and less willing to start talking Itrsquos a vicious cycle of negativity that we
want you to avoid
HERErsquoS A PROBLEM WE WANT YOU TO HAVE 1 A Chinese person asks you a simple question that you understand
2 You answer the question with simple Chinese but with great
pronunciation
3 The Chinese person listening to you immediately assumes you
speak incredible Chinese and proceeds to unload a litany of
questions and comments
4 After an awkward silence you say 听不不懂 (tīngbudǒng) which
means ldquoI donrsquot understandrdquo
5 The Chinese person laughs asks a few more questions before
realizing you were actually serious Awkwardness intensifies
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
24
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
THE SKINNY ON MANDARIN PRONUNCIATION If you want excellent spoken Chinese you first need to be completely
aware of how to produce understand and read all of the sounds of the
language Some people can do all this naturally by ear with very little
training Unfortunately the law of averages states that you are most likely
not in this group Sorry -(
Not to worry though With only 409 different-sounding syllables (1200 if
you include tones) Chinese has relatively little to learn in terms of
pronunciation especially when compared to the 16000+ syllables of
English There are however many challenging and potentially confusing
aspects to Chinese pronunciation which means that you can learn what
you need to know about pronunciation in a relatively short time but you
need high quality expert guidance and study materials to do it
TUTORS ARENrsquoT ALWAYS THE WAY TO GO If you want to learn pronunciation it seems like a logical decision would
be to look for a tutor right Unfortunately most teachers do not have
the knowledge or experience to teach you Chinese pronunciation
well But why is this Well theyrsquove spoken mandarin since they can
remember right They have no frame of reference for comparing tongue
positions or vowel aspiration to English so how could they explain it to a
foreigner How would they know what it feels like to learn Mandarin
pronunciation as an adult
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
25
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe first thing I have to do to erase my french accent is to believe itrsquos actually possiblerdquo
- Marion Cotillard
26
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
There are fantastic tutors out there who can teach you pronunciation
properly but they can be like finding a needle in a haystack Not to
mention with the hourly rates you are likely to rack up hundreds of
dollars in fees for average results
INTRODUCING ldquoPRONUNCIATION MASTERYrdquo Wersquove been training our clients on pronunciation through live sessions of
our Pronunciation Mastery course for 2 years now and the results have
been fantastic Wersquove now finally finished transforming it into an 8 hour
video course that will teach you everything you need to know about
Chinese pronunciation all from the unique perspective of us Two
Chinese learners who made the journey ourselves from beginner to
advanced fluency This is all delivered using HD video crystal clear
explanations supported with slick design over a thousand multimedia
SRS flashcards over 80 PDFs amp native audio for reference and review
Wersquove put our hearts and souls into this course along with our extensive
experience and feedback from live teaching over the past 2 years Plus
itrsquos already helped hundreds of Chinese learners around the world Itrsquos
the video course we would have wanted when we were starting out
with Mandarin
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
27
CHECK IT OUT
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
NEXT TIME Wersquoll dive into the topic of Chinese tutors Wersquoll be
sharing with you where to find the best free and paid tutors how
to work with them in the most efficient and fun way possible
Pronunciation is the vital first stage for learning any language
Bad pronunciation affects all other areas of your Chinese skill but most importantly it hurts your confidence
Compared to English there is much less to learn to master Chinese pronunciation
Chinese teachers rarely have the training and experience necessary to teach you pronunciation properly
Mandarin Blueprintrsquos ldquoPronunciation Masteryrdquo course has everything you need to develop great pronunciation quickly and cheaply Check it out today
KEY POINTS
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
28
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
USE TUTORS
Connect with them regularly
EFFECTIVELY
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will notice that this is way down the list of tips for speaking like a
native speaker Thatrsquos because it actually isnrsquot the highest priority straight
away at least not anymore The sheer number of resources available
to you as a Chinese learner today means that you can do most things
you need to do on your own without a tutor As avid Chinese learners
ourselves we can both attest to this fact However a tutor is an
absolutely vital part of your journey to spoken fluency and to get the
most out of them you need to know how to work with them
First off what is a tutor for exactly Itrsquos not as obvious an answer as you
may think Understandably most people get a tutor straight from the
beginning hoping to receive all the materials and guidance they need
to make them fluent and literate in Chinese This is a lot to expect of
anyone let alone someone who never actually learned Chinese as a
second language So what are reasonable expectations to have then
THE ROLE OF A CHINESE TUTOR 1) FOR ACTIVATING PASSIVE VOCABULARY
Go into a session and try to use the words yoursquove been learning through
listening and reading Focus on steering the conversation to topics
you find meaningful and interesting Agree on these topics in advance
A good tutor is a good communicator someone who can speak to you
in a way they know you understand and ask you the right questions to
keep a conversation going Push your limits of what you know and ask a
lot of questions on how to use any words you arenrsquot sure about
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
30
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
FOCUS ON INPUT1
Donrsquot force yourself to speak
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUTPUT IS SECONDARY TO INPUT Our first tip on speaking better Mandarin is to NOT speak (gasp) but
instead to listen and read Wait Before you delete this E-book forever
allow us to explain Over the years wersquove heard many language
teachers say ldquoIf you want to improve your [INSERT LANGUAGE HERE]
yoursquove got to speak morerdquo and they are technically correcthellipsort of
What is very rarely mentioned is the fact that speaking practice
improves your ability to use the words and phrases you already know
Thatrsquos it
Herersquos an idea that sounds obvious but that few people apply to their
language learning Words and phrases are first acquired as passive
vocabulary (words you can understand) speaking merely activates
them Donrsquot believe us Well you didnrsquot come into the world speaking
your native tongue did you You spent years listening babbling
listening some more uttering the odd word and eventually saying
whole sentences Donrsquot worry Were certainly not saying itrsquoll take you
years to babble a few Chinese words just that your focus early on
should be on reading and listening Speaking can wait until later
After all how can you speak if you have nothing to say Your passive
vocabulary always outnumbers your active vocabulary by a lot and
even more so in a foreign language Therefore the more vocabulary
you understand the more you can potentially ldquoactivaterdquo through
speaking
1FOCUS ON INPUT
4
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUTPUT TOO EARLY CAN BE DAMAGING Many Chinese learners look at lists of words using some flashy app or
website and start ldquotrying them outrdquo in conversation without first seeing or
hearing that word in the context of a sentence This leads to incorrect and
sometimes downright funny Chinese coming out of their mouths on a
regular basis
Now if you are paying an experienced and competent Chinese tutor to
pick out mistakes and correct you properly this method may not be too
bad However we can assure you that you cannot rely on native
speakers whether teachers or not to correct you all the time You will
likely be left to flounder and sputter nonsense for extended periods of
time blissfully unaware that you are creating and solidifying an incorrect
version of the language
What is the result of this repeated bad output Usually it means bad
habits which are really tough to break This is partly why people can live
in a foreign country for decades and still speak poorly They donrsquot
consume enough of their target language and they focus too much on
producing it
This should be good news to you regardless of your level You donrsquot
have to feel guilty about not speaking Only ldquofeel guiltyrdquo if you arenrsquot
spending time reading or listening Chinese Whenever you decide you
are ready you can start investing time in regular speaking practice
1FOCUS ON INPUT
WARNING This does not qualify as
reading although we admire this level of
enthusiasm
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoIt is possible that compelling input is not just optimal It
may be the only way we truly acquire languagerdquo
- Dr Steven Krashen
6
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Speaking practice activates all that lovely passive vocabulary yoursquove
been building up Our advice would be to make sure you invest
between 30 minutes and 2 hours every day in reading and listening
When you feel ready to start improving your speaking we suggest
booking time with a tutor for an hour or so once or twice a week
Wersquoll guide you through our best methods of using tutors and language
exchange partners in chapter 5
SEEK OUT ENGAGING CONTENT Consuming content you enjoy creates emotional connections that
make it much easier to acquire vocabulary It also makes it easier to
consume more challenging content as you care so much more about the
messages you are trying to decipher If you are a beginner then this is
more challenging After all you donrsquot have enough of a skill level to be
too picky However as you improve you can expand to more varied
content that suits your interests As for exactly what content where to
find it and how to use it effectively wersquoll talk about that later in this ebook
series
NEXT CHAPTER Wersquoll be talking about how many words
you actually need to reach various levels of fluency and
where exactly to find these words Itrsquos not as simple as
you may think See you then
1FOCUS ON INPUT
7
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT SUPPORTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Speaking only makes you better at saying what you already know Input increases your knowledge Input should therefore be the main focus throughout your study
Speaking practice has the very important function of activating passive vocabulary but passive vocabulary is always much larger than active vocablulary
Invest between 30 minutes and 2 hours every day on listening and reading to comprehensible and engaging material Throw in some regular speaking practice with a tutor when yoursquore ready
Focus on content that engages you whether that be sci-fi comic books or horror movies Doing this will make learning new words much easier and more enjoyable
KEY POINTS1FOCUS ON INPUT
8
LEARN THE 2
Prioritise spoken frequency
RIGHT WORDS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WHICH WORDS SHOULD YOU LEARN Like most people when starting to learn Chinese we went straight for
textbooks not knowing what else to do We were soon bored senseless
by them never able to make it halfway though one before dropping it
for something else Later we realized our boredom stemmed from
many of the words being too advanced andor irrelevant for that vital
early stage There was little in the way of real life application for the
content One textbook even had tang dynasty poems in it You did not
read that incorrectly Tang dynasty poems in a beginner textbook Sigh
The thing is you donrsquot need that many words to be able to
communicate on a fairly wide variety of topics (ie basic fluency) The
most common 1000 spoken words make up around 90 of spoken
Chinese (or any language really) and should therefore be your main
focus from the get-go As these words become part of your active
vocabulary you will be able to access more and more content that suits
your interests and this is when your progress will really start to take off
HOW TO FIND A GOOD WORD LIST Itrsquos actually a lot harder than you might think to find a good word list for
Chinese spoken words as frequency is usually determined by scanning
written documents The same even goes for those in the HSK exam
(Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) vocabulary lists The lower levels are ok but
generally the more advanced your level the less relevant the
vocabulary tends to become The lower levels (levels 1-3) of the HSK
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
10
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe journey of a thousand miles begins with a single steprdquo
- Laozi
11
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
arenrsquot that bad although they do have a lot of written vocabulary
peppered in throughout Not to worry though here are a few ways you
can get started
1 Here is a spoken frequency list based on TV and movie subtitles
2 Check out Gabriel Wynerrsquos base vocabulary list of 625 words that
apply to any language Wersquore great supporters of his work
3 Here are the HSK vocabulary lists Like we said the earlier levels (1-3)
are ok for spoken vocabulary
After yoursquove started the process of getting the first 1000 or so words into
your active vocabulary you will be able to learn less common written and
spoken words by consuming engaging content more suited to your
personal goals and interests But how best to acquire these words in
the first place This will be explained in detail in the next chapter
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk all about HOW to truly acquire any words
you need QUICKLY without forgetting them Wersquoll go through
many resources you can access instantly online to do this and
walk you through how to use them effectively On top of that wersquoll
share with you the favorite study techniques used by top
language learners that will supercharge your acquisition
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
12
4 Our new course ldquoThe Mandarin Blueprint Methodrdquo covers the most
common 1500 characters and 4000 words Check it out
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You only need around 1000 high frequency spoken words for basic fluency This is around 90 of the spoken language
Words found in textbooks and vocabulary lists become less and less relevant the higher your level Donrsquot rely on them too much
Once yoursquove got a foundation of common vocabulary yoursquoll have the ability to start consuming more engaging content suited to your personal interests
KEY POINTS
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT SUPPORTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
13
LEARN WORDS THE3
Rote learning doesnrsquot work
RIGHT WAY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Speaking a language fluently is essentially just remembering the
right words at the right time Here are the most efficient and enjoyable
ways to truly acquire new Chinese words so they are always there for
you when you need them
USE SRS (SPACED REPETITION SOFTWARE) SRS prevents you from forgetting what yoursquove learned in the most
efficient and rewarding way possible Despite having a bit of a learning
curve Anki is definitely the best choice of SRS because you can make
your own flashcards although shared decks are also available There
are a bunch of web and mobile language learning apps that use SRS-
powered flashcards
Our huge video curriculum The Mandarin Blueprint Method provides
you with over 7000 flashcards to learn how to read understand write
and speak the most common 1000 Chinese words Check it out here
THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT SRS
1 Set realistic goals The more new cards you do the more reviews
will build up Be careful not to over-do it
2 Finish your reviews every day The algorithm can only guarantee
90-95 retention if you finish your reviews every day
3 SRS is not a learning tool itrsquos a reviewing tool Learn the word first
then use SRS to review otherwise you are just rote learning and that
is proven to be ineffective (and incredibly boring)
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
15
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
SO WHATrsquoS THE BEST WAY
TO LEARN A CHINESE WORD
LEARN CHARACTERS
Make sure to make learning characters a part of your daily study routine
ldquoBut hey I want to learn speaking I donrsquot care about the characters Irsquoll
learn them later if at allrdquo While this is an understandable response itrsquos a
trap that slows you down in the long run To speak fluently you need
vocabulary To get vocabulary you need to read and listen a lot To
read you need characters
LEARN WORDS IN CONTEXT
The first step towards learning a word is to learn itrsquos definition However
this is the equivalent of shaking someonersquos hand and learning their
name Thatrsquos it See that person several more times in different contexts
and yoursquoll really get to know them Words need context to truly become
part of your vocabulary
To truly acquire a word you need to see that word in a sentence and
depending on the complexity of the word you will need to see it in
several contexts many times before it can be fully acquired and used
Find at least one sentence for each usage of the word in question and
make a flashcard Here are some quick tips regarding sentences and
sentence flashcards
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
16
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will first need to get at least a couple of hundred of the most
common words under your belt before being ready to start reading
sentences
Sentences should be 4-9 words in length on average Long enough
to show a decent level of context and demonstrate a grammatical
structure or two but not so long that it becomes too hard to focus on
a single concept
Your sentences should be informal so they can be applicable to real
life
Just reading sentences is a good start but using the ldquocloze deleterdquo
function with anki (shown below) or wwwclozemastercom is
especially effective as it forces you to work a little harder
Add an image or two to sum up the ldquomessagerdquo of the sentence and
create deeper connections to the word(s)
At the time of writing this chapter our favorite resource for finding
Chinese sentences is bingcomdict (pictured left)
Our new course The Mandarin Blueprint Method contains all of the
flashcards and memory techniques you need to learn the most
common 1000 Chinese words Click below to start your free trial
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
17
LEARN MORE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
After starting to review words in sentences move onto the next vital
resourcehellip
GRADED READERS You donrsquot have to wait until yoursquove acquired 1000s of characters and
words before you start reading Not by a long shot You can start
reading articles short stories and podcast transcripts with as little
as 150 characters and words Here are our favorite resources to do so
LINGQ (PICTURED)
LingQ is an aggregated graded reader that has content sourced from all
over the internet including tons of proprietary material Higher level
learners can also import any content they want from elsewhere We are
currently reading A Song of Ice and Fire in Chinese using LingQ and are
addicted to itrsquos incredible functionality The best part about it is that itrsquos
quick look-up feature allows you to read material above your level that
would normally be far too frustrating in book form As if that wasnrsquot good
enough they also have excellent SRS functionality amp the ability to export
words to Anki
THE CHAIRMANrsquoS BAO (TCB)
The Chairmanrsquos Bao have real news articles edited for different HSK
levels (even HSK 1) Yes with only a couple of hundred characters and
words you can be reading real news articles in Chinese This site is being
updated with new fantastic features all the time and has a great app too
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
18
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoYou donrsquot know a person because you know their
name and you donrsquot know a word because you know itrsquos
definitionrdquo- Khatzumoto of ajattcom
19
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
MANDARIN COMPANION
Do you prefer the feel of a real book in your hands These books can be
read with only 300-450 characters under your belt They have a bunch of
classics for lower levels that are still compelling despite being heavily
edited
GO FOR EFFICIENCY To get the most out of that precious hour or two each day that most of
us can spare for language learning make sure you use the following
techniques for maximum return on your time investment
INTERLEAVING
Studies have shown that it is more efficient in the long term to flit
between various different types of content within a study session than to
learn one thing at a time in blocks This is referred to as ldquointerleavingrdquo or
ldquointerleaved learningrdquo Donrsquot spend hours pouring over the same material
mix it up Not only will this be way more engaging yoursquoll also progress
faster
TIMEBOXING
Using timeboxing (also known as ldquoThe Pomodoro Techniquerdquo) will
greatly enhance the efficiency and enjoyment of your study
Traditionally you should study for 25 minutes then rest for 5 minutes
then repeat This means 50 minutes of focused study per hour instead of
15 minutes of study and 45 minutes daydreaming and looking at
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
20
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You can also do all sorts of time-boxes for variety Anywhere from 30
seconds to 25 minutes with 25 minutes being the maximum We love to
combine timeboxing with interleaving working on 2 or 3 different study
resources at a time with really short time-boxes For example a few
minutes on learning characters then reviewing flashcards then listening
to a podcast then resting This turns a study session into a fun game
doing wonders for your motivation
LISTEN WHILE READING
Listening is the easiest and most convenient way of improving learning as
itrsquos hands-free and you can focus on other things while doing it However
if you can read what you hear at the same time the benefits multiply
to be greater than the sum of its parts The reading makes it easier to
understand what you hear and what you hear improves your reading
speed If you choose material either at or slightly above your level and try
this technique out it really feels like yoursquore super-charging your Chinese
ability
SHADOWING
This is a technique made famous by Professor Alexander Arguelles
Shadowing is reading listening and speaking all at the same time Do
it while out and about for best results Just a few minutes a day of this will
improve pronunciation spoken fluency reading and listening
simultaneously We do it almost everyday and it really does speed up the
acquisition process more than anything else wersquove tried Just make sure
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
21
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
you choose a voice to imitate that yoursquod actually like to sound like
(especially when you choose the dialect or gender of the speaker) Herersquos
a video of The prof himself talking about the technique in more detail
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk to you all about how good pronunciation
practice improves your speaking ability listening ability amp even
reading ability plus wersquoll talk about where to find the best
resources to pronounce Chinese like a native speaker
Using spaced repetition is vital for your early days learning Chinese (or any language for that matter)
Learning characters is an unavoidable step in learning Chinese
You must see new words in a sentence before you can acquire them Reading graded readers is even better as it provides more context and engaging topics
Incorporate interleaved learning shadowing and timeboxing into your daily study routine for the most efficient results
KEY POINTS
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
22
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
LEARN PRONUNCIATION4
It will pay off huge dividends later
EARLY AND WELL
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
At Mandarin Blueprint we take pronunciation very seriously This is
mainly because we know first-hand the negative effects of poor
pronunciation instruction
Bad pronunciation slows the development of your listening reading
and speaking ability which is bad enough But by far the most
profoundly painful outcome of poor pronunciation is the damage done
to your lsquolearnerrsquos egorsquo early on When you are misunderstood partially
understood or not at all understood it hurts your confidence You then
associate speaking Chinese with negative emotions and become less
and less willing to start talking Itrsquos a vicious cycle of negativity that we
want you to avoid
HERErsquoS A PROBLEM WE WANT YOU TO HAVE 1 A Chinese person asks you a simple question that you understand
2 You answer the question with simple Chinese but with great
pronunciation
3 The Chinese person listening to you immediately assumes you
speak incredible Chinese and proceeds to unload a litany of
questions and comments
4 After an awkward silence you say 听不不懂 (tīngbudǒng) which
means ldquoI donrsquot understandrdquo
5 The Chinese person laughs asks a few more questions before
realizing you were actually serious Awkwardness intensifies
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
24
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
THE SKINNY ON MANDARIN PRONUNCIATION If you want excellent spoken Chinese you first need to be completely
aware of how to produce understand and read all of the sounds of the
language Some people can do all this naturally by ear with very little
training Unfortunately the law of averages states that you are most likely
not in this group Sorry -(
Not to worry though With only 409 different-sounding syllables (1200 if
you include tones) Chinese has relatively little to learn in terms of
pronunciation especially when compared to the 16000+ syllables of
English There are however many challenging and potentially confusing
aspects to Chinese pronunciation which means that you can learn what
you need to know about pronunciation in a relatively short time but you
need high quality expert guidance and study materials to do it
TUTORS ARENrsquoT ALWAYS THE WAY TO GO If you want to learn pronunciation it seems like a logical decision would
be to look for a tutor right Unfortunately most teachers do not have
the knowledge or experience to teach you Chinese pronunciation
well But why is this Well theyrsquove spoken mandarin since they can
remember right They have no frame of reference for comparing tongue
positions or vowel aspiration to English so how could they explain it to a
foreigner How would they know what it feels like to learn Mandarin
pronunciation as an adult
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
25
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe first thing I have to do to erase my french accent is to believe itrsquos actually possiblerdquo
- Marion Cotillard
26
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
There are fantastic tutors out there who can teach you pronunciation
properly but they can be like finding a needle in a haystack Not to
mention with the hourly rates you are likely to rack up hundreds of
dollars in fees for average results
INTRODUCING ldquoPRONUNCIATION MASTERYrdquo Wersquove been training our clients on pronunciation through live sessions of
our Pronunciation Mastery course for 2 years now and the results have
been fantastic Wersquove now finally finished transforming it into an 8 hour
video course that will teach you everything you need to know about
Chinese pronunciation all from the unique perspective of us Two
Chinese learners who made the journey ourselves from beginner to
advanced fluency This is all delivered using HD video crystal clear
explanations supported with slick design over a thousand multimedia
SRS flashcards over 80 PDFs amp native audio for reference and review
Wersquove put our hearts and souls into this course along with our extensive
experience and feedback from live teaching over the past 2 years Plus
itrsquos already helped hundreds of Chinese learners around the world Itrsquos
the video course we would have wanted when we were starting out
with Mandarin
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
27
CHECK IT OUT
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
NEXT TIME Wersquoll dive into the topic of Chinese tutors Wersquoll be
sharing with you where to find the best free and paid tutors how
to work with them in the most efficient and fun way possible
Pronunciation is the vital first stage for learning any language
Bad pronunciation affects all other areas of your Chinese skill but most importantly it hurts your confidence
Compared to English there is much less to learn to master Chinese pronunciation
Chinese teachers rarely have the training and experience necessary to teach you pronunciation properly
Mandarin Blueprintrsquos ldquoPronunciation Masteryrdquo course has everything you need to develop great pronunciation quickly and cheaply Check it out today
KEY POINTS
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
28
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
USE TUTORS
Connect with them regularly
EFFECTIVELY
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will notice that this is way down the list of tips for speaking like a
native speaker Thatrsquos because it actually isnrsquot the highest priority straight
away at least not anymore The sheer number of resources available
to you as a Chinese learner today means that you can do most things
you need to do on your own without a tutor As avid Chinese learners
ourselves we can both attest to this fact However a tutor is an
absolutely vital part of your journey to spoken fluency and to get the
most out of them you need to know how to work with them
First off what is a tutor for exactly Itrsquos not as obvious an answer as you
may think Understandably most people get a tutor straight from the
beginning hoping to receive all the materials and guidance they need
to make them fluent and literate in Chinese This is a lot to expect of
anyone let alone someone who never actually learned Chinese as a
second language So what are reasonable expectations to have then
THE ROLE OF A CHINESE TUTOR 1) FOR ACTIVATING PASSIVE VOCABULARY
Go into a session and try to use the words yoursquove been learning through
listening and reading Focus on steering the conversation to topics
you find meaningful and interesting Agree on these topics in advance
A good tutor is a good communicator someone who can speak to you
in a way they know you understand and ask you the right questions to
keep a conversation going Push your limits of what you know and ask a
lot of questions on how to use any words you arenrsquot sure about
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
30
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUTPUT IS SECONDARY TO INPUT Our first tip on speaking better Mandarin is to NOT speak (gasp) but
instead to listen and read Wait Before you delete this E-book forever
allow us to explain Over the years wersquove heard many language
teachers say ldquoIf you want to improve your [INSERT LANGUAGE HERE]
yoursquove got to speak morerdquo and they are technically correcthellipsort of
What is very rarely mentioned is the fact that speaking practice
improves your ability to use the words and phrases you already know
Thatrsquos it
Herersquos an idea that sounds obvious but that few people apply to their
language learning Words and phrases are first acquired as passive
vocabulary (words you can understand) speaking merely activates
them Donrsquot believe us Well you didnrsquot come into the world speaking
your native tongue did you You spent years listening babbling
listening some more uttering the odd word and eventually saying
whole sentences Donrsquot worry Were certainly not saying itrsquoll take you
years to babble a few Chinese words just that your focus early on
should be on reading and listening Speaking can wait until later
After all how can you speak if you have nothing to say Your passive
vocabulary always outnumbers your active vocabulary by a lot and
even more so in a foreign language Therefore the more vocabulary
you understand the more you can potentially ldquoactivaterdquo through
speaking
1FOCUS ON INPUT
4
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUTPUT TOO EARLY CAN BE DAMAGING Many Chinese learners look at lists of words using some flashy app or
website and start ldquotrying them outrdquo in conversation without first seeing or
hearing that word in the context of a sentence This leads to incorrect and
sometimes downright funny Chinese coming out of their mouths on a
regular basis
Now if you are paying an experienced and competent Chinese tutor to
pick out mistakes and correct you properly this method may not be too
bad However we can assure you that you cannot rely on native
speakers whether teachers or not to correct you all the time You will
likely be left to flounder and sputter nonsense for extended periods of
time blissfully unaware that you are creating and solidifying an incorrect
version of the language
What is the result of this repeated bad output Usually it means bad
habits which are really tough to break This is partly why people can live
in a foreign country for decades and still speak poorly They donrsquot
consume enough of their target language and they focus too much on
producing it
This should be good news to you regardless of your level You donrsquot
have to feel guilty about not speaking Only ldquofeel guiltyrdquo if you arenrsquot
spending time reading or listening Chinese Whenever you decide you
are ready you can start investing time in regular speaking practice
1FOCUS ON INPUT
WARNING This does not qualify as
reading although we admire this level of
enthusiasm
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoIt is possible that compelling input is not just optimal It
may be the only way we truly acquire languagerdquo
- Dr Steven Krashen
6
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Speaking practice activates all that lovely passive vocabulary yoursquove
been building up Our advice would be to make sure you invest
between 30 minutes and 2 hours every day in reading and listening
When you feel ready to start improving your speaking we suggest
booking time with a tutor for an hour or so once or twice a week
Wersquoll guide you through our best methods of using tutors and language
exchange partners in chapter 5
SEEK OUT ENGAGING CONTENT Consuming content you enjoy creates emotional connections that
make it much easier to acquire vocabulary It also makes it easier to
consume more challenging content as you care so much more about the
messages you are trying to decipher If you are a beginner then this is
more challenging After all you donrsquot have enough of a skill level to be
too picky However as you improve you can expand to more varied
content that suits your interests As for exactly what content where to
find it and how to use it effectively wersquoll talk about that later in this ebook
series
NEXT CHAPTER Wersquoll be talking about how many words
you actually need to reach various levels of fluency and
where exactly to find these words Itrsquos not as simple as
you may think See you then
1FOCUS ON INPUT
7
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT SUPPORTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Speaking only makes you better at saying what you already know Input increases your knowledge Input should therefore be the main focus throughout your study
Speaking practice has the very important function of activating passive vocabulary but passive vocabulary is always much larger than active vocablulary
Invest between 30 minutes and 2 hours every day on listening and reading to comprehensible and engaging material Throw in some regular speaking practice with a tutor when yoursquore ready
Focus on content that engages you whether that be sci-fi comic books or horror movies Doing this will make learning new words much easier and more enjoyable
KEY POINTS1FOCUS ON INPUT
8
LEARN THE 2
Prioritise spoken frequency
RIGHT WORDS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WHICH WORDS SHOULD YOU LEARN Like most people when starting to learn Chinese we went straight for
textbooks not knowing what else to do We were soon bored senseless
by them never able to make it halfway though one before dropping it
for something else Later we realized our boredom stemmed from
many of the words being too advanced andor irrelevant for that vital
early stage There was little in the way of real life application for the
content One textbook even had tang dynasty poems in it You did not
read that incorrectly Tang dynasty poems in a beginner textbook Sigh
The thing is you donrsquot need that many words to be able to
communicate on a fairly wide variety of topics (ie basic fluency) The
most common 1000 spoken words make up around 90 of spoken
Chinese (or any language really) and should therefore be your main
focus from the get-go As these words become part of your active
vocabulary you will be able to access more and more content that suits
your interests and this is when your progress will really start to take off
HOW TO FIND A GOOD WORD LIST Itrsquos actually a lot harder than you might think to find a good word list for
Chinese spoken words as frequency is usually determined by scanning
written documents The same even goes for those in the HSK exam
(Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) vocabulary lists The lower levels are ok but
generally the more advanced your level the less relevant the
vocabulary tends to become The lower levels (levels 1-3) of the HSK
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
10
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe journey of a thousand miles begins with a single steprdquo
- Laozi
11
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
arenrsquot that bad although they do have a lot of written vocabulary
peppered in throughout Not to worry though here are a few ways you
can get started
1 Here is a spoken frequency list based on TV and movie subtitles
2 Check out Gabriel Wynerrsquos base vocabulary list of 625 words that
apply to any language Wersquore great supporters of his work
3 Here are the HSK vocabulary lists Like we said the earlier levels (1-3)
are ok for spoken vocabulary
After yoursquove started the process of getting the first 1000 or so words into
your active vocabulary you will be able to learn less common written and
spoken words by consuming engaging content more suited to your
personal goals and interests But how best to acquire these words in
the first place This will be explained in detail in the next chapter
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk all about HOW to truly acquire any words
you need QUICKLY without forgetting them Wersquoll go through
many resources you can access instantly online to do this and
walk you through how to use them effectively On top of that wersquoll
share with you the favorite study techniques used by top
language learners that will supercharge your acquisition
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
12
4 Our new course ldquoThe Mandarin Blueprint Methodrdquo covers the most
common 1500 characters and 4000 words Check it out
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You only need around 1000 high frequency spoken words for basic fluency This is around 90 of the spoken language
Words found in textbooks and vocabulary lists become less and less relevant the higher your level Donrsquot rely on them too much
Once yoursquove got a foundation of common vocabulary yoursquoll have the ability to start consuming more engaging content suited to your personal interests
KEY POINTS
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT SUPPORTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
13
LEARN WORDS THE3
Rote learning doesnrsquot work
RIGHT WAY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Speaking a language fluently is essentially just remembering the
right words at the right time Here are the most efficient and enjoyable
ways to truly acquire new Chinese words so they are always there for
you when you need them
USE SRS (SPACED REPETITION SOFTWARE) SRS prevents you from forgetting what yoursquove learned in the most
efficient and rewarding way possible Despite having a bit of a learning
curve Anki is definitely the best choice of SRS because you can make
your own flashcards although shared decks are also available There
are a bunch of web and mobile language learning apps that use SRS-
powered flashcards
Our huge video curriculum The Mandarin Blueprint Method provides
you with over 7000 flashcards to learn how to read understand write
and speak the most common 1000 Chinese words Check it out here
THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT SRS
1 Set realistic goals The more new cards you do the more reviews
will build up Be careful not to over-do it
2 Finish your reviews every day The algorithm can only guarantee
90-95 retention if you finish your reviews every day
3 SRS is not a learning tool itrsquos a reviewing tool Learn the word first
then use SRS to review otherwise you are just rote learning and that
is proven to be ineffective (and incredibly boring)
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
15
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
SO WHATrsquoS THE BEST WAY
TO LEARN A CHINESE WORD
LEARN CHARACTERS
Make sure to make learning characters a part of your daily study routine
ldquoBut hey I want to learn speaking I donrsquot care about the characters Irsquoll
learn them later if at allrdquo While this is an understandable response itrsquos a
trap that slows you down in the long run To speak fluently you need
vocabulary To get vocabulary you need to read and listen a lot To
read you need characters
LEARN WORDS IN CONTEXT
The first step towards learning a word is to learn itrsquos definition However
this is the equivalent of shaking someonersquos hand and learning their
name Thatrsquos it See that person several more times in different contexts
and yoursquoll really get to know them Words need context to truly become
part of your vocabulary
To truly acquire a word you need to see that word in a sentence and
depending on the complexity of the word you will need to see it in
several contexts many times before it can be fully acquired and used
Find at least one sentence for each usage of the word in question and
make a flashcard Here are some quick tips regarding sentences and
sentence flashcards
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
16
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will first need to get at least a couple of hundred of the most
common words under your belt before being ready to start reading
sentences
Sentences should be 4-9 words in length on average Long enough
to show a decent level of context and demonstrate a grammatical
structure or two but not so long that it becomes too hard to focus on
a single concept
Your sentences should be informal so they can be applicable to real
life
Just reading sentences is a good start but using the ldquocloze deleterdquo
function with anki (shown below) or wwwclozemastercom is
especially effective as it forces you to work a little harder
Add an image or two to sum up the ldquomessagerdquo of the sentence and
create deeper connections to the word(s)
At the time of writing this chapter our favorite resource for finding
Chinese sentences is bingcomdict (pictured left)
Our new course The Mandarin Blueprint Method contains all of the
flashcards and memory techniques you need to learn the most
common 1000 Chinese words Click below to start your free trial
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
17
LEARN MORE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
After starting to review words in sentences move onto the next vital
resourcehellip
GRADED READERS You donrsquot have to wait until yoursquove acquired 1000s of characters and
words before you start reading Not by a long shot You can start
reading articles short stories and podcast transcripts with as little
as 150 characters and words Here are our favorite resources to do so
LINGQ (PICTURED)
LingQ is an aggregated graded reader that has content sourced from all
over the internet including tons of proprietary material Higher level
learners can also import any content they want from elsewhere We are
currently reading A Song of Ice and Fire in Chinese using LingQ and are
addicted to itrsquos incredible functionality The best part about it is that itrsquos
quick look-up feature allows you to read material above your level that
would normally be far too frustrating in book form As if that wasnrsquot good
enough they also have excellent SRS functionality amp the ability to export
words to Anki
THE CHAIRMANrsquoS BAO (TCB)
The Chairmanrsquos Bao have real news articles edited for different HSK
levels (even HSK 1) Yes with only a couple of hundred characters and
words you can be reading real news articles in Chinese This site is being
updated with new fantastic features all the time and has a great app too
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
18
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoYou donrsquot know a person because you know their
name and you donrsquot know a word because you know itrsquos
definitionrdquo- Khatzumoto of ajattcom
19
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
MANDARIN COMPANION
Do you prefer the feel of a real book in your hands These books can be
read with only 300-450 characters under your belt They have a bunch of
classics for lower levels that are still compelling despite being heavily
edited
GO FOR EFFICIENCY To get the most out of that precious hour or two each day that most of
us can spare for language learning make sure you use the following
techniques for maximum return on your time investment
INTERLEAVING
Studies have shown that it is more efficient in the long term to flit
between various different types of content within a study session than to
learn one thing at a time in blocks This is referred to as ldquointerleavingrdquo or
ldquointerleaved learningrdquo Donrsquot spend hours pouring over the same material
mix it up Not only will this be way more engaging yoursquoll also progress
faster
TIMEBOXING
Using timeboxing (also known as ldquoThe Pomodoro Techniquerdquo) will
greatly enhance the efficiency and enjoyment of your study
Traditionally you should study for 25 minutes then rest for 5 minutes
then repeat This means 50 minutes of focused study per hour instead of
15 minutes of study and 45 minutes daydreaming and looking at
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
20
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You can also do all sorts of time-boxes for variety Anywhere from 30
seconds to 25 minutes with 25 minutes being the maximum We love to
combine timeboxing with interleaving working on 2 or 3 different study
resources at a time with really short time-boxes For example a few
minutes on learning characters then reviewing flashcards then listening
to a podcast then resting This turns a study session into a fun game
doing wonders for your motivation
LISTEN WHILE READING
Listening is the easiest and most convenient way of improving learning as
itrsquos hands-free and you can focus on other things while doing it However
if you can read what you hear at the same time the benefits multiply
to be greater than the sum of its parts The reading makes it easier to
understand what you hear and what you hear improves your reading
speed If you choose material either at or slightly above your level and try
this technique out it really feels like yoursquore super-charging your Chinese
ability
SHADOWING
This is a technique made famous by Professor Alexander Arguelles
Shadowing is reading listening and speaking all at the same time Do
it while out and about for best results Just a few minutes a day of this will
improve pronunciation spoken fluency reading and listening
simultaneously We do it almost everyday and it really does speed up the
acquisition process more than anything else wersquove tried Just make sure
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
21
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
you choose a voice to imitate that yoursquod actually like to sound like
(especially when you choose the dialect or gender of the speaker) Herersquos
a video of The prof himself talking about the technique in more detail
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk to you all about how good pronunciation
practice improves your speaking ability listening ability amp even
reading ability plus wersquoll talk about where to find the best
resources to pronounce Chinese like a native speaker
Using spaced repetition is vital for your early days learning Chinese (or any language for that matter)
Learning characters is an unavoidable step in learning Chinese
You must see new words in a sentence before you can acquire them Reading graded readers is even better as it provides more context and engaging topics
Incorporate interleaved learning shadowing and timeboxing into your daily study routine for the most efficient results
KEY POINTS
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
22
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
LEARN PRONUNCIATION4
It will pay off huge dividends later
EARLY AND WELL
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
At Mandarin Blueprint we take pronunciation very seriously This is
mainly because we know first-hand the negative effects of poor
pronunciation instruction
Bad pronunciation slows the development of your listening reading
and speaking ability which is bad enough But by far the most
profoundly painful outcome of poor pronunciation is the damage done
to your lsquolearnerrsquos egorsquo early on When you are misunderstood partially
understood or not at all understood it hurts your confidence You then
associate speaking Chinese with negative emotions and become less
and less willing to start talking Itrsquos a vicious cycle of negativity that we
want you to avoid
HERErsquoS A PROBLEM WE WANT YOU TO HAVE 1 A Chinese person asks you a simple question that you understand
2 You answer the question with simple Chinese but with great
pronunciation
3 The Chinese person listening to you immediately assumes you
speak incredible Chinese and proceeds to unload a litany of
questions and comments
4 After an awkward silence you say 听不不懂 (tīngbudǒng) which
means ldquoI donrsquot understandrdquo
5 The Chinese person laughs asks a few more questions before
realizing you were actually serious Awkwardness intensifies
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
24
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
THE SKINNY ON MANDARIN PRONUNCIATION If you want excellent spoken Chinese you first need to be completely
aware of how to produce understand and read all of the sounds of the
language Some people can do all this naturally by ear with very little
training Unfortunately the law of averages states that you are most likely
not in this group Sorry -(
