大家好,
Today’s lesson is short and sweet. I’ve curated a guide of the 50 common Chinese phrases I hear and say all the time which you can download for free below.
Many learners make the mistake of only learning individual characters without learning longer phrases. Learning individual characters that are commonly used is a useful approach for beginners but it has its limitations.
When learning a new language, it's beneficial to focus on both individual words and common phrases or sentences for a balanced approach.
The Benefit of Learning Phrases
The biggest advantage of learning phrases is they most closely resemble how you will use the language in real life. This is the most “functional” way of learning the language.
Learning common phrases and sentences that are relevant to everyday situations will help you put together the individual words and characters that you’ve learned.
The more you see certain words in different situations and sentences, the better you will be able to remember these words.
Moreover, learning from phrases means you get to learn from context. This means you also get to learn about basic grammar rules, sentence structure, and the natural flow of the language.
When I learn from phrases I also remember better because the context and “story” it creates in my mind is more vivid.
By combining the learning of individual words with phrases and sentences, you create a well-rounded foundation for language acquisition. This approach helps you build a practical vocabulary and understand how words function together in context.
Learning to speak Chinese alone is hard. I still have one spot this month for 1-on-1 personalized coaching and feedback to help you get converational fast. If you want to start speaking Mandarin, message me.
50 Common Phrases Guide
Download the Top 50 Chinese Phrases Guide for free here.
The guide is hosted in Notion, a free and powerful notetaking app. Sign up for a free Notion account if you haven't already yet. Then you can click “duplicate” in the top right corner to copy the guide into your personal database.
How To Use The Phrase Guide
The phrases are organized by 6 common situations that you may encounter: classroom, dining, directions, shopping, airport, and hotel.
Pinyin, English translations are included. Focus on the tones and pronunciations. I made a guide about how to master Mandarin pronunciation here.
To hear audio, I recommend copying and pasting the phrases into a pronunciation/translation tool like PurpleCulture where you can listen to the correct pronunciation for practice.
Try to repeat what you hear (shadow). I show you how to use shadowing to improve your pronunciation and speaking in the Copy Paste Speaking Course.
Flashcards are also included (second tab) to help you regularly review to further enhance memory. Test yourself and click “SHOW ANSWER” to reveal the answer.
Plug-and-play
With these phrases, you will have the foundation to start applying and practicing your Chinese with native speakers at a basic level.
These phrases are plug-and-play, meaning once you’ve learned them, you can likely start practicing them with native speakers with little modification.
This is exactly what I did, and how I was able to start speaking and build my confidence up so quickly.
Learning set phrases like these are a good start for beginners who are self-studying but the fastest way to get conversational is with personalized feedback. This month I’m helping a few students with a case study to improve your pronunciation and speaking with personalized feedback. If you want help message me or email me at danyopang@gmail.com.
精益求精,
Danyo
PS Here are some other ways I can help you level up your Chinese:
Copy Paste Speaking Course: The self-directed system I used to learn to get conversational, improve my listening and pronunciation and speak Chinese like native speakers
Language Learner OS: This is a digital system to help organize your language studies, track vocabulary, build connections, stay productive, and learn faster!
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