1on1 Mandarin

Embarassing Underwear Story

noreply@blogger.com (1on1 Mandarin) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 07:23:00 +0000

During the winters in China, it is very common (almost necessary) to wear long johns or long underwear. Being a foreigner, I’m not used to wearing long johns, but there was one day when the weather was as cold as -20 C. It would have been crazy not to have been wearing long underwear that day, and indeed I was crazy enough to not wear any long underwear. I was keen enough to tell my Chinese friends this. Funny enough, instead of telling them that I wasn’t wearing long johns, I had informed them that I wasn’t wearing any underwear.

A common mistake by foreigners is to call long underwear “neiku” (内裤), which in Chinese actually means “underwear”. The right term to use is “qiuku” （秋裤）。

As a foreigner speaking to a local the Chinese, it is quite embarrassing but common to tell him/her that you’re not wearing any underwear. Even more embarrassing is to ask your Chinese friends whether or not they’re wearing underwear!! Don’t make this same embarrassing mistake!

What's the Deal with 的

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Olsen) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 05:06:00 +0000

Read this sentence aloud:

我带我的太太和我的小孩儿去我的朋友的家吃他做的饭
wǒ dài wǒ de tài tɑi hé wǒ de xiǎo hái ér qù wǒ de pénɡ you de jiā chī tā zuò de fàn

Does this sentence read funny? Does it sound funny when read out loud?

Try it again:

我带我的太太和我的小孩儿去我的朋友的家吃他做的饭
wǒ dài wǒ de tài tɑi hé wǒ de xiǎo hái ér qù wǒ de pénɡ you de jiā chī tā zuò de fàn

What's 的 problem?
Herein lies the problem: too many 的's!!! Grammatically there's no problem with this sentence, but it's not smooth. Locals will look at you funny if you talk like this.

But what's the meaning of 的 anyway?
的 is called a "particle" - a word that doesn't have a specific definition but changes the relationship between the parts of a sentence.

For example: 我的太太

Between 我 (me) and 太太 (wife), we see 的, which, in this case turns

我 (me)
into 我的 (mine).

Because the particle "的" is present, 太太 has become mine (我的). If only grammar reflected real life...sigh.

So 的 can demonstrate possessiveness (Good thing grammar doesn't always reflect real life), as it does in every case in the sentence above. But in spoken language, locals don't use so many 的s. It sounds awkward.

So when do you use 的 and when do you NOT use 的?

"我带我的太太和我的小孩儿去我的朋友的家吃他做的饭"

It's pretty simple. When you have a personal pronoun such as I, my, he, she, they (我，他，她，他们), and you want to show possession of something, you can leave off 的.

"我带
我太太和
我小孩儿去
我朋友家
吃他做的饭"

However, you CANNOT leave off 的 when:

To show possession between a noun and another noun.

For example, 王老师的学生 (Miss Wong's student). In this case you see that 的 acts like "'s", a possessive.

If you leave off 的, you get
王老师学生

What's that mean? Miss Wong student? Does it mean Miss Wong is a student? But she's a teacher.

王老师的学生
王老师学生
is as different as
Miss Wong's student
Miss Wong student

So in this case, 的 cannot be left out. A 的 and a 's makes all the difference. Here's another more specific case:　

的 Cannot be left out when the two nouns in the sentence cannot have a relationship with each other, i.e. a human and an inanimate object. See the difference:

总统的水饺
总统水饺
The President's dumplings
President dumplings

超人的保暖内衣
超人保暖内衣
Superman's thermal underwear
Superman thermal underwear

布兰妮的猴子
布兰妮猴子
Britney's monkey
Britney monkey

Hope this helps! If something's unclear or you have some other questions about Mandarin, let us know in the comments.

O,Christmas Tree!

serendipityatcau@gmail.com (麦子) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 10:16:00 +0000

The Story of the 1on1 Mandarin Christmas Tree

(author-Chad, 1on1 Mandarin student)

One of my favorite radio personalities in the U.S. is Paul Harvey. He’s a great storyteller and entertains listeners with little known facts about celebrities, politicians, sports stars, etc. One of his favorite expressions is, “Now, here’s the rest of the story…” I was thinking of this recently when looking at the Christmas tree in the 1on1 Mandarin lobby.

It may look like a perfectly nice, beautiful Christmas tree (held up by a piece of rope, but that’s another matter). But let me tell you the rest of the story…”

Last year was our family’s first Christmas in China. We didn’t know what would be available in the way of Christmas trees and decorations. Thankfully, we were surprised at the numerous options at nearby stores. Many of the stores in WuDaoKou really get into Christmas. The Lotus Center employees even wear Santa hats this time of year.

