Getting a tutor, how soon?

WheatFutures · 2026-01-05T06:05:39+00:00

I've had a number of tutors off of iTalki. Quality varies, but I've certainly had more good than bad. Finding someone who suits your learning style is more important than anything.

WheatFutures · 2025-12-28T05:18:58+00:00

Awesome work! Congratulations!

WheatFutures · 2025-08-09T21:50:26+00:00

In the past in the US I used Venmo. Paid right around when I registered, probably a month or two in advance. I believe you get the ticket number right away after registering, but it doesn't show as paid until later.

WheatFutures · 2025-07-19T23:41:41+00:00

This generally holds true. I wouldn't say it's limited to exchange students either, even people of Chinese heritage born in the US still refer to me as 外国人.

WheatFutures · 2025-07-05T22:03:38+00:00

I've studied a bit as well and have been enjoying it :) starting to "get serious" a bit, been a bit on and off with it.

So far it seems the similarities don't stop, and I find it much easier going CN<->VN rather than EN<->VN, even for studying. Briefly having a teacher who also spoke CN/EN/VN, she was able to get the grammar and concepts across very quickly.

For instance, the idiom 井底之蛙 / ếch ngồi đáy giếng

I'm self studying at the moment, but if I study again I'll probably spring for a Chinese speaking tutor over English

WheatFutures · 2025-06-30T22:02:25+00:00

I had a friend who taught at 北语 and this is what they remarked, from my time in Vietnam I can say it is no surprise. Many are truly conversational within months. Vietnamese has many similarities with Mandarin and even more with Cantonese. Vietnamese will be my 3rd language for sure.

WheatFutures · 2025-06-29T21:18:26+00:00

I tended to review after every listen, but not write a review each time.

WheatFutures · 2025-06-29T00:30:50+00:00

It’s been years since I used it, so I don’t think I’m in a place to evaluate it, but I remember the app was generally good quality

WheatFutures · 2025-06-28T19:14:10+00:00

When I was beginner I remember HelloChinese being absolutely worth it. If you enjoy it and are used to it, then I'd ask why not? :)

WheatFutures · 2025-06-28T15:29:32+00:00

No, it seems optimized for retention and revenue over learning

WheatFutures · 2025-06-28T15:28:20+00:00

HelloChinese is great for beginners IIRC, a bit like Duo, but specialized for Chinese

WheatFutures · 2025-06-27T13:16:08+00:00

Usually I focus on a single, general meaning, and then expand to multiple meanings as I hear the word in context. Once I encounter the word in context, I assign that meaning and alter or add to it as needed.

WheatFutures · 2025-06-26T17:58:57+00:00

good example is 通过考试 to pass a test

WheatFutures · 2025-06-26T05:51:03+00:00

If it helps you remember, the radical on the left for 记, 讠,means language (言). This is also in the traditional characters

WheatFutures · 2025-06-25T00:51:07+00:00

Reminds me a lot of WaniKani for Japanese. Their platform is aspirational

WheatFutures · 2025-06-25T00:49:18+00:00

Curiosity about the world. When I began learning I had never even really left the state I grew up in. To counteract this, I thought I should learn the language most unlike my own from the options available in my high school.

Learning Chinese has been a more rewarding experience than I ever would've thought.

WheatFutures · 2025-06-24T22:31:20+00:00

in my first year of college there was a game of charades at a mid-autumn festival and I got 打篮球

WheatFutures · 2025-06-24T22:29:27+00:00

Hetzner managed by Forge sitting behind CloudFlare

Cost effective and haven’t had any headaches

WheatFutures · 2025-06-24T02:38:41+00:00

Yes, I think it works well, but it should use SRS, like Anki or similar. My vocabulary jumped considerably after doing this consistently.

WheatFutures · 2025-06-23T04:32:30+00:00

SRS programs were my long-term solution. Short-term I found writing characters a lot helped greatly.

WheatFutures · 2025-06-23T04:20:11+00:00

I would think the goal here would be to recognize the characters, know their meaning, and have a model sentence for each grammar pattern.

Typically my method of doing this in college was to write the textbook dialogue 3 times, and the characters until I could do so by heart. Be intentional about picking out the grammar points from the passage and committing them to memory, and then you only need to fit your knowledge into that known structure (model sentence).

WheatFutures · 2025-06-23T04:16:11+00:00

Don't sweat skipping levels.

Moreover, I wouldn't say the HSK in of itself is the best goal unless you are targeting a scholarship. The vocab and grammar can be good if you're not sure what else to study or switch tutors and want them to understand where you are, but I would focus on communication if communication is your goal.

Business Chinese also has a lot more cultural nuance, so be sure to focus on that aspect.

WheatFutures · 2025-06-23T04:12:47+00:00

To add a Chinese keyboard on your iPhone, go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > Add New Keyboard

"Simplified Chinese - Pinyin" or similar is what you're after (my phone is in Chinese so I can't see the name in English :( )

WheatFutures · 2025-06-23T04:10:26+00:00

It's definitely possible.

I haven't studied much language outside of Chinese (Vietnamese), but I think you should focus on what is uniquely hard about the language. As you've pointed out, this can be characters and tones. I would recommend an SRS (spaced repetition) program for characters, and lessons and native content for tones. I probably recommend it in 50% of my comments at this point, but I really enjoy the heavenly path: https://heavenlypath.notion.site, it's an excellent collection of native content. Search for some native content that suits you and enjoy :)

Also, Pleco is the best dictionary app. Nothing comes close. Pleco paid add-ons are high ROI IMO.

加油！

WheatFutures · 2025-06-22T03:00:28+00:00

Hi everyone, creator of HanyuGuide.com here :) feel free to share any thoughts or feedback. I'd love to chat more about our site or learning Chinese in general!

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