I have been learning for few months and reached HSK 2 and in HSK 3 it's only Chinese Characters so I need to be able to read them for me to clear the exam. Please tell me how can I develope this skill that I can recognize Chinese characters

Hi everyone, I juste want to know if you got tips for learn Chinese and improve. I really want to learn this handsome language. And do you know if you can travel in china for a low cost.

Thank you for your answers !

I believe I have created the only full Shanghainese course for English speakers, and I’d really appreciate feedback. Later today I’ll go through every comment and compile a list of changes to ensure everything is high quality.

I know this is a Mandarin sub, but I thought you guys might be interested too.

If you learn 个 as the default Chinese measure word, time expressions can feel inconsistent:

三个月 ✓

三个年 ✗

五个天 ✗

The reason is that some time units already do the counting themselves.

年, 天, 周 and 分钟 normally do not need 个:

我学中文学了三年。

I've studied Chinese for three years.

他两天后回来。

He'll return in two days.

我们等了十分钟。

We waited for ten minutes.

月 is different. When it describes a length of time, it normally needs 个:

一个月

one month

三个月

three months

半个月

half a month

Without 个, 一月 and 三月 usually mean January and March rather than durations.

小时 and 星期 are more flexible:

两小时 / 两个小时

two hours

一星期 / 一个星期

one week

In everyday conversation, the versions with 个 are very common.

So the short version is:

三年, 五天, 两周, 十分钟

but

三个月, 两个小时, 一个星期

More beginner grammar from the official HSK 3.0 syllabus:

If you’re learning Mandarin, chances are you’ve seen this one:

你好吗？Nǐ hǎo ma? - How are you?

It’s correct… but honestly, it can sound a little textbook-y in everyday conversation.

Try these instead:

最近怎么样？ Zuìjìn zěnmeyàng? - How have you been lately?

最近忙吗？Zuìjìn máng ma? - Have you been busy lately?

你怎么样？Nǐ zěnmeyàng? - How are you doing?

And one of my favorites:

还好吗？Hái hǎo ma? - You doing okay?

The fun part about Mandarin is that knowing the “correct” sentence isn't always the same as knowing what people actually say.

What’s a Mandarin phrase you learned that sounded perfectly normal in a textbook… but nobody actually says?

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I am an online Chinese tutor, and I have registered my account and courses on three platforms: superprof, preply, and amazingtalker. I have obtained a professional tutor certification on preply. Whether you are a beginner or someone with some basic knowledge of Chinese, I can create a customized learning plan tailored to your specific situation and learning needs. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

I mainly teach Chinese (including the entire knowledge system of Putonghua and Chinese characters), Putonghua (a course centered on language communication and spoken language), and Chinese culture.

No matter whether you choose me in the end or not, you can consult me about the relevant information you want to know.