With limited space in our apartment, we thought we would buy a quaint little 3-4 foot tree to put in our living room. After surveying the options at Lotus, we decided to buy (what we thought was) a tree of that description. Imagine our surprise when we arrived home and unpacked our new tree - only to discover it filled almost every inch of our eight foot tall ceilings!

It reminded me of a scene from the movie National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Clark and his family trudge into the wilderness to find the perfect Christmas tree. Clark is elated when he finds a massive cedar. His son (Russ), however, is the realist. “Dad, that tree wouldn’t fit in our front yard.” Undaunted, Clark responds, “It’s not going in our yard, Russ. It’s going in our living room!” That’s how we felt. Almost every guest in our home last Christmas commented on how tall our tree was, but we gradually grew to like it. You could even say the tree became a source of family pride.

After Christmas was over, we packed our beloved tree and other holiday decorations away (isn’t that a sad moment?) until the next year.

Our tree was out of sight and out of mind in our storage room until one day last spring. My wife came in and said that ants were invading our Christmas tree. I thought this strange, since our tree was artificial and didn’t have any food on it, but for some reason the ants in our apartment thought it looked like a nice home. I put the tree outside our door, away from our kitchen and food.

Now, I intended to give it a few days, then carefully open the box to see if the ants were still in there. But you know how things go. A week turns into a month, a month into half a year…pretty soon, it was November and the box with our tree was still outside the door. Frankly, I’m surprised our ayi, neighbors or building cleaning ladies didn’t throw it away a long time ago.

I was somewhat nervous the day after Thanksgiving this year when it was time to take the tree out the box. Would I find a massive ant colony? Would the tree be eaten into small pieces? Bracing myself, I slowly opened the box. Fortunately, I was pleased to find no trace of ants and the tree still in perfectly good shape…or so I thought.

We unpacked the tree, pieced it together and fixed the branches. Our family tree. Ah, but there was a bit of lean to it. The top third of the tree had a definite angle to it. At first, I told myself it was fine, that the lean just added character. After a few days, however, I couldn’t stand it any longer. The lean had to be fixed. I figured it was because it had been stuffed in a box for almost a year and I could pry it back into shape.

Pry I did. Unfortunately, I pried a little too hard and the top third of tree snapped like a twig. Oops. I felt pretty bad about it, especially since our three-year-old daughter loves Christmas trees and would be quite upset if she woke up in the morning to find that our tree was broken.

Our solution was to use a hot glue gun to meld the tree back together. It could no longer be put in storage, but we could use it for this year at least. Amazingly, the plan worked. We glued the tree back together. Actually, the lean was better, too, but after testing the tree’s sturdiness (or lack thereof), we decided it might not be a good idea to have it in our living room with a preschooler who loves to touch tree ornaments.

The decision was made to buy a new tree that closely resembled our old one. A trip (actually two…that’s another story) to JinWuXing took care of that, but we still had to decide how to dispose of our old tree. We thought about offering it to our neighbors. We thought about standing it up in our hallway as kind of a tree for everyone on our floor, or putting it by the garbage can for some lucky person to find. None of the solutions were satisfactory. Then we had it…how about we donate it to 1on1 Mandarin?!

There probably wouldn’t be any small children running around, so sturdiness shouldn’t be a problem. It was still a serviceable tree (for this year). It would be a shame for it to go to waste. After calling Joel at 1on1, he agreed to take the tree.

I’ve enjoyed the sight of our old tree in the 1on1 Mandarin lobby. Unfortunately for the tree, however, its troubles have not ended. Last week during an English club meeting at 1on1, the tree took an untimely fall. The lean returned. But it ultimately survived and is still standing. It needs a piece of rope tied to 1on1’s projector screen to do so, but it’s still standing.

So that’s the history of the beleaguered 1on1 Mandarin Christmas tree. Other trees will come and go, but it’s doubtful they will provide as many memories as this one. I know I’ll never sing “O Tannenbaum” again without thinking of our first Chinese Christmas tree. It was infested with ants, bent into an unshapely form, broken in two and smushed in the ground. But it persevered and still stands proud (with a little assistance) today. Charlie Brown’s tree has nothing on this baby.

And, that, is the rest of the story. Merry Christmas.

1on1 Class vs. BLCU language programs

serendipityatcau@gmail.com (麦子) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 06:46:00 +0000

I've been considering the pros and cons of learning Chinese through language programs in a university classroom setting compared to small 1-on-1 language schools like 1 on 1 Mandarin.