Not to worry though With only 409 different-sounding syllables (1200 if
you include tones) Chinese has relatively little to learn in terms of
pronunciation especially when compared to the 16000+ syllables of
English There are however many challenging and potentially confusing
aspects to Chinese pronunciation which means that you can learn what
you need to know about pronunciation in a relatively short time but you
need high quality expert guidance and study materials to do it
TUTORS ARENrsquoT ALWAYS THE WAY TO GO If you want to learn pronunciation it seems like a logical decision would
be to look for a tutor right Unfortunately most teachers do not have
the knowledge or experience to teach you Chinese pronunciation
well But why is this Well theyrsquove spoken mandarin since they can
remember right They have no frame of reference for comparing tongue
positions or vowel aspiration to English so how could they explain it to a
foreigner How would they know what it feels like to learn Mandarin
pronunciation as an adult
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
25
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe first thing I have to do to erase my french accent is to believe itrsquos actually possiblerdquo
- Marion Cotillard
26
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
There are fantastic tutors out there who can teach you pronunciation
properly but they can be like finding a needle in a haystack Not to
mention with the hourly rates you are likely to rack up hundreds of
dollars in fees for average results
INTRODUCING ldquoPRONUNCIATION MASTERYrdquo Wersquove been training our clients on pronunciation through live sessions of
our Pronunciation Mastery course for 2 years now and the results have
been fantastic Wersquove now finally finished transforming it into an 8 hour
video course that will teach you everything you need to know about
Chinese pronunciation all from the unique perspective of us Two
Chinese learners who made the journey ourselves from beginner to
advanced fluency This is all delivered using HD video crystal clear
explanations supported with slick design over a thousand multimedia
SRS flashcards over 80 PDFs amp native audio for reference and review
Wersquove put our hearts and souls into this course along with our extensive
experience and feedback from live teaching over the past 2 years Plus
itrsquos already helped hundreds of Chinese learners around the world Itrsquos
the video course we would have wanted when we were starting out
with Mandarin
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
27
CHECK IT OUT
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
NEXT TIME Wersquoll dive into the topic of Chinese tutors Wersquoll be
sharing with you where to find the best free and paid tutors how
to work with them in the most efficient and fun way possible
Pronunciation is the vital first stage for learning any language
Bad pronunciation affects all other areas of your Chinese skill but most importantly it hurts your confidence
Compared to English there is much less to learn to master Chinese pronunciation
Chinese teachers rarely have the training and experience necessary to teach you pronunciation properly
Mandarin Blueprintrsquos ldquoPronunciation Masteryrdquo course has everything you need to develop great pronunciation quickly and cheaply Check it out today
KEY POINTS
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
28
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
USE TUTORS
Connect with them regularly
EFFECTIVELY
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will notice that this is way down the list of tips for speaking like a
native speaker Thatrsquos because it actually isnrsquot the highest priority straight
away at least not anymore The sheer number of resources available
to you as a Chinese learner today means that you can do most things
you need to do on your own without a tutor As avid Chinese learners
ourselves we can both attest to this fact However a tutor is an
absolutely vital part of your journey to spoken fluency and to get the
most out of them you need to know how to work with them
First off what is a tutor for exactly Itrsquos not as obvious an answer as you
may think Understandably most people get a tutor straight from the
beginning hoping to receive all the materials and guidance they need
to make them fluent and literate in Chinese This is a lot to expect of
anyone let alone someone who never actually learned Chinese as a
second language So what are reasonable expectations to have then
THE ROLE OF A CHINESE TUTOR 1) FOR ACTIVATING PASSIVE VOCABULARY
Go into a session and try to use the words yoursquove been learning through
listening and reading Focus on steering the conversation to topics
you find meaningful and interesting Agree on these topics in advance
A good tutor is a good communicator someone who can speak to you
in a way they know you understand and ask you the right questions to
keep a conversation going Push your limits of what you know and ask a
lot of questions on how to use any words you arenrsquot sure about
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
30
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUTPUT TOO EARLY CAN BE DAMAGING Many Chinese learners look at lists of words using some flashy app or
website and start ldquotrying them outrdquo in conversation without first seeing or
hearing that word in the context of a sentence This leads to incorrect and
sometimes downright funny Chinese coming out of their mouths on a
regular basis
Now if you are paying an experienced and competent Chinese tutor to
pick out mistakes and correct you properly this method may not be too
bad However we can assure you that you cannot rely on native
speakers whether teachers or not to correct you all the time You will
likely be left to flounder and sputter nonsense for extended periods of
time blissfully unaware that you are creating and solidifying an incorrect
version of the language
What is the result of this repeated bad output Usually it means bad
habits which are really tough to break This is partly why people can live
in a foreign country for decades and still speak poorly They donrsquot
consume enough of their target language and they focus too much on
producing it
This should be good news to you regardless of your level You donrsquot
have to feel guilty about not speaking Only ldquofeel guiltyrdquo if you arenrsquot
spending time reading or listening Chinese Whenever you decide you
are ready you can start investing time in regular speaking practice
1FOCUS ON INPUT
WARNING This does not qualify as
reading although we admire this level of
enthusiasm
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoIt is possible that compelling input is not just optimal It
may be the only way we truly acquire languagerdquo
- Dr Steven Krashen
6
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Speaking practice activates all that lovely passive vocabulary yoursquove
been building up Our advice would be to make sure you invest
between 30 minutes and 2 hours every day in reading and listening
When you feel ready to start improving your speaking we suggest
booking time with a tutor for an hour or so once or twice a week
Wersquoll guide you through our best methods of using tutors and language
exchange partners in chapter 5
SEEK OUT ENGAGING CONTENT Consuming content you enjoy creates emotional connections that
make it much easier to acquire vocabulary It also makes it easier to
consume more challenging content as you care so much more about the
messages you are trying to decipher If you are a beginner then this is
more challenging After all you donrsquot have enough of a skill level to be
too picky However as you improve you can expand to more varied
content that suits your interests As for exactly what content where to
find it and how to use it effectively wersquoll talk about that later in this ebook
series
NEXT CHAPTER Wersquoll be talking about how many words
you actually need to reach various levels of fluency and
where exactly to find these words Itrsquos not as simple as
you may think See you then
1FOCUS ON INPUT
7
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT SUPPORTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Speaking only makes you better at saying what you already know Input increases your knowledge Input should therefore be the main focus throughout your study
Speaking practice has the very important function of activating passive vocabulary but passive vocabulary is always much larger than active vocablulary
Invest between 30 minutes and 2 hours every day on listening and reading to comprehensible and engaging material Throw in some regular speaking practice with a tutor when yoursquore ready
Focus on content that engages you whether that be sci-fi comic books or horror movies Doing this will make learning new words much easier and more enjoyable
KEY POINTS1FOCUS ON INPUT
8
LEARN THE 2
Prioritise spoken frequency
RIGHT WORDS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WHICH WORDS SHOULD YOU LEARN Like most people when starting to learn Chinese we went straight for
textbooks not knowing what else to do We were soon bored senseless
by them never able to make it halfway though one before dropping it
for something else Later we realized our boredom stemmed from
many of the words being too advanced andor irrelevant for that vital
early stage There was little in the way of real life application for the
content One textbook even had tang dynasty poems in it You did not
read that incorrectly Tang dynasty poems in a beginner textbook Sigh
The thing is you donrsquot need that many words to be able to
communicate on a fairly wide variety of topics (ie basic fluency) The
most common 1000 spoken words make up around 90 of spoken
Chinese (or any language really) and should therefore be your main
focus from the get-go As these words become part of your active
vocabulary you will be able to access more and more content that suits
your interests and this is when your progress will really start to take off
HOW TO FIND A GOOD WORD LIST Itrsquos actually a lot harder than you might think to find a good word list for
Chinese spoken words as frequency is usually determined by scanning
written documents The same even goes for those in the HSK exam
(Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) vocabulary lists The lower levels are ok but
generally the more advanced your level the less relevant the
vocabulary tends to become The lower levels (levels 1-3) of the HSK
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
10
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe journey of a thousand miles begins with a single steprdquo
- Laozi
11
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
arenrsquot that bad although they do have a lot of written vocabulary
peppered in throughout Not to worry though here are a few ways you
can get started
1 Here is a spoken frequency list based on TV and movie subtitles
2 Check out Gabriel Wynerrsquos base vocabulary list of 625 words that
apply to any language Wersquore great supporters of his work
3 Here are the HSK vocabulary lists Like we said the earlier levels (1-3)
are ok for spoken vocabulary
After yoursquove started the process of getting the first 1000 or so words into
your active vocabulary you will be able to learn less common written and
spoken words by consuming engaging content more suited to your
personal goals and interests But how best to acquire these words in
the first place This will be explained in detail in the next chapter
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk all about HOW to truly acquire any words
you need QUICKLY without forgetting them Wersquoll go through
many resources you can access instantly online to do this and
walk you through how to use them effectively On top of that wersquoll
share with you the favorite study techniques used by top
language learners that will supercharge your acquisition
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
12
4 Our new course ldquoThe Mandarin Blueprint Methodrdquo covers the most
common 1500 characters and 4000 words Check it out
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You only need around 1000 high frequency spoken words for basic fluency This is around 90 of the spoken language
Words found in textbooks and vocabulary lists become less and less relevant the higher your level Donrsquot rely on them too much
Once yoursquove got a foundation of common vocabulary yoursquoll have the ability to start consuming more engaging content suited to your personal interests
KEY POINTS
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT SUPPORTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
13
LEARN WORDS THE3
Rote learning doesnrsquot work
RIGHT WAY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Speaking a language fluently is essentially just remembering the
right words at the right time Here are the most efficient and enjoyable
ways to truly acquire new Chinese words so they are always there for
you when you need them
USE SRS (SPACED REPETITION SOFTWARE) SRS prevents you from forgetting what yoursquove learned in the most
efficient and rewarding way possible Despite having a bit of a learning
curve Anki is definitely the best choice of SRS because you can make
your own flashcards although shared decks are also available There
are a bunch of web and mobile language learning apps that use SRS-
powered flashcards
Our huge video curriculum The Mandarin Blueprint Method provides
you with over 7000 flashcards to learn how to read understand write
and speak the most common 1000 Chinese words Check it out here
THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT SRS
1 Set realistic goals The more new cards you do the more reviews
will build up Be careful not to over-do it
2 Finish your reviews every day The algorithm can only guarantee
90-95 retention if you finish your reviews every day
3 SRS is not a learning tool itrsquos a reviewing tool Learn the word first
then use SRS to review otherwise you are just rote learning and that
is proven to be ineffective (and incredibly boring)
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
15
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
SO WHATrsquoS THE BEST WAY
TO LEARN A CHINESE WORD
LEARN CHARACTERS
Make sure to make learning characters a part of your daily study routine
ldquoBut hey I want to learn speaking I donrsquot care about the characters Irsquoll
learn them later if at allrdquo While this is an understandable response itrsquos a
trap that slows you down in the long run To speak fluently you need
vocabulary To get vocabulary you need to read and listen a lot To
read you need characters
LEARN WORDS IN CONTEXT
The first step towards learning a word is to learn itrsquos definition However
this is the equivalent of shaking someonersquos hand and learning their
name Thatrsquos it See that person several more times in different contexts
and yoursquoll really get to know them Words need context to truly become
part of your vocabulary
To truly acquire a word you need to see that word in a sentence and
depending on the complexity of the word you will need to see it in
several contexts many times before it can be fully acquired and used
Find at least one sentence for each usage of the word in question and
make a flashcard Here are some quick tips regarding sentences and
sentence flashcards
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
16
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will first need to get at least a couple of hundred of the most
common words under your belt before being ready to start reading
sentences
Sentences should be 4-9 words in length on average Long enough
to show a decent level of context and demonstrate a grammatical
structure or two but not so long that it becomes too hard to focus on
a single concept
Your sentences should be informal so they can be applicable to real
life
Just reading sentences is a good start but using the ldquocloze deleterdquo
function with anki (shown below) or wwwclozemastercom is
especially effective as it forces you to work a little harder
Add an image or two to sum up the ldquomessagerdquo of the sentence and
create deeper connections to the word(s)
At the time of writing this chapter our favorite resource for finding
Chinese sentences is bingcomdict (pictured left)
Our new course The Mandarin Blueprint Method contains all of the
flashcards and memory techniques you need to learn the most
common 1000 Chinese words Click below to start your free trial
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
17
LEARN MORE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
After starting to review words in sentences move onto the next vital
resourcehellip
GRADED READERS You donrsquot have to wait until yoursquove acquired 1000s of characters and
words before you start reading Not by a long shot You can start
reading articles short stories and podcast transcripts with as little
as 150 characters and words Here are our favorite resources to do so
LINGQ (PICTURED)
LingQ is an aggregated graded reader that has content sourced from all
over the internet including tons of proprietary material Higher level
learners can also import any content they want from elsewhere We are
currently reading A Song of Ice and Fire in Chinese using LingQ and are
addicted to itrsquos incredible functionality The best part about it is that itrsquos
quick look-up feature allows you to read material above your level that
would normally be far too frustrating in book form As if that wasnrsquot good
enough they also have excellent SRS functionality amp the ability to export
words to Anki
THE CHAIRMANrsquoS BAO (TCB)
The Chairmanrsquos Bao have real news articles edited for different HSK
levels (even HSK 1) Yes with only a couple of hundred characters and
words you can be reading real news articles in Chinese This site is being
updated with new fantastic features all the time and has a great app too
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
18
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoYou donrsquot know a person because you know their
name and you donrsquot know a word because you know itrsquos
definitionrdquo- Khatzumoto of ajattcom
19
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
MANDARIN COMPANION
Do you prefer the feel of a real book in your hands These books can be
read with only 300-450 characters under your belt They have a bunch of
classics for lower levels that are still compelling despite being heavily
edited
GO FOR EFFICIENCY To get the most out of that precious hour or two each day that most of
us can spare for language learning make sure you use the following
techniques for maximum return on your time investment
INTERLEAVING
Studies have shown that it is more efficient in the long term to flit
between various different types of content within a study session than to
learn one thing at a time in blocks This is referred to as ldquointerleavingrdquo or
ldquointerleaved learningrdquo Donrsquot spend hours pouring over the same material
mix it up Not only will this be way more engaging yoursquoll also progress
faster
TIMEBOXING
Using timeboxing (also known as ldquoThe Pomodoro Techniquerdquo) will
greatly enhance the efficiency and enjoyment of your study
Traditionally you should study for 25 minutes then rest for 5 minutes
then repeat This means 50 minutes of focused study per hour instead of
15 minutes of study and 45 minutes daydreaming and looking at
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
20
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You can also do all sorts of time-boxes for variety Anywhere from 30
seconds to 25 minutes with 25 minutes being the maximum We love to
combine timeboxing with interleaving working on 2 or 3 different study
resources at a time with really short time-boxes For example a few
minutes on learning characters then reviewing flashcards then listening
to a podcast then resting This turns a study session into a fun game
doing wonders for your motivation
LISTEN WHILE READING
Listening is the easiest and most convenient way of improving learning as
itrsquos hands-free and you can focus on other things while doing it However
if you can read what you hear at the same time the benefits multiply
to be greater than the sum of its parts The reading makes it easier to
understand what you hear and what you hear improves your reading
speed If you choose material either at or slightly above your level and try
this technique out it really feels like yoursquore super-charging your Chinese
ability
SHADOWING
This is a technique made famous by Professor Alexander Arguelles
Shadowing is reading listening and speaking all at the same time Do
it while out and about for best results Just a few minutes a day of this will
improve pronunciation spoken fluency reading and listening
simultaneously We do it almost everyday and it really does speed up the
acquisition process more than anything else wersquove tried Just make sure
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
21
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
you choose a voice to imitate that yoursquod actually like to sound like
(especially when you choose the dialect or gender of the speaker) Herersquos
a video of The prof himself talking about the technique in more detail
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk to you all about how good pronunciation
practice improves your speaking ability listening ability amp even
reading ability plus wersquoll talk about where to find the best
resources to pronounce Chinese like a native speaker
Using spaced repetition is vital for your early days learning Chinese (or any language for that matter)
Learning characters is an unavoidable step in learning Chinese
You must see new words in a sentence before you can acquire them Reading graded readers is even better as it provides more context and engaging topics
Incorporate interleaved learning shadowing and timeboxing into your daily study routine for the most efficient results
KEY POINTS
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
22
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
LEARN PRONUNCIATION4
It will pay off huge dividends later
EARLY AND WELL
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
At Mandarin Blueprint we take pronunciation very seriously This is
mainly because we know first-hand the negative effects of poor
pronunciation instruction
Bad pronunciation slows the development of your listening reading
and speaking ability which is bad enough But by far the most
profoundly painful outcome of poor pronunciation is the damage done
to your lsquolearnerrsquos egorsquo early on When you are misunderstood partially
understood or not at all understood it hurts your confidence You then
associate speaking Chinese with negative emotions and become less
and less willing to start talking Itrsquos a vicious cycle of negativity that we
want you to avoid
HERErsquoS A PROBLEM WE WANT YOU TO HAVE 1 A Chinese person asks you a simple question that you understand
2 You answer the question with simple Chinese but with great
pronunciation
3 The Chinese person listening to you immediately assumes you
speak incredible Chinese and proceeds to unload a litany of
questions and comments
4 After an awkward silence you say 听不不懂 (tīngbudǒng) which
means ldquoI donrsquot understandrdquo
5 The Chinese person laughs asks a few more questions before
realizing you were actually serious Awkwardness intensifies
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
24
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
THE SKINNY ON MANDARIN PRONUNCIATION If you want excellent spoken Chinese you first need to be completely
aware of how to produce understand and read all of the sounds of the
language Some people can do all this naturally by ear with very little
training Unfortunately the law of averages states that you are most likely
not in this group Sorry -(
Not to worry though With only 409 different-sounding syllables (1200 if
you include tones) Chinese has relatively little to learn in terms of
pronunciation especially when compared to the 16000+ syllables of
English There are however many challenging and potentially confusing
aspects to Chinese pronunciation which means that you can learn what
you need to know about pronunciation in a relatively short time but you
need high quality expert guidance and study materials to do it
TUTORS ARENrsquoT ALWAYS THE WAY TO GO If you want to learn pronunciation it seems like a logical decision would
be to look for a tutor right Unfortunately most teachers do not have
the knowledge or experience to teach you Chinese pronunciation
well But why is this Well theyrsquove spoken mandarin since they can
remember right They have no frame of reference for comparing tongue
positions or vowel aspiration to English so how could they explain it to a
foreigner How would they know what it feels like to learn Mandarin
pronunciation as an adult
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
25
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe first thing I have to do to erase my french accent is to believe itrsquos actually possiblerdquo
- Marion Cotillard
26
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
There are fantastic tutors out there who can teach you pronunciation
properly but they can be like finding a needle in a haystack Not to
mention with the hourly rates you are likely to rack up hundreds of
dollars in fees for average results
INTRODUCING ldquoPRONUNCIATION MASTERYrdquo Wersquove been training our clients on pronunciation through live sessions of
our Pronunciation Mastery course for 2 years now and the results have
been fantastic Wersquove now finally finished transforming it into an 8 hour
video course that will teach you everything you need to know about
Chinese pronunciation all from the unique perspective of us Two
Chinese learners who made the journey ourselves from beginner to
advanced fluency This is all delivered using HD video crystal clear
explanations supported with slick design over a thousand multimedia
SRS flashcards over 80 PDFs amp native audio for reference and review
Wersquove put our hearts and souls into this course along with our extensive
experience and feedback from live teaching over the past 2 years Plus
itrsquos already helped hundreds of Chinese learners around the world Itrsquos
the video course we would have wanted when we were starting out
with Mandarin
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
27
CHECK IT OUT
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
NEXT TIME Wersquoll dive into the topic of Chinese tutors Wersquoll be
sharing with you where to find the best free and paid tutors how
to work with them in the most efficient and fun way possible
Pronunciation is the vital first stage for learning any language
Bad pronunciation affects all other areas of your Chinese skill but most importantly it hurts your confidence
Compared to English there is much less to learn to master Chinese pronunciation
Chinese teachers rarely have the training and experience necessary to teach you pronunciation properly
Mandarin Blueprintrsquos ldquoPronunciation Masteryrdquo course has everything you need to develop great pronunciation quickly and cheaply Check it out today
KEY POINTS
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
28
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
USE TUTORS
Connect with them regularly
EFFECTIVELY
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will notice that this is way down the list of tips for speaking like a
native speaker Thatrsquos because it actually isnrsquot the highest priority straight
away at least not anymore The sheer number of resources available
to you as a Chinese learner today means that you can do most things
you need to do on your own without a tutor As avid Chinese learners
ourselves we can both attest to this fact However a tutor is an
absolutely vital part of your journey to spoken fluency and to get the
most out of them you need to know how to work with them
First off what is a tutor for exactly Itrsquos not as obvious an answer as you
may think Understandably most people get a tutor straight from the
beginning hoping to receive all the materials and guidance they need
to make them fluent and literate in Chinese This is a lot to expect of
anyone let alone someone who never actually learned Chinese as a
second language So what are reasonable expectations to have then
THE ROLE OF A CHINESE TUTOR 1) FOR ACTIVATING PASSIVE VOCABULARY
Go into a session and try to use the words yoursquove been learning through
listening and reading Focus on steering the conversation to topics
you find meaningful and interesting Agree on these topics in advance
A good tutor is a good communicator someone who can speak to you
in a way they know you understand and ask you the right questions to
keep a conversation going Push your limits of what you know and ask a
lot of questions on how to use any words you arenrsquot sure about
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
30
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoIt is possible that compelling input is not just optimal It
may be the only way we truly acquire languagerdquo
- Dr Steven Krashen
6
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Speaking practice activates all that lovely passive vocabulary yoursquove
been building up Our advice would be to make sure you invest
between 30 minutes and 2 hours every day in reading and listening
When you feel ready to start improving your speaking we suggest
booking time with a tutor for an hour or so once or twice a week
Wersquoll guide you through our best methods of using tutors and language
exchange partners in chapter 5
SEEK OUT ENGAGING CONTENT Consuming content you enjoy creates emotional connections that
make it much easier to acquire vocabulary It also makes it easier to
consume more challenging content as you care so much more about the
messages you are trying to decipher If you are a beginner then this is
more challenging After all you donrsquot have enough of a skill level to be
too picky However as you improve you can expand to more varied
content that suits your interests As for exactly what content where to
find it and how to use it effectively wersquoll talk about that later in this ebook
series
NEXT CHAPTER Wersquoll be talking about how many words
you actually need to reach various levels of fluency and
where exactly to find these words Itrsquos not as simple as
you may think See you then
1FOCUS ON INPUT
7
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT SUPPORTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Speaking only makes you better at saying what you already know Input increases your knowledge Input should therefore be the main focus throughout your study
Speaking practice has the very important function of activating passive vocabulary but passive vocabulary is always much larger than active vocablulary
Invest between 30 minutes and 2 hours every day on listening and reading to comprehensible and engaging material Throw in some regular speaking practice with a tutor when yoursquore ready
Focus on content that engages you whether that be sci-fi comic books or horror movies Doing this will make learning new words much easier and more enjoyable
KEY POINTS1FOCUS ON INPUT
8
LEARN THE 2
Prioritise spoken frequency
RIGHT WORDS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WHICH WORDS SHOULD YOU LEARN Like most people when starting to learn Chinese we went straight for
textbooks not knowing what else to do We were soon bored senseless
by them never able to make it halfway though one before dropping it
for something else Later we realized our boredom stemmed from
many of the words being too advanced andor irrelevant for that vital
early stage There was little in the way of real life application for the
content One textbook even had tang dynasty poems in it You did not
read that incorrectly Tang dynasty poems in a beginner textbook Sigh
The thing is you donrsquot need that many words to be able to
communicate on a fairly wide variety of topics (ie basic fluency) The
most common 1000 spoken words make up around 90 of spoken
Chinese (or any language really) and should therefore be your main
focus from the get-go As these words become part of your active
vocabulary you will be able to access more and more content that suits
your interests and this is when your progress will really start to take off
HOW TO FIND A GOOD WORD LIST Itrsquos actually a lot harder than you might think to find a good word list for
Chinese spoken words as frequency is usually determined by scanning
written documents The same even goes for those in the HSK exam
(Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) vocabulary lists The lower levels are ok but
generally the more advanced your level the less relevant the
vocabulary tends to become The lower levels (levels 1-3) of the HSK
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
10
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe journey of a thousand miles begins with a single steprdquo
- Laozi
11
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
arenrsquot that bad although they do have a lot of written vocabulary
peppered in throughout Not to worry though here are a few ways you
can get started
1 Here is a spoken frequency list based on TV and movie subtitles
2 Check out Gabriel Wynerrsquos base vocabulary list of 625 words that
apply to any language Wersquore great supporters of his work
3 Here are the HSK vocabulary lists Like we said the earlier levels (1-3)
are ok for spoken vocabulary
After yoursquove started the process of getting the first 1000 or so words into
your active vocabulary you will be able to learn less common written and
spoken words by consuming engaging content more suited to your
personal goals and interests But how best to acquire these words in
the first place This will be explained in detail in the next chapter
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk all about HOW to truly acquire any words
you need QUICKLY without forgetting them Wersquoll go through
many resources you can access instantly online to do this and
walk you through how to use them effectively On top of that wersquoll
share with you the favorite study techniques used by top
language learners that will supercharge your acquisition
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
12
4 Our new course ldquoThe Mandarin Blueprint Methodrdquo covers the most
common 1500 characters and 4000 words Check it out
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You only need around 1000 high frequency spoken words for basic fluency This is around 90 of the spoken language
Words found in textbooks and vocabulary lists become less and less relevant the higher your level Donrsquot rely on them too much
Once yoursquove got a foundation of common vocabulary yoursquoll have the ability to start consuming more engaging content suited to your personal interests
KEY POINTS
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT SUPPORTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
13
LEARN WORDS THE3
Rote learning doesnrsquot work
RIGHT WAY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Speaking a language fluently is essentially just remembering the
right words at the right time Here are the most efficient and enjoyable
ways to truly acquire new Chinese words so they are always there for
you when you need them
USE SRS (SPACED REPETITION SOFTWARE) SRS prevents you from forgetting what yoursquove learned in the most
efficient and rewarding way possible Despite having a bit of a learning
curve Anki is definitely the best choice of SRS because you can make
your own flashcards although shared decks are also available There
are a bunch of web and mobile language learning apps that use SRS-
powered flashcards
Our huge video curriculum The Mandarin Blueprint Method provides
you with over 7000 flashcards to learn how to read understand write
and speak the most common 1000 Chinese words Check it out here
THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT SRS
1 Set realistic goals The more new cards you do the more reviews
will build up Be careful not to over-do it
2 Finish your reviews every day The algorithm can only guarantee
90-95 retention if you finish your reviews every day
3 SRS is not a learning tool itrsquos a reviewing tool Learn the word first
then use SRS to review otherwise you are just rote learning and that
is proven to be ineffective (and incredibly boring)
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
15
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
SO WHATrsquoS THE BEST WAY
TO LEARN A CHINESE WORD
LEARN CHARACTERS
Make sure to make learning characters a part of your daily study routine
ldquoBut hey I want to learn speaking I donrsquot care about the characters Irsquoll
learn them later if at allrdquo While this is an understandable response itrsquos a
trap that slows you down in the long run To speak fluently you need
vocabulary To get vocabulary you need to read and listen a lot To
read you need characters
LEARN WORDS IN CONTEXT
The first step towards learning a word is to learn itrsquos definition However
this is the equivalent of shaking someonersquos hand and learning their
name Thatrsquos it See that person several more times in different contexts
and yoursquoll really get to know them Words need context to truly become
part of your vocabulary
To truly acquire a word you need to see that word in a sentence and
depending on the complexity of the word you will need to see it in
several contexts many times before it can be fully acquired and used
Find at least one sentence for each usage of the word in question and
make a flashcard Here are some quick tips regarding sentences and
sentence flashcards
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
16
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will first need to get at least a couple of hundred of the most
common words under your belt before being ready to start reading
sentences
Sentences should be 4-9 words in length on average Long enough
to show a decent level of context and demonstrate a grammatical
structure or two but not so long that it becomes too hard to focus on
a single concept
Your sentences should be informal so they can be applicable to real
life
Just reading sentences is a good start but using the ldquocloze deleterdquo
function with anki (shown below) or wwwclozemastercom is
especially effective as it forces you to work a little harder
Add an image or two to sum up the ldquomessagerdquo of the sentence and
create deeper connections to the word(s)
At the time of writing this chapter our favorite resource for finding
Chinese sentences is bingcomdict (pictured left)
Our new course The Mandarin Blueprint Method contains all of the
flashcards and memory techniques you need to learn the most
common 1000 Chinese words Click below to start your free trial
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
17
LEARN MORE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
After starting to review words in sentences move onto the next vital
resourcehellip
GRADED READERS You donrsquot have to wait until yoursquove acquired 1000s of characters and
words before you start reading Not by a long shot You can start
reading articles short stories and podcast transcripts with as little
as 150 characters and words Here are our favorite resources to do so
LINGQ (PICTURED)
LingQ is an aggregated graded reader that has content sourced from all
over the internet including tons of proprietary material Higher level
learners can also import any content they want from elsewhere We are
currently reading A Song of Ice and Fire in Chinese using LingQ and are
addicted to itrsquos incredible functionality The best part about it is that itrsquos
quick look-up feature allows you to read material above your level that
would normally be far too frustrating in book form As if that wasnrsquot good
enough they also have excellent SRS functionality amp the ability to export
words to Anki
THE CHAIRMANrsquoS BAO (TCB)
The Chairmanrsquos Bao have real news articles edited for different HSK
levels (even HSK 1) Yes with only a couple of hundred characters and
words you can be reading real news articles in Chinese This site is being
updated with new fantastic features all the time and has a great app too
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
18
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoYou donrsquot know a person because you know their
name and you donrsquot know a word because you know itrsquos
definitionrdquo- Khatzumoto of ajattcom
19
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
MANDARIN COMPANION
Do you prefer the feel of a real book in your hands These books can be
read with only 300-450 characters under your belt They have a bunch of
classics for lower levels that are still compelling despite being heavily
edited
GO FOR EFFICIENCY To get the most out of that precious hour or two each day that most of
us can spare for language learning make sure you use the following
techniques for maximum return on your time investment
INTERLEAVING
Studies have shown that it is more efficient in the long term to flit
between various different types of content within a study session than to
learn one thing at a time in blocks This is referred to as ldquointerleavingrdquo or
ldquointerleaved learningrdquo Donrsquot spend hours pouring over the same material
mix it up Not only will this be way more engaging yoursquoll also progress
faster
TIMEBOXING
Using timeboxing (also known as ldquoThe Pomodoro Techniquerdquo) will
greatly enhance the efficiency and enjoyment of your study
Traditionally you should study for 25 minutes then rest for 5 minutes
then repeat This means 50 minutes of focused study per hour instead of
15 minutes of study and 45 minutes daydreaming and looking at
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
20
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You can also do all sorts of time-boxes for variety Anywhere from 30
seconds to 25 minutes with 25 minutes being the maximum We love to
combine timeboxing with interleaving working on 2 or 3 different study
resources at a time with really short time-boxes For example a few
minutes on learning characters then reviewing flashcards then listening
to a podcast then resting This turns a study session into a fun game
doing wonders for your motivation
LISTEN WHILE READING
Listening is the easiest and most convenient way of improving learning as
itrsquos hands-free and you can focus on other things while doing it However
if you can read what you hear at the same time the benefits multiply
to be greater than the sum of its parts The reading makes it easier to
understand what you hear and what you hear improves your reading
speed If you choose material either at or slightly above your level and try
this technique out it really feels like yoursquore super-charging your Chinese
ability
SHADOWING
This is a technique made famous by Professor Alexander Arguelles
Shadowing is reading listening and speaking all at the same time Do
it while out and about for best results Just a few minutes a day of this will
improve pronunciation spoken fluency reading and listening
simultaneously We do it almost everyday and it really does speed up the
acquisition process more than anything else wersquove tried Just make sure
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
21
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
you choose a voice to imitate that yoursquod actually like to sound like
(especially when you choose the dialect or gender of the speaker) Herersquos
a video of The prof himself talking about the technique in more detail
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk to you all about how good pronunciation
practice improves your speaking ability listening ability amp even
reading ability plus wersquoll talk about where to find the best
resources to pronounce Chinese like a native speaker
Using spaced repetition is vital for your early days learning Chinese (or any language for that matter)
Learning characters is an unavoidable step in learning Chinese
You must see new words in a sentence before you can acquire them Reading graded readers is even better as it provides more context and engaging topics
Incorporate interleaved learning shadowing and timeboxing into your daily study routine for the most efficient results
KEY POINTS
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
22
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
LEARN PRONUNCIATION4
It will pay off huge dividends later
EARLY AND WELL
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
At Mandarin Blueprint we take pronunciation very seriously This is
mainly because we know first-hand the negative effects of poor
pronunciation instruction
Bad pronunciation slows the development of your listening reading
and speaking ability which is bad enough But by far the most
profoundly painful outcome of poor pronunciation is the damage done
to your lsquolearnerrsquos egorsquo early on When you are misunderstood partially
understood or not at all understood it hurts your confidence You then
associate speaking Chinese with negative emotions and become less
and less willing to start talking Itrsquos a vicious cycle of negativity that we
want you to avoid
HERErsquoS A PROBLEM WE WANT YOU TO HAVE 1 A Chinese person asks you a simple question that you understand
2 You answer the question with simple Chinese but with great
pronunciation
3 The Chinese person listening to you immediately assumes you
speak incredible Chinese and proceeds to unload a litany of
questions and comments
4 After an awkward silence you say 听不不懂 (tīngbudǒng) which
means ldquoI donrsquot understandrdquo
5 The Chinese person laughs asks a few more questions before
realizing you were actually serious Awkwardness intensifies
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
24
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
THE SKINNY ON MANDARIN PRONUNCIATION If you want excellent spoken Chinese you first need to be completely
aware of how to produce understand and read all of the sounds of the
language Some people can do all this naturally by ear with very little
training Unfortunately the law of averages states that you are most likely
not in this group Sorry -(
Not to worry though With only 409 different-sounding syllables (1200 if
you include tones) Chinese has relatively little to learn in terms of
pronunciation especially when compared to the 16000+ syllables of
English There are however many challenging and potentially confusing
aspects to Chinese pronunciation which means that you can learn what
you need to know about pronunciation in a relatively short time but you
need high quality expert guidance and study materials to do it
TUTORS ARENrsquoT ALWAYS THE WAY TO GO If you want to learn pronunciation it seems like a logical decision would
be to look for a tutor right Unfortunately most teachers do not have
the knowledge or experience to teach you Chinese pronunciation
well But why is this Well theyrsquove spoken mandarin since they can
remember right They have no frame of reference for comparing tongue
positions or vowel aspiration to English so how could they explain it to a
foreigner How would they know what it feels like to learn Mandarin
pronunciation as an adult
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
25
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe first thing I have to do to erase my french accent is to believe itrsquos actually possiblerdquo
- Marion Cotillard
26
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
There are fantastic tutors out there who can teach you pronunciation
properly but they can be like finding a needle in a haystack Not to
mention with the hourly rates you are likely to rack up hundreds of
dollars in fees for average results
INTRODUCING ldquoPRONUNCIATION MASTERYrdquo Wersquove been training our clients on pronunciation through live sessions of
our Pronunciation Mastery course for 2 years now and the results have
been fantastic Wersquove now finally finished transforming it into an 8 hour
video course that will teach you everything you need to know about
Chinese pronunciation all from the unique perspective of us Two
Chinese learners who made the journey ourselves from beginner to
advanced fluency This is all delivered using HD video crystal clear
explanations supported with slick design over a thousand multimedia
SRS flashcards over 80 PDFs amp native audio for reference and review
Wersquove put our hearts and souls into this course along with our extensive
experience and feedback from live teaching over the past 2 years Plus
itrsquos already helped hundreds of Chinese learners around the world Itrsquos
the video course we would have wanted when we were starting out
with Mandarin
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
27
CHECK IT OUT
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
NEXT TIME Wersquoll dive into the topic of Chinese tutors Wersquoll be
sharing with you where to find the best free and paid tutors how
to work with them in the most efficient and fun way possible
Pronunciation is the vital first stage for learning any language
Bad pronunciation affects all other areas of your Chinese skill but most importantly it hurts your confidence
Compared to English there is much less to learn to master Chinese pronunciation
Chinese teachers rarely have the training and experience necessary to teach you pronunciation properly
Mandarin Blueprintrsquos ldquoPronunciation Masteryrdquo course has everything you need to develop great pronunciation quickly and cheaply Check it out today
KEY POINTS
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
28
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
USE TUTORS
Connect with them regularly
EFFECTIVELY
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will notice that this is way down the list of tips for speaking like a
native speaker Thatrsquos because it actually isnrsquot the highest priority straight
away at least not anymore The sheer number of resources available
to you as a Chinese learner today means that you can do most things
you need to do on your own without a tutor As avid Chinese learners
ourselves we can both attest to this fact However a tutor is an
absolutely vital part of your journey to spoken fluency and to get the
most out of them you need to know how to work with them
First off what is a tutor for exactly Itrsquos not as obvious an answer as you
may think Understandably most people get a tutor straight from the
beginning hoping to receive all the materials and guidance they need
to make them fluent and literate in Chinese This is a lot to expect of
anyone let alone someone who never actually learned Chinese as a
second language So what are reasonable expectations to have then
THE ROLE OF A CHINESE TUTOR 1) FOR ACTIVATING PASSIVE VOCABULARY
Go into a session and try to use the words yoursquove been learning through
listening and reading Focus on steering the conversation to topics
you find meaningful and interesting Agree on these topics in advance
A good tutor is a good communicator someone who can speak to you
in a way they know you understand and ask you the right questions to
keep a conversation going Push your limits of what you know and ask a
lot of questions on how to use any words you arenrsquot sure about
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
30
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Speaking practice activates all that lovely passive vocabulary yoursquove
been building up Our advice would be to make sure you invest
between 30 minutes and 2 hours every day in reading and listening
When you feel ready to start improving your speaking we suggest
booking time with a tutor for an hour or so once or twice a week
Wersquoll guide you through our best methods of using tutors and language
exchange partners in chapter 5
SEEK OUT ENGAGING CONTENT Consuming content you enjoy creates emotional connections that
