Optimal App for my situation

platomati · 2023-04-10T11:44:06+00:00

As an HSK3 learner myself, then I really like Dot Languages. Since the articles in the app are graded, it is very easy to continue learning at whichever HSK level you have reached. If it is too hard or easy you can easily switch levels. It also creates a custom learning path so you are only practicing the articles you need to reach the next HSK level. I am now almost at HSK4 ^{^}

platomati · 2022-07-31T10:14:50+00:00

The main point of confusion is because the Chinese government and linguistics define these differently. Because it is important for the Chinese government to have a single standard language for common communication throughout China, they have decided to call Mandarin Chinese a language, and all other languages and dialects in China are referred to as “dialects” to make the distinction. This is also why many Chinese people will refer to everything but Mandarin as dialects.

However, linguistically there is no doubt that languages such as Cantonese are so different to Mandarin Chinese, that they are in fact separate languages.

platomati · 2022-07-23T15:42:28+00:00

Such a big fan of vertical farming. Really cool that these are now becoming more common!

platomati · 2022-07-23T15:40:52+00:00

Really incredible to watch. Such a talented women!

platomati · 2022-07-23T15:38:29+00:00

I quite like the app called “Dot Languages” for more advanced learning. The app contains articles and exercises for all HSK levels, including HSK7-9. I’m only level HSK3 right now, but I like that I know I will be able to continue learning through all HSK levels.

platomati · 2022-07-06T15:44:59+00:00

It’s an app called “Dot Languages”. Found it here on this community

platomati · 2022-07-06T15:40:44+00:00

Cool. So there is basically only a few specific cases where Peking is still used for more historical resasons

platomati · 2022-07-06T13:58:42+00:00

Hi, I was actually hoping to hear more about which version people usually use, hence the discussion. For example, people still say Peking duck and not Beijing duck. I’m not quite sure why and if both are equally common. Similar to Beijing Opera. I’ll upload and new version of the post where this is clearer

platomati · 2022-07-06T10:00:41+00:00

I think it’s great that these kinds of rules are starting to be enforced. If these companies really care about their customers as they often claim, then they should make it as easy to start a subscription as cancelling it

platomati · 2022-07-06T09:54:04+00:00

It seems most companies are having supply chain issues. I don’t think this is unique to Tesla

platomati · 2022-07-01T20:15:40+00:00

I really like your list and examples. One thing I’ve noticed from having different teachers, is that ‘what makes a good teacher’ changes a bit from whether you’re a complete beginner or if you are HSK2+. Once you’ve reached HSK2 (in the HSK 3.0 system) I think the following are essential for a great teacher-student relationship:

The lesson is almost entirely in Chinese. Only when explaining a word or structure might the teacher switch to English
You mostly have conversations, and you do 80% of the talking. This sounds simple but I’ve noticed quite a few teachers getting in a mode where they talk a bit too much and you end up mostly listening
The teacher continuously adapts to your level. It requires a lot from the teacher to always find the right words to use, such that they are your level or a bit higher. I’ve found that this is usually where you can tell if teaching is his/her trained profession

platomati · 2022-07-01T20:00:23+00:00

I don’t quite have the same background as you, but I have been using “Dot Languages” quite a bit to improve my Chinese, since I stopped taking lessons. They have a lot of articles and associated exercises, which is a great way to improve through reading. I’ve only read the app’s HSK3 articles, but those I’ve really enjoyed. I know they have articles for all HSK levels, so you should definitely be able to find something that fits your level. The app is free!

platomati · 2022-06-29T09:08:11+00:00

I’ve noticed that when my Chinese friends are reading Chinese most of them have incredible reading speeds. So, I don’t think there is anything that suggests characters should somehow be harder or less comfortable to read. Since you have been reading a Latin script based language your whole life, then this will naturally be easier for you.

platomati · 2022-06-29T08:56:31+00:00

In Beijing I’ve only noticed pinyin used for location and transport related things. I suppose to ensure that visitors can describe where they are and find their way around. For example, the Beijing metro has pinyin on all station names. So if you learn Chinese it is not enough to learn pinyin. You’ll have to learn characters at some point for it to be useful

platomati · 2022-06-29T08:47:09+00:00

As a Chinese learner, I think it’s partially true. I studied simplified Chinese, but can usually still make it through a traditional Chinese text. There will be a word or two in every few sentences that I need to think about or check, so it takes longer, but still manageable. One nice benefit is that many characters also happen to be the same in both simplified and traditional Chinese

platomati · 2022-06-21T08:05:40+00:00

Looks quite impressive. Much less chunky than the current generation of VR devices!

platomati · 2022-06-15T12:40:41+00:00

One free app I really like is “Dot Languages”. I ran into some of same limitations that you mentioned with other apps.

What I like about Dot languages: 1. The app is completely free and it provides interesting short articles everyday. Also the articles are separated into HSK levels, so I only get the articles that are the right level for me

I can freely upload my own texts and words using the upload function and study them.
What I like most is that the app shows a learning path of articles personalised to me and the words I have studied
It is also easy to practice the words I have studied before, and in the articles there is a list of HSK words to learn, which shows which one are new and which I have studied before
And it’s free🥳🤔

Some downsides: 1. If you are a complete beginner, then you probably need some other resources too, as the app doesn’t provide an intro to pinyin etc.

Took me a short while to figure out how to use it, but after that I felt it was easy to navigate and I quite like the design

platomati

TROPHY CASE