Consider BLCU. It is widely known that their curriculum is world-class and that many of their foreign students come out of their programs with a great understanding of the Chinese language. However, the one clear weakness with this is the quality of spoken language it produces. For the extroverted student, this weakness may be diminished by their desire to get out and speak to Chinese people, but it still does not provide a direct and constant source of correction for their pronunciation and tones.

Now consider how that compares with 1-on-1 learning. A 1-on-1 learning environment can provide all of the benefits of the same type of curriculum offered at places like BLCU, but with the emphasis on quality spoken language included. Even the introverted student is forced to speak and improve his or her spoken Chinese.

I was speaking to a Chinese friend recently who wants to improve her spoken English. She told me how all of the English she learned from childhood was focused on passing a reading and writing test. She said that she, along with many other Chinese students, can write and read English fairly well, but when it comes to speaking, they are lacking because it was never emphasized when they were going to school.

Of course, reading and writing in any language we intend to work in has great value, but on a daily basis, relationships and even just functioning in everyday life, 90% of our language is speaking and listening.

(Shared by Joel, about himself- "I moved to Beijing over one year ago at the age of 50 and began studying Chinese. My wife is now teaching at a kindergarten and we are enjoying many of the opportunities that come from living in the great city." Lastly……

Wondering how Joel speaks Chinese now?-watch his youtube video of speaking Chinese!

Pronunciation: Vowel Combinations

noreply@blogger.com (1on1 Mandarin) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 03:52:00 +0000

Last time we looked at pronunciation of vowels. This time we will look at how to pronounce a combination of consonants and vowels. In Chinese pronunciation, basic vowels can form vowel combinations with each other or with a nasal consonant. Here are there pronunciations:

ai like eye
an sounds like “ah” with an emphatic “n” at the end (NOT like “an” in can)
ang sounds like “ah” with a soft “ng” (NOT like “ang” in hang)
ao is like “ao” in Tao
ei is like “ay” in bay
en is like “u” in sun
eng is like “ung” in sung
er like “ur” in purse
ia is like ya
iang is like young
ie is like yeah
iu is like the “ou” in you
ian like yen
iao is like “eow” in meow
in as in “in” in gin
ing as in “ing” in sing
iong is like pinyin “yong”
ong is like “ong” in kong
ou is like “ow” in low
ua is like “ua” in guava
uan like one
uang like “oo” + ang
ui is like way
un is like “wou” in would and ending in “n” sound (woon)
uo sounds like “wo” as in wall
uai is like why
ua is like “wa”
üan like yuan and written without two dots
üe is like “yue” (“we” in “wet”)

Pronunciation: Vowels

noreply@blogger.com (1on1 Mandarin) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 02:57:00 +0000

Last session we looked at the pronunciation of consonants. This session pronunciation of vowels will be covered. There are 6 simple vowels. They are: a, o, e, i, u, ü.
Here are their pronunciations:
a as in mama
o as in drop
e as in earn
I as in sit
U as in look
ü like the u in the French rue

Pronunciation: Consonants

noreply@blogger.com (1on1 Mandarin) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 01:56:00 +0000

Last session we covered tones. This lesson we will look at pronunciation of consonants. The following session we will look at pronunciation of vowels, and pronunciation of consonants and vowels combined.

There are 24 consonants in pinyin which are pronounced a lot like in English:
b, p, m, f, d, t, n, l, g, k, ng, h, j, q, x, zh, ch, sh, r, z, c, s, y, w

Pronunciation of Consonants:
b as in boy
p as in pine
m as in mother
f as in food
d as in dig
t as in talk
n as in none
l as in loud
g as in good
k as in kid
ng as in song
h as in hot
j as in jeep
q like “ch” in cheat
x like a sound between the “s” in see and the “sh” in she
zh like “dg” in sludge
ch as in children
sh as in shaker as in raw
z like “ds” in words
c like “ts” in eats
s as in son
y as in Yao Ming
w as in we

Tones

noreply@blogger.com (1on1 Mandarin) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 02:28:00 +0000

When first studying Mandarin, language learners will be very anxious to simply plow ahead and start talking without having mastered tones and other vital pronunciation parts. It is very important to emphasize that good tones and proper pronunciation is vital to laying a solid foundation. Take for example the word "ma". Said with each of the four tones, they have four different meanings: mother (first tone), hemp (second tone), horse (third tone), and scold (fourth tone). Not learning your tones correctly the first time will make it difficult for others to understand exactly what you are trying to communicate. Learning tones the first time around, though progress may seem slow, is also wise. Learning tones wrongly and then trying to retrain yourself to say them carefully is extremely difficult and quite discouraging.