make it much easier to acquire vocabulary It also makes it easier to
consume more challenging content as you care so much more about the
messages you are trying to decipher If you are a beginner then this is
more challenging After all you donrsquot have enough of a skill level to be
too picky However as you improve you can expand to more varied
content that suits your interests As for exactly what content where to
find it and how to use it effectively wersquoll talk about that later in this ebook
series
NEXT CHAPTER Wersquoll be talking about how many words
you actually need to reach various levels of fluency and
where exactly to find these words Itrsquos not as simple as
you may think See you then
1FOCUS ON INPUT
7
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT SUPPORTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Speaking only makes you better at saying what you already know Input increases your knowledge Input should therefore be the main focus throughout your study
Speaking practice has the very important function of activating passive vocabulary but passive vocabulary is always much larger than active vocablulary
Invest between 30 minutes and 2 hours every day on listening and reading to comprehensible and engaging material Throw in some regular speaking practice with a tutor when yoursquore ready
Focus on content that engages you whether that be sci-fi comic books or horror movies Doing this will make learning new words much easier and more enjoyable
KEY POINTS1FOCUS ON INPUT
8
LEARN THE 2
Prioritise spoken frequency
RIGHT WORDS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WHICH WORDS SHOULD YOU LEARN Like most people when starting to learn Chinese we went straight for
textbooks not knowing what else to do We were soon bored senseless
by them never able to make it halfway though one before dropping it
for something else Later we realized our boredom stemmed from
many of the words being too advanced andor irrelevant for that vital
early stage There was little in the way of real life application for the
content One textbook even had tang dynasty poems in it You did not
read that incorrectly Tang dynasty poems in a beginner textbook Sigh
The thing is you donrsquot need that many words to be able to
communicate on a fairly wide variety of topics (ie basic fluency) The
most common 1000 spoken words make up around 90 of spoken
Chinese (or any language really) and should therefore be your main
focus from the get-go As these words become part of your active
vocabulary you will be able to access more and more content that suits
your interests and this is when your progress will really start to take off
HOW TO FIND A GOOD WORD LIST Itrsquos actually a lot harder than you might think to find a good word list for
Chinese spoken words as frequency is usually determined by scanning
written documents The same even goes for those in the HSK exam
(Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) vocabulary lists The lower levels are ok but
generally the more advanced your level the less relevant the
vocabulary tends to become The lower levels (levels 1-3) of the HSK
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
10
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe journey of a thousand miles begins with a single steprdquo
- Laozi
11
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
arenrsquot that bad although they do have a lot of written vocabulary
peppered in throughout Not to worry though here are a few ways you
can get started
1 Here is a spoken frequency list based on TV and movie subtitles
2 Check out Gabriel Wynerrsquos base vocabulary list of 625 words that
apply to any language Wersquore great supporters of his work
3 Here are the HSK vocabulary lists Like we said the earlier levels (1-3)
are ok for spoken vocabulary
After yoursquove started the process of getting the first 1000 or so words into
your active vocabulary you will be able to learn less common written and
spoken words by consuming engaging content more suited to your
personal goals and interests But how best to acquire these words in
the first place This will be explained in detail in the next chapter
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk all about HOW to truly acquire any words
you need QUICKLY without forgetting them Wersquoll go through
many resources you can access instantly online to do this and
walk you through how to use them effectively On top of that wersquoll
share with you the favorite study techniques used by top
language learners that will supercharge your acquisition
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
12
4 Our new course ldquoThe Mandarin Blueprint Methodrdquo covers the most
common 1500 characters and 4000 words Check it out
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You only need around 1000 high frequency spoken words for basic fluency This is around 90 of the spoken language
Words found in textbooks and vocabulary lists become less and less relevant the higher your level Donrsquot rely on them too much
Once yoursquove got a foundation of common vocabulary yoursquoll have the ability to start consuming more engaging content suited to your personal interests
KEY POINTS
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT SUPPORTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
13
LEARN WORDS THE3
Rote learning doesnrsquot work
RIGHT WAY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Speaking a language fluently is essentially just remembering the
right words at the right time Here are the most efficient and enjoyable
ways to truly acquire new Chinese words so they are always there for
you when you need them
USE SRS (SPACED REPETITION SOFTWARE) SRS prevents you from forgetting what yoursquove learned in the most
efficient and rewarding way possible Despite having a bit of a learning
curve Anki is definitely the best choice of SRS because you can make
your own flashcards although shared decks are also available There
are a bunch of web and mobile language learning apps that use SRS-
powered flashcards
Our huge video curriculum The Mandarin Blueprint Method provides
you with over 7000 flashcards to learn how to read understand write
and speak the most common 1000 Chinese words Check it out here
THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT SRS
1 Set realistic goals The more new cards you do the more reviews
will build up Be careful not to over-do it
2 Finish your reviews every day The algorithm can only guarantee
90-95 retention if you finish your reviews every day
3 SRS is not a learning tool itrsquos a reviewing tool Learn the word first
then use SRS to review otherwise you are just rote learning and that
is proven to be ineffective (and incredibly boring)
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
15
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
SO WHATrsquoS THE BEST WAY
TO LEARN A CHINESE WORD
LEARN CHARACTERS
Make sure to make learning characters a part of your daily study routine
ldquoBut hey I want to learn speaking I donrsquot care about the characters Irsquoll
learn them later if at allrdquo While this is an understandable response itrsquos a
trap that slows you down in the long run To speak fluently you need
vocabulary To get vocabulary you need to read and listen a lot To
read you need characters
LEARN WORDS IN CONTEXT
The first step towards learning a word is to learn itrsquos definition However
this is the equivalent of shaking someonersquos hand and learning their
name Thatrsquos it See that person several more times in different contexts
and yoursquoll really get to know them Words need context to truly become
part of your vocabulary
To truly acquire a word you need to see that word in a sentence and
depending on the complexity of the word you will need to see it in
several contexts many times before it can be fully acquired and used
Find at least one sentence for each usage of the word in question and
make a flashcard Here are some quick tips regarding sentences and
sentence flashcards
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
16
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will first need to get at least a couple of hundred of the most
common words under your belt before being ready to start reading
sentences
Sentences should be 4-9 words in length on average Long enough
to show a decent level of context and demonstrate a grammatical
structure or two but not so long that it becomes too hard to focus on
a single concept
Your sentences should be informal so they can be applicable to real
life
Just reading sentences is a good start but using the ldquocloze deleterdquo
function with anki (shown below) or wwwclozemastercom is
especially effective as it forces you to work a little harder
Add an image or two to sum up the ldquomessagerdquo of the sentence and
create deeper connections to the word(s)
At the time of writing this chapter our favorite resource for finding
Chinese sentences is bingcomdict (pictured left)
Our new course The Mandarin Blueprint Method contains all of the
flashcards and memory techniques you need to learn the most
common 1000 Chinese words Click below to start your free trial
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
17
LEARN MORE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
After starting to review words in sentences move onto the next vital
resourcehellip
GRADED READERS You donrsquot have to wait until yoursquove acquired 1000s of characters and
words before you start reading Not by a long shot You can start
reading articles short stories and podcast transcripts with as little
as 150 characters and words Here are our favorite resources to do so
LINGQ (PICTURED)
LingQ is an aggregated graded reader that has content sourced from all
over the internet including tons of proprietary material Higher level
learners can also import any content they want from elsewhere We are
currently reading A Song of Ice and Fire in Chinese using LingQ and are
addicted to itrsquos incredible functionality The best part about it is that itrsquos
quick look-up feature allows you to read material above your level that
would normally be far too frustrating in book form As if that wasnrsquot good
enough they also have excellent SRS functionality amp the ability to export
words to Anki
THE CHAIRMANrsquoS BAO (TCB)
The Chairmanrsquos Bao have real news articles edited for different HSK
levels (even HSK 1) Yes with only a couple of hundred characters and
words you can be reading real news articles in Chinese This site is being
updated with new fantastic features all the time and has a great app too
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
18
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoYou donrsquot know a person because you know their
name and you donrsquot know a word because you know itrsquos
definitionrdquo- Khatzumoto of ajattcom
19
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
MANDARIN COMPANION
Do you prefer the feel of a real book in your hands These books can be
read with only 300-450 characters under your belt They have a bunch of
classics for lower levels that are still compelling despite being heavily
edited
GO FOR EFFICIENCY To get the most out of that precious hour or two each day that most of
us can spare for language learning make sure you use the following
techniques for maximum return on your time investment
INTERLEAVING
Studies have shown that it is more efficient in the long term to flit
between various different types of content within a study session than to
learn one thing at a time in blocks This is referred to as ldquointerleavingrdquo or
ldquointerleaved learningrdquo Donrsquot spend hours pouring over the same material
mix it up Not only will this be way more engaging yoursquoll also progress
faster
TIMEBOXING
Using timeboxing (also known as ldquoThe Pomodoro Techniquerdquo) will
greatly enhance the efficiency and enjoyment of your study
Traditionally you should study for 25 minutes then rest for 5 minutes
then repeat This means 50 minutes of focused study per hour instead of
15 minutes of study and 45 minutes daydreaming and looking at
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
20
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You can also do all sorts of time-boxes for variety Anywhere from 30
seconds to 25 minutes with 25 minutes being the maximum We love to
combine timeboxing with interleaving working on 2 or 3 different study
resources at a time with really short time-boxes For example a few
minutes on learning characters then reviewing flashcards then listening
to a podcast then resting This turns a study session into a fun game
doing wonders for your motivation
LISTEN WHILE READING
Listening is the easiest and most convenient way of improving learning as
itrsquos hands-free and you can focus on other things while doing it However
if you can read what you hear at the same time the benefits multiply
to be greater than the sum of its parts The reading makes it easier to
understand what you hear and what you hear improves your reading
speed If you choose material either at or slightly above your level and try
this technique out it really feels like yoursquore super-charging your Chinese
ability
SHADOWING
This is a technique made famous by Professor Alexander Arguelles
Shadowing is reading listening and speaking all at the same time Do
it while out and about for best results Just a few minutes a day of this will
improve pronunciation spoken fluency reading and listening
simultaneously We do it almost everyday and it really does speed up the
acquisition process more than anything else wersquove tried Just make sure
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
21
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
you choose a voice to imitate that yoursquod actually like to sound like
(especially when you choose the dialect or gender of the speaker) Herersquos
a video of The prof himself talking about the technique in more detail
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk to you all about how good pronunciation
practice improves your speaking ability listening ability amp even
reading ability plus wersquoll talk about where to find the best
resources to pronounce Chinese like a native speaker
Using spaced repetition is vital for your early days learning Chinese (or any language for that matter)
Learning characters is an unavoidable step in learning Chinese
You must see new words in a sentence before you can acquire them Reading graded readers is even better as it provides more context and engaging topics
Incorporate interleaved learning shadowing and timeboxing into your daily study routine for the most efficient results
KEY POINTS
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
22
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
LEARN PRONUNCIATION4
It will pay off huge dividends later
EARLY AND WELL
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
At Mandarin Blueprint we take pronunciation very seriously This is
mainly because we know first-hand the negative effects of poor
pronunciation instruction
Bad pronunciation slows the development of your listening reading
and speaking ability which is bad enough But by far the most
profoundly painful outcome of poor pronunciation is the damage done
to your lsquolearnerrsquos egorsquo early on When you are misunderstood partially
understood or not at all understood it hurts your confidence You then
associate speaking Chinese with negative emotions and become less
and less willing to start talking Itrsquos a vicious cycle of negativity that we
want you to avoid
HERErsquoS A PROBLEM WE WANT YOU TO HAVE 1 A Chinese person asks you a simple question that you understand
2 You answer the question with simple Chinese but with great
pronunciation
3 The Chinese person listening to you immediately assumes you
speak incredible Chinese and proceeds to unload a litany of
questions and comments
4 After an awkward silence you say 听不不懂 (tīngbudǒng) which
means ldquoI donrsquot understandrdquo
5 The Chinese person laughs asks a few more questions before
realizing you were actually serious Awkwardness intensifies
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
24
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
THE SKINNY ON MANDARIN PRONUNCIATION If you want excellent spoken Chinese you first need to be completely
aware of how to produce understand and read all of the sounds of the
language Some people can do all this naturally by ear with very little
training Unfortunately the law of averages states that you are most likely
not in this group Sorry -(
Not to worry though With only 409 different-sounding syllables (1200 if
you include tones) Chinese has relatively little to learn in terms of
pronunciation especially when compared to the 16000+ syllables of
English There are however many challenging and potentially confusing
aspects to Chinese pronunciation which means that you can learn what
you need to know about pronunciation in a relatively short time but you
need high quality expert guidance and study materials to do it
TUTORS ARENrsquoT ALWAYS THE WAY TO GO If you want to learn pronunciation it seems like a logical decision would
be to look for a tutor right Unfortunately most teachers do not have
the knowledge or experience to teach you Chinese pronunciation
well But why is this Well theyrsquove spoken mandarin since they can
remember right They have no frame of reference for comparing tongue
positions or vowel aspiration to English so how could they explain it to a
foreigner How would they know what it feels like to learn Mandarin
pronunciation as an adult
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
25
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe first thing I have to do to erase my french accent is to believe itrsquos actually possiblerdquo
- Marion Cotillard
26
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
There are fantastic tutors out there who can teach you pronunciation
properly but they can be like finding a needle in a haystack Not to
mention with the hourly rates you are likely to rack up hundreds of
dollars in fees for average results
INTRODUCING ldquoPRONUNCIATION MASTERYrdquo Wersquove been training our clients on pronunciation through live sessions of
our Pronunciation Mastery course for 2 years now and the results have
been fantastic Wersquove now finally finished transforming it into an 8 hour
video course that will teach you everything you need to know about
Chinese pronunciation all from the unique perspective of us Two
Chinese learners who made the journey ourselves from beginner to
advanced fluency This is all delivered using HD video crystal clear
explanations supported with slick design over a thousand multimedia
SRS flashcards over 80 PDFs amp native audio for reference and review
Wersquove put our hearts and souls into this course along with our extensive
experience and feedback from live teaching over the past 2 years Plus
itrsquos already helped hundreds of Chinese learners around the world Itrsquos
the video course we would have wanted when we were starting out
with Mandarin
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
27
CHECK IT OUT
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
NEXT TIME Wersquoll dive into the topic of Chinese tutors Wersquoll be
sharing with you where to find the best free and paid tutors how
to work with them in the most efficient and fun way possible
Pronunciation is the vital first stage for learning any language
Bad pronunciation affects all other areas of your Chinese skill but most importantly it hurts your confidence
Compared to English there is much less to learn to master Chinese pronunciation
Chinese teachers rarely have the training and experience necessary to teach you pronunciation properly
Mandarin Blueprintrsquos ldquoPronunciation Masteryrdquo course has everything you need to develop great pronunciation quickly and cheaply Check it out today
KEY POINTS
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
28
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
USE TUTORS
Connect with them regularly
EFFECTIVELY
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will notice that this is way down the list of tips for speaking like a
native speaker Thatrsquos because it actually isnrsquot the highest priority straight
away at least not anymore The sheer number of resources available
to you as a Chinese learner today means that you can do most things
you need to do on your own without a tutor As avid Chinese learners
ourselves we can both attest to this fact However a tutor is an
absolutely vital part of your journey to spoken fluency and to get the
most out of them you need to know how to work with them
First off what is a tutor for exactly Itrsquos not as obvious an answer as you
may think Understandably most people get a tutor straight from the
beginning hoping to receive all the materials and guidance they need
to make them fluent and literate in Chinese This is a lot to expect of
anyone let alone someone who never actually learned Chinese as a
second language So what are reasonable expectations to have then
THE ROLE OF A CHINESE TUTOR 1) FOR ACTIVATING PASSIVE VOCABULARY
Go into a session and try to use the words yoursquove been learning through
listening and reading Focus on steering the conversation to topics
you find meaningful and interesting Agree on these topics in advance
A good tutor is a good communicator someone who can speak to you
in a way they know you understand and ask you the right questions to
keep a conversation going Push your limits of what you know and ask a
lot of questions on how to use any words you arenrsquot sure about
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
30
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT SUPPORTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Speaking only makes you better at saying what you already know Input increases your knowledge Input should therefore be the main focus throughout your study
Speaking practice has the very important function of activating passive vocabulary but passive vocabulary is always much larger than active vocablulary
Invest between 30 minutes and 2 hours every day on listening and reading to comprehensible and engaging material Throw in some regular speaking practice with a tutor when yoursquore ready
Focus on content that engages you whether that be sci-fi comic books or horror movies Doing this will make learning new words much easier and more enjoyable
KEY POINTS1FOCUS ON INPUT
8
LEARN THE 2
Prioritise spoken frequency
RIGHT WORDS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WHICH WORDS SHOULD YOU LEARN Like most people when starting to learn Chinese we went straight for
textbooks not knowing what else to do We were soon bored senseless
by them never able to make it halfway though one before dropping it
for something else Later we realized our boredom stemmed from
many of the words being too advanced andor irrelevant for that vital
early stage There was little in the way of real life application for the
content One textbook even had tang dynasty poems in it You did not
read that incorrectly Tang dynasty poems in a beginner textbook Sigh
The thing is you donrsquot need that many words to be able to
communicate on a fairly wide variety of topics (ie basic fluency) The
most common 1000 spoken words make up around 90 of spoken
Chinese (or any language really) and should therefore be your main
focus from the get-go As these words become part of your active
vocabulary you will be able to access more and more content that suits
your interests and this is when your progress will really start to take off
HOW TO FIND A GOOD WORD LIST Itrsquos actually a lot harder than you might think to find a good word list for
Chinese spoken words as frequency is usually determined by scanning
written documents The same even goes for those in the HSK exam
(Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) vocabulary lists The lower levels are ok but
generally the more advanced your level the less relevant the
vocabulary tends to become The lower levels (levels 1-3) of the HSK
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
10
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe journey of a thousand miles begins with a single steprdquo
- Laozi
11
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
arenrsquot that bad although they do have a lot of written vocabulary
peppered in throughout Not to worry though here are a few ways you
can get started
1 Here is a spoken frequency list based on TV and movie subtitles
2 Check out Gabriel Wynerrsquos base vocabulary list of 625 words that
apply to any language Wersquore great supporters of his work
3 Here are the HSK vocabulary lists Like we said the earlier levels (1-3)
are ok for spoken vocabulary
After yoursquove started the process of getting the first 1000 or so words into
your active vocabulary you will be able to learn less common written and
spoken words by consuming engaging content more suited to your
personal goals and interests But how best to acquire these words in
the first place This will be explained in detail in the next chapter
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk all about HOW to truly acquire any words
you need QUICKLY without forgetting them Wersquoll go through
many resources you can access instantly online to do this and
walk you through how to use them effectively On top of that wersquoll
share with you the favorite study techniques used by top
language learners that will supercharge your acquisition
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
12
4 Our new course ldquoThe Mandarin Blueprint Methodrdquo covers the most
common 1500 characters and 4000 words Check it out
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You only need around 1000 high frequency spoken words for basic fluency This is around 90 of the spoken language
Words found in textbooks and vocabulary lists become less and less relevant the higher your level Donrsquot rely on them too much
Once yoursquove got a foundation of common vocabulary yoursquoll have the ability to start consuming more engaging content suited to your personal interests
KEY POINTS
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT SUPPORTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
13
LEARN WORDS THE3
Rote learning doesnrsquot work
RIGHT WAY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Speaking a language fluently is essentially just remembering the
right words at the right time Here are the most efficient and enjoyable
ways to truly acquire new Chinese words so they are always there for
you when you need them
USE SRS (SPACED REPETITION SOFTWARE) SRS prevents you from forgetting what yoursquove learned in the most
efficient and rewarding way possible Despite having a bit of a learning
curve Anki is definitely the best choice of SRS because you can make
your own flashcards although shared decks are also available There
are a bunch of web and mobile language learning apps that use SRS-
powered flashcards
Our huge video curriculum The Mandarin Blueprint Method provides
you with over 7000 flashcards to learn how to read understand write
and speak the most common 1000 Chinese words Check it out here
THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT SRS
1 Set realistic goals The more new cards you do the more reviews
will build up Be careful not to over-do it
2 Finish your reviews every day The algorithm can only guarantee
90-95 retention if you finish your reviews every day
3 SRS is not a learning tool itrsquos a reviewing tool Learn the word first
then use SRS to review otherwise you are just rote learning and that
is proven to be ineffective (and incredibly boring)
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
15
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
SO WHATrsquoS THE BEST WAY
TO LEARN A CHINESE WORD
LEARN CHARACTERS
Make sure to make learning characters a part of your daily study routine
ldquoBut hey I want to learn speaking I donrsquot care about the characters Irsquoll
learn them later if at allrdquo While this is an understandable response itrsquos a
trap that slows you down in the long run To speak fluently you need
vocabulary To get vocabulary you need to read and listen a lot To
read you need characters
LEARN WORDS IN CONTEXT
The first step towards learning a word is to learn itrsquos definition However
this is the equivalent of shaking someonersquos hand and learning their
name Thatrsquos it See that person several more times in different contexts
and yoursquoll really get to know them Words need context to truly become
part of your vocabulary
To truly acquire a word you need to see that word in a sentence and
depending on the complexity of the word you will need to see it in
several contexts many times before it can be fully acquired and used
Find at least one sentence for each usage of the word in question and
make a flashcard Here are some quick tips regarding sentences and
sentence flashcards
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
16
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will first need to get at least a couple of hundred of the most
common words under your belt before being ready to start reading
sentences
Sentences should be 4-9 words in length on average Long enough
to show a decent level of context and demonstrate a grammatical
structure or two but not so long that it becomes too hard to focus on
a single concept
Your sentences should be informal so they can be applicable to real
life
Just reading sentences is a good start but using the ldquocloze deleterdquo
function with anki (shown below) or wwwclozemastercom is
especially effective as it forces you to work a little harder
Add an image or two to sum up the ldquomessagerdquo of the sentence and
create deeper connections to the word(s)
At the time of writing this chapter our favorite resource for finding
Chinese sentences is bingcomdict (pictured left)
Our new course The Mandarin Blueprint Method contains all of the
flashcards and memory techniques you need to learn the most
common 1000 Chinese words Click below to start your free trial
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
17
LEARN MORE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
After starting to review words in sentences move onto the next vital
resourcehellip
GRADED READERS You donrsquot have to wait until yoursquove acquired 1000s of characters and
words before you start reading Not by a long shot You can start
reading articles short stories and podcast transcripts with as little
as 150 characters and words Here are our favorite resources to do so
LINGQ (PICTURED)
LingQ is an aggregated graded reader that has content sourced from all
over the internet including tons of proprietary material Higher level
learners can also import any content they want from elsewhere We are
currently reading A Song of Ice and Fire in Chinese using LingQ and are
addicted to itrsquos incredible functionality The best part about it is that itrsquos
quick look-up feature allows you to read material above your level that
would normally be far too frustrating in book form As if that wasnrsquot good
enough they also have excellent SRS functionality amp the ability to export
words to Anki
THE CHAIRMANrsquoS BAO (TCB)
The Chairmanrsquos Bao have real news articles edited for different HSK
levels (even HSK 1) Yes with only a couple of hundred characters and
words you can be reading real news articles in Chinese This site is being
updated with new fantastic features all the time and has a great app too
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
18
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoYou donrsquot know a person because you know their
name and you donrsquot know a word because you know itrsquos
definitionrdquo- Khatzumoto of ajattcom
19
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
MANDARIN COMPANION
Do you prefer the feel of a real book in your hands These books can be
read with only 300-450 characters under your belt They have a bunch of
classics for lower levels that are still compelling despite being heavily
edited
GO FOR EFFICIENCY To get the most out of that precious hour or two each day that most of
us can spare for language learning make sure you use the following
techniques for maximum return on your time investment
INTERLEAVING
Studies have shown that it is more efficient in the long term to flit
between various different types of content within a study session than to
learn one thing at a time in blocks This is referred to as ldquointerleavingrdquo or
ldquointerleaved learningrdquo Donrsquot spend hours pouring over the same material
mix it up Not only will this be way more engaging yoursquoll also progress
faster
TIMEBOXING
Using timeboxing (also known as ldquoThe Pomodoro Techniquerdquo) will
greatly enhance the efficiency and enjoyment of your study
Traditionally you should study for 25 minutes then rest for 5 minutes
then repeat This means 50 minutes of focused study per hour instead of
15 minutes of study and 45 minutes daydreaming and looking at
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
20
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You can also do all sorts of time-boxes for variety Anywhere from 30
seconds to 25 minutes with 25 minutes being the maximum We love to
combine timeboxing with interleaving working on 2 or 3 different study
resources at a time with really short time-boxes For example a few
minutes on learning characters then reviewing flashcards then listening
to a podcast then resting This turns a study session into a fun game
doing wonders for your motivation
LISTEN WHILE READING
Listening is the easiest and most convenient way of improving learning as
itrsquos hands-free and you can focus on other things while doing it However
if you can read what you hear at the same time the benefits multiply
to be greater than the sum of its parts The reading makes it easier to
understand what you hear and what you hear improves your reading
speed If you choose material either at or slightly above your level and try
this technique out it really feels like yoursquore super-charging your Chinese
ability
SHADOWING
This is a technique made famous by Professor Alexander Arguelles
Shadowing is reading listening and speaking all at the same time Do
it while out and about for best results Just a few minutes a day of this will
improve pronunciation spoken fluency reading and listening
simultaneously We do it almost everyday and it really does speed up the
acquisition process more than anything else wersquove tried Just make sure
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
21
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
you choose a voice to imitate that yoursquod actually like to sound like
(especially when you choose the dialect or gender of the speaker) Herersquos
a video of The prof himself talking about the technique in more detail
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk to you all about how good pronunciation
practice improves your speaking ability listening ability amp even
reading ability plus wersquoll talk about where to find the best
resources to pronounce Chinese like a native speaker
Using spaced repetition is vital for your early days learning Chinese (or any language for that matter)
Learning characters is an unavoidable step in learning Chinese
You must see new words in a sentence before you can acquire them Reading graded readers is even better as it provides more context and engaging topics
Incorporate interleaved learning shadowing and timeboxing into your daily study routine for the most efficient results
KEY POINTS
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
22
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
LEARN PRONUNCIATION4
It will pay off huge dividends later
EARLY AND WELL
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
At Mandarin Blueprint we take pronunciation very seriously This is
mainly because we know first-hand the negative effects of poor
pronunciation instruction
Bad pronunciation slows the development of your listening reading
and speaking ability which is bad enough But by far the most
profoundly painful outcome of poor pronunciation is the damage done
to your lsquolearnerrsquos egorsquo early on When you are misunderstood partially
understood or not at all understood it hurts your confidence You then
associate speaking Chinese with negative emotions and become less
and less willing to start talking Itrsquos a vicious cycle of negativity that we
want you to avoid
HERErsquoS A PROBLEM WE WANT YOU TO HAVE 1 A Chinese person asks you a simple question that you understand
2 You answer the question with simple Chinese but with great
pronunciation
3 The Chinese person listening to you immediately assumes you
speak incredible Chinese and proceeds to unload a litany of
questions and comments
4 After an awkward silence you say 听不不懂 (tīngbudǒng) which
means ldquoI donrsquot understandrdquo
5 The Chinese person laughs asks a few more questions before
realizing you were actually serious Awkwardness intensifies
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
24
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
THE SKINNY ON MANDARIN PRONUNCIATION If you want excellent spoken Chinese you first need to be completely
aware of how to produce understand and read all of the sounds of the
language Some people can do all this naturally by ear with very little
training Unfortunately the law of averages states that you are most likely
not in this group Sorry -(
Not to worry though With only 409 different-sounding syllables (1200 if
you include tones) Chinese has relatively little to learn in terms of
pronunciation especially when compared to the 16000+ syllables of
English There are however many challenging and potentially confusing
aspects to Chinese pronunciation which means that you can learn what
you need to know about pronunciation in a relatively short time but you
need high quality expert guidance and study materials to do it
TUTORS ARENrsquoT ALWAYS THE WAY TO GO If you want to learn pronunciation it seems like a logical decision would
be to look for a tutor right Unfortunately most teachers do not have
the knowledge or experience to teach you Chinese pronunciation
well But why is this Well theyrsquove spoken mandarin since they can
remember right They have no frame of reference for comparing tongue
positions or vowel aspiration to English so how could they explain it to a
foreigner How would they know what it feels like to learn Mandarin
pronunciation as an adult
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
25
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe first thing I have to do to erase my french accent is to believe itrsquos actually possiblerdquo
- Marion Cotillard
26
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
There are fantastic tutors out there who can teach you pronunciation
properly but they can be like finding a needle in a haystack Not to
mention with the hourly rates you are likely to rack up hundreds of
dollars in fees for average results
INTRODUCING ldquoPRONUNCIATION MASTERYrdquo Wersquove been training our clients on pronunciation through live sessions of
our Pronunciation Mastery course for 2 years now and the results have
been fantastic Wersquove now finally finished transforming it into an 8 hour
video course that will teach you everything you need to know about
Chinese pronunciation all from the unique perspective of us Two
Chinese learners who made the journey ourselves from beginner to
advanced fluency This is all delivered using HD video crystal clear
explanations supported with slick design over a thousand multimedia
SRS flashcards over 80 PDFs amp native audio for reference and review
Wersquove put our hearts and souls into this course along with our extensive
experience and feedback from live teaching over the past 2 years Plus
itrsquos already helped hundreds of Chinese learners around the world Itrsquos
the video course we would have wanted when we were starting out
with Mandarin
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
27
CHECK IT OUT
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
NEXT TIME Wersquoll dive into the topic of Chinese tutors Wersquoll be
sharing with you where to find the best free and paid tutors how
to work with them in the most efficient and fun way possible
Pronunciation is the vital first stage for learning any language
Bad pronunciation affects all other areas of your Chinese skill but most importantly it hurts your confidence
Compared to English there is much less to learn to master Chinese pronunciation
Chinese teachers rarely have the training and experience necessary to teach you pronunciation properly
Mandarin Blueprintrsquos ldquoPronunciation Masteryrdquo course has everything you need to develop great pronunciation quickly and cheaply Check it out today
KEY POINTS
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
28
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
USE TUTORS
Connect with them regularly
EFFECTIVELY
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will notice that this is way down the list of tips for speaking like a
native speaker Thatrsquos because it actually isnrsquot the highest priority straight
away at least not anymore The sheer number of resources available
to you as a Chinese learner today means that you can do most things
you need to do on your own without a tutor As avid Chinese learners
ourselves we can both attest to this fact However a tutor is an
absolutely vital part of your journey to spoken fluency and to get the
most out of them you need to know how to work with them
First off what is a tutor for exactly Itrsquos not as obvious an answer as you
may think Understandably most people get a tutor straight from the
beginning hoping to receive all the materials and guidance they need
to make them fluent and literate in Chinese This is a lot to expect of
anyone let alone someone who never actually learned Chinese as a
second language So what are reasonable expectations to have then
THE ROLE OF A CHINESE TUTOR 1) FOR ACTIVATING PASSIVE VOCABULARY
Go into a session and try to use the words yoursquove been learning through
listening and reading Focus on steering the conversation to topics
you find meaningful and interesting Agree on these topics in advance
A good tutor is a good communicator someone who can speak to you
in a way they know you understand and ask you the right questions to
keep a conversation going Push your limits of what you know and ask a
lot of questions on how to use any words you arenrsquot sure about
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
30
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
LEARN THE 2
Prioritise spoken frequency
RIGHT WORDS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WHICH WORDS SHOULD YOU LEARN Like most people when starting to learn Chinese we went straight for
textbooks not knowing what else to do We were soon bored senseless
by them never able to make it halfway though one before dropping it
for something else Later we realized our boredom stemmed from
many of the words being too advanced andor irrelevant for that vital
early stage There was little in the way of real life application for the
content One textbook even had tang dynasty poems in it You did not
read that incorrectly Tang dynasty poems in a beginner textbook Sigh
The thing is you donrsquot need that many words to be able to
communicate on a fairly wide variety of topics (ie basic fluency) The
most common 1000 spoken words make up around 90 of spoken
Chinese (or any language really) and should therefore be your main
focus from the get-go As these words become part of your active
vocabulary you will be able to access more and more content that suits
your interests and this is when your progress will really start to take off
HOW TO FIND A GOOD WORD LIST Itrsquos actually a lot harder than you might think to find a good word list for
Chinese spoken words as frequency is usually determined by scanning
written documents The same even goes for those in the HSK exam
(Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) vocabulary lists The lower levels are ok but
generally the more advanced your level the less relevant the
vocabulary tends to become The lower levels (levels 1-3) of the HSK
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
10
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe journey of a thousand miles begins with a single steprdquo
- Laozi
11
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
arenrsquot that bad although they do have a lot of written vocabulary
peppered in throughout Not to worry though here are a few ways you
can get started
1 Here is a spoken frequency list based on TV and movie subtitles
2 Check out Gabriel Wynerrsquos base vocabulary list of 625 words that
apply to any language Wersquore great supporters of his work
3 Here are the HSK vocabulary lists Like we said the earlier levels (1-3)
are ok for spoken vocabulary
After yoursquove started the process of getting the first 1000 or so words into
your active vocabulary you will be able to learn less common written and
spoken words by consuming engaging content more suited to your
personal goals and interests But how best to acquire these words in
the first place This will be explained in detail in the next chapter
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk all about HOW to truly acquire any words
you need QUICKLY without forgetting them Wersquoll go through
many resources you can access instantly online to do this and
walk you through how to use them effectively On top of that wersquoll
share with you the favorite study techniques used by top
language learners that will supercharge your acquisition
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
12
4 Our new course ldquoThe Mandarin Blueprint Methodrdquo covers the most
common 1500 characters and 4000 words Check it out
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You only need around 1000 high frequency spoken words for basic fluency This is around 90 of the spoken language
Words found in textbooks and vocabulary lists become less and less relevant the higher your level Donrsquot rely on them too much
Once yoursquove got a foundation of common vocabulary yoursquoll have the ability to start consuming more engaging content suited to your personal interests
KEY POINTS
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT SUPPORTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
13
LEARN WORDS THE3
Rote learning doesnrsquot work
RIGHT WAY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Speaking a language fluently is essentially just remembering the
right words at the right time Here are the most efficient and enjoyable
ways to truly acquire new Chinese words so they are always there for
you when you need them
USE SRS (SPACED REPETITION SOFTWARE) SRS prevents you from forgetting what yoursquove learned in the most
efficient and rewarding way possible Despite having a bit of a learning
curve Anki is definitely the best choice of SRS because you can make
your own flashcards although shared decks are also available There
are a bunch of web and mobile language learning apps that use SRS-
powered flashcards
Our huge video curriculum The Mandarin Blueprint Method provides
you with over 7000 flashcards to learn how to read understand write
and speak the most common 1000 Chinese words Check it out here
THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT SRS
1 Set realistic goals The more new cards you do the more reviews
will build up Be careful not to over-do it
2 Finish your reviews every day The algorithm can only guarantee
90-95 retention if you finish your reviews every day
3 SRS is not a learning tool itrsquos a reviewing tool Learn the word first
then use SRS to review otherwise you are just rote learning and that
is proven to be ineffective (and incredibly boring)
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
15
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
SO WHATrsquoS THE BEST WAY
TO LEARN A CHINESE WORD
LEARN CHARACTERS
Make sure to make learning characters a part of your daily study routine
ldquoBut hey I want to learn speaking I donrsquot care about the characters Irsquoll
learn them later if at allrdquo While this is an understandable response itrsquos a
trap that slows you down in the long run To speak fluently you need
vocabulary To get vocabulary you need to read and listen a lot To
read you need characters
LEARN WORDS IN CONTEXT
The first step towards learning a word is to learn itrsquos definition However
this is the equivalent of shaking someonersquos hand and learning their
name Thatrsquos it See that person several more times in different contexts
and yoursquoll really get to know them Words need context to truly become
part of your vocabulary
To truly acquire a word you need to see that word in a sentence and
depending on the complexity of the word you will need to see it in
several contexts many times before it can be fully acquired and used
Find at least one sentence for each usage of the word in question and
make a flashcard Here are some quick tips regarding sentences and
sentence flashcards
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
16
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will first need to get at least a couple of hundred of the most
common words under your belt before being ready to start reading
sentences
Sentences should be 4-9 words in length on average Long enough
to show a decent level of context and demonstrate a grammatical
structure or two but not so long that it becomes too hard to focus on
a single concept
Your sentences should be informal so they can be applicable to real
life
Just reading sentences is a good start but using the ldquocloze deleterdquo
function with anki (shown below) or wwwclozemastercom is
especially effective as it forces you to work a little harder
Add an image or two to sum up the ldquomessagerdquo of the sentence and
create deeper connections to the word(s)
At the time of writing this chapter our favorite resource for finding
Chinese sentences is bingcomdict (pictured left)
Our new course The Mandarin Blueprint Method contains all of the
flashcards and memory techniques you need to learn the most
common 1000 Chinese words Click below to start your free trial
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
17
LEARN MORE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
After starting to review words in sentences move onto the next vital
resourcehellip
GRADED READERS You donrsquot have to wait until yoursquove acquired 1000s of characters and
words before you start reading Not by a long shot You can start
reading articles short stories and podcast transcripts with as little
as 150 characters and words Here are our favorite resources to do so
LINGQ (PICTURED)
LingQ is an aggregated graded reader that has content sourced from all
over the internet including tons of proprietary material Higher level
learners can also import any content they want from elsewhere We are
currently reading A Song of Ice and Fire in Chinese using LingQ and are
addicted to itrsquos incredible functionality The best part about it is that itrsquos
quick look-up feature allows you to read material above your level that
would normally be far too frustrating in book form As if that wasnrsquot good
enough they also have excellent SRS functionality amp the ability to export
words to Anki
THE CHAIRMANrsquoS BAO (TCB)
The Chairmanrsquos Bao have real news articles edited for different HSK
levels (even HSK 1) Yes with only a couple of hundred characters and
words you can be reading real news articles in Chinese This site is being
updated with new fantastic features all the time and has a great app too
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
18
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoYou donrsquot know a person because you know their
name and you donrsquot know a word because you know itrsquos
definitionrdquo- Khatzumoto of ajattcom
19
