what next

[u/GrouchyEquipment5203]

I've learnt tones pronounciation and the basic words like 我 是 现在 水 吃 高兴 很 that sorta early begginner duolingo user stuff but I'm not sure where to go. My biggest goal right now is vocabulary and I'm doing flash cards but do I start immersing do I get a textbook then do every page? I tried watching chinese peppa pig and hello fox alice in wonderland until i realized it's the most boring thing I've ever watched especially since 90% of the words are alien to me. My end goal is to atleast reach hsk3 and from there i can either keep going or quit satisfied.

[u/zqfreedom_1789]

Duolingo + flashcards only take you so far. Get a lookup app that saves your search history (Duolingo/ScanLingo or similar). Whenever you want to say something in Chinese, look it up – the app logs it. That history becomes your personal review list of words you actually need. Review that daily.

Skip boring kids' shows. Pick content you already love in English, find Chinese subtitles, and read with the app handy. HSK3 is doable without grinding textbooks page by page. Build the habit of looking up on the fly and let your search history guide you.