At the very beginning, learning tones will almost seem impossible to master. Many foreigners have difficulty with the 2nd and 3rd tones. Another common difficulty for the foreign student is differentiating between the 1st and 4th tones. Don't be too hard on yourself. You will need to invest much time and energy in studying and practicing, but there will be a big pay off.

1on1 study is very effective and highly recommended at the beginning of Mandarin language studies, because teachers are there to completely focus on one individual student and correct their pronunciation mistakes.

Check out the link below to walk through the 4 tones of Mandarin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7YbjQR9Lzo

Choosing Your Curriculum I

noreply@blogger.com (1on1 Mandarin) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 01:40:00 +0000

Once you have evaluated your goals, finalized options of where to study, whether to study in a 1on1 setting or in a group setting, and at which school, it is now time to decide on a curriculum to follow.

Most foreigners, when arriving to China and starting language study, are very ambitious about surviving in China and thereby very eager to converse in Chinese. Therefore, the goal is to explore the most effective textbooks that are widely used to get one speaking and understanding Mandarin. In universities, most will employ books published by their own institution. For example, Tsinghua University will select textbooks published by Tsinghua University.

At our 1on1 Mandarin language school, popular textbooks for beginner and intermediate level learners are Chinese Made Easier, New Practical Chinese Reader, and Step By Step Chinese.

New Practical Chinese Reader aims to balance conversation, reading, writing, and listening. A good choice for the learner that wants to learn all aspects of the Chinese language with equal focus. Some students mention that the book can be quite boring and systematic.

Step By Step Chinese is an excellent choice for those that want to not only focus on oral communication but also want to sound like a local; in that they start learning some colloquial terminology or phrases. There is a lot more character recognition required with these series of books, so the student will also have a lot of reading practice.

Chinese Made Easier focuses a lot on oral communication, but not so much on reading and writing. Characters are introduced but at a slower pace than other textbooks as to not overwhelm the language learner. The grammar is also explained very clearly so that it becomes easy to understand how grammar structures are used. Many students also appreciate the textbook for how systematic it is. Although this would be a downfall for those who don't like predicatability and routine methods of study. Another caution with Chinese Made Easier is that once your proficiency level advances, you may find it difficult to find advanced level textbooks that are suitable because almost all textbooks are in characters and have no pinyin.

It would be a great idea to get some feedback from other experienced language students also on what curricula they recommend.

Group Setting vs. 1on1: 1on1 Setting

noreply@blogger.com (1on1 Mandarin) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 02:10:00 +0000

In our previous post, we talked about the advantages and disadvantages of studying in a group setting. Today, we will look at the pros and cons of 1on1 study.

1on1 Study: Advantages
In a 1on1 setting, students are able to maximize their speaking time, provided that the teacher is not dominating the classroom time and allowing students to do the speaking. 1on1 learning is very effective for the learner that wants to be able to engage in oral conversation with the local Chinese. Within a matter of 6 months, the language student will be able to comfortably communicate in Chinese. Many 1on1 learners enjoy being able to customize their own curriculum and focus on their goals and needs. Because students are able to get a lot of attention from their teachers in a 1on1 setting, teachers are able to catch frequent mistakes and help correct them.

1on1 Study: Disadvantages
Learning 1on1 can be quite intense and therefore quite tiring. Some students find that learning 1on1 can be quite expensive. Some students may find that they are bored without other classmates learning with them; therefore, some students prefer being in group classes.

Both group study and 1on1 study carry their pros and cons - no one way is better than the other. Therefore, it is important to evaluate your goals, how much money you have, and what your options are location wise.

Group Setting vs. 1on1: Group Setting

noreply@blogger.com (1on1 Mandarin) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 06:31:00 +0000

In deciding at which institution to study, it may be helpful to first decide whether you want to study in a group classroom or individually with a teacher. There are advantages and disadvantages to both; however, taking a look at the pros and cons will be helpful. Today, we will look at the advantages and disadvantages of Group Studying. The next blog will be devoted to examing the pros and cons of 1on1 learning.

Group Study: The Advantages
When a classroom of 4 students are put together in a classroom and they are matched fairly well, in that their language level is about the same, group study is quite effective for all parties. Your classroom peers may ask the teacher questions you never would have thought to ask. Teachers can also have fun coming up with fun dialogue activities and other activities to facilitate student learning. It is also very motivating to have other classmates to study with -there is an encouragement in knowing that when your going through times of discouragement in language, others are there "suffering" with you. Whereas learning 1 on 1 with a teacher can be quite intense and draining, group study is obviously less intense. Some students prefer this and study more effectively in a less intense situation.