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
MANDARIN COMPANION
Do you prefer the feel of a real book in your hands These books can be
read with only 300-450 characters under your belt They have a bunch of
classics for lower levels that are still compelling despite being heavily
edited
GO FOR EFFICIENCY To get the most out of that precious hour or two each day that most of
us can spare for language learning make sure you use the following
techniques for maximum return on your time investment
INTERLEAVING
Studies have shown that it is more efficient in the long term to flit
between various different types of content within a study session than to
learn one thing at a time in blocks This is referred to as ldquointerleavingrdquo or
ldquointerleaved learningrdquo Donrsquot spend hours pouring over the same material
mix it up Not only will this be way more engaging yoursquoll also progress
faster
TIMEBOXING
Using timeboxing (also known as ldquoThe Pomodoro Techniquerdquo) will
greatly enhance the efficiency and enjoyment of your study
Traditionally you should study for 25 minutes then rest for 5 minutes
then repeat This means 50 minutes of focused study per hour instead of
15 minutes of study and 45 minutes daydreaming and looking at
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
20
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You can also do all sorts of time-boxes for variety Anywhere from 30
seconds to 25 minutes with 25 minutes being the maximum We love to
combine timeboxing with interleaving working on 2 or 3 different study
resources at a time with really short time-boxes For example a few
minutes on learning characters then reviewing flashcards then listening
to a podcast then resting This turns a study session into a fun game
doing wonders for your motivation
LISTEN WHILE READING
Listening is the easiest and most convenient way of improving learning as
itrsquos hands-free and you can focus on other things while doing it However
if you can read what you hear at the same time the benefits multiply
to be greater than the sum of its parts The reading makes it easier to
understand what you hear and what you hear improves your reading
speed If you choose material either at or slightly above your level and try
this technique out it really feels like yoursquore super-charging your Chinese
ability
SHADOWING
This is a technique made famous by Professor Alexander Arguelles
Shadowing is reading listening and speaking all at the same time Do
it while out and about for best results Just a few minutes a day of this will
improve pronunciation spoken fluency reading and listening
simultaneously We do it almost everyday and it really does speed up the
acquisition process more than anything else wersquove tried Just make sure
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
21
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
you choose a voice to imitate that yoursquod actually like to sound like
(especially when you choose the dialect or gender of the speaker) Herersquos
a video of The prof himself talking about the technique in more detail
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk to you all about how good pronunciation
practice improves your speaking ability listening ability amp even
reading ability plus wersquoll talk about where to find the best
resources to pronounce Chinese like a native speaker
Using spaced repetition is vital for your early days learning Chinese (or any language for that matter)
Learning characters is an unavoidable step in learning Chinese
You must see new words in a sentence before you can acquire them Reading graded readers is even better as it provides more context and engaging topics
Incorporate interleaved learning shadowing and timeboxing into your daily study routine for the most efficient results
KEY POINTS
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
22
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
LEARN PRONUNCIATION4
It will pay off huge dividends later
EARLY AND WELL
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
At Mandarin Blueprint we take pronunciation very seriously This is
mainly because we know first-hand the negative effects of poor
pronunciation instruction
Bad pronunciation slows the development of your listening reading
and speaking ability which is bad enough But by far the most
profoundly painful outcome of poor pronunciation is the damage done
to your lsquolearnerrsquos egorsquo early on When you are misunderstood partially
understood or not at all understood it hurts your confidence You then
associate speaking Chinese with negative emotions and become less
and less willing to start talking Itrsquos a vicious cycle of negativity that we
want you to avoid
HERErsquoS A PROBLEM WE WANT YOU TO HAVE 1 A Chinese person asks you a simple question that you understand
2 You answer the question with simple Chinese but with great
pronunciation
3 The Chinese person listening to you immediately assumes you
speak incredible Chinese and proceeds to unload a litany of
questions and comments
4 After an awkward silence you say 听不不懂 (tīngbudǒng) which
means ldquoI donrsquot understandrdquo
5 The Chinese person laughs asks a few more questions before
realizing you were actually serious Awkwardness intensifies
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
24
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
THE SKINNY ON MANDARIN PRONUNCIATION If you want excellent spoken Chinese you first need to be completely
aware of how to produce understand and read all of the sounds of the
language Some people can do all this naturally by ear with very little
training Unfortunately the law of averages states that you are most likely
not in this group Sorry -(
Not to worry though With only 409 different-sounding syllables (1200 if
you include tones) Chinese has relatively little to learn in terms of
pronunciation especially when compared to the 16000+ syllables of
English There are however many challenging and potentially confusing
aspects to Chinese pronunciation which means that you can learn what
you need to know about pronunciation in a relatively short time but you
need high quality expert guidance and study materials to do it
TUTORS ARENrsquoT ALWAYS THE WAY TO GO If you want to learn pronunciation it seems like a logical decision would
be to look for a tutor right Unfortunately most teachers do not have
the knowledge or experience to teach you Chinese pronunciation
well But why is this Well theyrsquove spoken mandarin since they can
remember right They have no frame of reference for comparing tongue
positions or vowel aspiration to English so how could they explain it to a
foreigner How would they know what it feels like to learn Mandarin
pronunciation as an adult
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
25
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe first thing I have to do to erase my french accent is to believe itrsquos actually possiblerdquo
- Marion Cotillard
26
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
There are fantastic tutors out there who can teach you pronunciation
properly but they can be like finding a needle in a haystack Not to
mention with the hourly rates you are likely to rack up hundreds of
dollars in fees for average results
INTRODUCING ldquoPRONUNCIATION MASTERYrdquo Wersquove been training our clients on pronunciation through live sessions of
our Pronunciation Mastery course for 2 years now and the results have
been fantastic Wersquove now finally finished transforming it into an 8 hour
video course that will teach you everything you need to know about
Chinese pronunciation all from the unique perspective of us Two
Chinese learners who made the journey ourselves from beginner to
advanced fluency This is all delivered using HD video crystal clear
explanations supported with slick design over a thousand multimedia
SRS flashcards over 80 PDFs amp native audio for reference and review
Wersquove put our hearts and souls into this course along with our extensive
experience and feedback from live teaching over the past 2 years Plus
itrsquos already helped hundreds of Chinese learners around the world Itrsquos
the video course we would have wanted when we were starting out
with Mandarin
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
27
CHECK IT OUT
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
NEXT TIME Wersquoll dive into the topic of Chinese tutors Wersquoll be
sharing with you where to find the best free and paid tutors how
to work with them in the most efficient and fun way possible
Pronunciation is the vital first stage for learning any language
Bad pronunciation affects all other areas of your Chinese skill but most importantly it hurts your confidence
Compared to English there is much less to learn to master Chinese pronunciation
Chinese teachers rarely have the training and experience necessary to teach you pronunciation properly
Mandarin Blueprintrsquos ldquoPronunciation Masteryrdquo course has everything you need to develop great pronunciation quickly and cheaply Check it out today
KEY POINTS
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
28
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
USE TUTORS
Connect with them regularly
EFFECTIVELY
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will notice that this is way down the list of tips for speaking like a
native speaker Thatrsquos because it actually isnrsquot the highest priority straight
away at least not anymore The sheer number of resources available
to you as a Chinese learner today means that you can do most things
you need to do on your own without a tutor As avid Chinese learners
ourselves we can both attest to this fact However a tutor is an
absolutely vital part of your journey to spoken fluency and to get the
most out of them you need to know how to work with them
First off what is a tutor for exactly Itrsquos not as obvious an answer as you
may think Understandably most people get a tutor straight from the
beginning hoping to receive all the materials and guidance they need
to make them fluent and literate in Chinese This is a lot to expect of
anyone let alone someone who never actually learned Chinese as a
second language So what are reasonable expectations to have then
THE ROLE OF A CHINESE TUTOR 1) FOR ACTIVATING PASSIVE VOCABULARY
Go into a session and try to use the words yoursquove been learning through
listening and reading Focus on steering the conversation to topics
you find meaningful and interesting Agree on these topics in advance
A good tutor is a good communicator someone who can speak to you
in a way they know you understand and ask you the right questions to
keep a conversation going Push your limits of what you know and ask a
lot of questions on how to use any words you arenrsquot sure about
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
30
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WHICH WORDS SHOULD YOU LEARN Like most people when starting to learn Chinese we went straight for
textbooks not knowing what else to do We were soon bored senseless
by them never able to make it halfway though one before dropping it
for something else Later we realized our boredom stemmed from
many of the words being too advanced andor irrelevant for that vital
early stage There was little in the way of real life application for the
content One textbook even had tang dynasty poems in it You did not
read that incorrectly Tang dynasty poems in a beginner textbook Sigh
The thing is you donrsquot need that many words to be able to
communicate on a fairly wide variety of topics (ie basic fluency) The
most common 1000 spoken words make up around 90 of spoken
Chinese (or any language really) and should therefore be your main
focus from the get-go As these words become part of your active
vocabulary you will be able to access more and more content that suits
your interests and this is when your progress will really start to take off
HOW TO FIND A GOOD WORD LIST Itrsquos actually a lot harder than you might think to find a good word list for
Chinese spoken words as frequency is usually determined by scanning
written documents The same even goes for those in the HSK exam
(Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) vocabulary lists The lower levels are ok but
generally the more advanced your level the less relevant the
vocabulary tends to become The lower levels (levels 1-3) of the HSK
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
10
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe journey of a thousand miles begins with a single steprdquo
- Laozi
11
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
arenrsquot that bad although they do have a lot of written vocabulary
peppered in throughout Not to worry though here are a few ways you
can get started
1 Here is a spoken frequency list based on TV and movie subtitles
2 Check out Gabriel Wynerrsquos base vocabulary list of 625 words that
apply to any language Wersquore great supporters of his work
3 Here are the HSK vocabulary lists Like we said the earlier levels (1-3)
are ok for spoken vocabulary
After yoursquove started the process of getting the first 1000 or so words into
your active vocabulary you will be able to learn less common written and
spoken words by consuming engaging content more suited to your
personal goals and interests But how best to acquire these words in
the first place This will be explained in detail in the next chapter
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk all about HOW to truly acquire any words
you need QUICKLY without forgetting them Wersquoll go through
many resources you can access instantly online to do this and
walk you through how to use them effectively On top of that wersquoll
share with you the favorite study techniques used by top
language learners that will supercharge your acquisition
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
12
4 Our new course ldquoThe Mandarin Blueprint Methodrdquo covers the most
common 1500 characters and 4000 words Check it out
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You only need around 1000 high frequency spoken words for basic fluency This is around 90 of the spoken language
Words found in textbooks and vocabulary lists become less and less relevant the higher your level Donrsquot rely on them too much
Once yoursquove got a foundation of common vocabulary yoursquoll have the ability to start consuming more engaging content suited to your personal interests
KEY POINTS
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT SUPPORTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
13
LEARN WORDS THE3
Rote learning doesnrsquot work
RIGHT WAY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Speaking a language fluently is essentially just remembering the
right words at the right time Here are the most efficient and enjoyable
ways to truly acquire new Chinese words so they are always there for
you when you need them
USE SRS (SPACED REPETITION SOFTWARE) SRS prevents you from forgetting what yoursquove learned in the most
efficient and rewarding way possible Despite having a bit of a learning
curve Anki is definitely the best choice of SRS because you can make
your own flashcards although shared decks are also available There
are a bunch of web and mobile language learning apps that use SRS-
powered flashcards
Our huge video curriculum The Mandarin Blueprint Method provides
you with over 7000 flashcards to learn how to read understand write
and speak the most common 1000 Chinese words Check it out here
THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT SRS
1 Set realistic goals The more new cards you do the more reviews
will build up Be careful not to over-do it
2 Finish your reviews every day The algorithm can only guarantee
90-95 retention if you finish your reviews every day
3 SRS is not a learning tool itrsquos a reviewing tool Learn the word first
then use SRS to review otherwise you are just rote learning and that
is proven to be ineffective (and incredibly boring)
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
15
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
SO WHATrsquoS THE BEST WAY
TO LEARN A CHINESE WORD
LEARN CHARACTERS
Make sure to make learning characters a part of your daily study routine
ldquoBut hey I want to learn speaking I donrsquot care about the characters Irsquoll
learn them later if at allrdquo While this is an understandable response itrsquos a
trap that slows you down in the long run To speak fluently you need
vocabulary To get vocabulary you need to read and listen a lot To
read you need characters
LEARN WORDS IN CONTEXT
The first step towards learning a word is to learn itrsquos definition However
this is the equivalent of shaking someonersquos hand and learning their
name Thatrsquos it See that person several more times in different contexts
and yoursquoll really get to know them Words need context to truly become
part of your vocabulary
To truly acquire a word you need to see that word in a sentence and
depending on the complexity of the word you will need to see it in
several contexts many times before it can be fully acquired and used
Find at least one sentence for each usage of the word in question and
make a flashcard Here are some quick tips regarding sentences and
sentence flashcards
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
16
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will first need to get at least a couple of hundred of the most
common words under your belt before being ready to start reading
sentences
Sentences should be 4-9 words in length on average Long enough
to show a decent level of context and demonstrate a grammatical
structure or two but not so long that it becomes too hard to focus on
a single concept
Your sentences should be informal so they can be applicable to real
life
Just reading sentences is a good start but using the ldquocloze deleterdquo
function with anki (shown below) or wwwclozemastercom is
especially effective as it forces you to work a little harder
Add an image or two to sum up the ldquomessagerdquo of the sentence and
create deeper connections to the word(s)
At the time of writing this chapter our favorite resource for finding
Chinese sentences is bingcomdict (pictured left)
Our new course The Mandarin Blueprint Method contains all of the
flashcards and memory techniques you need to learn the most
common 1000 Chinese words Click below to start your free trial
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
17
LEARN MORE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
After starting to review words in sentences move onto the next vital
resourcehellip
GRADED READERS You donrsquot have to wait until yoursquove acquired 1000s of characters and
words before you start reading Not by a long shot You can start
reading articles short stories and podcast transcripts with as little
as 150 characters and words Here are our favorite resources to do so
LINGQ (PICTURED)
LingQ is an aggregated graded reader that has content sourced from all
over the internet including tons of proprietary material Higher level
learners can also import any content they want from elsewhere We are
currently reading A Song of Ice and Fire in Chinese using LingQ and are
addicted to itrsquos incredible functionality The best part about it is that itrsquos
quick look-up feature allows you to read material above your level that
would normally be far too frustrating in book form As if that wasnrsquot good
enough they also have excellent SRS functionality amp the ability to export
words to Anki
THE CHAIRMANrsquoS BAO (TCB)
The Chairmanrsquos Bao have real news articles edited for different HSK
levels (even HSK 1) Yes with only a couple of hundred characters and
words you can be reading real news articles in Chinese This site is being
updated with new fantastic features all the time and has a great app too
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
18
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoYou donrsquot know a person because you know their
name and you donrsquot know a word because you know itrsquos
definitionrdquo- Khatzumoto of ajattcom
19
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
MANDARIN COMPANION
Do you prefer the feel of a real book in your hands These books can be
read with only 300-450 characters under your belt They have a bunch of
classics for lower levels that are still compelling despite being heavily
edited
GO FOR EFFICIENCY To get the most out of that precious hour or two each day that most of
us can spare for language learning make sure you use the following
techniques for maximum return on your time investment
INTERLEAVING
Studies have shown that it is more efficient in the long term to flit
between various different types of content within a study session than to
learn one thing at a time in blocks This is referred to as ldquointerleavingrdquo or
ldquointerleaved learningrdquo Donrsquot spend hours pouring over the same material
mix it up Not only will this be way more engaging yoursquoll also progress
faster
TIMEBOXING
Using timeboxing (also known as ldquoThe Pomodoro Techniquerdquo) will
greatly enhance the efficiency and enjoyment of your study
Traditionally you should study for 25 minutes then rest for 5 minutes
then repeat This means 50 minutes of focused study per hour instead of
15 minutes of study and 45 minutes daydreaming and looking at
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
20
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You can also do all sorts of time-boxes for variety Anywhere from 30
seconds to 25 minutes with 25 minutes being the maximum We love to
combine timeboxing with interleaving working on 2 or 3 different study
resources at a time with really short time-boxes For example a few
minutes on learning characters then reviewing flashcards then listening
to a podcast then resting This turns a study session into a fun game
doing wonders for your motivation
LISTEN WHILE READING
Listening is the easiest and most convenient way of improving learning as
itrsquos hands-free and you can focus on other things while doing it However
if you can read what you hear at the same time the benefits multiply
to be greater than the sum of its parts The reading makes it easier to
understand what you hear and what you hear improves your reading
speed If you choose material either at or slightly above your level and try
this technique out it really feels like yoursquore super-charging your Chinese
ability
SHADOWING
This is a technique made famous by Professor Alexander Arguelles
Shadowing is reading listening and speaking all at the same time Do
it while out and about for best results Just a few minutes a day of this will
improve pronunciation spoken fluency reading and listening
simultaneously We do it almost everyday and it really does speed up the
acquisition process more than anything else wersquove tried Just make sure
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
21
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
you choose a voice to imitate that yoursquod actually like to sound like
(especially when you choose the dialect or gender of the speaker) Herersquos
a video of The prof himself talking about the technique in more detail
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk to you all about how good pronunciation
practice improves your speaking ability listening ability amp even
reading ability plus wersquoll talk about where to find the best
resources to pronounce Chinese like a native speaker
Using spaced repetition is vital for your early days learning Chinese (or any language for that matter)
Learning characters is an unavoidable step in learning Chinese
You must see new words in a sentence before you can acquire them Reading graded readers is even better as it provides more context and engaging topics
Incorporate interleaved learning shadowing and timeboxing into your daily study routine for the most efficient results
KEY POINTS
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
22
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
LEARN PRONUNCIATION4
It will pay off huge dividends later
EARLY AND WELL
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
At Mandarin Blueprint we take pronunciation very seriously This is
mainly because we know first-hand the negative effects of poor
pronunciation instruction
Bad pronunciation slows the development of your listening reading
and speaking ability which is bad enough But by far the most
profoundly painful outcome of poor pronunciation is the damage done
to your lsquolearnerrsquos egorsquo early on When you are misunderstood partially
understood or not at all understood it hurts your confidence You then
associate speaking Chinese with negative emotions and become less
and less willing to start talking Itrsquos a vicious cycle of negativity that we
want you to avoid
HERErsquoS A PROBLEM WE WANT YOU TO HAVE 1 A Chinese person asks you a simple question that you understand
2 You answer the question with simple Chinese but with great
pronunciation
3 The Chinese person listening to you immediately assumes you
speak incredible Chinese and proceeds to unload a litany of
questions and comments
4 After an awkward silence you say 听不不懂 (tīngbudǒng) which
means ldquoI donrsquot understandrdquo
5 The Chinese person laughs asks a few more questions before
realizing you were actually serious Awkwardness intensifies
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
24
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
THE SKINNY ON MANDARIN PRONUNCIATION If you want excellent spoken Chinese you first need to be completely
aware of how to produce understand and read all of the sounds of the
language Some people can do all this naturally by ear with very little
training Unfortunately the law of averages states that you are most likely
not in this group Sorry -(
Not to worry though With only 409 different-sounding syllables (1200 if
you include tones) Chinese has relatively little to learn in terms of
pronunciation especially when compared to the 16000+ syllables of
English There are however many challenging and potentially confusing
aspects to Chinese pronunciation which means that you can learn what
you need to know about pronunciation in a relatively short time but you
need high quality expert guidance and study materials to do it
TUTORS ARENrsquoT ALWAYS THE WAY TO GO If you want to learn pronunciation it seems like a logical decision would
be to look for a tutor right Unfortunately most teachers do not have
the knowledge or experience to teach you Chinese pronunciation
well But why is this Well theyrsquove spoken mandarin since they can
remember right They have no frame of reference for comparing tongue
positions or vowel aspiration to English so how could they explain it to a
foreigner How would they know what it feels like to learn Mandarin
pronunciation as an adult
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
25
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe first thing I have to do to erase my french accent is to believe itrsquos actually possiblerdquo
- Marion Cotillard
26
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
There are fantastic tutors out there who can teach you pronunciation
properly but they can be like finding a needle in a haystack Not to
mention with the hourly rates you are likely to rack up hundreds of
dollars in fees for average results
INTRODUCING ldquoPRONUNCIATION MASTERYrdquo Wersquove been training our clients on pronunciation through live sessions of
our Pronunciation Mastery course for 2 years now and the results have
been fantastic Wersquove now finally finished transforming it into an 8 hour
video course that will teach you everything you need to know about
Chinese pronunciation all from the unique perspective of us Two
Chinese learners who made the journey ourselves from beginner to
advanced fluency This is all delivered using HD video crystal clear
explanations supported with slick design over a thousand multimedia
SRS flashcards over 80 PDFs amp native audio for reference and review
Wersquove put our hearts and souls into this course along with our extensive
experience and feedback from live teaching over the past 2 years Plus
itrsquos already helped hundreds of Chinese learners around the world Itrsquos
the video course we would have wanted when we were starting out
with Mandarin
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
27
CHECK IT OUT
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
NEXT TIME Wersquoll dive into the topic of Chinese tutors Wersquoll be
sharing with you where to find the best free and paid tutors how
to work with them in the most efficient and fun way possible
Pronunciation is the vital first stage for learning any language
Bad pronunciation affects all other areas of your Chinese skill but most importantly it hurts your confidence
Compared to English there is much less to learn to master Chinese pronunciation
Chinese teachers rarely have the training and experience necessary to teach you pronunciation properly
Mandarin Blueprintrsquos ldquoPronunciation Masteryrdquo course has everything you need to develop great pronunciation quickly and cheaply Check it out today
KEY POINTS
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
28
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
USE TUTORS
Connect with them regularly
EFFECTIVELY
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will notice that this is way down the list of tips for speaking like a
native speaker Thatrsquos because it actually isnrsquot the highest priority straight
away at least not anymore The sheer number of resources available
to you as a Chinese learner today means that you can do most things
you need to do on your own without a tutor As avid Chinese learners
ourselves we can both attest to this fact However a tutor is an
absolutely vital part of your journey to spoken fluency and to get the
most out of them you need to know how to work with them
First off what is a tutor for exactly Itrsquos not as obvious an answer as you
may think Understandably most people get a tutor straight from the
beginning hoping to receive all the materials and guidance they need
to make them fluent and literate in Chinese This is a lot to expect of
anyone let alone someone who never actually learned Chinese as a
second language So what are reasonable expectations to have then
THE ROLE OF A CHINESE TUTOR 1) FOR ACTIVATING PASSIVE VOCABULARY
Go into a session and try to use the words yoursquove been learning through
listening and reading Focus on steering the conversation to topics
you find meaningful and interesting Agree on these topics in advance
A good tutor is a good communicator someone who can speak to you
in a way they know you understand and ask you the right questions to
keep a conversation going Push your limits of what you know and ask a
lot of questions on how to use any words you arenrsquot sure about
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
30
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe journey of a thousand miles begins with a single steprdquo
- Laozi
11
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
arenrsquot that bad although they do have a lot of written vocabulary
peppered in throughout Not to worry though here are a few ways you
can get started
1 Here is a spoken frequency list based on TV and movie subtitles
2 Check out Gabriel Wynerrsquos base vocabulary list of 625 words that
apply to any language Wersquore great supporters of his work
3 Here are the HSK vocabulary lists Like we said the earlier levels (1-3)
are ok for spoken vocabulary
After yoursquove started the process of getting the first 1000 or so words into
your active vocabulary you will be able to learn less common written and
spoken words by consuming engaging content more suited to your
personal goals and interests But how best to acquire these words in
the first place This will be explained in detail in the next chapter
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk all about HOW to truly acquire any words
you need QUICKLY without forgetting them Wersquoll go through
many resources you can access instantly online to do this and
walk you through how to use them effectively On top of that wersquoll
share with you the favorite study techniques used by top
language learners that will supercharge your acquisition
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
12
4 Our new course ldquoThe Mandarin Blueprint Methodrdquo covers the most
common 1500 characters and 4000 words Check it out
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You only need around 1000 high frequency spoken words for basic fluency This is around 90 of the spoken language
Words found in textbooks and vocabulary lists become less and less relevant the higher your level Donrsquot rely on them too much
Once yoursquove got a foundation of common vocabulary yoursquoll have the ability to start consuming more engaging content suited to your personal interests
KEY POINTS
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT SUPPORTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
13
LEARN WORDS THE3
Rote learning doesnrsquot work
RIGHT WAY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Speaking a language fluently is essentially just remembering the
right words at the right time Here are the most efficient and enjoyable
ways to truly acquire new Chinese words so they are always there for
you when you need them
USE SRS (SPACED REPETITION SOFTWARE) SRS prevents you from forgetting what yoursquove learned in the most
efficient and rewarding way possible Despite having a bit of a learning
curve Anki is definitely the best choice of SRS because you can make
your own flashcards although shared decks are also available There
are a bunch of web and mobile language learning apps that use SRS-
powered flashcards
Our huge video curriculum The Mandarin Blueprint Method provides
you with over 7000 flashcards to learn how to read understand write
and speak the most common 1000 Chinese words Check it out here
THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT SRS
1 Set realistic goals The more new cards you do the more reviews
will build up Be careful not to over-do it
2 Finish your reviews every day The algorithm can only guarantee
90-95 retention if you finish your reviews every day
3 SRS is not a learning tool itrsquos a reviewing tool Learn the word first
then use SRS to review otherwise you are just rote learning and that
is proven to be ineffective (and incredibly boring)
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
15
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
SO WHATrsquoS THE BEST WAY
TO LEARN A CHINESE WORD
LEARN CHARACTERS
Make sure to make learning characters a part of your daily study routine
ldquoBut hey I want to learn speaking I donrsquot care about the characters Irsquoll
learn them later if at allrdquo While this is an understandable response itrsquos a
trap that slows you down in the long run To speak fluently you need
vocabulary To get vocabulary you need to read and listen a lot To
read you need characters
LEARN WORDS IN CONTEXT
The first step towards learning a word is to learn itrsquos definition However
this is the equivalent of shaking someonersquos hand and learning their
name Thatrsquos it See that person several more times in different contexts
and yoursquoll really get to know them Words need context to truly become
part of your vocabulary
To truly acquire a word you need to see that word in a sentence and
depending on the complexity of the word you will need to see it in
several contexts many times before it can be fully acquired and used
Find at least one sentence for each usage of the word in question and
make a flashcard Here are some quick tips regarding sentences and
sentence flashcards
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
16
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will first need to get at least a couple of hundred of the most
common words under your belt before being ready to start reading
sentences
Sentences should be 4-9 words in length on average Long enough
to show a decent level of context and demonstrate a grammatical
structure or two but not so long that it becomes too hard to focus on
a single concept
Your sentences should be informal so they can be applicable to real
life
Just reading sentences is a good start but using the ldquocloze deleterdquo
function with anki (shown below) or wwwclozemastercom is
especially effective as it forces you to work a little harder
Add an image or two to sum up the ldquomessagerdquo of the sentence and
create deeper connections to the word(s)
At the time of writing this chapter our favorite resource for finding
Chinese sentences is bingcomdict (pictured left)
Our new course The Mandarin Blueprint Method contains all of the
flashcards and memory techniques you need to learn the most
common 1000 Chinese words Click below to start your free trial
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
17
LEARN MORE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
After starting to review words in sentences move onto the next vital
resourcehellip
GRADED READERS You donrsquot have to wait until yoursquove acquired 1000s of characters and
words before you start reading Not by a long shot You can start
reading articles short stories and podcast transcripts with as little
as 150 characters and words Here are our favorite resources to do so
LINGQ (PICTURED)
LingQ is an aggregated graded reader that has content sourced from all
over the internet including tons of proprietary material Higher level
learners can also import any content they want from elsewhere We are
currently reading A Song of Ice and Fire in Chinese using LingQ and are
addicted to itrsquos incredible functionality The best part about it is that itrsquos
quick look-up feature allows you to read material above your level that
would normally be far too frustrating in book form As if that wasnrsquot good
enough they also have excellent SRS functionality amp the ability to export
words to Anki
THE CHAIRMANrsquoS BAO (TCB)
The Chairmanrsquos Bao have real news articles edited for different HSK
levels (even HSK 1) Yes with only a couple of hundred characters and
words you can be reading real news articles in Chinese This site is being
updated with new fantastic features all the time and has a great app too
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
18
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoYou donrsquot know a person because you know their
name and you donrsquot know a word because you know itrsquos
definitionrdquo- Khatzumoto of ajattcom
19
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
MANDARIN COMPANION
Do you prefer the feel of a real book in your hands These books can be
read with only 300-450 characters under your belt They have a bunch of
classics for lower levels that are still compelling despite being heavily
edited
GO FOR EFFICIENCY To get the most out of that precious hour or two each day that most of
us can spare for language learning make sure you use the following
techniques for maximum return on your time investment
INTERLEAVING
Studies have shown that it is more efficient in the long term to flit
between various different types of content within a study session than to
learn one thing at a time in blocks This is referred to as ldquointerleavingrdquo or
ldquointerleaved learningrdquo Donrsquot spend hours pouring over the same material
mix it up Not only will this be way more engaging yoursquoll also progress
faster
TIMEBOXING
Using timeboxing (also known as ldquoThe Pomodoro Techniquerdquo) will
greatly enhance the efficiency and enjoyment of your study
Traditionally you should study for 25 minutes then rest for 5 minutes
then repeat This means 50 minutes of focused study per hour instead of
15 minutes of study and 45 minutes daydreaming and looking at
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
20
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You can also do all sorts of time-boxes for variety Anywhere from 30
seconds to 25 minutes with 25 minutes being the maximum We love to
combine timeboxing with interleaving working on 2 or 3 different study
resources at a time with really short time-boxes For example a few
minutes on learning characters then reviewing flashcards then listening
to a podcast then resting This turns a study session into a fun game
doing wonders for your motivation
LISTEN WHILE READING
Listening is the easiest and most convenient way of improving learning as
itrsquos hands-free and you can focus on other things while doing it However
if you can read what you hear at the same time the benefits multiply
to be greater than the sum of its parts The reading makes it easier to
understand what you hear and what you hear improves your reading
speed If you choose material either at or slightly above your level and try
this technique out it really feels like yoursquore super-charging your Chinese
ability
SHADOWING
This is a technique made famous by Professor Alexander Arguelles
Shadowing is reading listening and speaking all at the same time Do
it while out and about for best results Just a few minutes a day of this will
improve pronunciation spoken fluency reading and listening
simultaneously We do it almost everyday and it really does speed up the
acquisition process more than anything else wersquove tried Just make sure
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
21
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
you choose a voice to imitate that yoursquod actually like to sound like
(especially when you choose the dialect or gender of the speaker) Herersquos
a video of The prof himself talking about the technique in more detail
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk to you all about how good pronunciation
practice improves your speaking ability listening ability amp even
reading ability plus wersquoll talk about where to find the best
resources to pronounce Chinese like a native speaker
Using spaced repetition is vital for your early days learning Chinese (or any language for that matter)
Learning characters is an unavoidable step in learning Chinese
You must see new words in a sentence before you can acquire them Reading graded readers is even better as it provides more context and engaging topics
Incorporate interleaved learning shadowing and timeboxing into your daily study routine for the most efficient results
KEY POINTS
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
22
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
LEARN PRONUNCIATION4
It will pay off huge dividends later
EARLY AND WELL
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
At Mandarin Blueprint we take pronunciation very seriously This is
mainly because we know first-hand the negative effects of poor
pronunciation instruction
Bad pronunciation slows the development of your listening reading
and speaking ability which is bad enough But by far the most
profoundly painful outcome of poor pronunciation is the damage done
to your lsquolearnerrsquos egorsquo early on When you are misunderstood partially
understood or not at all understood it hurts your confidence You then
associate speaking Chinese with negative emotions and become less
and less willing to start talking Itrsquos a vicious cycle of negativity that we
want you to avoid
HERErsquoS A PROBLEM WE WANT YOU TO HAVE 1 A Chinese person asks you a simple question that you understand
2 You answer the question with simple Chinese but with great
pronunciation
3 The Chinese person listening to you immediately assumes you
speak incredible Chinese and proceeds to unload a litany of
questions and comments
4 After an awkward silence you say 听不不懂 (tīngbudǒng) which
means ldquoI donrsquot understandrdquo
5 The Chinese person laughs asks a few more questions before
realizing you were actually serious Awkwardness intensifies
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
24
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
THE SKINNY ON MANDARIN PRONUNCIATION If you want excellent spoken Chinese you first need to be completely
aware of how to produce understand and read all of the sounds of the
language Some people can do all this naturally by ear with very little
training Unfortunately the law of averages states that you are most likely
not in this group Sorry -(
Not to worry though With only 409 different-sounding syllables (1200 if
you include tones) Chinese has relatively little to learn in terms of
pronunciation especially when compared to the 16000+ syllables of
English There are however many challenging and potentially confusing
aspects to Chinese pronunciation which means that you can learn what
you need to know about pronunciation in a relatively short time but you
need high quality expert guidance and study materials to do it
TUTORS ARENrsquoT ALWAYS THE WAY TO GO If you want to learn pronunciation it seems like a logical decision would
be to look for a tutor right Unfortunately most teachers do not have
the knowledge or experience to teach you Chinese pronunciation
well But why is this Well theyrsquove spoken mandarin since they can
remember right They have no frame of reference for comparing tongue
positions or vowel aspiration to English so how could they explain it to a
foreigner How would they know what it feels like to learn Mandarin
pronunciation as an adult
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
25
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe first thing I have to do to erase my french accent is to believe itrsquos actually possiblerdquo
- Marion Cotillard
26
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
There are fantastic tutors out there who can teach you pronunciation
properly but they can be like finding a needle in a haystack Not to
mention with the hourly rates you are likely to rack up hundreds of
dollars in fees for average results
INTRODUCING ldquoPRONUNCIATION MASTERYrdquo Wersquove been training our clients on pronunciation through live sessions of
our Pronunciation Mastery course for 2 years now and the results have
been fantastic Wersquove now finally finished transforming it into an 8 hour
video course that will teach you everything you need to know about
Chinese pronunciation all from the unique perspective of us Two
Chinese learners who made the journey ourselves from beginner to
advanced fluency This is all delivered using HD video crystal clear
explanations supported with slick design over a thousand multimedia
SRS flashcards over 80 PDFs amp native audio for reference and review
Wersquove put our hearts and souls into this course along with our extensive
experience and feedback from live teaching over the past 2 years Plus
itrsquos already helped hundreds of Chinese learners around the world Itrsquos
the video course we would have wanted when we were starting out
with Mandarin
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
27
CHECK IT OUT
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
NEXT TIME Wersquoll dive into the topic of Chinese tutors Wersquoll be
sharing with you where to find the best free and paid tutors how
to work with them in the most efficient and fun way possible
Pronunciation is the vital first stage for learning any language
Bad pronunciation affects all other areas of your Chinese skill but most importantly it hurts your confidence
Compared to English there is much less to learn to master Chinese pronunciation
Chinese teachers rarely have the training and experience necessary to teach you pronunciation properly
Mandarin Blueprintrsquos ldquoPronunciation Masteryrdquo course has everything you need to develop great pronunciation quickly and cheaply Check it out today
KEY POINTS
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
28
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
USE TUTORS
Connect with them regularly
EFFECTIVELY
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will notice that this is way down the list of tips for speaking like a
native speaker Thatrsquos because it actually isnrsquot the highest priority straight
away at least not anymore The sheer number of resources available
to you as a Chinese learner today means that you can do most things
you need to do on your own without a tutor As avid Chinese learners
ourselves we can both attest to this fact However a tutor is an
absolutely vital part of your journey to spoken fluency and to get the
most out of them you need to know how to work with them
First off what is a tutor for exactly Itrsquos not as obvious an answer as you
may think Understandably most people get a tutor straight from the
beginning hoping to receive all the materials and guidance they need
to make them fluent and literate in Chinese This is a lot to expect of
anyone let alone someone who never actually learned Chinese as a
second language So what are reasonable expectations to have then
THE ROLE OF A CHINESE TUTOR 1) FOR ACTIVATING PASSIVE VOCABULARY
Go into a session and try to use the words yoursquove been learning through
listening and reading Focus on steering the conversation to topics
you find meaningful and interesting Agree on these topics in advance
A good tutor is a good communicator someone who can speak to you
in a way they know you understand and ask you the right questions to
keep a conversation going Push your limits of what you know and ask a
lot of questions on how to use any words you arenrsquot sure about
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
30
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
arenrsquot that bad although they do have a lot of written vocabulary
peppered in throughout Not to worry though here are a few ways you
can get started
1 Here is a spoken frequency list based on TV and movie subtitles
2 Check out Gabriel Wynerrsquos base vocabulary list of 625 words that
apply to any language Wersquore great supporters of his work
3 Here are the HSK vocabulary lists Like we said the earlier levels (1-3)
are ok for spoken vocabulary
After yoursquove started the process of getting the first 1000 or so words into
your active vocabulary you will be able to learn less common written and
spoken words by consuming engaging content more suited to your
personal goals and interests But how best to acquire these words in
the first place This will be explained in detail in the next chapter
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk all about HOW to truly acquire any words
you need QUICKLY without forgetting them Wersquoll go through
many resources you can access instantly online to do this and
walk you through how to use them effectively On top of that wersquoll
share with you the favorite study techniques used by top
language learners that will supercharge your acquisition
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
12
4 Our new course ldquoThe Mandarin Blueprint Methodrdquo covers the most
common 1500 characters and 4000 words Check it out
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You only need around 1000 high frequency spoken words for basic fluency This is around 90 of the spoken language
Words found in textbooks and vocabulary lists become less and less relevant the higher your level Donrsquot rely on them too much
Once yoursquove got a foundation of common vocabulary yoursquoll have the ability to start consuming more engaging content suited to your personal interests
KEY POINTS
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT SUPPORTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
13
LEARN WORDS THE3
Rote learning doesnrsquot work
RIGHT WAY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Speaking a language fluently is essentially just remembering the
right words at the right time Here are the most efficient and enjoyable
ways to truly acquire new Chinese words so they are always there for
you when you need them
USE SRS (SPACED REPETITION SOFTWARE) SRS prevents you from forgetting what yoursquove learned in the most
efficient and rewarding way possible Despite having a bit of a learning
curve Anki is definitely the best choice of SRS because you can make
