Like a lot of us here, I’m trying to learn Mandarin Chinese. I’ve been casually doing apps for a while now (Duolingo sucks, HelloChinese seems better, language exchanges are fun but scary) but I recognize some serious limitations to my methods. My reading and typing is getting better, as is my listening, but I still suck at speaking and tones are still hard to remember sometimes. This seems directly related to my learning methods - lotsa reading and listening exercises mostly, not as much talking. If I want to actually be able to speak this language, I’m going to need some more varied education I think.
My first thought was to check the local community college - we have a large Chinese population here so the classes are probably good, but the scheduling doesn’t work well with my boring adult 9-5. I do well in a classroom environment though. One-on-one tutoring might not be a bad option, but I’d prefer to go through the embarrassment of learning a new language as a group, you know?
Anyone else in the same boat? What do you use to learn?
You might be projecting a bit there. Most of the people who get involved with those communities are looking to help people learn, not to have interesting conversations with people who already speak their language. There’s plenty of opportunities for that.
Second, consider giving back (or paying it forward) by spending your own time helping people practice English as a second language. I did that while learning Spanish, and it was both helpful and rewarding. It’s been a few years (like 10) so I’m completely out of practice, but I got pretty close to being conversational enough that I could at least have a discussion about basic topics and be understood.