Group Study: The Disadvantages
In a group situation, students will not get as much as attention from the teacher as one would in a 1 on 1 setting. Therefore, the teacher may not be able to meticulously correct tones, pronunciation, and grammar mistakes. If you're wanting to dominate conversation time, this will not happen. Therefore, your speaking time in class will be reduced because of having to share that time with other students. Other types of suggestions you would want to make in class would first need to be agreed upon by other classmates. Therefore, depending on your classmates, there may not be as much flexibility to learn other things outside of the set curriculum.

Choosing Where to Study: Studying in China

noreply@blogger.com (1on1 Mandarin) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 06:46:00 +0000

Studying in China is the most ideal way to learn Chinese. But the question remains: where on earth does one start with picking a city and school at which to study? Many who have studied in China in the past would recommend that Beijing, China's capital, is THE place to learn Mandarin Chinese, as Beijing's Mandarin is considered the most standard across China.

Studying at a university or at a private language institution in Beijing are both great options. Making the decision of whether to study at a university or private language school depends largely on whether you're looking to study in a group setting with a set curriculum, or whether you're looking to study in a one teacher to one student setting with a curriculum custom-tailored to your needs. At this point it would be helpful to identify what your goals are for learning Mandarin. It's helpful to know that on a day to day basis, communication is spent orally about 80% to 90% of the time.

If your aim is to get a language credit and be fairly strong in reading and writing, then university is the way to go. Many popular destinations are Tsinghua, Peking, and Beijing Language and Culture University.

However, if you're looking to be able to converse fluently and within a condensed period of time, private language study is the best choice. The teacher will be able to give you the attention you need to correct your mistakes, and give you the time you need to do most of the speaking during class time.

1on1 Mandarin is a private language school that specializes in one teacher per student customized language training. Within 6 months, students are able to confidently converse in basic everyday conversation. Within a year, students speak at a more fluent, intermediate level, and are able to carry on conversations with ease. After 2 years of study, students are speaking at an advanced level and are ready to take the HSK exam to then be able to take university courses in Chinese (other than Chinese language courses) at Chinese universities. Check out our website at http://www.1on1mandarin.com/

Choosing Where to Study: Studying Outside of China

noreply@blogger.com (1on1 Mandarin) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 05:27:00 +0000

Whatever language one is learning, complete immersion in the host language and culture is ideal; therefore, it is ideal for a prospective Chinese language student to live and study in China for any extended period of time. However, for many, lack of time, lack of money, and other circumcumstances will make it very difficult for overseas study in the mainland.

There are some good options for studying Chinese, such as taking online courses and interacting with live native Chinese teachers. Taking language courses at a university or college is another great option. Check out your local institutions for more details on class start dates and curriculum.

Outside of the classroom setting, it is important to use and listen to as much Chinese as possible, so take advantage of an environment that provides you with the opportunity to interact with Mandarin Chinese speakers like at a Chinese club, a local Chinese church, etc. Listening to the Chinese radio station and watching movies in Chinese is a great way to practice your listening skills.

Finally, it is important to remember that you will get out only as much as you put in. Having a great teacher is very important, but it is up to the language student to do his/her part also. One last thing: don't forget to have fun!

Before Enrolling to Study Mandarin: Identifying Your Learning Style

noreply@blogger.com (1on1 Mandarin) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 07:38:00 +0000

Before enrolling to study Mandarin Chinese, it is very important to identify your learning style. This will be helpful for your teacher to adjust his/her teaching approach to cater to your needs and how you learn most effectively. If this is not possible, you can find a teacher whose teaching approach fits with your learning style. Being aware of how you learn most effectively will also help you to study more efficiently and reduce your chances of being bored or overwhelmed from studying Chinese. Below is a list of learning styles:

Learning Style 1 : Analytical / Relational
Learning Style 2 : Perception / Process
Learning Style 3 : Sensory Channel
Learning Style 4 : Personality

Check out this website to discover your learning style: www.chinesemadeeasier.com/styles1.html

Before Enrolling to Study Mandarin: Identify Your Short and Long-Term Goals

noreply@blogger.com (1on1 Mandarin) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 07:46:00 +0000

Before enrolling to study Mandarin Chinese, it would be a good idea to spend some time identifying both your short-term and long-term goals. Would your immediate language goal be to be able to communicate with native Chinese people, confidently and comfortably? Perhaps your long term goal may be to function in a professional Chinese environment, or to take the HSK exam in order to enrol in courses at one of the top universities in China. The point of evaluating your goals is so that your language school and/or teacher may then be able to guide you in choosing suitable curriculum that best fits your goals and needs. In the long-run, you will also save much time and money.