your own flashcards although shared decks are also available There
are a bunch of web and mobile language learning apps that use SRS-
powered flashcards
Our huge video curriculum The Mandarin Blueprint Method provides
you with over 7000 flashcards to learn how to read understand write
and speak the most common 1000 Chinese words Check it out here
THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT SRS
1 Set realistic goals The more new cards you do the more reviews
will build up Be careful not to over-do it
2 Finish your reviews every day The algorithm can only guarantee
90-95 retention if you finish your reviews every day
3 SRS is not a learning tool itrsquos a reviewing tool Learn the word first
then use SRS to review otherwise you are just rote learning and that
is proven to be ineffective (and incredibly boring)
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
15
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
SO WHATrsquoS THE BEST WAY
TO LEARN A CHINESE WORD
LEARN CHARACTERS
Make sure to make learning characters a part of your daily study routine
ldquoBut hey I want to learn speaking I donrsquot care about the characters Irsquoll
learn them later if at allrdquo While this is an understandable response itrsquos a
trap that slows you down in the long run To speak fluently you need
vocabulary To get vocabulary you need to read and listen a lot To
read you need characters
LEARN WORDS IN CONTEXT
The first step towards learning a word is to learn itrsquos definition However
this is the equivalent of shaking someonersquos hand and learning their
name Thatrsquos it See that person several more times in different contexts
and yoursquoll really get to know them Words need context to truly become
part of your vocabulary
To truly acquire a word you need to see that word in a sentence and
depending on the complexity of the word you will need to see it in
several contexts many times before it can be fully acquired and used
Find at least one sentence for each usage of the word in question and
make a flashcard Here are some quick tips regarding sentences and
sentence flashcards
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
16
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will first need to get at least a couple of hundred of the most
common words under your belt before being ready to start reading
sentences
Sentences should be 4-9 words in length on average Long enough
to show a decent level of context and demonstrate a grammatical
structure or two but not so long that it becomes too hard to focus on
a single concept
Your sentences should be informal so they can be applicable to real
life
Just reading sentences is a good start but using the ldquocloze deleterdquo
function with anki (shown below) or wwwclozemastercom is
especially effective as it forces you to work a little harder
Add an image or two to sum up the ldquomessagerdquo of the sentence and
create deeper connections to the word(s)
At the time of writing this chapter our favorite resource for finding
Chinese sentences is bingcomdict (pictured left)
Our new course The Mandarin Blueprint Method contains all of the
flashcards and memory techniques you need to learn the most
common 1000 Chinese words Click below to start your free trial
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
17
LEARN MORE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
After starting to review words in sentences move onto the next vital
resourcehellip
GRADED READERS You donrsquot have to wait until yoursquove acquired 1000s of characters and
words before you start reading Not by a long shot You can start
reading articles short stories and podcast transcripts with as little
as 150 characters and words Here are our favorite resources to do so
LINGQ (PICTURED)
LingQ is an aggregated graded reader that has content sourced from all
over the internet including tons of proprietary material Higher level
learners can also import any content they want from elsewhere We are
currently reading A Song of Ice and Fire in Chinese using LingQ and are
addicted to itrsquos incredible functionality The best part about it is that itrsquos
quick look-up feature allows you to read material above your level that
would normally be far too frustrating in book form As if that wasnrsquot good
enough they also have excellent SRS functionality amp the ability to export
words to Anki
THE CHAIRMANrsquoS BAO (TCB)
The Chairmanrsquos Bao have real news articles edited for different HSK
levels (even HSK 1) Yes with only a couple of hundred characters and
words you can be reading real news articles in Chinese This site is being
updated with new fantastic features all the time and has a great app too
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
18
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoYou donrsquot know a person because you know their
name and you donrsquot know a word because you know itrsquos
definitionrdquo- Khatzumoto of ajattcom
19
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
MANDARIN COMPANION
Do you prefer the feel of a real book in your hands These books can be
read with only 300-450 characters under your belt They have a bunch of
classics for lower levels that are still compelling despite being heavily
edited
GO FOR EFFICIENCY To get the most out of that precious hour or two each day that most of
us can spare for language learning make sure you use the following
techniques for maximum return on your time investment
INTERLEAVING
Studies have shown that it is more efficient in the long term to flit
between various different types of content within a study session than to
learn one thing at a time in blocks This is referred to as ldquointerleavingrdquo or
ldquointerleaved learningrdquo Donrsquot spend hours pouring over the same material
mix it up Not only will this be way more engaging yoursquoll also progress
faster
TIMEBOXING
Using timeboxing (also known as ldquoThe Pomodoro Techniquerdquo) will
greatly enhance the efficiency and enjoyment of your study
Traditionally you should study for 25 minutes then rest for 5 minutes
then repeat This means 50 minutes of focused study per hour instead of
15 minutes of study and 45 minutes daydreaming and looking at
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
20
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You can also do all sorts of time-boxes for variety Anywhere from 30
seconds to 25 minutes with 25 minutes being the maximum We love to
combine timeboxing with interleaving working on 2 or 3 different study
resources at a time with really short time-boxes For example a few
minutes on learning characters then reviewing flashcards then listening
to a podcast then resting This turns a study session into a fun game
doing wonders for your motivation
LISTEN WHILE READING
Listening is the easiest and most convenient way of improving learning as
itrsquos hands-free and you can focus on other things while doing it However
if you can read what you hear at the same time the benefits multiply
to be greater than the sum of its parts The reading makes it easier to
understand what you hear and what you hear improves your reading
speed If you choose material either at or slightly above your level and try
this technique out it really feels like yoursquore super-charging your Chinese
ability
SHADOWING
This is a technique made famous by Professor Alexander Arguelles
Shadowing is reading listening and speaking all at the same time Do
it while out and about for best results Just a few minutes a day of this will
improve pronunciation spoken fluency reading and listening
simultaneously We do it almost everyday and it really does speed up the
acquisition process more than anything else wersquove tried Just make sure
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
21
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
you choose a voice to imitate that yoursquod actually like to sound like
(especially when you choose the dialect or gender of the speaker) Herersquos
a video of The prof himself talking about the technique in more detail
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk to you all about how good pronunciation
practice improves your speaking ability listening ability amp even
reading ability plus wersquoll talk about where to find the best
resources to pronounce Chinese like a native speaker
Using spaced repetition is vital for your early days learning Chinese (or any language for that matter)
Learning characters is an unavoidable step in learning Chinese
You must see new words in a sentence before you can acquire them Reading graded readers is even better as it provides more context and engaging topics
Incorporate interleaved learning shadowing and timeboxing into your daily study routine for the most efficient results
KEY POINTS
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
22
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
LEARN PRONUNCIATION4
It will pay off huge dividends later
EARLY AND WELL
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
At Mandarin Blueprint we take pronunciation very seriously This is
mainly because we know first-hand the negative effects of poor
pronunciation instruction
Bad pronunciation slows the development of your listening reading
and speaking ability which is bad enough But by far the most
profoundly painful outcome of poor pronunciation is the damage done
to your lsquolearnerrsquos egorsquo early on When you are misunderstood partially
understood or not at all understood it hurts your confidence You then
associate speaking Chinese with negative emotions and become less
and less willing to start talking Itrsquos a vicious cycle of negativity that we
want you to avoid
HERErsquoS A PROBLEM WE WANT YOU TO HAVE 1 A Chinese person asks you a simple question that you understand
2 You answer the question with simple Chinese but with great
pronunciation
3 The Chinese person listening to you immediately assumes you
speak incredible Chinese and proceeds to unload a litany of
questions and comments
4 After an awkward silence you say 听不不懂 (tīngbudǒng) which
means ldquoI donrsquot understandrdquo
5 The Chinese person laughs asks a few more questions before
realizing you were actually serious Awkwardness intensifies
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
24
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
THE SKINNY ON MANDARIN PRONUNCIATION If you want excellent spoken Chinese you first need to be completely
aware of how to produce understand and read all of the sounds of the
language Some people can do all this naturally by ear with very little
training Unfortunately the law of averages states that you are most likely
not in this group Sorry -(
Not to worry though With only 409 different-sounding syllables (1200 if
you include tones) Chinese has relatively little to learn in terms of
pronunciation especially when compared to the 16000+ syllables of
English There are however many challenging and potentially confusing
aspects to Chinese pronunciation which means that you can learn what
you need to know about pronunciation in a relatively short time but you
need high quality expert guidance and study materials to do it
TUTORS ARENrsquoT ALWAYS THE WAY TO GO If you want to learn pronunciation it seems like a logical decision would
be to look for a tutor right Unfortunately most teachers do not have
the knowledge or experience to teach you Chinese pronunciation
well But why is this Well theyrsquove spoken mandarin since they can
remember right They have no frame of reference for comparing tongue
positions or vowel aspiration to English so how could they explain it to a
foreigner How would they know what it feels like to learn Mandarin
pronunciation as an adult
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
25
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe first thing I have to do to erase my french accent is to believe itrsquos actually possiblerdquo
- Marion Cotillard
26
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
There are fantastic tutors out there who can teach you pronunciation
properly but they can be like finding a needle in a haystack Not to
mention with the hourly rates you are likely to rack up hundreds of
dollars in fees for average results
INTRODUCING ldquoPRONUNCIATION MASTERYrdquo Wersquove been training our clients on pronunciation through live sessions of
our Pronunciation Mastery course for 2 years now and the results have
been fantastic Wersquove now finally finished transforming it into an 8 hour
video course that will teach you everything you need to know about
Chinese pronunciation all from the unique perspective of us Two
Chinese learners who made the journey ourselves from beginner to
advanced fluency This is all delivered using HD video crystal clear
explanations supported with slick design over a thousand multimedia
SRS flashcards over 80 PDFs amp native audio for reference and review
Wersquove put our hearts and souls into this course along with our extensive
experience and feedback from live teaching over the past 2 years Plus
itrsquos already helped hundreds of Chinese learners around the world Itrsquos
the video course we would have wanted when we were starting out
with Mandarin
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
27
CHECK IT OUT
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
NEXT TIME Wersquoll dive into the topic of Chinese tutors Wersquoll be
sharing with you where to find the best free and paid tutors how
to work with them in the most efficient and fun way possible
Pronunciation is the vital first stage for learning any language
Bad pronunciation affects all other areas of your Chinese skill but most importantly it hurts your confidence
Compared to English there is much less to learn to master Chinese pronunciation
Chinese teachers rarely have the training and experience necessary to teach you pronunciation properly
Mandarin Blueprintrsquos ldquoPronunciation Masteryrdquo course has everything you need to develop great pronunciation quickly and cheaply Check it out today
KEY POINTS
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
28
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
USE TUTORS
Connect with them regularly
EFFECTIVELY
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will notice that this is way down the list of tips for speaking like a
native speaker Thatrsquos because it actually isnrsquot the highest priority straight
away at least not anymore The sheer number of resources available
to you as a Chinese learner today means that you can do most things
you need to do on your own without a tutor As avid Chinese learners
ourselves we can both attest to this fact However a tutor is an
absolutely vital part of your journey to spoken fluency and to get the
most out of them you need to know how to work with them
First off what is a tutor for exactly Itrsquos not as obvious an answer as you
may think Understandably most people get a tutor straight from the
beginning hoping to receive all the materials and guidance they need
to make them fluent and literate in Chinese This is a lot to expect of
anyone let alone someone who never actually learned Chinese as a
second language So what are reasonable expectations to have then
THE ROLE OF A CHINESE TUTOR 1) FOR ACTIVATING PASSIVE VOCABULARY
Go into a session and try to use the words yoursquove been learning through
listening and reading Focus on steering the conversation to topics
you find meaningful and interesting Agree on these topics in advance
A good tutor is a good communicator someone who can speak to you
in a way they know you understand and ask you the right questions to
keep a conversation going Push your limits of what you know and ask a
lot of questions on how to use any words you arenrsquot sure about
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
30
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You only need around 1000 high frequency spoken words for basic fluency This is around 90 of the spoken language
Words found in textbooks and vocabulary lists become less and less relevant the higher your level Donrsquot rely on them too much
Once yoursquove got a foundation of common vocabulary yoursquoll have the ability to start consuming more engaging content suited to your personal interests
KEY POINTS
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT SUPPORTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
2LEARN THERIGHT WORDS
13
LEARN WORDS THE3
Rote learning doesnrsquot work
RIGHT WAY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Speaking a language fluently is essentially just remembering the
right words at the right time Here are the most efficient and enjoyable
ways to truly acquire new Chinese words so they are always there for
you when you need them
USE SRS (SPACED REPETITION SOFTWARE) SRS prevents you from forgetting what yoursquove learned in the most
efficient and rewarding way possible Despite having a bit of a learning
curve Anki is definitely the best choice of SRS because you can make
your own flashcards although shared decks are also available There
are a bunch of web and mobile language learning apps that use SRS-
powered flashcards
Our huge video curriculum The Mandarin Blueprint Method provides
you with over 7000 flashcards to learn how to read understand write
and speak the most common 1000 Chinese words Check it out here
THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT SRS
1 Set realistic goals The more new cards you do the more reviews
will build up Be careful not to over-do it
2 Finish your reviews every day The algorithm can only guarantee
90-95 retention if you finish your reviews every day
3 SRS is not a learning tool itrsquos a reviewing tool Learn the word first
then use SRS to review otherwise you are just rote learning and that
is proven to be ineffective (and incredibly boring)
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
15
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
SO WHATrsquoS THE BEST WAY
TO LEARN A CHINESE WORD
LEARN CHARACTERS
Make sure to make learning characters a part of your daily study routine
ldquoBut hey I want to learn speaking I donrsquot care about the characters Irsquoll
learn them later if at allrdquo While this is an understandable response itrsquos a
trap that slows you down in the long run To speak fluently you need
vocabulary To get vocabulary you need to read and listen a lot To
read you need characters
LEARN WORDS IN CONTEXT
The first step towards learning a word is to learn itrsquos definition However
this is the equivalent of shaking someonersquos hand and learning their
name Thatrsquos it See that person several more times in different contexts
and yoursquoll really get to know them Words need context to truly become
part of your vocabulary
To truly acquire a word you need to see that word in a sentence and
depending on the complexity of the word you will need to see it in
several contexts many times before it can be fully acquired and used
Find at least one sentence for each usage of the word in question and
make a flashcard Here are some quick tips regarding sentences and
sentence flashcards
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
16
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will first need to get at least a couple of hundred of the most
common words under your belt before being ready to start reading
sentences
Sentences should be 4-9 words in length on average Long enough
to show a decent level of context and demonstrate a grammatical
structure or two but not so long that it becomes too hard to focus on
a single concept
Your sentences should be informal so they can be applicable to real
life
Just reading sentences is a good start but using the ldquocloze deleterdquo
function with anki (shown below) or wwwclozemastercom is
especially effective as it forces you to work a little harder
Add an image or two to sum up the ldquomessagerdquo of the sentence and
create deeper connections to the word(s)
At the time of writing this chapter our favorite resource for finding
Chinese sentences is bingcomdict (pictured left)
Our new course The Mandarin Blueprint Method contains all of the
flashcards and memory techniques you need to learn the most
common 1000 Chinese words Click below to start your free trial
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
17
LEARN MORE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
After starting to review words in sentences move onto the next vital
resourcehellip
GRADED READERS You donrsquot have to wait until yoursquove acquired 1000s of characters and
words before you start reading Not by a long shot You can start
reading articles short stories and podcast transcripts with as little
as 150 characters and words Here are our favorite resources to do so
LINGQ (PICTURED)
LingQ is an aggregated graded reader that has content sourced from all
over the internet including tons of proprietary material Higher level
learners can also import any content they want from elsewhere We are
currently reading A Song of Ice and Fire in Chinese using LingQ and are
addicted to itrsquos incredible functionality The best part about it is that itrsquos
quick look-up feature allows you to read material above your level that
would normally be far too frustrating in book form As if that wasnrsquot good
enough they also have excellent SRS functionality amp the ability to export
words to Anki
THE CHAIRMANrsquoS BAO (TCB)
The Chairmanrsquos Bao have real news articles edited for different HSK
levels (even HSK 1) Yes with only a couple of hundred characters and
words you can be reading real news articles in Chinese This site is being
updated with new fantastic features all the time and has a great app too
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
18
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoYou donrsquot know a person because you know their
name and you donrsquot know a word because you know itrsquos
definitionrdquo- Khatzumoto of ajattcom
19
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
MANDARIN COMPANION
Do you prefer the feel of a real book in your hands These books can be
read with only 300-450 characters under your belt They have a bunch of
classics for lower levels that are still compelling despite being heavily
edited
GO FOR EFFICIENCY To get the most out of that precious hour or two each day that most of
us can spare for language learning make sure you use the following
techniques for maximum return on your time investment
INTERLEAVING
Studies have shown that it is more efficient in the long term to flit
between various different types of content within a study session than to
learn one thing at a time in blocks This is referred to as ldquointerleavingrdquo or
ldquointerleaved learningrdquo Donrsquot spend hours pouring over the same material
mix it up Not only will this be way more engaging yoursquoll also progress
faster
TIMEBOXING
Using timeboxing (also known as ldquoThe Pomodoro Techniquerdquo) will
greatly enhance the efficiency and enjoyment of your study
Traditionally you should study for 25 minutes then rest for 5 minutes
then repeat This means 50 minutes of focused study per hour instead of
15 minutes of study and 45 minutes daydreaming and looking at
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
20
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You can also do all sorts of time-boxes for variety Anywhere from 30
seconds to 25 minutes with 25 minutes being the maximum We love to
combine timeboxing with interleaving working on 2 or 3 different study
resources at a time with really short time-boxes For example a few
minutes on learning characters then reviewing flashcards then listening
to a podcast then resting This turns a study session into a fun game
doing wonders for your motivation
LISTEN WHILE READING
Listening is the easiest and most convenient way of improving learning as
itrsquos hands-free and you can focus on other things while doing it However
if you can read what you hear at the same time the benefits multiply
to be greater than the sum of its parts The reading makes it easier to
understand what you hear and what you hear improves your reading
speed If you choose material either at or slightly above your level and try
this technique out it really feels like yoursquore super-charging your Chinese
ability
SHADOWING
This is a technique made famous by Professor Alexander Arguelles
Shadowing is reading listening and speaking all at the same time Do
it while out and about for best results Just a few minutes a day of this will
improve pronunciation spoken fluency reading and listening
simultaneously We do it almost everyday and it really does speed up the
acquisition process more than anything else wersquove tried Just make sure
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
21
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
you choose a voice to imitate that yoursquod actually like to sound like
(especially when you choose the dialect or gender of the speaker) Herersquos
a video of The prof himself talking about the technique in more detail
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk to you all about how good pronunciation
practice improves your speaking ability listening ability amp even
reading ability plus wersquoll talk about where to find the best
resources to pronounce Chinese like a native speaker
Using spaced repetition is vital for your early days learning Chinese (or any language for that matter)
Learning characters is an unavoidable step in learning Chinese
You must see new words in a sentence before you can acquire them Reading graded readers is even better as it provides more context and engaging topics
Incorporate interleaved learning shadowing and timeboxing into your daily study routine for the most efficient results
KEY POINTS
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
22
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
LEARN PRONUNCIATION4
It will pay off huge dividends later
EARLY AND WELL
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
At Mandarin Blueprint we take pronunciation very seriously This is
mainly because we know first-hand the negative effects of poor
pronunciation instruction
Bad pronunciation slows the development of your listening reading
and speaking ability which is bad enough But by far the most
profoundly painful outcome of poor pronunciation is the damage done
to your lsquolearnerrsquos egorsquo early on When you are misunderstood partially
understood or not at all understood it hurts your confidence You then
associate speaking Chinese with negative emotions and become less
and less willing to start talking Itrsquos a vicious cycle of negativity that we
want you to avoid
HERErsquoS A PROBLEM WE WANT YOU TO HAVE 1 A Chinese person asks you a simple question that you understand
2 You answer the question with simple Chinese but with great
pronunciation
3 The Chinese person listening to you immediately assumes you
speak incredible Chinese and proceeds to unload a litany of
questions and comments
4 After an awkward silence you say 听不不懂 (tīngbudǒng) which
means ldquoI donrsquot understandrdquo
5 The Chinese person laughs asks a few more questions before
realizing you were actually serious Awkwardness intensifies
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
24
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
THE SKINNY ON MANDARIN PRONUNCIATION If you want excellent spoken Chinese you first need to be completely
aware of how to produce understand and read all of the sounds of the
language Some people can do all this naturally by ear with very little
training Unfortunately the law of averages states that you are most likely
not in this group Sorry -(
Not to worry though With only 409 different-sounding syllables (1200 if
you include tones) Chinese has relatively little to learn in terms of
pronunciation especially when compared to the 16000+ syllables of
English There are however many challenging and potentially confusing
aspects to Chinese pronunciation which means that you can learn what
you need to know about pronunciation in a relatively short time but you
need high quality expert guidance and study materials to do it
TUTORS ARENrsquoT ALWAYS THE WAY TO GO If you want to learn pronunciation it seems like a logical decision would
be to look for a tutor right Unfortunately most teachers do not have
the knowledge or experience to teach you Chinese pronunciation
well But why is this Well theyrsquove spoken mandarin since they can
remember right They have no frame of reference for comparing tongue
positions or vowel aspiration to English so how could they explain it to a
foreigner How would they know what it feels like to learn Mandarin
pronunciation as an adult
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
25
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe first thing I have to do to erase my french accent is to believe itrsquos actually possiblerdquo
- Marion Cotillard
26
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
There are fantastic tutors out there who can teach you pronunciation
properly but they can be like finding a needle in a haystack Not to
mention with the hourly rates you are likely to rack up hundreds of
dollars in fees for average results
INTRODUCING ldquoPRONUNCIATION MASTERYrdquo Wersquove been training our clients on pronunciation through live sessions of
our Pronunciation Mastery course for 2 years now and the results have
been fantastic Wersquove now finally finished transforming it into an 8 hour
video course that will teach you everything you need to know about
Chinese pronunciation all from the unique perspective of us Two
Chinese learners who made the journey ourselves from beginner to
advanced fluency This is all delivered using HD video crystal clear
explanations supported with slick design over a thousand multimedia
SRS flashcards over 80 PDFs amp native audio for reference and review
Wersquove put our hearts and souls into this course along with our extensive
experience and feedback from live teaching over the past 2 years Plus
itrsquos already helped hundreds of Chinese learners around the world Itrsquos
the video course we would have wanted when we were starting out
with Mandarin
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
27
CHECK IT OUT
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
NEXT TIME Wersquoll dive into the topic of Chinese tutors Wersquoll be
sharing with you where to find the best free and paid tutors how
to work with them in the most efficient and fun way possible
Pronunciation is the vital first stage for learning any language
Bad pronunciation affects all other areas of your Chinese skill but most importantly it hurts your confidence
Compared to English there is much less to learn to master Chinese pronunciation
Chinese teachers rarely have the training and experience necessary to teach you pronunciation properly
Mandarin Blueprintrsquos ldquoPronunciation Masteryrdquo course has everything you need to develop great pronunciation quickly and cheaply Check it out today
KEY POINTS
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
28
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
USE TUTORS
Connect with them regularly
EFFECTIVELY
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will notice that this is way down the list of tips for speaking like a
native speaker Thatrsquos because it actually isnrsquot the highest priority straight
away at least not anymore The sheer number of resources available
to you as a Chinese learner today means that you can do most things
you need to do on your own without a tutor As avid Chinese learners
ourselves we can both attest to this fact However a tutor is an
absolutely vital part of your journey to spoken fluency and to get the
most out of them you need to know how to work with them
First off what is a tutor for exactly Itrsquos not as obvious an answer as you
may think Understandably most people get a tutor straight from the
beginning hoping to receive all the materials and guidance they need
to make them fluent and literate in Chinese This is a lot to expect of
anyone let alone someone who never actually learned Chinese as a
second language So what are reasonable expectations to have then
THE ROLE OF A CHINESE TUTOR 1) FOR ACTIVATING PASSIVE VOCABULARY
Go into a session and try to use the words yoursquove been learning through
listening and reading Focus on steering the conversation to topics
you find meaningful and interesting Agree on these topics in advance
A good tutor is a good communicator someone who can speak to you
in a way they know you understand and ask you the right questions to
keep a conversation going Push your limits of what you know and ask a
lot of questions on how to use any words you arenrsquot sure about
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
30
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
LEARN WORDS THE3
Rote learning doesnrsquot work
RIGHT WAY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Speaking a language fluently is essentially just remembering the
right words at the right time Here are the most efficient and enjoyable
ways to truly acquire new Chinese words so they are always there for
you when you need them
USE SRS (SPACED REPETITION SOFTWARE) SRS prevents you from forgetting what yoursquove learned in the most
efficient and rewarding way possible Despite having a bit of a learning
curve Anki is definitely the best choice of SRS because you can make
your own flashcards although shared decks are also available There
are a bunch of web and mobile language learning apps that use SRS-
powered flashcards
Our huge video curriculum The Mandarin Blueprint Method provides
you with over 7000 flashcards to learn how to read understand write
and speak the most common 1000 Chinese words Check it out here
THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT SRS
1 Set realistic goals The more new cards you do the more reviews
will build up Be careful not to over-do it
2 Finish your reviews every day The algorithm can only guarantee
90-95 retention if you finish your reviews every day
3 SRS is not a learning tool itrsquos a reviewing tool Learn the word first
then use SRS to review otherwise you are just rote learning and that
is proven to be ineffective (and incredibly boring)
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
15
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
SO WHATrsquoS THE BEST WAY
TO LEARN A CHINESE WORD
LEARN CHARACTERS
Make sure to make learning characters a part of your daily study routine
ldquoBut hey I want to learn speaking I donrsquot care about the characters Irsquoll
learn them later if at allrdquo While this is an understandable response itrsquos a
trap that slows you down in the long run To speak fluently you need
vocabulary To get vocabulary you need to read and listen a lot To
read you need characters
LEARN WORDS IN CONTEXT
The first step towards learning a word is to learn itrsquos definition However
this is the equivalent of shaking someonersquos hand and learning their
name Thatrsquos it See that person several more times in different contexts
and yoursquoll really get to know them Words need context to truly become
part of your vocabulary
To truly acquire a word you need to see that word in a sentence and
depending on the complexity of the word you will need to see it in
several contexts many times before it can be fully acquired and used
Find at least one sentence for each usage of the word in question and
make a flashcard Here are some quick tips regarding sentences and
sentence flashcards
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
16
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will first need to get at least a couple of hundred of the most
common words under your belt before being ready to start reading
sentences
Sentences should be 4-9 words in length on average Long enough
to show a decent level of context and demonstrate a grammatical
structure or two but not so long that it becomes too hard to focus on
a single concept
Your sentences should be informal so they can be applicable to real
life
Just reading sentences is a good start but using the ldquocloze deleterdquo
function with anki (shown below) or wwwclozemastercom is
especially effective as it forces you to work a little harder
Add an image or two to sum up the ldquomessagerdquo of the sentence and
create deeper connections to the word(s)
At the time of writing this chapter our favorite resource for finding
Chinese sentences is bingcomdict (pictured left)
Our new course The Mandarin Blueprint Method contains all of the
flashcards and memory techniques you need to learn the most
common 1000 Chinese words Click below to start your free trial
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
17
LEARN MORE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
After starting to review words in sentences move onto the next vital
resourcehellip
GRADED READERS You donrsquot have to wait until yoursquove acquired 1000s of characters and
words before you start reading Not by a long shot You can start
reading articles short stories and podcast transcripts with as little
as 150 characters and words Here are our favorite resources to do so
LINGQ (PICTURED)
LingQ is an aggregated graded reader that has content sourced from all
over the internet including tons of proprietary material Higher level
learners can also import any content they want from elsewhere We are
currently reading A Song of Ice and Fire in Chinese using LingQ and are
addicted to itrsquos incredible functionality The best part about it is that itrsquos
quick look-up feature allows you to read material above your level that
would normally be far too frustrating in book form As if that wasnrsquot good
enough they also have excellent SRS functionality amp the ability to export
words to Anki
THE CHAIRMANrsquoS BAO (TCB)
The Chairmanrsquos Bao have real news articles edited for different HSK
levels (even HSK 1) Yes with only a couple of hundred characters and
words you can be reading real news articles in Chinese This site is being
updated with new fantastic features all the time and has a great app too
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
18
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoYou donrsquot know a person because you know their
name and you donrsquot know a word because you know itrsquos
definitionrdquo- Khatzumoto of ajattcom
19
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
MANDARIN COMPANION
Do you prefer the feel of a real book in your hands These books can be
read with only 300-450 characters under your belt They have a bunch of
classics for lower levels that are still compelling despite being heavily
edited
GO FOR EFFICIENCY To get the most out of that precious hour or two each day that most of
us can spare for language learning make sure you use the following
techniques for maximum return on your time investment
INTERLEAVING
Studies have shown that it is more efficient in the long term to flit
between various different types of content within a study session than to
learn one thing at a time in blocks This is referred to as ldquointerleavingrdquo or
ldquointerleaved learningrdquo Donrsquot spend hours pouring over the same material
mix it up Not only will this be way more engaging yoursquoll also progress
faster
TIMEBOXING
Using timeboxing (also known as ldquoThe Pomodoro Techniquerdquo) will
greatly enhance the efficiency and enjoyment of your study
Traditionally you should study for 25 minutes then rest for 5 minutes
then repeat This means 50 minutes of focused study per hour instead of
15 minutes of study and 45 minutes daydreaming and looking at
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
20
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You can also do all sorts of time-boxes for variety Anywhere from 30
seconds to 25 minutes with 25 minutes being the maximum We love to
combine timeboxing with interleaving working on 2 or 3 different study
resources at a time with really short time-boxes For example a few
minutes on learning characters then reviewing flashcards then listening
to a podcast then resting This turns a study session into a fun game
doing wonders for your motivation
LISTEN WHILE READING
Listening is the easiest and most convenient way of improving learning as
itrsquos hands-free and you can focus on other things while doing it However
if you can read what you hear at the same time the benefits multiply
to be greater than the sum of its parts The reading makes it easier to
understand what you hear and what you hear improves your reading
speed If you choose material either at or slightly above your level and try
this technique out it really feels like yoursquore super-charging your Chinese
ability
SHADOWING
This is a technique made famous by Professor Alexander Arguelles
Shadowing is reading listening and speaking all at the same time Do
it while out and about for best results Just a few minutes a day of this will
improve pronunciation spoken fluency reading and listening
simultaneously We do it almost everyday and it really does speed up the
acquisition process more than anything else wersquove tried Just make sure
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
21
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
you choose a voice to imitate that yoursquod actually like to sound like
(especially when you choose the dialect or gender of the speaker) Herersquos
a video of The prof himself talking about the technique in more detail
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk to you all about how good pronunciation
practice improves your speaking ability listening ability amp even
reading ability plus wersquoll talk about where to find the best
resources to pronounce Chinese like a native speaker
Using spaced repetition is vital for your early days learning Chinese (or any language for that matter)
Learning characters is an unavoidable step in learning Chinese
You must see new words in a sentence before you can acquire them Reading graded readers is even better as it provides more context and engaging topics
Incorporate interleaved learning shadowing and timeboxing into your daily study routine for the most efficient results
KEY POINTS
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
22
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
LEARN PRONUNCIATION4
It will pay off huge dividends later
EARLY AND WELL
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
At Mandarin Blueprint we take pronunciation very seriously This is
mainly because we know first-hand the negative effects of poor
pronunciation instruction
Bad pronunciation slows the development of your listening reading
and speaking ability which is bad enough But by far the most
profoundly painful outcome of poor pronunciation is the damage done
to your lsquolearnerrsquos egorsquo early on When you are misunderstood partially
understood or not at all understood it hurts your confidence You then
associate speaking Chinese with negative emotions and become less
and less willing to start talking Itrsquos a vicious cycle of negativity that we
want you to avoid
HERErsquoS A PROBLEM WE WANT YOU TO HAVE 1 A Chinese person asks you a simple question that you understand
2 You answer the question with simple Chinese but with great
pronunciation
3 The Chinese person listening to you immediately assumes you
speak incredible Chinese and proceeds to unload a litany of
questions and comments
4 After an awkward silence you say 听不不懂 (tīngbudǒng) which
means ldquoI donrsquot understandrdquo
5 The Chinese person laughs asks a few more questions before
realizing you were actually serious Awkwardness intensifies
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
24
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
THE SKINNY ON MANDARIN PRONUNCIATION If you want excellent spoken Chinese you first need to be completely
aware of how to produce understand and read all of the sounds of the
language Some people can do all this naturally by ear with very little
training Unfortunately the law of averages states that you are most likely
not in this group Sorry -(
Not to worry though With only 409 different-sounding syllables (1200 if
you include tones) Chinese has relatively little to learn in terms of
pronunciation especially when compared to the 16000+ syllables of
English There are however many challenging and potentially confusing
aspects to Chinese pronunciation which means that you can learn what
you need to know about pronunciation in a relatively short time but you
need high quality expert guidance and study materials to do it
TUTORS ARENrsquoT ALWAYS THE WAY TO GO If you want to learn pronunciation it seems like a logical decision would
be to look for a tutor right Unfortunately most teachers do not have
the knowledge or experience to teach you Chinese pronunciation
well But why is this Well theyrsquove spoken mandarin since they can
remember right They have no frame of reference for comparing tongue
positions or vowel aspiration to English so how could they explain it to a
foreigner How would they know what it feels like to learn Mandarin
pronunciation as an adult
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
25
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe first thing I have to do to erase my french accent is to believe itrsquos actually possiblerdquo
- Marion Cotillard
26
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
There are fantastic tutors out there who can teach you pronunciation
properly but they can be like finding a needle in a haystack Not to
mention with the hourly rates you are likely to rack up hundreds of
dollars in fees for average results
INTRODUCING ldquoPRONUNCIATION MASTERYrdquo Wersquove been training our clients on pronunciation through live sessions of
our Pronunciation Mastery course for 2 years now and the results have
been fantastic Wersquove now finally finished transforming it into an 8 hour
video course that will teach you everything you need to know about
Chinese pronunciation all from the unique perspective of us Two
Chinese learners who made the journey ourselves from beginner to
advanced fluency This is all delivered using HD video crystal clear
explanations supported with slick design over a thousand multimedia
SRS flashcards over 80 PDFs amp native audio for reference and review
Wersquove put our hearts and souls into this course along with our extensive
experience and feedback from live teaching over the past 2 years Plus
itrsquos already helped hundreds of Chinese learners around the world Itrsquos
the video course we would have wanted when we were starting out
with Mandarin
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
27
CHECK IT OUT
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
NEXT TIME Wersquoll dive into the topic of Chinese tutors Wersquoll be
sharing with you where to find the best free and paid tutors how
to work with them in the most efficient and fun way possible
Pronunciation is the vital first stage for learning any language
Bad pronunciation affects all other areas of your Chinese skill but most importantly it hurts your confidence
Compared to English there is much less to learn to master Chinese pronunciation
Chinese teachers rarely have the training and experience necessary to teach you pronunciation properly
Mandarin Blueprintrsquos ldquoPronunciation Masteryrdquo course has everything you need to develop great pronunciation quickly and cheaply Check it out today
KEY POINTS
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
28
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
USE TUTORS
Connect with them regularly
EFFECTIVELY
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will notice that this is way down the list of tips for speaking like a
native speaker Thatrsquos because it actually isnrsquot the highest priority straight
away at least not anymore The sheer number of resources available
to you as a Chinese learner today means that you can do most things
you need to do on your own without a tutor As avid Chinese learners
ourselves we can both attest to this fact However a tutor is an
absolutely vital part of your journey to spoken fluency and to get the
most out of them you need to know how to work with them
First off what is a tutor for exactly Itrsquos not as obvious an answer as you
may think Understandably most people get a tutor straight from the
beginning hoping to receive all the materials and guidance they need
to make them fluent and literate in Chinese This is a lot to expect of
anyone let alone someone who never actually learned Chinese as a
second language So what are reasonable expectations to have then
THE ROLE OF A CHINESE TUTOR 1) FOR ACTIVATING PASSIVE VOCABULARY
Go into a session and try to use the words yoursquove been learning through
listening and reading Focus on steering the conversation to topics
you find meaningful and interesting Agree on these topics in advance
A good tutor is a good communicator someone who can speak to you
in a way they know you understand and ask you the right questions to
keep a conversation going Push your limits of what you know and ask a
lot of questions on how to use any words you arenrsquot sure about
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
30
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Speaking a language fluently is essentially just remembering the
right words at the right time Here are the most efficient and enjoyable
ways to truly acquire new Chinese words so they are always there for
you when you need them
USE SRS (SPACED REPETITION SOFTWARE) SRS prevents you from forgetting what yoursquove learned in the most
efficient and rewarding way possible Despite having a bit of a learning
curve Anki is definitely the best choice of SRS because you can make
your own flashcards although shared decks are also available There
are a bunch of web and mobile language learning apps that use SRS-
powered flashcards
Our huge video curriculum The Mandarin Blueprint Method provides
you with over 7000 flashcards to learn how to read understand write
and speak the most common 1000 Chinese words Check it out here
THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT SRS
1 Set realistic goals The more new cards you do the more reviews
will build up Be careful not to over-do it
2 Finish your reviews every day The algorithm can only guarantee
90-95 retention if you finish your reviews every day
3 SRS is not a learning tool itrsquos a reviewing tool Learn the word first
then use SRS to review otherwise you are just rote learning and that
is proven to be ineffective (and incredibly boring)
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
15
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
SO WHATrsquoS THE BEST WAY
TO LEARN A CHINESE WORD
LEARN CHARACTERS
Make sure to make learning characters a part of your daily study routine
ldquoBut hey I want to learn speaking I donrsquot care about the characters Irsquoll
learn them later if at allrdquo While this is an understandable response itrsquos a
trap that slows you down in the long run To speak fluently you need
vocabulary To get vocabulary you need to read and listen a lot To
read you need characters
LEARN WORDS IN CONTEXT
The first step towards learning a word is to learn itrsquos definition However
this is the equivalent of shaking someonersquos hand and learning their
name Thatrsquos it See that person several more times in different contexts
and yoursquoll really get to know them Words need context to truly become
part of your vocabulary
To truly acquire a word you need to see that word in a sentence and
depending on the complexity of the word you will need to see it in
several contexts many times before it can be fully acquired and used
Find at least one sentence for each usage of the word in question and
make a flashcard Here are some quick tips regarding sentences and
sentence flashcards
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
16
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will first need to get at least a couple of hundred of the most
common words under your belt before being ready to start reading
sentences
Sentences should be 4-9 words in length on average Long enough
to show a decent level of context and demonstrate a grammatical
structure or two but not so long that it becomes too hard to focus on
a single concept
Your sentences should be informal so they can be applicable to real
life
Just reading sentences is a good start but using the ldquocloze deleterdquo
function with anki (shown below) or wwwclozemastercom is
especially effective as it forces you to work a little harder
Add an image or two to sum up the ldquomessagerdquo of the sentence and
create deeper connections to the word(s)
At the time of writing this chapter our favorite resource for finding
Chinese sentences is bingcomdict (pictured left)
Our new course The Mandarin Blueprint Method contains all of the
flashcards and memory techniques you need to learn the most
common 1000 Chinese words Click below to start your free trial
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
17
LEARN MORE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
After starting to review words in sentences move onto the next vital
resourcehellip
GRADED READERS You donrsquot have to wait until yoursquove acquired 1000s of characters and
words before you start reading Not by a long shot You can start
reading articles short stories and podcast transcripts with as little
as 150 characters and words Here are our favorite resources to do so
LINGQ (PICTURED)
LingQ is an aggregated graded reader that has content sourced from all
over the internet including tons of proprietary material Higher level
learners can also import any content they want from elsewhere We are
currently reading A Song of Ice and Fire in Chinese using LingQ and are
addicted to itrsquos incredible functionality The best part about it is that itrsquos
quick look-up feature allows you to read material above your level that
would normally be far too frustrating in book form As if that wasnrsquot good
enough they also have excellent SRS functionality amp the ability to export
words to Anki
THE CHAIRMANrsquoS BAO (TCB)
The Chairmanrsquos Bao have real news articles edited for different HSK
levels (even HSK 1) Yes with only a couple of hundred characters and
words you can be reading real news articles in Chinese This site is being
updated with new fantastic features all the time and has a great app too
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
18
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoYou donrsquot know a person because you know their
name and you donrsquot know a word because you know itrsquos
definitionrdquo- Khatzumoto of ajattcom
19
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
MANDARIN COMPANION
Do you prefer the feel of a real book in your hands These books can be
read with only 300-450 characters under your belt They have a bunch of
classics for lower levels that are still compelling despite being heavily
edited
GO FOR EFFICIENCY To get the most out of that precious hour or two each day that most of
us can spare for language learning make sure you use the following
techniques for maximum return on your time investment
INTERLEAVING
Studies have shown that it is more efficient in the long term to flit
between various different types of content within a study session than to
learn one thing at a time in blocks This is referred to as ldquointerleavingrdquo or
ldquointerleaved learningrdquo Donrsquot spend hours pouring over the same material
mix it up Not only will this be way more engaging yoursquoll also progress
faster
TIMEBOXING
Using timeboxing (also known as ldquoThe Pomodoro Techniquerdquo) will
greatly enhance the efficiency and enjoyment of your study
Traditionally you should study for 25 minutes then rest for 5 minutes
then repeat This means 50 minutes of focused study per hour instead of
15 minutes of study and 45 minutes daydreaming and looking at
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
20
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You can also do all sorts of time-boxes for variety Anywhere from 30
seconds to 25 minutes with 25 minutes being the maximum We love to
combine timeboxing with interleaving working on 2 or 3 different study
resources at a time with really short time-boxes For example a few
minutes on learning characters then reviewing flashcards then listening
to a podcast then resting This turns a study session into a fun game
doing wonders for your motivation
LISTEN WHILE READING
Listening is the easiest and most convenient way of improving learning as
itrsquos hands-free and you can focus on other things while doing it However
if you can read what you hear at the same time the benefits multiply
to be greater than the sum of its parts The reading makes it easier to
understand what you hear and what you hear improves your reading
speed If you choose material either at or slightly above your level and try
this technique out it really feels like yoursquore super-charging your Chinese
ability
SHADOWING
This is a technique made famous by Professor Alexander Arguelles
Shadowing is reading listening and speaking all at the same time Do
it while out and about for best results Just a few minutes a day of this will
improve pronunciation spoken fluency reading and listening
simultaneously We do it almost everyday and it really does speed up the
acquisition process more than anything else wersquove tried Just make sure
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
21
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
you choose a voice to imitate that yoursquod actually like to sound like
(especially when you choose the dialect or gender of the speaker) Herersquos
a video of The prof himself talking about the technique in more detail
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk to you all about how good pronunciation
practice improves your speaking ability listening ability amp even
reading ability plus wersquoll talk about where to find the best
resources to pronounce Chinese like a native speaker
Using spaced repetition is vital for your early days learning Chinese (or any language for that matter)
Learning characters is an unavoidable step in learning Chinese
You must see new words in a sentence before you can acquire them Reading graded readers is even better as it provides more context and engaging topics
Incorporate interleaved learning shadowing and timeboxing into your daily study routine for the most efficient results
KEY POINTS
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
22
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
LEARN PRONUNCIATION4
It will pay off huge dividends later
EARLY AND WELL
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
At Mandarin Blueprint we take pronunciation very seriously This is
mainly because we know first-hand the negative effects of poor
pronunciation instruction
Bad pronunciation slows the development of your listening reading
and speaking ability which is bad enough But by far the most
profoundly painful outcome of poor pronunciation is the damage done
to your lsquolearnerrsquos egorsquo early on When you are misunderstood partially
understood or not at all understood it hurts your confidence You then
associate speaking Chinese with negative emotions and become less
and less willing to start talking Itrsquos a vicious cycle of negativity that we
want you to avoid
HERErsquoS A PROBLEM WE WANT YOU TO HAVE 1 A Chinese person asks you a simple question that you understand
2 You answer the question with simple Chinese but with great
pronunciation
3 The Chinese person listening to you immediately assumes you
speak incredible Chinese and proceeds to unload a litany of
questions and comments
4 After an awkward silence you say 听不不懂 (tīngbudǒng) which
means ldquoI donrsquot understandrdquo
5 The Chinese person laughs asks a few more questions before
realizing you were actually serious Awkwardness intensifies
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
24
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
THE SKINNY ON MANDARIN PRONUNCIATION If you want excellent spoken Chinese you first need to be completely
aware of how to produce understand and read all of the sounds of the
language Some people can do all this naturally by ear with very little
training Unfortunately the law of averages states that you are most likely
not in this group Sorry -(
Not to worry though With only 409 different-sounding syllables (1200 if
you include tones) Chinese has relatively little to learn in terms of
pronunciation especially when compared to the 16000+ syllables of
English There are however many challenging and potentially confusing
aspects to Chinese pronunciation which means that you can learn what
you need to know about pronunciation in a relatively short time but you
need high quality expert guidance and study materials to do it
TUTORS ARENrsquoT ALWAYS THE WAY TO GO If you want to learn pronunciation it seems like a logical decision would
be to look for a tutor right Unfortunately most teachers do not have
the knowledge or experience to teach you Chinese pronunciation
well But why is this Well theyrsquove spoken mandarin since they can
remember right They have no frame of reference for comparing tongue
positions or vowel aspiration to English so how could they explain it to a
foreigner How would they know what it feels like to learn Mandarin
pronunciation as an adult
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
25
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe first thing I have to do to erase my french accent is to believe itrsquos actually possiblerdquo
- Marion Cotillard
26
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
There are fantastic tutors out there who can teach you pronunciation
properly but they can be like finding a needle in a haystack Not to
mention with the hourly rates you are likely to rack up hundreds of
dollars in fees for average results
INTRODUCING ldquoPRONUNCIATION MASTERYrdquo Wersquove been training our clients on pronunciation through live sessions of
our Pronunciation Mastery course for 2 years now and the results have
been fantastic Wersquove now finally finished transforming it into an 8 hour
video course that will teach you everything you need to know about
Chinese pronunciation all from the unique perspective of us Two
Chinese learners who made the journey ourselves from beginner to
advanced fluency This is all delivered using HD video crystal clear
explanations supported with slick design over a thousand multimedia
SRS flashcards over 80 PDFs amp native audio for reference and review
Wersquove put our hearts and souls into this course along with our extensive
experience and feedback from live teaching over the past 2 years Plus
itrsquos already helped hundreds of Chinese learners around the world Itrsquos
the video course we would have wanted when we were starting out
with Mandarin
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
27
CHECK IT OUT
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
NEXT TIME Wersquoll dive into the topic of Chinese tutors Wersquoll be
sharing with you where to find the best free and paid tutors how
to work with them in the most efficient and fun way possible
Pronunciation is the vital first stage for learning any language
Bad pronunciation affects all other areas of your Chinese skill but most importantly it hurts your confidence
Compared to English there is much less to learn to master Chinese pronunciation
Chinese teachers rarely have the training and experience necessary to teach you pronunciation properly
Mandarin Blueprintrsquos ldquoPronunciation Masteryrdquo course has everything you need to develop great pronunciation quickly and cheaply Check it out today
KEY POINTS
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
28
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
USE TUTORS
Connect with them regularly
EFFECTIVELY
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will notice that this is way down the list of tips for speaking like a
native speaker Thatrsquos because it actually isnrsquot the highest priority straight
away at least not anymore The sheer number of resources available
to you as a Chinese learner today means that you can do most things
you need to do on your own without a tutor As avid Chinese learners
ourselves we can both attest to this fact However a tutor is an
absolutely vital part of your journey to spoken fluency and to get the
most out of them you need to know how to work with them
First off what is a tutor for exactly Itrsquos not as obvious an answer as you
may think Understandably most people get a tutor straight from the
beginning hoping to receive all the materials and guidance they need
to make them fluent and literate in Chinese This is a lot to expect of
anyone let alone someone who never actually learned Chinese as a
second language So what are reasonable expectations to have then
THE ROLE OF A CHINESE TUTOR 1) FOR ACTIVATING PASSIVE VOCABULARY
Go into a session and try to use the words yoursquove been learning through
listening and reading Focus on steering the conversation to topics
you find meaningful and interesting Agree on these topics in advance
A good tutor is a good communicator someone who can speak to you
in a way they know you understand and ask you the right questions to
keep a conversation going Push your limits of what you know and ask a
lot of questions on how to use any words you arenrsquot sure about
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
30
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
SO WHATrsquoS THE BEST WAY
TO LEARN A CHINESE WORD
LEARN CHARACTERS
Make sure to make learning characters a part of your daily study routine
ldquoBut hey I want to learn speaking I donrsquot care about the characters Irsquoll
learn them later if at allrdquo While this is an understandable response itrsquos a
trap that slows you down in the long run To speak fluently you need
vocabulary To get vocabulary you need to read and listen a lot To
read you need characters
LEARN WORDS IN CONTEXT
The first step towards learning a word is to learn itrsquos definition However
this is the equivalent of shaking someonersquos hand and learning their
name Thatrsquos it See that person several more times in different contexts
and yoursquoll really get to know them Words need context to truly become
part of your vocabulary
To truly acquire a word you need to see that word in a sentence and
depending on the complexity of the word you will need to see it in
several contexts many times before it can be fully acquired and used
Find at least one sentence for each usage of the word in question and
make a flashcard Here are some quick tips regarding sentences and
sentence flashcards
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
16
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will first need to get at least a couple of hundred of the most
common words under your belt before being ready to start reading
sentences
Sentences should be 4-9 words in length on average Long enough
to show a decent level of context and demonstrate a grammatical
structure or two but not so long that it becomes too hard to focus on
a single concept
Your sentences should be informal so they can be applicable to real
life
Just reading sentences is a good start but using the ldquocloze deleterdquo
function with anki (shown below) or wwwclozemastercom is
especially effective as it forces you to work a little harder
Add an image or two to sum up the ldquomessagerdquo of the sentence and
create deeper connections to the word(s)
At the time of writing this chapter our favorite resource for finding
Chinese sentences is bingcomdict (pictured left)
Our new course The Mandarin Blueprint Method contains all of the
flashcards and memory techniques you need to learn the most
common 1000 Chinese words Click below to start your free trial
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
17
LEARN MORE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
After starting to review words in sentences move onto the next vital
resourcehellip
GRADED READERS You donrsquot have to wait until yoursquove acquired 1000s of characters and
words before you start reading Not by a long shot You can start
reading articles short stories and podcast transcripts with as little
as 150 characters and words Here are our favorite resources to do so
LINGQ (PICTURED)
LingQ is an aggregated graded reader that has content sourced from all
over the internet including tons of proprietary material Higher level
learners can also import any content they want from elsewhere We are
currently reading A Song of Ice and Fire in Chinese using LingQ and are
addicted to itrsquos incredible functionality The best part about it is that itrsquos
quick look-up feature allows you to read material above your level that
would normally be far too frustrating in book form As if that wasnrsquot good
enough they also have excellent SRS functionality amp the ability to export
words to Anki
THE CHAIRMANrsquoS BAO (TCB)
The Chairmanrsquos Bao have real news articles edited for different HSK
levels (even HSK 1) Yes with only a couple of hundred characters and
words you can be reading real news articles in Chinese This site is being
updated with new fantastic features all the time and has a great app too
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
18
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoYou donrsquot know a person because you know their
name and you donrsquot know a word because you know itrsquos
definitionrdquo- Khatzumoto of ajattcom
19
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
MANDARIN COMPANION
Do you prefer the feel of a real book in your hands These books can be
read with only 300-450 characters under your belt They have a bunch of
classics for lower levels that are still compelling despite being heavily
edited
GO FOR EFFICIENCY To get the most out of that precious hour or two each day that most of
us can spare for language learning make sure you use the following
techniques for maximum return on your time investment
INTERLEAVING
Studies have shown that it is more efficient in the long term to flit
between various different types of content within a study session than to
learn one thing at a time in blocks This is referred to as ldquointerleavingrdquo or
ldquointerleaved learningrdquo Donrsquot spend hours pouring over the same material
mix it up Not only will this be way more engaging yoursquoll also progress
faster
TIMEBOXING
Using timeboxing (also known as ldquoThe Pomodoro Techniquerdquo) will
greatly enhance the efficiency and enjoyment of your study
Traditionally you should study for 25 minutes then rest for 5 minutes
then repeat This means 50 minutes of focused study per hour instead of
15 minutes of study and 45 minutes daydreaming and looking at
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
20
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You can also do all sorts of time-boxes for variety Anywhere from 30
seconds to 25 minutes with 25 minutes being the maximum We love to
combine timeboxing with interleaving working on 2 or 3 different study
resources at a time with really short time-boxes For example a few
minutes on learning characters then reviewing flashcards then listening
to a podcast then resting This turns a study session into a fun game
doing wonders for your motivation
LISTEN WHILE READING
Listening is the easiest and most convenient way of improving learning as
itrsquos hands-free and you can focus on other things while doing it However
if you can read what you hear at the same time the benefits multiply
to be greater than the sum of its parts The reading makes it easier to
understand what you hear and what you hear improves your reading
speed If you choose material either at or slightly above your level and try
this technique out it really feels like yoursquore super-charging your Chinese
ability
SHADOWING
This is a technique made famous by Professor Alexander Arguelles
Shadowing is reading listening and speaking all at the same time Do
it while out and about for best results Just a few minutes a day of this will
improve pronunciation spoken fluency reading and listening
simultaneously We do it almost everyday and it really does speed up the
acquisition process more than anything else wersquove tried Just make sure
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
21
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
you choose a voice to imitate that yoursquod actually like to sound like
(especially when you choose the dialect or gender of the speaker) Herersquos
a video of The prof himself talking about the technique in more detail
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk to you all about how good pronunciation
practice improves your speaking ability listening ability amp even
reading ability plus wersquoll talk about where to find the best
resources to pronounce Chinese like a native speaker
Using spaced repetition is vital for your early days learning Chinese (or any language for that matter)
Learning characters is an unavoidable step in learning Chinese
You must see new words in a sentence before you can acquire them Reading graded readers is even better as it provides more context and engaging topics
Incorporate interleaved learning shadowing and timeboxing into your daily study routine for the most efficient results
KEY POINTS
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
22
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
LEARN PRONUNCIATION4
It will pay off huge dividends later
EARLY AND WELL
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
At Mandarin Blueprint we take pronunciation very seriously This is
mainly because we know first-hand the negative effects of poor
pronunciation instruction
Bad pronunciation slows the development of your listening reading
and speaking ability which is bad enough But by far the most
profoundly painful outcome of poor pronunciation is the damage done
to your lsquolearnerrsquos egorsquo early on When you are misunderstood partially
understood or not at all understood it hurts your confidence You then
associate speaking Chinese with negative emotions and become less
and less willing to start talking Itrsquos a vicious cycle of negativity that we
want you to avoid
HERErsquoS A PROBLEM WE WANT YOU TO HAVE 1 A Chinese person asks you a simple question that you understand
2 You answer the question with simple Chinese but with great
pronunciation
3 The Chinese person listening to you immediately assumes you
speak incredible Chinese and proceeds to unload a litany of
questions and comments
4 After an awkward silence you say 听不不懂 (tīngbudǒng) which
means ldquoI donrsquot understandrdquo
5 The Chinese person laughs asks a few more questions before
realizing you were actually serious Awkwardness intensifies
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
24
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
THE SKINNY ON MANDARIN PRONUNCIATION If you want excellent spoken Chinese you first need to be completely
aware of how to produce understand and read all of the sounds of the
language Some people can do all this naturally by ear with very little
training Unfortunately the law of averages states that you are most likely
not in this group Sorry -(
Not to worry though With only 409 different-sounding syllables (1200 if
you include tones) Chinese has relatively little to learn in terms of
pronunciation especially when compared to the 16000+ syllables of
English There are however many challenging and potentially confusing
aspects to Chinese pronunciation which means that you can learn what
you need to know about pronunciation in a relatively short time but you
need high quality expert guidance and study materials to do it
TUTORS ARENrsquoT ALWAYS THE WAY TO GO If you want to learn pronunciation it seems like a logical decision would
be to look for a tutor right Unfortunately most teachers do not have
the knowledge or experience to teach you Chinese pronunciation
well But why is this Well theyrsquove spoken mandarin since they can
remember right They have no frame of reference for comparing tongue
positions or vowel aspiration to English so how could they explain it to a
foreigner How would they know what it feels like to learn Mandarin
pronunciation as an adult
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
25
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe first thing I have to do to erase my french accent is to believe itrsquos actually possiblerdquo
- Marion Cotillard
26
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
There are fantastic tutors out there who can teach you pronunciation
properly but they can be like finding a needle in a haystack Not to
mention with the hourly rates you are likely to rack up hundreds of
dollars in fees for average results
INTRODUCING ldquoPRONUNCIATION MASTERYrdquo Wersquove been training our clients on pronunciation through live sessions of
our Pronunciation Mastery course for 2 years now and the results have
been fantastic Wersquove now finally finished transforming it into an 8 hour
video course that will teach you everything you need to know about
Chinese pronunciation all from the unique perspective of us Two
Chinese learners who made the journey ourselves from beginner to
advanced fluency This is all delivered using HD video crystal clear
explanations supported with slick design over a thousand multimedia
SRS flashcards over 80 PDFs amp native audio for reference and review
Wersquove put our hearts and souls into this course along with our extensive
experience and feedback from live teaching over the past 2 years Plus
itrsquos already helped hundreds of Chinese learners around the world Itrsquos
the video course we would have wanted when we were starting out
with Mandarin
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
27
CHECK IT OUT
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
NEXT TIME Wersquoll dive into the topic of Chinese tutors Wersquoll be
sharing with you where to find the best free and paid tutors how
to work with them in the most efficient and fun way possible
Pronunciation is the vital first stage for learning any language
Bad pronunciation affects all other areas of your Chinese skill but most importantly it hurts your confidence
Compared to English there is much less to learn to master Chinese pronunciation
Chinese teachers rarely have the training and experience necessary to teach you pronunciation properly
Mandarin Blueprintrsquos ldquoPronunciation Masteryrdquo course has everything you need to develop great pronunciation quickly and cheaply Check it out today
KEY POINTS
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
28
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
USE TUTORS
Connect with them regularly
EFFECTIVELY
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will notice that this is way down the list of tips for speaking like a
native speaker Thatrsquos because it actually isnrsquot the highest priority straight
away at least not anymore The sheer number of resources available
to you as a Chinese learner today means that you can do most things
you need to do on your own without a tutor As avid Chinese learners
ourselves we can both attest to this fact However a tutor is an
absolutely vital part of your journey to spoken fluency and to get the
most out of them you need to know how to work with them
First off what is a tutor for exactly Itrsquos not as obvious an answer as you
may think Understandably most people get a tutor straight from the
beginning hoping to receive all the materials and guidance they need
to make them fluent and literate in Chinese This is a lot to expect of
anyone let alone someone who never actually learned Chinese as a
second language So what are reasonable expectations to have then
THE ROLE OF A CHINESE TUTOR 1) FOR ACTIVATING PASSIVE VOCABULARY
Go into a session and try to use the words yoursquove been learning through
listening and reading Focus on steering the conversation to topics
you find meaningful and interesting Agree on these topics in advance
A good tutor is a good communicator someone who can speak to you
in a way they know you understand and ask you the right questions to
keep a conversation going Push your limits of what you know and ask a
lot of questions on how to use any words you arenrsquot sure about
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
30
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will first need to get at least a couple of hundred of the most
common words under your belt before being ready to start reading
sentences
Sentences should be 4-9 words in length on average Long enough
to show a decent level of context and demonstrate a grammatical
structure or two but not so long that it becomes too hard to focus on
a single concept
Your sentences should be informal so they can be applicable to real
life
Just reading sentences is a good start but using the ldquocloze deleterdquo
function with anki (shown below) or wwwclozemastercom is
especially effective as it forces you to work a little harder
Add an image or two to sum up the ldquomessagerdquo of the sentence and
create deeper connections to the word(s)
At the time of writing this chapter our favorite resource for finding
Chinese sentences is bingcomdict (pictured left)
Our new course The Mandarin Blueprint Method contains all of the
flashcards and memory techniques you need to learn the most
common 1000 Chinese words Click below to start your free trial
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
17
LEARN MORE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
After starting to review words in sentences move onto the next vital
resourcehellip
GRADED READERS You donrsquot have to wait until yoursquove acquired 1000s of characters and
words before you start reading Not by a long shot You can start
reading articles short stories and podcast transcripts with as little
as 150 characters and words Here are our favorite resources to do so
LINGQ (PICTURED)
LingQ is an aggregated graded reader that has content sourced from all
over the internet including tons of proprietary material Higher level
learners can also import any content they want from elsewhere We are
currently reading A Song of Ice and Fire in Chinese using LingQ and are
addicted to itrsquos incredible functionality The best part about it is that itrsquos
quick look-up feature allows you to read material above your level that
would normally be far too frustrating in book form As if that wasnrsquot good
enough they also have excellent SRS functionality amp the ability to export
words to Anki
THE CHAIRMANrsquoS BAO (TCB)
The Chairmanrsquos Bao have real news articles edited for different HSK
levels (even HSK 1) Yes with only a couple of hundred characters and
words you can be reading real news articles in Chinese This site is being
updated with new fantastic features all the time and has a great app too
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
18
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoYou donrsquot know a person because you know their
name and you donrsquot know a word because you know itrsquos
definitionrdquo- Khatzumoto of ajattcom
19
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
MANDARIN COMPANION
Do you prefer the feel of a real book in your hands These books can be
read with only 300-450 characters under your belt They have a bunch of
classics for lower levels that are still compelling despite being heavily
edited
GO FOR EFFICIENCY To get the most out of that precious hour or two each day that most of
us can spare for language learning make sure you use the following
techniques for maximum return on your time investment
INTERLEAVING
Studies have shown that it is more efficient in the long term to flit
between various different types of content within a study session than to
learn one thing at a time in blocks This is referred to as ldquointerleavingrdquo or
ldquointerleaved learningrdquo Donrsquot spend hours pouring over the same material
mix it up Not only will this be way more engaging yoursquoll also progress
faster
TIMEBOXING
Using timeboxing (also known as ldquoThe Pomodoro Techniquerdquo) will
greatly enhance the efficiency and enjoyment of your study
Traditionally you should study for 25 minutes then rest for 5 minutes
then repeat This means 50 minutes of focused study per hour instead of
15 minutes of study and 45 minutes daydreaming and looking at
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
20
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You can also do all sorts of time-boxes for variety Anywhere from 30
seconds to 25 minutes with 25 minutes being the maximum We love to
combine timeboxing with interleaving working on 2 or 3 different study
resources at a time with really short time-boxes For example a few
minutes on learning characters then reviewing flashcards then listening
to a podcast then resting This turns a study session into a fun game
doing wonders for your motivation
LISTEN WHILE READING
Listening is the easiest and most convenient way of improving learning as
itrsquos hands-free and you can focus on other things while doing it However
if you can read what you hear at the same time the benefits multiply
to be greater than the sum of its parts The reading makes it easier to
understand what you hear and what you hear improves your reading
speed If you choose material either at or slightly above your level and try
this technique out it really feels like yoursquore super-charging your Chinese
ability
SHADOWING
This is a technique made famous by Professor Alexander Arguelles
Shadowing is reading listening and speaking all at the same time Do
it while out and about for best results Just a few minutes a day of this will
improve pronunciation spoken fluency reading and listening
simultaneously We do it almost everyday and it really does speed up the
acquisition process more than anything else wersquove tried Just make sure
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
21
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
you choose a voice to imitate that yoursquod actually like to sound like
(especially when you choose the dialect or gender of the speaker) Herersquos
a video of The prof himself talking about the technique in more detail
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk to you all about how good pronunciation
practice improves your speaking ability listening ability amp even
reading ability plus wersquoll talk about where to find the best
resources to pronounce Chinese like a native speaker
Using spaced repetition is vital for your early days learning Chinese (or any language for that matter)
Learning characters is an unavoidable step in learning Chinese
You must see new words in a sentence before you can acquire them Reading graded readers is even better as it provides more context and engaging topics
Incorporate interleaved learning shadowing and timeboxing into your daily study routine for the most efficient results
KEY POINTS
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
22
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
LEARN PRONUNCIATION4
It will pay off huge dividends later
EARLY AND WELL
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
At Mandarin Blueprint we take pronunciation very seriously This is
mainly because we know first-hand the negative effects of poor
pronunciation instruction
Bad pronunciation slows the development of your listening reading
and speaking ability which is bad enough But by far the most
profoundly painful outcome of poor pronunciation is the damage done
to your lsquolearnerrsquos egorsquo early on When you are misunderstood partially
understood or not at all understood it hurts your confidence You then
associate speaking Chinese with negative emotions and become less
and less willing to start talking Itrsquos a vicious cycle of negativity that we
want you to avoid
HERErsquoS A PROBLEM WE WANT YOU TO HAVE 1 A Chinese person asks you a simple question that you understand
2 You answer the question with simple Chinese but with great
pronunciation
3 The Chinese person listening to you immediately assumes you
speak incredible Chinese and proceeds to unload a litany of
questions and comments
4 After an awkward silence you say 听不不懂 (tīngbudǒng) which
means ldquoI donrsquot understandrdquo
5 The Chinese person laughs asks a few more questions before
realizing you were actually serious Awkwardness intensifies
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
24
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
THE SKINNY ON MANDARIN PRONUNCIATION If you want excellent spoken Chinese you first need to be completely
aware of how to produce understand and read all of the sounds of the
language Some people can do all this naturally by ear with very little
training Unfortunately the law of averages states that you are most likely
not in this group Sorry -(
Not to worry though With only 409 different-sounding syllables (1200 if
you include tones) Chinese has relatively little to learn in terms of
pronunciation especially when compared to the 16000+ syllables of
English There are however many challenging and potentially confusing
aspects to Chinese pronunciation which means that you can learn what
you need to know about pronunciation in a relatively short time but you
need high quality expert guidance and study materials to do it
TUTORS ARENrsquoT ALWAYS THE WAY TO GO If you want to learn pronunciation it seems like a logical decision would
be to look for a tutor right Unfortunately most teachers do not have
the knowledge or experience to teach you Chinese pronunciation
well But why is this Well theyrsquove spoken mandarin since they can
remember right They have no frame of reference for comparing tongue
positions or vowel aspiration to English so how could they explain it to a
foreigner How would they know what it feels like to learn Mandarin
pronunciation as an adult
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
25
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe first thing I have to do to erase my french accent is to believe itrsquos actually possiblerdquo
- Marion Cotillard
26
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
There are fantastic tutors out there who can teach you pronunciation
properly but they can be like finding a needle in a haystack Not to
mention with the hourly rates you are likely to rack up hundreds of
dollars in fees for average results
INTRODUCING ldquoPRONUNCIATION MASTERYrdquo Wersquove been training our clients on pronunciation through live sessions of
our Pronunciation Mastery course for 2 years now and the results have
been fantastic Wersquove now finally finished transforming it into an 8 hour
video course that will teach you everything you need to know about
Chinese pronunciation all from the unique perspective of us Two
Chinese learners who made the journey ourselves from beginner to
advanced fluency This is all delivered using HD video crystal clear
explanations supported with slick design over a thousand multimedia
SRS flashcards over 80 PDFs amp native audio for reference and review
Wersquove put our hearts and souls into this course along with our extensive
experience and feedback from live teaching over the past 2 years Plus
itrsquos already helped hundreds of Chinese learners around the world Itrsquos
the video course we would have wanted when we were starting out
with Mandarin
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
27
CHECK IT OUT
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
NEXT TIME Wersquoll dive into the topic of Chinese tutors Wersquoll be
sharing with you where to find the best free and paid tutors how
to work with them in the most efficient and fun way possible
Pronunciation is the vital first stage for learning any language
Bad pronunciation affects all other areas of your Chinese skill but most importantly it hurts your confidence
Compared to English there is much less to learn to master Chinese pronunciation
Chinese teachers rarely have the training and experience necessary to teach you pronunciation properly
Mandarin Blueprintrsquos ldquoPronunciation Masteryrdquo course has everything you need to develop great pronunciation quickly and cheaply Check it out today
KEY POINTS
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
28
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
USE TUTORS
Connect with them regularly
EFFECTIVELY
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will notice that this is way down the list of tips for speaking like a
native speaker Thatrsquos because it actually isnrsquot the highest priority straight
away at least not anymore The sheer number of resources available
to you as a Chinese learner today means that you can do most things
you need to do on your own without a tutor As avid Chinese learners
ourselves we can both attest to this fact However a tutor is an
absolutely vital part of your journey to spoken fluency and to get the
most out of them you need to know how to work with them
First off what is a tutor for exactly Itrsquos not as obvious an answer as you
may think Understandably most people get a tutor straight from the
beginning hoping to receive all the materials and guidance they need
to make them fluent and literate in Chinese This is a lot to expect of
anyone let alone someone who never actually learned Chinese as a
second language So what are reasonable expectations to have then
THE ROLE OF A CHINESE TUTOR 1) FOR ACTIVATING PASSIVE VOCABULARY
Go into a session and try to use the words yoursquove been learning through
listening and reading Focus on steering the conversation to topics
you find meaningful and interesting Agree on these topics in advance
A good tutor is a good communicator someone who can speak to you
in a way they know you understand and ask you the right questions to
keep a conversation going Push your limits of what you know and ask a
lot of questions on how to use any words you arenrsquot sure about
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
30
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
After starting to review words in sentences move onto the next vital
resourcehellip
GRADED READERS You donrsquot have to wait until yoursquove acquired 1000s of characters and
words before you start reading Not by a long shot You can start
reading articles short stories and podcast transcripts with as little
as 150 characters and words Here are our favorite resources to do so
LINGQ (PICTURED)
LingQ is an aggregated graded reader that has content sourced from all
over the internet including tons of proprietary material Higher level
learners can also import any content they want from elsewhere We are
currently reading A Song of Ice and Fire in Chinese using LingQ and are
addicted to itrsquos incredible functionality The best part about it is that itrsquos
quick look-up feature allows you to read material above your level that
would normally be far too frustrating in book form As if that wasnrsquot good
enough they also have excellent SRS functionality amp the ability to export
words to Anki
THE CHAIRMANrsquoS BAO (TCB)
The Chairmanrsquos Bao have real news articles edited for different HSK
levels (even HSK 1) Yes with only a couple of hundred characters and
words you can be reading real news articles in Chinese This site is being
updated with new fantastic features all the time and has a great app too
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
18
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoYou donrsquot know a person because you know their
name and you donrsquot know a word because you know itrsquos
definitionrdquo- Khatzumoto of ajattcom
19
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
MANDARIN COMPANION
Do you prefer the feel of a real book in your hands These books can be
read with only 300-450 characters under your belt They have a bunch of
classics for lower levels that are still compelling despite being heavily
edited
GO FOR EFFICIENCY To get the most out of that precious hour or two each day that most of
us can spare for language learning make sure you use the following
techniques for maximum return on your time investment
INTERLEAVING
Studies have shown that it is more efficient in the long term to flit
between various different types of content within a study session than to
learn one thing at a time in blocks This is referred to as ldquointerleavingrdquo or
ldquointerleaved learningrdquo Donrsquot spend hours pouring over the same material
mix it up Not only will this be way more engaging yoursquoll also progress
faster
TIMEBOXING
Using timeboxing (also known as ldquoThe Pomodoro Techniquerdquo) will
greatly enhance the efficiency and enjoyment of your study
Traditionally you should study for 25 minutes then rest for 5 minutes
then repeat This means 50 minutes of focused study per hour instead of
15 minutes of study and 45 minutes daydreaming and looking at
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
20
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You can also do all sorts of time-boxes for variety Anywhere from 30
seconds to 25 minutes with 25 minutes being the maximum We love to
combine timeboxing with interleaving working on 2 or 3 different study
resources at a time with really short time-boxes For example a few
minutes on learning characters then reviewing flashcards then listening
to a podcast then resting This turns a study session into a fun game
doing wonders for your motivation
LISTEN WHILE READING
Listening is the easiest and most convenient way of improving learning as
itrsquos hands-free and you can focus on other things while doing it However
if you can read what you hear at the same time the benefits multiply
to be greater than the sum of its parts The reading makes it easier to
understand what you hear and what you hear improves your reading
speed If you choose material either at or slightly above your level and try
this technique out it really feels like yoursquore super-charging your Chinese
ability
SHADOWING
This is a technique made famous by Professor Alexander Arguelles
Shadowing is reading listening and speaking all at the same time Do
it while out and about for best results Just a few minutes a day of this will
improve pronunciation spoken fluency reading and listening
simultaneously We do it almost everyday and it really does speed up the
acquisition process more than anything else wersquove tried Just make sure
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
21
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
you choose a voice to imitate that yoursquod actually like to sound like
(especially when you choose the dialect or gender of the speaker) Herersquos
a video of The prof himself talking about the technique in more detail
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk to you all about how good pronunciation
practice improves your speaking ability listening ability amp even
reading ability plus wersquoll talk about where to find the best
resources to pronounce Chinese like a native speaker
Using spaced repetition is vital for your early days learning Chinese (or any language for that matter)
Learning characters is an unavoidable step in learning Chinese
You must see new words in a sentence before you can acquire them Reading graded readers is even better as it provides more context and engaging topics
Incorporate interleaved learning shadowing and timeboxing into your daily study routine for the most efficient results
KEY POINTS
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
22
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
LEARN PRONUNCIATION4
It will pay off huge dividends later
EARLY AND WELL
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
At Mandarin Blueprint we take pronunciation very seriously This is
mainly because we know first-hand the negative effects of poor
pronunciation instruction
Bad pronunciation slows the development of your listening reading
and speaking ability which is bad enough But by far the most
profoundly painful outcome of poor pronunciation is the damage done
to your lsquolearnerrsquos egorsquo early on When you are misunderstood partially
understood or not at all understood it hurts your confidence You then
associate speaking Chinese with negative emotions and become less
and less willing to start talking Itrsquos a vicious cycle of negativity that we
want you to avoid
HERErsquoS A PROBLEM WE WANT YOU TO HAVE 1 A Chinese person asks you a simple question that you understand
2 You answer the question with simple Chinese but with great
pronunciation
3 The Chinese person listening to you immediately assumes you
speak incredible Chinese and proceeds to unload a litany of
questions and comments
4 After an awkward silence you say 听不不懂 (tīngbudǒng) which
means ldquoI donrsquot understandrdquo
5 The Chinese person laughs asks a few more questions before
realizing you were actually serious Awkwardness intensifies
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
24
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
THE SKINNY ON MANDARIN PRONUNCIATION If you want excellent spoken Chinese you first need to be completely
aware of how to produce understand and read all of the sounds of the
language Some people can do all this naturally by ear with very little
training Unfortunately the law of averages states that you are most likely
not in this group Sorry -(
Not to worry though With only 409 different-sounding syllables (1200 if
you include tones) Chinese has relatively little to learn in terms of
pronunciation especially when compared to the 16000+ syllables of
English There are however many challenging and potentially confusing
aspects to Chinese pronunciation which means that you can learn what
you need to know about pronunciation in a relatively short time but you
need high quality expert guidance and study materials to do it
TUTORS ARENrsquoT ALWAYS THE WAY TO GO If you want to learn pronunciation it seems like a logical decision would
be to look for a tutor right Unfortunately most teachers do not have
the knowledge or experience to teach you Chinese pronunciation
well But why is this Well theyrsquove spoken mandarin since they can
remember right They have no frame of reference for comparing tongue
positions or vowel aspiration to English so how could they explain it to a
foreigner How would they know what it feels like to learn Mandarin
pronunciation as an adult
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
25
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe first thing I have to do to erase my french accent is to believe itrsquos actually possiblerdquo
- Marion Cotillard
26
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
There are fantastic tutors out there who can teach you pronunciation
properly but they can be like finding a needle in a haystack Not to
mention with the hourly rates you are likely to rack up hundreds of
dollars in fees for average results
INTRODUCING ldquoPRONUNCIATION MASTERYrdquo Wersquove been training our clients on pronunciation through live sessions of
our Pronunciation Mastery course for 2 years now and the results have
been fantastic Wersquove now finally finished transforming it into an 8 hour
video course that will teach you everything you need to know about
Chinese pronunciation all from the unique perspective of us Two
Chinese learners who made the journey ourselves from beginner to
advanced fluency This is all delivered using HD video crystal clear
explanations supported with slick design over a thousand multimedia
SRS flashcards over 80 PDFs amp native audio for reference and review
Wersquove put our hearts and souls into this course along with our extensive
experience and feedback from live teaching over the past 2 years Plus
itrsquos already helped hundreds of Chinese learners around the world Itrsquos
the video course we would have wanted when we were starting out
with Mandarin
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
27
CHECK IT OUT
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
NEXT TIME Wersquoll dive into the topic of Chinese tutors Wersquoll be
sharing with you where to find the best free and paid tutors how
to work with them in the most efficient and fun way possible
Pronunciation is the vital first stage for learning any language
Bad pronunciation affects all other areas of your Chinese skill but most importantly it hurts your confidence
Compared to English there is much less to learn to master Chinese pronunciation
Chinese teachers rarely have the training and experience necessary to teach you pronunciation properly
Mandarin Blueprintrsquos ldquoPronunciation Masteryrdquo course has everything you need to develop great pronunciation quickly and cheaply Check it out today
KEY POINTS
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
28
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
USE TUTORS
Connect with them regularly
EFFECTIVELY
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will notice that this is way down the list of tips for speaking like a
native speaker Thatrsquos because it actually isnrsquot the highest priority straight
away at least not anymore The sheer number of resources available
to you as a Chinese learner today means that you can do most things
you need to do on your own without a tutor As avid Chinese learners
ourselves we can both attest to this fact However a tutor is an
absolutely vital part of your journey to spoken fluency and to get the
most out of them you need to know how to work with them
First off what is a tutor for exactly Itrsquos not as obvious an answer as you
may think Understandably most people get a tutor straight from the
beginning hoping to receive all the materials and guidance they need
to make them fluent and literate in Chinese This is a lot to expect of
anyone let alone someone who never actually learned Chinese as a
second language So what are reasonable expectations to have then
THE ROLE OF A CHINESE TUTOR 1) FOR ACTIVATING PASSIVE VOCABULARY
Go into a session and try to use the words yoursquove been learning through
listening and reading Focus on steering the conversation to topics
you find meaningful and interesting Agree on these topics in advance
A good tutor is a good communicator someone who can speak to you
in a way they know you understand and ask you the right questions to
keep a conversation going Push your limits of what you know and ask a
lot of questions on how to use any words you arenrsquot sure about
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
30
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoYou donrsquot know a person because you know their
name and you donrsquot know a word because you know itrsquos
definitionrdquo- Khatzumoto of ajattcom
19
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
MANDARIN COMPANION
Do you prefer the feel of a real book in your hands These books can be
read with only 300-450 characters under your belt They have a bunch of
classics for lower levels that are still compelling despite being heavily
edited
GO FOR EFFICIENCY To get the most out of that precious hour or two each day that most of
us can spare for language learning make sure you use the following
techniques for maximum return on your time investment
INTERLEAVING
Studies have shown that it is more efficient in the long term to flit
between various different types of content within a study session than to
learn one thing at a time in blocks This is referred to as ldquointerleavingrdquo or
ldquointerleaved learningrdquo Donrsquot spend hours pouring over the same material
mix it up Not only will this be way more engaging yoursquoll also progress
faster
TIMEBOXING
Using timeboxing (also known as ldquoThe Pomodoro Techniquerdquo) will
greatly enhance the efficiency and enjoyment of your study
Traditionally you should study for 25 minutes then rest for 5 minutes
then repeat This means 50 minutes of focused study per hour instead of
15 minutes of study and 45 minutes daydreaming and looking at
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
20
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You can also do all sorts of time-boxes for variety Anywhere from 30
seconds to 25 minutes with 25 minutes being the maximum We love to
combine timeboxing with interleaving working on 2 or 3 different study
resources at a time with really short time-boxes For example a few
minutes on learning characters then reviewing flashcards then listening
to a podcast then resting This turns a study session into a fun game
doing wonders for your motivation
LISTEN WHILE READING
Listening is the easiest and most convenient way of improving learning as
itrsquos hands-free and you can focus on other things while doing it However
if you can read what you hear at the same time the benefits multiply
to be greater than the sum of its parts The reading makes it easier to
understand what you hear and what you hear improves your reading
speed If you choose material either at or slightly above your level and try
this technique out it really feels like yoursquore super-charging your Chinese
ability
SHADOWING
This is a technique made famous by Professor Alexander Arguelles
Shadowing is reading listening and speaking all at the same time Do
it while out and about for best results Just a few minutes a day of this will
improve pronunciation spoken fluency reading and listening
simultaneously We do it almost everyday and it really does speed up the
acquisition process more than anything else wersquove tried Just make sure
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
21
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
you choose a voice to imitate that yoursquod actually like to sound like
(especially when you choose the dialect or gender of the speaker) Herersquos
a video of The prof himself talking about the technique in more detail
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk to you all about how good pronunciation
practice improves your speaking ability listening ability amp even
reading ability plus wersquoll talk about where to find the best
resources to pronounce Chinese like a native speaker
Using spaced repetition is vital for your early days learning Chinese (or any language for that matter)
Learning characters is an unavoidable step in learning Chinese
You must see new words in a sentence before you can acquire them Reading graded readers is even better as it provides more context and engaging topics
Incorporate interleaved learning shadowing and timeboxing into your daily study routine for the most efficient results
KEY POINTS
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
22
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
LEARN PRONUNCIATION4
It will pay off huge dividends later
EARLY AND WELL
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
At Mandarin Blueprint we take pronunciation very seriously This is
mainly because we know first-hand the negative effects of poor
pronunciation instruction
Bad pronunciation slows the development of your listening reading
and speaking ability which is bad enough But by far the most
profoundly painful outcome of poor pronunciation is the damage done
to your lsquolearnerrsquos egorsquo early on When you are misunderstood partially
understood or not at all understood it hurts your confidence You then
associate speaking Chinese with negative emotions and become less
and less willing to start talking Itrsquos a vicious cycle of negativity that we
want you to avoid
HERErsquoS A PROBLEM WE WANT YOU TO HAVE 1 A Chinese person asks you a simple question that you understand
2 You answer the question with simple Chinese but with great
pronunciation
3 The Chinese person listening to you immediately assumes you
speak incredible Chinese and proceeds to unload a litany of
questions and comments
4 After an awkward silence you say 听不不懂 (tīngbudǒng) which
means ldquoI donrsquot understandrdquo
5 The Chinese person laughs asks a few more questions before
realizing you were actually serious Awkwardness intensifies
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
24
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
THE SKINNY ON MANDARIN PRONUNCIATION If you want excellent spoken Chinese you first need to be completely
aware of how to produce understand and read all of the sounds of the
language Some people can do all this naturally by ear with very little
training Unfortunately the law of averages states that you are most likely
not in this group Sorry -(
Not to worry though With only 409 different-sounding syllables (1200 if
you include tones) Chinese has relatively little to learn in terms of
pronunciation especially when compared to the 16000+ syllables of
English There are however many challenging and potentially confusing
aspects to Chinese pronunciation which means that you can learn what
you need to know about pronunciation in a relatively short time but you
need high quality expert guidance and study materials to do it
TUTORS ARENrsquoT ALWAYS THE WAY TO GO If you want to learn pronunciation it seems like a logical decision would
be to look for a tutor right Unfortunately most teachers do not have
the knowledge or experience to teach you Chinese pronunciation
well But why is this Well theyrsquove spoken mandarin since they can
remember right They have no frame of reference for comparing tongue
positions or vowel aspiration to English so how could they explain it to a
foreigner How would they know what it feels like to learn Mandarin
pronunciation as an adult
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
25
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe first thing I have to do to erase my french accent is to believe itrsquos actually possiblerdquo
- Marion Cotillard
26
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
There are fantastic tutors out there who can teach you pronunciation
properly but they can be like finding a needle in a haystack Not to
mention with the hourly rates you are likely to rack up hundreds of
dollars in fees for average results
INTRODUCING ldquoPRONUNCIATION MASTERYrdquo Wersquove been training our clients on pronunciation through live sessions of
our Pronunciation Mastery course for 2 years now and the results have
been fantastic Wersquove now finally finished transforming it into an 8 hour
video course that will teach you everything you need to know about
Chinese pronunciation all from the unique perspective of us Two
Chinese learners who made the journey ourselves from beginner to
advanced fluency This is all delivered using HD video crystal clear
explanations supported with slick design over a thousand multimedia
SRS flashcards over 80 PDFs amp native audio for reference and review
Wersquove put our hearts and souls into this course along with our extensive
experience and feedback from live teaching over the past 2 years Plus
itrsquos already helped hundreds of Chinese learners around the world Itrsquos
the video course we would have wanted when we were starting out
with Mandarin
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
27
CHECK IT OUT
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
NEXT TIME Wersquoll dive into the topic of Chinese tutors Wersquoll be
sharing with you where to find the best free and paid tutors how
to work with them in the most efficient and fun way possible
Pronunciation is the vital first stage for learning any language
Bad pronunciation affects all other areas of your Chinese skill but most importantly it hurts your confidence
Compared to English there is much less to learn to master Chinese pronunciation
Chinese teachers rarely have the training and experience necessary to teach you pronunciation properly
Mandarin Blueprintrsquos ldquoPronunciation Masteryrdquo course has everything you need to develop great pronunciation quickly and cheaply Check it out today
KEY POINTS
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
28
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
USE TUTORS
Connect with them regularly
EFFECTIVELY
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will notice that this is way down the list of tips for speaking like a
native speaker Thatrsquos because it actually isnrsquot the highest priority straight
away at least not anymore The sheer number of resources available
to you as a Chinese learner today means that you can do most things
you need to do on your own without a tutor As avid Chinese learners
ourselves we can both attest to this fact However a tutor is an
absolutely vital part of your journey to spoken fluency and to get the
most out of them you need to know how to work with them
First off what is a tutor for exactly Itrsquos not as obvious an answer as you
may think Understandably most people get a tutor straight from the
beginning hoping to receive all the materials and guidance they need
to make them fluent and literate in Chinese This is a lot to expect of
anyone let alone someone who never actually learned Chinese as a
second language So what are reasonable expectations to have then
THE ROLE OF A CHINESE TUTOR 1) FOR ACTIVATING PASSIVE VOCABULARY
Go into a session and try to use the words yoursquove been learning through
listening and reading Focus on steering the conversation to topics
you find meaningful and interesting Agree on these topics in advance
A good tutor is a good communicator someone who can speak to you
in a way they know you understand and ask you the right questions to
keep a conversation going Push your limits of what you know and ask a
lot of questions on how to use any words you arenrsquot sure about
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
30
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
MANDARIN COMPANION
Do you prefer the feel of a real book in your hands These books can be
read with only 300-450 characters under your belt They have a bunch of
classics for lower levels that are still compelling despite being heavily
edited
GO FOR EFFICIENCY To get the most out of that precious hour or two each day that most of
us can spare for language learning make sure you use the following
techniques for maximum return on your time investment
INTERLEAVING
Studies have shown that it is more efficient in the long term to flit
between various different types of content within a study session than to
learn one thing at a time in blocks This is referred to as ldquointerleavingrdquo or
ldquointerleaved learningrdquo Donrsquot spend hours pouring over the same material
mix it up Not only will this be way more engaging yoursquoll also progress
faster
TIMEBOXING
Using timeboxing (also known as ldquoThe Pomodoro Techniquerdquo) will
greatly enhance the efficiency and enjoyment of your study
Traditionally you should study for 25 minutes then rest for 5 minutes
then repeat This means 50 minutes of focused study per hour instead of
15 minutes of study and 45 minutes daydreaming and looking at
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
20
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You can also do all sorts of time-boxes for variety Anywhere from 30
seconds to 25 minutes with 25 minutes being the maximum We love to
combine timeboxing with interleaving working on 2 or 3 different study
resources at a time with really short time-boxes For example a few
minutes on learning characters then reviewing flashcards then listening
to a podcast then resting This turns a study session into a fun game
doing wonders for your motivation
LISTEN WHILE READING
Listening is the easiest and most convenient way of improving learning as
itrsquos hands-free and you can focus on other things while doing it However
if you can read what you hear at the same time the benefits multiply
to be greater than the sum of its parts The reading makes it easier to
understand what you hear and what you hear improves your reading
speed If you choose material either at or slightly above your level and try
this technique out it really feels like yoursquore super-charging your Chinese
ability
SHADOWING
This is a technique made famous by Professor Alexander Arguelles
Shadowing is reading listening and speaking all at the same time Do
it while out and about for best results Just a few minutes a day of this will
improve pronunciation spoken fluency reading and listening
simultaneously We do it almost everyday and it really does speed up the
acquisition process more than anything else wersquove tried Just make sure
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
21
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
you choose a voice to imitate that yoursquod actually like to sound like
(especially when you choose the dialect or gender of the speaker) Herersquos
a video of The prof himself talking about the technique in more detail
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk to you all about how good pronunciation
practice improves your speaking ability listening ability amp even
reading ability plus wersquoll talk about where to find the best
resources to pronounce Chinese like a native speaker
Using spaced repetition is vital for your early days learning Chinese (or any language for that matter)
Learning characters is an unavoidable step in learning Chinese
You must see new words in a sentence before you can acquire them Reading graded readers is even better as it provides more context and engaging topics
Incorporate interleaved learning shadowing and timeboxing into your daily study routine for the most efficient results
KEY POINTS
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
22
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
LEARN PRONUNCIATION4
It will pay off huge dividends later
EARLY AND WELL
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
At Mandarin Blueprint we take pronunciation very seriously This is
mainly because we know first-hand the negative effects of poor
pronunciation instruction
Bad pronunciation slows the development of your listening reading
and speaking ability which is bad enough But by far the most
profoundly painful outcome of poor pronunciation is the damage done
to your lsquolearnerrsquos egorsquo early on When you are misunderstood partially
understood or not at all understood it hurts your confidence You then
associate speaking Chinese with negative emotions and become less
and less willing to start talking Itrsquos a vicious cycle of negativity that we
want you to avoid
HERErsquoS A PROBLEM WE WANT YOU TO HAVE 1 A Chinese person asks you a simple question that you understand
2 You answer the question with simple Chinese but with great
pronunciation
3 The Chinese person listening to you immediately assumes you
speak incredible Chinese and proceeds to unload a litany of
questions and comments
4 After an awkward silence you say 听不不懂 (tīngbudǒng) which
means ldquoI donrsquot understandrdquo
5 The Chinese person laughs asks a few more questions before
realizing you were actually serious Awkwardness intensifies
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
24
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
THE SKINNY ON MANDARIN PRONUNCIATION If you want excellent spoken Chinese you first need to be completely
aware of how to produce understand and read all of the sounds of the
language Some people can do all this naturally by ear with very little
training Unfortunately the law of averages states that you are most likely
not in this group Sorry -(
Not to worry though With only 409 different-sounding syllables (1200 if
you include tones) Chinese has relatively little to learn in terms of
pronunciation especially when compared to the 16000+ syllables of
English There are however many challenging and potentially confusing
aspects to Chinese pronunciation which means that you can learn what
you need to know about pronunciation in a relatively short time but you
need high quality expert guidance and study materials to do it
TUTORS ARENrsquoT ALWAYS THE WAY TO GO If you want to learn pronunciation it seems like a logical decision would
be to look for a tutor right Unfortunately most teachers do not have
the knowledge or experience to teach you Chinese pronunciation
well But why is this Well theyrsquove spoken mandarin since they can
remember right They have no frame of reference for comparing tongue
positions or vowel aspiration to English so how could they explain it to a
foreigner How would they know what it feels like to learn Mandarin
pronunciation as an adult
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
25
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe first thing I have to do to erase my french accent is to believe itrsquos actually possiblerdquo
- Marion Cotillard
26
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
There are fantastic tutors out there who can teach you pronunciation
properly but they can be like finding a needle in a haystack Not to
mention with the hourly rates you are likely to rack up hundreds of
dollars in fees for average results
INTRODUCING ldquoPRONUNCIATION MASTERYrdquo Wersquove been training our clients on pronunciation through live sessions of
our Pronunciation Mastery course for 2 years now and the results have
been fantastic Wersquove now finally finished transforming it into an 8 hour
video course that will teach you everything you need to know about
Chinese pronunciation all from the unique perspective of us Two
Chinese learners who made the journey ourselves from beginner to
advanced fluency This is all delivered using HD video crystal clear
explanations supported with slick design over a thousand multimedia
SRS flashcards over 80 PDFs amp native audio for reference and review
Wersquove put our hearts and souls into this course along with our extensive
experience and feedback from live teaching over the past 2 years Plus
itrsquos already helped hundreds of Chinese learners around the world Itrsquos
the video course we would have wanted when we were starting out
with Mandarin
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
27
CHECK IT OUT
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
NEXT TIME Wersquoll dive into the topic of Chinese tutors Wersquoll be
sharing with you where to find the best free and paid tutors how
to work with them in the most efficient and fun way possible
Pronunciation is the vital first stage for learning any language
Bad pronunciation affects all other areas of your Chinese skill but most importantly it hurts your confidence
Compared to English there is much less to learn to master Chinese pronunciation
Chinese teachers rarely have the training and experience necessary to teach you pronunciation properly
Mandarin Blueprintrsquos ldquoPronunciation Masteryrdquo course has everything you need to develop great pronunciation quickly and cheaply Check it out today
KEY POINTS
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
28
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
USE TUTORS
Connect with them regularly
EFFECTIVELY
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will notice that this is way down the list of tips for speaking like a
native speaker Thatrsquos because it actually isnrsquot the highest priority straight
away at least not anymore The sheer number of resources available
to you as a Chinese learner today means that you can do most things
you need to do on your own without a tutor As avid Chinese learners
ourselves we can both attest to this fact However a tutor is an
absolutely vital part of your journey to spoken fluency and to get the
most out of them you need to know how to work with them
First off what is a tutor for exactly Itrsquos not as obvious an answer as you
may think Understandably most people get a tutor straight from the
beginning hoping to receive all the materials and guidance they need
to make them fluent and literate in Chinese This is a lot to expect of
anyone let alone someone who never actually learned Chinese as a
second language So what are reasonable expectations to have then
THE ROLE OF A CHINESE TUTOR 1) FOR ACTIVATING PASSIVE VOCABULARY
Go into a session and try to use the words yoursquove been learning through
listening and reading Focus on steering the conversation to topics
you find meaningful and interesting Agree on these topics in advance
A good tutor is a good communicator someone who can speak to you
in a way they know you understand and ask you the right questions to
keep a conversation going Push your limits of what you know and ask a
lot of questions on how to use any words you arenrsquot sure about
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
30
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You can also do all sorts of time-boxes for variety Anywhere from 30
seconds to 25 minutes with 25 minutes being the maximum We love to
combine timeboxing with interleaving working on 2 or 3 different study
resources at a time with really short time-boxes For example a few
minutes on learning characters then reviewing flashcards then listening
to a podcast then resting This turns a study session into a fun game
doing wonders for your motivation
LISTEN WHILE READING
Listening is the easiest and most convenient way of improving learning as
itrsquos hands-free and you can focus on other things while doing it However
if you can read what you hear at the same time the benefits multiply
to be greater than the sum of its parts The reading makes it easier to
understand what you hear and what you hear improves your reading
speed If you choose material either at or slightly above your level and try
this technique out it really feels like yoursquore super-charging your Chinese
ability
SHADOWING
This is a technique made famous by Professor Alexander Arguelles
Shadowing is reading listening and speaking all at the same time Do
it while out and about for best results Just a few minutes a day of this will
improve pronunciation spoken fluency reading and listening
simultaneously We do it almost everyday and it really does speed up the
acquisition process more than anything else wersquove tried Just make sure
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
21
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
you choose a voice to imitate that yoursquod actually like to sound like
(especially when you choose the dialect or gender of the speaker) Herersquos
a video of The prof himself talking about the technique in more detail
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk to you all about how good pronunciation
practice improves your speaking ability listening ability amp even
reading ability plus wersquoll talk about where to find the best
resources to pronounce Chinese like a native speaker
Using spaced repetition is vital for your early days learning Chinese (or any language for that matter)
Learning characters is an unavoidable step in learning Chinese
You must see new words in a sentence before you can acquire them Reading graded readers is even better as it provides more context and engaging topics
Incorporate interleaved learning shadowing and timeboxing into your daily study routine for the most efficient results
KEY POINTS
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
22
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
LEARN PRONUNCIATION4
It will pay off huge dividends later
EARLY AND WELL
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
At Mandarin Blueprint we take pronunciation very seriously This is
mainly because we know first-hand the negative effects of poor
pronunciation instruction
Bad pronunciation slows the development of your listening reading
and speaking ability which is bad enough But by far the most
profoundly painful outcome of poor pronunciation is the damage done
to your lsquolearnerrsquos egorsquo early on When you are misunderstood partially
understood or not at all understood it hurts your confidence You then
associate speaking Chinese with negative emotions and become less
and less willing to start talking Itrsquos a vicious cycle of negativity that we
want you to avoid
HERErsquoS A PROBLEM WE WANT YOU TO HAVE 1 A Chinese person asks you a simple question that you understand
2 You answer the question with simple Chinese but with great
pronunciation
3 The Chinese person listening to you immediately assumes you
speak incredible Chinese and proceeds to unload a litany of
questions and comments
4 After an awkward silence you say 听不不懂 (tīngbudǒng) which
means ldquoI donrsquot understandrdquo
5 The Chinese person laughs asks a few more questions before
realizing you were actually serious Awkwardness intensifies
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
24
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
THE SKINNY ON MANDARIN PRONUNCIATION If you want excellent spoken Chinese you first need to be completely
aware of how to produce understand and read all of the sounds of the
language Some people can do all this naturally by ear with very little
training Unfortunately the law of averages states that you are most likely
not in this group Sorry -(
Not to worry though With only 409 different-sounding syllables (1200 if
you include tones) Chinese has relatively little to learn in terms of
pronunciation especially when compared to the 16000+ syllables of
English There are however many challenging and potentially confusing
aspects to Chinese pronunciation which means that you can learn what
you need to know about pronunciation in a relatively short time but you
need high quality expert guidance and study materials to do it
TUTORS ARENrsquoT ALWAYS THE WAY TO GO If you want to learn pronunciation it seems like a logical decision would
be to look for a tutor right Unfortunately most teachers do not have
the knowledge or experience to teach you Chinese pronunciation
well But why is this Well theyrsquove spoken mandarin since they can
remember right They have no frame of reference for comparing tongue
positions or vowel aspiration to English so how could they explain it to a
foreigner How would they know what it feels like to learn Mandarin
pronunciation as an adult
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
25
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe first thing I have to do to erase my french accent is to believe itrsquos actually possiblerdquo
- Marion Cotillard
26
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
There are fantastic tutors out there who can teach you pronunciation
properly but they can be like finding a needle in a haystack Not to
mention with the hourly rates you are likely to rack up hundreds of
dollars in fees for average results
INTRODUCING ldquoPRONUNCIATION MASTERYrdquo Wersquove been training our clients on pronunciation through live sessions of
our Pronunciation Mastery course for 2 years now and the results have
been fantastic Wersquove now finally finished transforming it into an 8 hour
video course that will teach you everything you need to know about
Chinese pronunciation all from the unique perspective of us Two
Chinese learners who made the journey ourselves from beginner to
advanced fluency This is all delivered using HD video crystal clear
explanations supported with slick design over a thousand multimedia
SRS flashcards over 80 PDFs amp native audio for reference and review
Wersquove put our hearts and souls into this course along with our extensive
experience and feedback from live teaching over the past 2 years Plus
itrsquos already helped hundreds of Chinese learners around the world Itrsquos
the video course we would have wanted when we were starting out
with Mandarin
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
27
CHECK IT OUT
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
NEXT TIME Wersquoll dive into the topic of Chinese tutors Wersquoll be
sharing with you where to find the best free and paid tutors how
to work with them in the most efficient and fun way possible
Pronunciation is the vital first stage for learning any language
Bad pronunciation affects all other areas of your Chinese skill but most importantly it hurts your confidence
Compared to English there is much less to learn to master Chinese pronunciation
Chinese teachers rarely have the training and experience necessary to teach you pronunciation properly
Mandarin Blueprintrsquos ldquoPronunciation Masteryrdquo course has everything you need to develop great pronunciation quickly and cheaply Check it out today
KEY POINTS
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
28
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
USE TUTORS
Connect with them regularly
EFFECTIVELY
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will notice that this is way down the list of tips for speaking like a
native speaker Thatrsquos because it actually isnrsquot the highest priority straight
away at least not anymore The sheer number of resources available
to you as a Chinese learner today means that you can do most things
you need to do on your own without a tutor As avid Chinese learners
ourselves we can both attest to this fact However a tutor is an
absolutely vital part of your journey to spoken fluency and to get the
most out of them you need to know how to work with them
First off what is a tutor for exactly Itrsquos not as obvious an answer as you
may think Understandably most people get a tutor straight from the
beginning hoping to receive all the materials and guidance they need
to make them fluent and literate in Chinese This is a lot to expect of
anyone let alone someone who never actually learned Chinese as a
second language So what are reasonable expectations to have then
THE ROLE OF A CHINESE TUTOR 1) FOR ACTIVATING PASSIVE VOCABULARY
Go into a session and try to use the words yoursquove been learning through
listening and reading Focus on steering the conversation to topics
you find meaningful and interesting Agree on these topics in advance
A good tutor is a good communicator someone who can speak to you
in a way they know you understand and ask you the right questions to
keep a conversation going Push your limits of what you know and ask a
lot of questions on how to use any words you arenrsquot sure about
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
30
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
you choose a voice to imitate that yoursquod actually like to sound like
(especially when you choose the dialect or gender of the speaker) Herersquos
a video of The prof himself talking about the technique in more detail
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk to you all about how good pronunciation
practice improves your speaking ability listening ability amp even
reading ability plus wersquoll talk about where to find the best
resources to pronounce Chinese like a native speaker
Using spaced repetition is vital for your early days learning Chinese (or any language for that matter)
Learning characters is an unavoidable step in learning Chinese
You must see new words in a sentence before you can acquire them Reading graded readers is even better as it provides more context and engaging topics
Incorporate interleaved learning shadowing and timeboxing into your daily study routine for the most efficient results
KEY POINTS
3LEARN WORDSTHE RIGHT WAY
22
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
LEARN PRONUNCIATION4
It will pay off huge dividends later
EARLY AND WELL
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
At Mandarin Blueprint we take pronunciation very seriously This is
mainly because we know first-hand the negative effects of poor
pronunciation instruction
Bad pronunciation slows the development of your listening reading
and speaking ability which is bad enough But by far the most
profoundly painful outcome of poor pronunciation is the damage done
to your lsquolearnerrsquos egorsquo early on When you are misunderstood partially
understood or not at all understood it hurts your confidence You then
associate speaking Chinese with negative emotions and become less
and less willing to start talking Itrsquos a vicious cycle of negativity that we
want you to avoid
HERErsquoS A PROBLEM WE WANT YOU TO HAVE 1 A Chinese person asks you a simple question that you understand
2 You answer the question with simple Chinese but with great
pronunciation
3 The Chinese person listening to you immediately assumes you
speak incredible Chinese and proceeds to unload a litany of
questions and comments
4 After an awkward silence you say 听不不懂 (tīngbudǒng) which
means ldquoI donrsquot understandrdquo
5 The Chinese person laughs asks a few more questions before
realizing you were actually serious Awkwardness intensifies
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
24
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
THE SKINNY ON MANDARIN PRONUNCIATION If you want excellent spoken Chinese you first need to be completely
aware of how to produce understand and read all of the sounds of the
language Some people can do all this naturally by ear with very little
training Unfortunately the law of averages states that you are most likely
not in this group Sorry -(
Not to worry though With only 409 different-sounding syllables (1200 if
you include tones) Chinese has relatively little to learn in terms of
pronunciation especially when compared to the 16000+ syllables of
English There are however many challenging and potentially confusing
aspects to Chinese pronunciation which means that you can learn what
you need to know about pronunciation in a relatively short time but you
need high quality expert guidance and study materials to do it
TUTORS ARENrsquoT ALWAYS THE WAY TO GO If you want to learn pronunciation it seems like a logical decision would
be to look for a tutor right Unfortunately most teachers do not have
the knowledge or experience to teach you Chinese pronunciation
well But why is this Well theyrsquove spoken mandarin since they can
remember right They have no frame of reference for comparing tongue
positions or vowel aspiration to English so how could they explain it to a
foreigner How would they know what it feels like to learn Mandarin
pronunciation as an adult
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
25
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe first thing I have to do to erase my french accent is to believe itrsquos actually possiblerdquo
- Marion Cotillard
26
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
There are fantastic tutors out there who can teach you pronunciation
properly but they can be like finding a needle in a haystack Not to
mention with the hourly rates you are likely to rack up hundreds of
dollars in fees for average results
INTRODUCING ldquoPRONUNCIATION MASTERYrdquo Wersquove been training our clients on pronunciation through live sessions of
our Pronunciation Mastery course for 2 years now and the results have
been fantastic Wersquove now finally finished transforming it into an 8 hour
video course that will teach you everything you need to know about
Chinese pronunciation all from the unique perspective of us Two
Chinese learners who made the journey ourselves from beginner to
advanced fluency This is all delivered using HD video crystal clear
explanations supported with slick design over a thousand multimedia
SRS flashcards over 80 PDFs amp native audio for reference and review
Wersquove put our hearts and souls into this course along with our extensive
experience and feedback from live teaching over the past 2 years Plus
itrsquos already helped hundreds of Chinese learners around the world Itrsquos
the video course we would have wanted when we were starting out
with Mandarin
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
27
CHECK IT OUT
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
NEXT TIME Wersquoll dive into the topic of Chinese tutors Wersquoll be
sharing with you where to find the best free and paid tutors how
to work with them in the most efficient and fun way possible
Pronunciation is the vital first stage for learning any language
Bad pronunciation affects all other areas of your Chinese skill but most importantly it hurts your confidence
Compared to English there is much less to learn to master Chinese pronunciation
Chinese teachers rarely have the training and experience necessary to teach you pronunciation properly
Mandarin Blueprintrsquos ldquoPronunciation Masteryrdquo course has everything you need to develop great pronunciation quickly and cheaply Check it out today
KEY POINTS
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
28
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
USE TUTORS
Connect with them regularly
EFFECTIVELY
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will notice that this is way down the list of tips for speaking like a
native speaker Thatrsquos because it actually isnrsquot the highest priority straight
away at least not anymore The sheer number of resources available
to you as a Chinese learner today means that you can do most things
you need to do on your own without a tutor As avid Chinese learners
ourselves we can both attest to this fact However a tutor is an
absolutely vital part of your journey to spoken fluency and to get the
most out of them you need to know how to work with them
First off what is a tutor for exactly Itrsquos not as obvious an answer as you
may think Understandably most people get a tutor straight from the
beginning hoping to receive all the materials and guidance they need
to make them fluent and literate in Chinese This is a lot to expect of
anyone let alone someone who never actually learned Chinese as a
second language So what are reasonable expectations to have then
THE ROLE OF A CHINESE TUTOR 1) FOR ACTIVATING PASSIVE VOCABULARY
Go into a session and try to use the words yoursquove been learning through
listening and reading Focus on steering the conversation to topics
you find meaningful and interesting Agree on these topics in advance
A good tutor is a good communicator someone who can speak to you
in a way they know you understand and ask you the right questions to
keep a conversation going Push your limits of what you know and ask a
lot of questions on how to use any words you arenrsquot sure about
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
30
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
LEARN PRONUNCIATION4
It will pay off huge dividends later
EARLY AND WELL
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
At Mandarin Blueprint we take pronunciation very seriously This is
mainly because we know first-hand the negative effects of poor
pronunciation instruction
Bad pronunciation slows the development of your listening reading
and speaking ability which is bad enough But by far the most
profoundly painful outcome of poor pronunciation is the damage done
to your lsquolearnerrsquos egorsquo early on When you are misunderstood partially
understood or not at all understood it hurts your confidence You then
associate speaking Chinese with negative emotions and become less
and less willing to start talking Itrsquos a vicious cycle of negativity that we
want you to avoid
HERErsquoS A PROBLEM WE WANT YOU TO HAVE 1 A Chinese person asks you a simple question that you understand
2 You answer the question with simple Chinese but with great
pronunciation
3 The Chinese person listening to you immediately assumes you
speak incredible Chinese and proceeds to unload a litany of
questions and comments
4 After an awkward silence you say 听不不懂 (tīngbudǒng) which
means ldquoI donrsquot understandrdquo
5 The Chinese person laughs asks a few more questions before
realizing you were actually serious Awkwardness intensifies
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
24
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
THE SKINNY ON MANDARIN PRONUNCIATION If you want excellent spoken Chinese you first need to be completely
aware of how to produce understand and read all of the sounds of the
language Some people can do all this naturally by ear with very little
training Unfortunately the law of averages states that you are most likely
not in this group Sorry -(
Not to worry though With only 409 different-sounding syllables (1200 if
you include tones) Chinese has relatively little to learn in terms of
pronunciation especially when compared to the 16000+ syllables of
English There are however many challenging and potentially confusing
aspects to Chinese pronunciation which means that you can learn what
you need to know about pronunciation in a relatively short time but you
need high quality expert guidance and study materials to do it
TUTORS ARENrsquoT ALWAYS THE WAY TO GO If you want to learn pronunciation it seems like a logical decision would
be to look for a tutor right Unfortunately most teachers do not have
the knowledge or experience to teach you Chinese pronunciation
well But why is this Well theyrsquove spoken mandarin since they can
remember right They have no frame of reference for comparing tongue
positions or vowel aspiration to English so how could they explain it to a
foreigner How would they know what it feels like to learn Mandarin
pronunciation as an adult
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
25
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe first thing I have to do to erase my french accent is to believe itrsquos actually possiblerdquo
- Marion Cotillard
26
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
There are fantastic tutors out there who can teach you pronunciation
properly but they can be like finding a needle in a haystack Not to
mention with the hourly rates you are likely to rack up hundreds of
dollars in fees for average results
INTRODUCING ldquoPRONUNCIATION MASTERYrdquo Wersquove been training our clients on pronunciation through live sessions of
our Pronunciation Mastery course for 2 years now and the results have
been fantastic Wersquove now finally finished transforming it into an 8 hour
video course that will teach you everything you need to know about
Chinese pronunciation all from the unique perspective of us Two
Chinese learners who made the journey ourselves from beginner to
advanced fluency This is all delivered using HD video crystal clear
explanations supported with slick design over a thousand multimedia
SRS flashcards over 80 PDFs amp native audio for reference and review
Wersquove put our hearts and souls into this course along with our extensive
experience and feedback from live teaching over the past 2 years Plus
itrsquos already helped hundreds of Chinese learners around the world Itrsquos
the video course we would have wanted when we were starting out
with Mandarin
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
27
CHECK IT OUT
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
NEXT TIME Wersquoll dive into the topic of Chinese tutors Wersquoll be
sharing with you where to find the best free and paid tutors how
to work with them in the most efficient and fun way possible
Pronunciation is the vital first stage for learning any language
Bad pronunciation affects all other areas of your Chinese skill but most importantly it hurts your confidence
Compared to English there is much less to learn to master Chinese pronunciation
Chinese teachers rarely have the training and experience necessary to teach you pronunciation properly
Mandarin Blueprintrsquos ldquoPronunciation Masteryrdquo course has everything you need to develop great pronunciation quickly and cheaply Check it out today
KEY POINTS
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
28
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
USE TUTORS
Connect with them regularly
EFFECTIVELY
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will notice that this is way down the list of tips for speaking like a
native speaker Thatrsquos because it actually isnrsquot the highest priority straight
away at least not anymore The sheer number of resources available
to you as a Chinese learner today means that you can do most things
you need to do on your own without a tutor As avid Chinese learners
ourselves we can both attest to this fact However a tutor is an
absolutely vital part of your journey to spoken fluency and to get the
most out of them you need to know how to work with them
First off what is a tutor for exactly Itrsquos not as obvious an answer as you
may think Understandably most people get a tutor straight from the
beginning hoping to receive all the materials and guidance they need
to make them fluent and literate in Chinese This is a lot to expect of
anyone let alone someone who never actually learned Chinese as a
second language So what are reasonable expectations to have then
THE ROLE OF A CHINESE TUTOR 1) FOR ACTIVATING PASSIVE VOCABULARY
Go into a session and try to use the words yoursquove been learning through
listening and reading Focus on steering the conversation to topics
you find meaningful and interesting Agree on these topics in advance
A good tutor is a good communicator someone who can speak to you
in a way they know you understand and ask you the right questions to
keep a conversation going Push your limits of what you know and ask a
lot of questions on how to use any words you arenrsquot sure about
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
30
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
At Mandarin Blueprint we take pronunciation very seriously This is
mainly because we know first-hand the negative effects of poor
pronunciation instruction
Bad pronunciation slows the development of your listening reading
and speaking ability which is bad enough But by far the most
profoundly painful outcome of poor pronunciation is the damage done
to your lsquolearnerrsquos egorsquo early on When you are misunderstood partially
understood or not at all understood it hurts your confidence You then
associate speaking Chinese with negative emotions and become less
and less willing to start talking Itrsquos a vicious cycle of negativity that we
want you to avoid
HERErsquoS A PROBLEM WE WANT YOU TO HAVE 1 A Chinese person asks you a simple question that you understand
2 You answer the question with simple Chinese but with great
pronunciation
3 The Chinese person listening to you immediately assumes you
speak incredible Chinese and proceeds to unload a litany of
questions and comments
4 After an awkward silence you say 听不不懂 (tīngbudǒng) which
means ldquoI donrsquot understandrdquo
5 The Chinese person laughs asks a few more questions before
realizing you were actually serious Awkwardness intensifies
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
24
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
THE SKINNY ON MANDARIN PRONUNCIATION If you want excellent spoken Chinese you first need to be completely
aware of how to produce understand and read all of the sounds of the
language Some people can do all this naturally by ear with very little
training Unfortunately the law of averages states that you are most likely
not in this group Sorry -(
Not to worry though With only 409 different-sounding syllables (1200 if
you include tones) Chinese has relatively little to learn in terms of
pronunciation especially when compared to the 16000+ syllables of
English There are however many challenging and potentially confusing
aspects to Chinese pronunciation which means that you can learn what
you need to know about pronunciation in a relatively short time but you
need high quality expert guidance and study materials to do it
TUTORS ARENrsquoT ALWAYS THE WAY TO GO If you want to learn pronunciation it seems like a logical decision would
be to look for a tutor right Unfortunately most teachers do not have
the knowledge or experience to teach you Chinese pronunciation
well But why is this Well theyrsquove spoken mandarin since they can
remember right They have no frame of reference for comparing tongue
positions or vowel aspiration to English so how could they explain it to a
foreigner How would they know what it feels like to learn Mandarin
pronunciation as an adult
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
25
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe first thing I have to do to erase my french accent is to believe itrsquos actually possiblerdquo
- Marion Cotillard
26
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
There are fantastic tutors out there who can teach you pronunciation
properly but they can be like finding a needle in a haystack Not to
mention with the hourly rates you are likely to rack up hundreds of
dollars in fees for average results
INTRODUCING ldquoPRONUNCIATION MASTERYrdquo Wersquove been training our clients on pronunciation through live sessions of
our Pronunciation Mastery course for 2 years now and the results have
been fantastic Wersquove now finally finished transforming it into an 8 hour
video course that will teach you everything you need to know about
Chinese pronunciation all from the unique perspective of us Two
Chinese learners who made the journey ourselves from beginner to
advanced fluency This is all delivered using HD video crystal clear
explanations supported with slick design over a thousand multimedia
SRS flashcards over 80 PDFs amp native audio for reference and review
Wersquove put our hearts and souls into this course along with our extensive
experience and feedback from live teaching over the past 2 years Plus
itrsquos already helped hundreds of Chinese learners around the world Itrsquos
the video course we would have wanted when we were starting out
with Mandarin
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
27
CHECK IT OUT
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
NEXT TIME Wersquoll dive into the topic of Chinese tutors Wersquoll be
sharing with you where to find the best free and paid tutors how
to work with them in the most efficient and fun way possible
Pronunciation is the vital first stage for learning any language
Bad pronunciation affects all other areas of your Chinese skill but most importantly it hurts your confidence
Compared to English there is much less to learn to master Chinese pronunciation
Chinese teachers rarely have the training and experience necessary to teach you pronunciation properly
Mandarin Blueprintrsquos ldquoPronunciation Masteryrdquo course has everything you need to develop great pronunciation quickly and cheaply Check it out today
KEY POINTS
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
28
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
USE TUTORS
Connect with them regularly
EFFECTIVELY
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will notice that this is way down the list of tips for speaking like a
native speaker Thatrsquos because it actually isnrsquot the highest priority straight
away at least not anymore The sheer number of resources available
to you as a Chinese learner today means that you can do most things
you need to do on your own without a tutor As avid Chinese learners
ourselves we can both attest to this fact However a tutor is an
absolutely vital part of your journey to spoken fluency and to get the
most out of them you need to know how to work with them
First off what is a tutor for exactly Itrsquos not as obvious an answer as you
may think Understandably most people get a tutor straight from the
beginning hoping to receive all the materials and guidance they need
to make them fluent and literate in Chinese This is a lot to expect of
anyone let alone someone who never actually learned Chinese as a
second language So what are reasonable expectations to have then
THE ROLE OF A CHINESE TUTOR 1) FOR ACTIVATING PASSIVE VOCABULARY
Go into a session and try to use the words yoursquove been learning through
listening and reading Focus on steering the conversation to topics
you find meaningful and interesting Agree on these topics in advance
A good tutor is a good communicator someone who can speak to you
in a way they know you understand and ask you the right questions to
keep a conversation going Push your limits of what you know and ask a
lot of questions on how to use any words you arenrsquot sure about
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
30
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
THE SKINNY ON MANDARIN PRONUNCIATION If you want excellent spoken Chinese you first need to be completely
aware of how to produce understand and read all of the sounds of the
language Some people can do all this naturally by ear with very little
training Unfortunately the law of averages states that you are most likely
not in this group Sorry -(
Not to worry though With only 409 different-sounding syllables (1200 if
you include tones) Chinese has relatively little to learn in terms of
pronunciation especially when compared to the 16000+ syllables of
English There are however many challenging and potentially confusing
aspects to Chinese pronunciation which means that you can learn what
you need to know about pronunciation in a relatively short time but you
need high quality expert guidance and study materials to do it
TUTORS ARENrsquoT ALWAYS THE WAY TO GO If you want to learn pronunciation it seems like a logical decision would
be to look for a tutor right Unfortunately most teachers do not have
the knowledge or experience to teach you Chinese pronunciation
well But why is this Well theyrsquove spoken mandarin since they can
remember right They have no frame of reference for comparing tongue
positions or vowel aspiration to English so how could they explain it to a
foreigner How would they know what it feels like to learn Mandarin
pronunciation as an adult
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
25
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe first thing I have to do to erase my french accent is to believe itrsquos actually possiblerdquo
- Marion Cotillard
26
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
There are fantastic tutors out there who can teach you pronunciation
properly but they can be like finding a needle in a haystack Not to
mention with the hourly rates you are likely to rack up hundreds of
dollars in fees for average results
INTRODUCING ldquoPRONUNCIATION MASTERYrdquo Wersquove been training our clients on pronunciation through live sessions of
our Pronunciation Mastery course for 2 years now and the results have
been fantastic Wersquove now finally finished transforming it into an 8 hour
video course that will teach you everything you need to know about
Chinese pronunciation all from the unique perspective of us Two
Chinese learners who made the journey ourselves from beginner to
advanced fluency This is all delivered using HD video crystal clear
explanations supported with slick design over a thousand multimedia
SRS flashcards over 80 PDFs amp native audio for reference and review
Wersquove put our hearts and souls into this course along with our extensive
experience and feedback from live teaching over the past 2 years Plus
itrsquos already helped hundreds of Chinese learners around the world Itrsquos
the video course we would have wanted when we were starting out
with Mandarin
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
27
CHECK IT OUT
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
NEXT TIME Wersquoll dive into the topic of Chinese tutors Wersquoll be
sharing with you where to find the best free and paid tutors how
to work with them in the most efficient and fun way possible
Pronunciation is the vital first stage for learning any language
Bad pronunciation affects all other areas of your Chinese skill but most importantly it hurts your confidence
Compared to English there is much less to learn to master Chinese pronunciation
Chinese teachers rarely have the training and experience necessary to teach you pronunciation properly
Mandarin Blueprintrsquos ldquoPronunciation Masteryrdquo course has everything you need to develop great pronunciation quickly and cheaply Check it out today
KEY POINTS
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
28
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
USE TUTORS
Connect with them regularly
EFFECTIVELY
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will notice that this is way down the list of tips for speaking like a
native speaker Thatrsquos because it actually isnrsquot the highest priority straight
away at least not anymore The sheer number of resources available
to you as a Chinese learner today means that you can do most things
you need to do on your own without a tutor As avid Chinese learners
ourselves we can both attest to this fact However a tutor is an
absolutely vital part of your journey to spoken fluency and to get the
most out of them you need to know how to work with them
First off what is a tutor for exactly Itrsquos not as obvious an answer as you
may think Understandably most people get a tutor straight from the
beginning hoping to receive all the materials and guidance they need
to make them fluent and literate in Chinese This is a lot to expect of
anyone let alone someone who never actually learned Chinese as a
second language So what are reasonable expectations to have then
THE ROLE OF A CHINESE TUTOR 1) FOR ACTIVATING PASSIVE VOCABULARY
Go into a session and try to use the words yoursquove been learning through
listening and reading Focus on steering the conversation to topics
you find meaningful and interesting Agree on these topics in advance
A good tutor is a good communicator someone who can speak to you
in a way they know you understand and ask you the right questions to
keep a conversation going Push your limits of what you know and ask a
lot of questions on how to use any words you arenrsquot sure about
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
30
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoThe first thing I have to do to erase my french accent is to believe itrsquos actually possiblerdquo
- Marion Cotillard
26
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
There are fantastic tutors out there who can teach you pronunciation
properly but they can be like finding a needle in a haystack Not to
mention with the hourly rates you are likely to rack up hundreds of
dollars in fees for average results
INTRODUCING ldquoPRONUNCIATION MASTERYrdquo Wersquove been training our clients on pronunciation through live sessions of
our Pronunciation Mastery course for 2 years now and the results have
been fantastic Wersquove now finally finished transforming it into an 8 hour
video course that will teach you everything you need to know about
Chinese pronunciation all from the unique perspective of us Two
Chinese learners who made the journey ourselves from beginner to
advanced fluency This is all delivered using HD video crystal clear
explanations supported with slick design over a thousand multimedia
SRS flashcards over 80 PDFs amp native audio for reference and review
Wersquove put our hearts and souls into this course along with our extensive
experience and feedback from live teaching over the past 2 years Plus
itrsquos already helped hundreds of Chinese learners around the world Itrsquos
the video course we would have wanted when we were starting out
with Mandarin
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
27
CHECK IT OUT
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
NEXT TIME Wersquoll dive into the topic of Chinese tutors Wersquoll be
sharing with you where to find the best free and paid tutors how
to work with them in the most efficient and fun way possible
Pronunciation is the vital first stage for learning any language
Bad pronunciation affects all other areas of your Chinese skill but most importantly it hurts your confidence
Compared to English there is much less to learn to master Chinese pronunciation
Chinese teachers rarely have the training and experience necessary to teach you pronunciation properly
Mandarin Blueprintrsquos ldquoPronunciation Masteryrdquo course has everything you need to develop great pronunciation quickly and cheaply Check it out today
KEY POINTS
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
28
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
USE TUTORS
Connect with them regularly
EFFECTIVELY
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will notice that this is way down the list of tips for speaking like a
native speaker Thatrsquos because it actually isnrsquot the highest priority straight
away at least not anymore The sheer number of resources available
to you as a Chinese learner today means that you can do most things
you need to do on your own without a tutor As avid Chinese learners
ourselves we can both attest to this fact However a tutor is an
absolutely vital part of your journey to spoken fluency and to get the
most out of them you need to know how to work with them
First off what is a tutor for exactly Itrsquos not as obvious an answer as you
may think Understandably most people get a tutor straight from the
beginning hoping to receive all the materials and guidance they need
to make them fluent and literate in Chinese This is a lot to expect of
anyone let alone someone who never actually learned Chinese as a
second language So what are reasonable expectations to have then
THE ROLE OF A CHINESE TUTOR 1) FOR ACTIVATING PASSIVE VOCABULARY
Go into a session and try to use the words yoursquove been learning through
listening and reading Focus on steering the conversation to topics
you find meaningful and interesting Agree on these topics in advance
A good tutor is a good communicator someone who can speak to you
in a way they know you understand and ask you the right questions to
keep a conversation going Push your limits of what you know and ask a
lot of questions on how to use any words you arenrsquot sure about
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
30
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
There are fantastic tutors out there who can teach you pronunciation
properly but they can be like finding a needle in a haystack Not to
mention with the hourly rates you are likely to rack up hundreds of
dollars in fees for average results
INTRODUCING ldquoPRONUNCIATION MASTERYrdquo Wersquove been training our clients on pronunciation through live sessions of
our Pronunciation Mastery course for 2 years now and the results have
been fantastic Wersquove now finally finished transforming it into an 8 hour
video course that will teach you everything you need to know about
Chinese pronunciation all from the unique perspective of us Two
Chinese learners who made the journey ourselves from beginner to
advanced fluency This is all delivered using HD video crystal clear
explanations supported with slick design over a thousand multimedia
SRS flashcards over 80 PDFs amp native audio for reference and review
Wersquove put our hearts and souls into this course along with our extensive
experience and feedback from live teaching over the past 2 years Plus
itrsquos already helped hundreds of Chinese learners around the world Itrsquos
the video course we would have wanted when we were starting out
with Mandarin
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
27
CHECK IT OUT
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
NEXT TIME Wersquoll dive into the topic of Chinese tutors Wersquoll be
sharing with you where to find the best free and paid tutors how
to work with them in the most efficient and fun way possible
Pronunciation is the vital first stage for learning any language
Bad pronunciation affects all other areas of your Chinese skill but most importantly it hurts your confidence
Compared to English there is much less to learn to master Chinese pronunciation
Chinese teachers rarely have the training and experience necessary to teach you pronunciation properly
Mandarin Blueprintrsquos ldquoPronunciation Masteryrdquo course has everything you need to develop great pronunciation quickly and cheaply Check it out today
KEY POINTS
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
28
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
USE TUTORS
Connect with them regularly
EFFECTIVELY
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will notice that this is way down the list of tips for speaking like a
native speaker Thatrsquos because it actually isnrsquot the highest priority straight
away at least not anymore The sheer number of resources available
to you as a Chinese learner today means that you can do most things
you need to do on your own without a tutor As avid Chinese learners
ourselves we can both attest to this fact However a tutor is an
absolutely vital part of your journey to spoken fluency and to get the
most out of them you need to know how to work with them
First off what is a tutor for exactly Itrsquos not as obvious an answer as you
may think Understandably most people get a tutor straight from the
beginning hoping to receive all the materials and guidance they need
to make them fluent and literate in Chinese This is a lot to expect of
anyone let alone someone who never actually learned Chinese as a
second language So what are reasonable expectations to have then
THE ROLE OF A CHINESE TUTOR 1) FOR ACTIVATING PASSIVE VOCABULARY
Go into a session and try to use the words yoursquove been learning through
listening and reading Focus on steering the conversation to topics
you find meaningful and interesting Agree on these topics in advance
A good tutor is a good communicator someone who can speak to you
in a way they know you understand and ask you the right questions to
keep a conversation going Push your limits of what you know and ask a
lot of questions on how to use any words you arenrsquot sure about
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
30
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
NEXT TIME Wersquoll dive into the topic of Chinese tutors Wersquoll be
sharing with you where to find the best free and paid tutors how
to work with them in the most efficient and fun way possible
Pronunciation is the vital first stage for learning any language
Bad pronunciation affects all other areas of your Chinese skill but most importantly it hurts your confidence
Compared to English there is much less to learn to master Chinese pronunciation
Chinese teachers rarely have the training and experience necessary to teach you pronunciation properly
Mandarin Blueprintrsquos ldquoPronunciation Masteryrdquo course has everything you need to develop great pronunciation quickly and cheaply Check it out today
KEY POINTS
4LEARN
EARLY AND WELLPRONUNCIATION
28
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
USE TUTORS
Connect with them regularly
EFFECTIVELY
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will notice that this is way down the list of tips for speaking like a
native speaker Thatrsquos because it actually isnrsquot the highest priority straight
away at least not anymore The sheer number of resources available
to you as a Chinese learner today means that you can do most things
you need to do on your own without a tutor As avid Chinese learners
ourselves we can both attest to this fact However a tutor is an
absolutely vital part of your journey to spoken fluency and to get the
most out of them you need to know how to work with them
First off what is a tutor for exactly Itrsquos not as obvious an answer as you
may think Understandably most people get a tutor straight from the
beginning hoping to receive all the materials and guidance they need
to make them fluent and literate in Chinese This is a lot to expect of
anyone let alone someone who never actually learned Chinese as a
second language So what are reasonable expectations to have then
THE ROLE OF A CHINESE TUTOR 1) FOR ACTIVATING PASSIVE VOCABULARY
Go into a session and try to use the words yoursquove been learning through
listening and reading Focus on steering the conversation to topics
you find meaningful and interesting Agree on these topics in advance
A good tutor is a good communicator someone who can speak to you
in a way they know you understand and ask you the right questions to
keep a conversation going Push your limits of what you know and ask a
lot of questions on how to use any words you arenrsquot sure about
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
30
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
USE TUTORS
Connect with them regularly
EFFECTIVELY
5
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will notice that this is way down the list of tips for speaking like a
native speaker Thatrsquos because it actually isnrsquot the highest priority straight
away at least not anymore The sheer number of resources available
to you as a Chinese learner today means that you can do most things
you need to do on your own without a tutor As avid Chinese learners
ourselves we can both attest to this fact However a tutor is an
absolutely vital part of your journey to spoken fluency and to get the
most out of them you need to know how to work with them
First off what is a tutor for exactly Itrsquos not as obvious an answer as you
may think Understandably most people get a tutor straight from the
beginning hoping to receive all the materials and guidance they need
to make them fluent and literate in Chinese This is a lot to expect of
anyone let alone someone who never actually learned Chinese as a
second language So what are reasonable expectations to have then
THE ROLE OF A CHINESE TUTOR 1) FOR ACTIVATING PASSIVE VOCABULARY
Go into a session and try to use the words yoursquove been learning through
listening and reading Focus on steering the conversation to topics
you find meaningful and interesting Agree on these topics in advance
A good tutor is a good communicator someone who can speak to you
in a way they know you understand and ask you the right questions to
keep a conversation going Push your limits of what you know and ask a
lot of questions on how to use any words you arenrsquot sure about
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
30
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
You will notice that this is way down the list of tips for speaking like a
native speaker Thatrsquos because it actually isnrsquot the highest priority straight
away at least not anymore The sheer number of resources available
to you as a Chinese learner today means that you can do most things
you need to do on your own without a tutor As avid Chinese learners
ourselves we can both attest to this fact However a tutor is an
absolutely vital part of your journey to spoken fluency and to get the
most out of them you need to know how to work with them
First off what is a tutor for exactly Itrsquos not as obvious an answer as you
may think Understandably most people get a tutor straight from the
beginning hoping to receive all the materials and guidance they need
to make them fluent and literate in Chinese This is a lot to expect of
anyone let alone someone who never actually learned Chinese as a
second language So what are reasonable expectations to have then
THE ROLE OF A CHINESE TUTOR 1) FOR ACTIVATING PASSIVE VOCABULARY
Go into a session and try to use the words yoursquove been learning through
listening and reading Focus on steering the conversation to topics
you find meaningful and interesting Agree on these topics in advance
A good tutor is a good communicator someone who can speak to you
in a way they know you understand and ask you the right questions to
keep a conversation going Push your limits of what you know and ask a
lot of questions on how to use any words you arenrsquot sure about
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
30
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Mistakes are fine but donrsquot try and make up how to use a word or phrase
if you donrsquot already know Just ask If your tutor misses mistakes too
often they could turn into bad habits and you really donrsquot want that
2) FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING PROBLEMS
We prefer to have a nice chat of between 5 and 30 minutes during which
the tutor is making notes about anything you need to improve upon After
the time is up or the conversation has hit a dead-end the tutor can go
through your mistakes with you and do some directed practice to fix any
recurring issues This can be done as often as you like or just at the very
end of each session Make flashcards with example sentences
targeting the words or phrases you got wrong
3) FOR PROVIDING TRUE ENCOURAGEMENT
True encouragement is when a tutor notices where yoursquove improved and
points it out but also communicates your potential for improvement
Blindly repeating ldquo真棒 zhēn bagravengrdquo (rdquoGreat jobrdquo) all the time is false
encouragement and it can lead to complacency After all Chinese
people will already be giving you plenty of compliments about your
Mandarin the last thing you need is your paid tutor making your head
even bigger If a tutor provides true encouragement regularly yoursquore
golden If not ask them to or get another tutor
4) FOR FINDING LEVEL-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING CONTENT
This one is not to be expected of every tutor certainly not unprompted
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
31
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Directly ask them to find you listening and reading materials that you
might be interested in You may be very surprised at what they find for
you Some incredible content may be hidden away from the mainstream
and you may need a native person to help you discover those little gems
you might otherwise miss out on
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDY Figure out a kind of lesson structure yoursquore comfortable with that
suits your goals and interests Possible approaches include
Focus on a bunch of words yoursquove been learning and how to use
them
Choose several interesting topics and have an open conversation
Discuss a news article comic book or tv episode you saw recently
Whatever it is plan it out briefly beforehand and make it clear with your
tutor how you would like the lesson to go You have to take the reins if
you want the most bang for your buck If you donrsquot what yoursquoll get is what
the tutor wants to give you which will most likely be a textbook and
discussion of boring topics
HOW TO FIND GREAT TUTORS We would highly recommend finding tutors online as opposed to face-
to-face Herersquos why
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
32
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
1 You have a reasonable guarantee of quality Community star ratings
are commonplace
2 Far more convenient You can get online and be talking to a qualified
tutor for a few dollars an hour within a few minutes Enough said
3 Much better value for money Even if yoursquore living in China tutors still
work out cheaper online When you account for the time and effort it
takes to meet with a stranger face-to-face and the higher turnover of
tutors due to poor or quickly declining quality of lessons online tutors
are almost always more cost-effective
If you want to get online fast and take high quality online sessions with a
tutor a great resource is wwwitalkicom You can find both paid tutors
and unpaid language exchange partners here Invest a few dollars and
hours a month and it will pay off hugely for you
Italki offers tutoring in a huge range of lanugages but the vast majority of
the teachers just use skype for their lessons This is fine but you may be
surprised at the level of functionality of other Chinese-only services such
as wwwtutormandarincom
Instead of just a video call you get a live visual presentation showing
text and highlighted areas that makes everything much clearer and
more engaging This way you can practice your reading alongside your
speaking and listening all with live instruction
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
33
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
They offer a free 1-to-1 consultation and language evaluation before you
signup for anything so it canrsquot hurt to try them out
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to talk about immersion and how you
can do it regardless of your lifestyle or location to greatly improve
your speaking ability
Take control of your time with tutors making sure to point out clearly beforehand what you need from them and what your expectations are
Online tutors used in the capacity wersquove suggested are generally more time and cost-effective than face-to-face tutors even if you are in China Make the most of your study time by going for the former unless you have a guarantee of value
5USE TUTORSEFFECTIVELY
Tutors should be treated as a learning resource rather than your study gurus Their main function is to serve as a great communicator who can help you activate vocabulary and stay motivated
KEY POINTS
34
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
6IMMERSE YOURSELF
Be with Chinese as often as possible
IN CHINESE
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion deserves itrsquos own e-book all by itself as itrsquos such a deep and
varied topic but there are a few things to remember that will allow you
to immerse yourself in Chinese easily wherever you are
HOW TO IMMERSE YOURSELF First of all immersion doesnrsquot necessarily entail never speaking your
native language and ignoring your friends and family Immersion in itrsquos
most manageable form is simply being in touch with Chinese
regularly throughout the day This is doable outside China and even
with a family and a full-time job to boot Herersquos how we do it
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Make sure that Chinese is within 1 foot of your body at all times Ten
years ago that would have meant taping books and Chinese people
around your waist which would have been inconvenient and almost
definitely illegal Now we have these magical devices in our pockets
everywhere we go and most of us have computers or tablets as well
Always be looking for more and more level-appropriate reading and
listening materials and fill your devices with them Whenever you get
bored or frustrated with something drop it for something else You can
be picky even at beginner level Most of the time if you donrsquot enjoy
something itrsquos because you arenrsquot ready for it yet anyway Just go back
to it a few weeks or months down the line
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
36
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Organize the apps on your smart phone for reading listening speaking
and even writing Chinese so you can tap them whenever you have a
spare few minutes This makes it as easy as possible to immerse yourself
in something wherever and whenever
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME
Listen to Chinese whenever yoursquore traveling anywhere working out
doing flashcards or housework If you have your eyes andor mouth free
as well do some interleaved learning or shadowing (see tip 4)
The key is starting not finishing Just do something for 1-15 minutes
10-20 times a day as opposed to trying to set aside large chunks of time
which either cause you to procrastinate or burn out
TALK TO LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PARTNERS
It might get expensive meeting with paid tutors every day which creates
an excuse to not practice speaking But there are more and more great
apps that allow you to connect and exchange with native Chinese
speakers for free Our favorite language exchange apps are pictured
on the next page
TALK TO YOURSELF
Yes it might feel a bit weird but it works as a decent substitute to a paid
tutor or language exchange partner Anything going through your head
just try to blurt out in Chinese Wear earphones to make it appear you are
talking on the phone so you donrsquot get placed into a mental institution
6IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
37
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoTime is what we want most but what we use worstrdquo
- William Penn
38
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Immersion is doable regardless of your lifestyle Just be around Chinese many times throughout the day
Listen while doing pretty much anything Itrsquos the part of language learning that takes the least conscious effort to improve
Connect with language exchange partners via free apps Spend a few minutes chatting here and there Even talking to yourself can be really effective
KEY POINTS
NEXT TIME Wersquoll talk about how to maintain a calm and positive
attitude when struggling to improve your speaking skills Wersquoll
also go into how to take criticism well and even enjoy making
mistakes6
IMMERSE
CHINESEYOURSELF IN
39
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
BE COOL7
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot be touchy when you get corrections or criticism even if it comes
across as harsh People rarely correct you for free and if you react
badly when they do that will probably be the last time they help you
When you arenrsquot understood just assume itrsquos never their problem It
actually might be sometimes but just assume it isnrsquot
People tend to put a lot of their pride and ego into their Chinese ability
because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it is a very rare
skill However just know that only when you really start to get good at
something do you realize how little you know Donrsquot fall into that trap
because you will be in for a rude awakening down the line Take your
ego out of the equation and have a great time Laugh at yourself
Itrsquos all just a game
LEARN TO ACCEPT UNCERTAINTY You will forget words yoursquove reviewed and heard for months
You will forget grammar structures yoursquove spoken correctly 10 times
before
You will get utterly lost in conversation after thinking yoursquove had a
breakthrough in your skill level
Take a deep breath Itrsquos all part of the process
7BE COOL
41
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoCriticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary It fulfils the same function as pain
in the human body It calls attention to an
unhealthy state of things - Winston Churchill
42
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Wersquove already mentioned the importance of good output Too many
mistakes without being corrected can lead to bad habits but mistakes
are inevitable Even if you follow our advice you will still have trouble
sometimes Enjoy being wronghellipevery mistake or misunderstanding
can bring you closer to fluency The key is to not worry about what you
canrsquot say just take note of it and take action Try to say something and it
came out as gibberish Make a note and try it out next time you get the
chance Get a flashcard completely wrong Good Less likely to next time
NEXT TIME Wersquore going to be sharing with you our favorite
speaking hacks that will instantly have you speaking Chinese
much more like a native and with less effort
Donrsquot take yourself too seriously Learning Chinese is just a game Enjoy yourself and take criticism with a smile
Mistakes when speaking and reviewing are inevitable and an important part of the learning process
KEY POINTS
7BE COOL
43
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
8USE THESE
Speak ldquorealrdquo Chinese
SPEAKING HACKS
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
OUR FAVORITE SPEAKING HACKS Apply even one of these techniques to your day-to-day speaking and
you will not only sound more native but will also find it much easier
to speak in general
SPEAK WITH FLUENCY
Fluency is not knowing every word It is simply the ability to say what it is
you want to say accurately using the vocabulary that you have Donrsquot
know how to say ldquointernational traderdquo Just say ldquowhen one country buys
and sells things with another countryrdquo After you say this your
conversation partner will likely say ldquooh yeah thatrsquos lsquointernational tradersquordquo
Boom New word learned within the emotional context of the
conversation to boot The key is when you donrsquot know a word donrsquot
just give up Instead do your best to explain what you want to say
with the vocabulary you have
SLOW DOWN
Speaking at around 80 of your normal rate wonrsquot sound weird at all and
it will improve both your pronunciation and your fluency instantly
Speaking more slowly gives your mouth and tongue muscles time to
get into position before a sound is made which is very helpful for those
sounds that donrsquot exist in English Plus it gives you a few extra
microseconds to think of something to say in conversation Combine
this with the next 2 hacks and yoursquore really in businesshellip
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
45
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoFake it until you make itrdquo - Steven Tyler
46
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
USE ldquoFILLERSrdquo
Everyone (including Chinese people) use these all the time in their
various native languages Why would you give yourself less of a chance
than a native speaker would to sound fluent Thatrsquos just crazy Here are
the top five uhh er umhelliprdquofillersrdquo
ēnhellip jiugraveshihellip negraveigehellip zhegraveigehellip raacutenhograveuhellip
Throw one or more of these utterances anywhere you like Put them in
every sentence if you feel the need Chinese people wonrsquot notice as they
do it too
USE CONVERSATION CONNECTORS
This is a term coined by Anthony Lauder referring to those everyday
fixed phrases that you say at the beginning middle or end of a sentence
to dress up what you want to say Here are some examples
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
我想告诉你hellip woacute xiǎng gagraveosu nǐhellip
Irsquod like you to know thathellip
你别介意不过hellip nǐ bieacute jiegraveyigrave buacuteguogravehellip Dont be upset buthellip
就像你已经知道的hellip jiugrave xiagraveng niacute yǐjīng zhīdagraveo dehellip
As you already know
多数情况hellip dagrave duō shugrave qiacutengkuagraveng
Most of the timehellip
47
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Donrsquot give up so easily if you canrsquot think of a word you want to use Just use more common words to describe it
Speaking a bit slower will give you more time to think of what to say and will usually go unnoticed by a native speaker
Throw in fillers and fixed expressions to sound more like a native speaker and give yourself more time to speak at the same time
You can even thrown in English words to fill in the gaps if the above suggestions arenrsquot on the table Many young educated Chinese people do this anyway
KEY POINTS
USE ENGLISH WORDS
As a last ditch effort if you really donrsquot have the energy to ldquouse fluencyrdquo to
describe a word yoursquove forgotten just say the English word Younger
more educated Chinese speakers are likely to have a decent English
level and they themselves also like to throw in the odd English word into
conversation so itrsquos fine to follow suit At very least it keeps conversation
going to the next topic where you remember the Chinese words
NEXT TIME For our next installment in this series wersquore going to
get into the role writing has on your speaking how to write what
to write and where amp when to write Itrsquos not at all as intimidating
(or boring) as you may think
8USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
48
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Combine any and all of these tips to your speaking at any time to make yourself speak better instantly8
USE THESESPEAKING HACKS
49
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
WRITE REGULARLY9
Supercharge your active vocabulary
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Many beginners (and higher levels too) struggle with the frustration of
not being able to express their thoughts and feelings properly in
Chinese Even with many months and years of practice they can still feel
like the words just arenrsquot there when they need them Wersquove already
given you a bunch of steps you can take to solve this problem and we
realize that writing may be an unexpected additional step but trust us
when we say how valuable it can be
WHY WRITING IMPROVES SPEAKING IT DEMANDS FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Writing practice is the aspect of language learning that involves the
most focus and attention as you have to think about every word as you
write Just like reading writing is a slow process at first but after a short
period of regular practice you can almost hear the ldquoclicksrdquo as the words
you write become part of your vocabulary which can now be used
when you practice speaking with your tutor After all writing and
speaking are both expressive forms of communication using similar
mental processes
IT ACTIVATES VOCABULARY VERY EFFECTIVELY
Writing may just be the ultimate way to solidify your understanding of
the words and phrases yoursquove acquired through reading and listening It
may be even more effective than speaking
9WRITEREGULARLY
51
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
WRITING IS MORE PERSONAL
After some practice you can start to write in your own personal style
using your own ldquovoicerdquo which naturally makes the process much more
enjoyable Writing a journal is the best way to access this benefit Posting
thoughts in Chinese on social media is another option especially for
lower levels
WRITING GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO FORMULATE THOUGHTS
Writing gives you time to think and practice the language
simultaneously whereas with speaking there is little opportunity to
really contemplate all the various ways of expressing a thought unless
you have an extremely patient (and masochistic) paid tutor
EVEN IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER YOU CAN STILL WRITE
If you donrsquot have much vocabulary you can still practice writing Just
write individual sentences or phrases Look at example sentences and
try to re-write them using slightly different vocabulary Remember just as
the incredible graded readers we talked about in chapter 4 can be
written with just a few select words and characters you too can write a
surprising amount using the small vocabulary you have at your disposal
5 INCREDIBLE WRITING TIPS GO FOR QUANTITY
Write every day Write a blog or WeChat post write individual sentences
9WRITEREGULARLY
52
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingersrdquo
- Isaac Asimov
53
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
write a question on how to write something write anything You should
write something everyday and make a routine out of it The more
content the better but donrsquot ask too much of yourself or you will burn out
and not want to do it for weeks
An added bonus to writing regularly is the ability to look back on your
previous writing practice after a few weeks or months and see how far
yoursquove come This is called ldquobenchmarkingrdquo which wersquoll talk about more
next time
WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Write about something or someone you love Write about a problem
yoursquore having Write about your goals and dreams Write about a book
you read or a youtube video you watched Write about what yoursquove
learned or would like to learn Write a journal When you do this your
own personality will shine through in your writing which will make the
words and structures you practice far more memorable
9WRITEREGULARLY
54
AIM FOR ZERO MISTAKES
Thatrsquos correct ZERO mistakes Think about what you write Take your time
to think before you put pen to paper or keyboard and look up example
sentences for words you donrsquot quite know how to use If you do these
things you will produce correct output which is fantastic for your
language skills Bad output leads to what Thatrsquos right bad habits
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
GET CORRECTIONS
Writing and getting corrections will help you notice very quickly the
patterns and structures in Chinese This attentiveness will pay off when
it comes to speaking reading and listening too
USE A WRITING SOFTWARE
Try Ommwriter Flowstate Awriter or similar writing apps designed for
writers to get you into the flow of writing
MAKE FLASHCARDS OUT OF YOUR MISTAKES
Create ultra-personalised reviewable content by taking any corrected
sentences and making a flashcard out of it
Try to combine regular speaking practice with regular writing
practice from now on and see for yourself how fast your fluency
improves
NEXT TIME For our final installment in this series wersquore going to
focus on continuing to improve your Chinese when you start to
plateau and the going getrsquos tough
9WRITEREGULARLY
55
Share your writing with a paid language exchange partner or tutor Check
out HiNative for a great place to get corrections on your writing and ask
general questions about how to use Chinese from native speakers
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Writing is a similar mental process as speaking with some important differences that can make it a more attractive outputting method under certain circumstances
Writing makes you more easily notice things about Chinese helps you activate passive vocabulary creates more personal connections to the language and gives you more time to convey your thoughts than speaking does
You can write at any level
Write as often as you can but donrsquot burn out
Write about things you care about and are passionate about so you can really enjoy the process and create more emotional connections that improve your retention
Aim not to make any mistakes because bad output means bad habits This is much easier to accomplish than with speaking as you have more time to think
Get your writing corrected by paid or free native speakers Make flashcards for words or structures you get wrong
KEY POINTS9WRITEREGULARLY
56
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
10SHARPEN THE SAW
Keep moving forward
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
No matter what eventually you will reach what is know as an ldquook
plateaurdquo a phrase coined by Joshua Foer in his book Moonwalking
with Einstein Basically you will stop moving forward and something in
your mind will tell you that yoursquore ldquogood enoughrdquo Itrsquos a natural response
that you can combat with the right frame of mind and the following
action steps
HAVE SMART GOALS Create goals for yourself in Chinese that are Specific Measurable
Attainable Relevant and Time-sensitive A weekly goal could be ldquoread 3
graded reader articles on lingqcomrdquo a monthly goal could be ldquoWrite
daily journal entries for 30 daysrdquo and an annual goal could be ldquoEnter a
public speaking competition in Chineserdquo Having goals is essential for
staying on the path to success and without them you are guaranteed to
stagnate Writing them down really helps especially if you do it
regularly (every day is ideal)
CONTINUE WITH REGULAR SPEAKING PRACTICE Even after you have been learning for a while make sure you have
regular speaking practice in various settings including with paid tutors
andor language exchange partners We know this sounds a little
obvious but there are more subtle benefits to speaking practice than
simply ldquoget better at speakingrdquo
10SHARPENTHE SAW
58
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are 3 key benefits to regular speaking practice
IT HELPS YOU STAY INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED
So far wersquove described the main function of speaking in a rather bland
fashion ldquoIt activates passive vocabularyrdquo Snooze What we didnrsquot mention
is the huge dopamine hit that comes with the feeling of saying
something yoursquove never said before in Chinese correctly being
understood and even complimented as a result Experiences like these
are a direct result of the time and effort invested in essentially re-wiring
your brain and they are one of the key motivating factors that spur you to
continue improving
YOU COMMUNICATE IN REAL AND MEANINGFUL SITUATIONS
This really is the true purpose of learning a language Sure maybe some
people say that itrsquos for padding their CV or some such practical reason
But long term Itrsquos about the value you get from connecting with people
building relationships and making memories
IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY PROBLEMS
Do you know the difference between someone with an average skill level
and a master The master seeks out and works on his weaknesses as
well as his strengths If you practice attentively and try to communicate
your thoughts in Chinese often you will notice what you canrsquot do or what
you do badly Make a note of these things and find out how to say them
properly Just make sure to remember chapter 7 and be cool Chinese is
10SHARPENTHE SAW
59
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
ldquoKnow yourself to improve yourself
- Auguste Comte
60
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
something you will never master completely (and no-one ever has by the
way) but you can make it a goal of yours to suck a little less every day
Speaking often and with mindfulness is a great way of doing this
RECORD YOURSELF This is great for correcting your pronunciation Record yourself shadowing
a piece of native audio then compare it to your own audio to more easily
notice your problems Yoursquod be surprised what you notice hearing it
outside your own head You can use apps like WeChat or WhatsApp to
send voice messages to native Chinese speakers for corrections These
are great as you can slide your thumb up and try again if you mess up
(we still take advantage of this feature a lot) You can also send these
recordings to tutors
10SHARPENTHE SAW
61
BENCHMARK YOUR PROGRESS
Try to find ways of appraising your progress regularly A straight forward
method is to take HSK exams at regular intervals Although they arenrsquot the
best predictor of spoken Mandarin ability they are still the only officially
recognized benchmark for your Chinese skill
Another popyular option is to create a personal blog or video blog all
about your own personal learning journey Guess what you could also
(eventually) write andor film this in Mandarin
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
Here are some other ways to check your progress
Regular progress reports with tutors
Check your Anki statistics
Regularly film or record yourself giving speeches
Make a list of content you have consumed and check it regularly
Keep the things you have writtenrecorded and compare progress
over time
Try out one or more of these and you can be sure to notice when yoursquove
made a breakthrough which will happen surprisingly often if you spend
60-90 minutes per day with Chinese
ALWAYS BE EXPLORING Remember speaking is only a part of what makes you better at speaking
Itrsquos listening reading and even writing that really increase the size and
accessibility of your vocabulary Always always always be on the lookout
for new stuff You may get bored of something you may finish something
or you may just plain dislike something Never force yourself to use
materials you arenrsquot ldquofeelingrdquo Move onto something else Itrsquos actually very
likely in these situations that yoursquore level isnrsquot right for a certain comic
book or podcast and if you go back to it 6 months later you may love it
10SHARPENTHE SAW
62
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
wwwmandarinblueprintcomMandarin Blueprint reg 2019 all rights reserved
HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE LIKE A NATIVE10 Crucial Tips for the Independent Learner
If you become passive instead of pro-active in your learning you will never push past your plateaus
Think about your goals in Chinese and write them down Make them SMART and regular (weekly monthly and annually)
Make sure to have regular speaking practice Benefits include motivation having meaningful interactions with native speakers and identifying things you canrsquot yet do in the language
Record yourself to really hear what you sound like This is great for finding pronunciation issues
Find ways to benchmark your progress Keep track of achieved goals speaking recordings past writings anki statistics over time and listening and reading materials progression
KEY POINTS10SHARPENTHE SAW
This is a metaphor for you
exploring Chinese by the way Itrsquos definitely
not us not being able to find a picture to put
here I can assure you
63
WAS TODAYrsquoS ADVICE HELPFUL ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
GET IN TOUCH ANYTIME AT CONTACTMANDARINBLUEPRINTCOM
WErsquoRE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
Want to learn how to read understand speak and even write Chinese quickly
Our patent-pending video curriculum will guide you to fluency
Sign Me Up
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY
THANK YOU FOR READINGCheck Us Out On Social Media
CONTACT US DIRECTLY