Miya

Yup, I have Pleco on my phone! It's really helpful when you need to look up a quick word or two. The hand-writting feature is great too. Best part about it is once you download all the material need for it, you don't even need internet to use it. So if you're ever at a place with no internet and you need to search up a quick Chinese character, then you can still use Pleco.

I speak Cantonese and I had the most DIFFICULT TIME EVER when I was learning tones for Mandarin. I don't think it actually helps my pronunciation since I can speak Mandarin fine, but it's really hard for me to write the pinyin out and put the tone marks on. My recommendation is... to sign up and actually take a Chinese class. It's the only way to "push" yourself to keep on studying. Chinese is intimidating and without the initial push, some people might never get started. But once you get the hang of it, it gets much easier. So hang in there!! ♥

I'll try to explain how I use it. But keep in mind that I'm also a student so I might not be correct でも (demo) - I use "demo" at the beginning of the sentence. For example: 新しいパソコンがほしいです。でもお金がない。(I want a new computer. But I have no money). が (ga) - This is used like the English "but" which connects two clauses.　Example: 新しいパソコンがほしいですが、おかねがない。(I want a new computer, but I have no money). けど (kedo) - This is kind of like が (ga) and it can be used interchangeably with が (ga). But I usually use it like a "regrettable" but. Example: 新しいパソコンがほしいですけど、おかねがない。(I want a new computer, but [unfortunately] I have no money). Another word for but is "しかし” (shikashi). I see it used on Japanese television for emphasis, but it's not really used in speaking. Hope this helps a bit ^__^

Haha, I LOVE Princess Pearl! I actually own the whole set of DVD for the first season. Out of the 3 seasons, the first is my favorite. I was so sad when they changed almost the entire cast for the 3rd season Princess Pearl was super popular back when I was in... 2nd grade. I feel like it's been forever since I've watched it. It's definitely one of my favorite dramas ever. It's also the first Mandarin drama I've ever watched

You're mixing up Chinese and Japanese. It's the Japanese that pronounces "bridge" and "chopsticks" the same. Japanese: 橋　（はし）- "Hashi" = Bridge 箸　（はし）- "Hashi" = Chopsticks Chinese: 橋 (Qiáo) - Bridge 筷子 (Kuàizi) - Chopsticks

Welcome! ^__^ I'm also studying Japanese. Hope to see you in the Japanese sections soon!

Before I officially took a Japanese class, I would record myself singing Japanese songs and then listen to them. I realized that my pronunciation started to get better and better as I did this more and more. If you're a Jpop fan, you can try doing this If you're uncomfortable with the above method, you can try livemocha.com. I think they have a section to help with pronunciation (at least they used to, I'm not sure if they have this feature any more).

I think Othello is probably my favorite. I also like MacBeth and The Merchant of Venice. Unpopular opinion, but I didn't really like Hamlet much -shrugs-

歡迎歡迎。希望可以跟你做個朋友。

Unfortunately comedy doesn't translate well at all. I think it's more of like a culture difference and what each community finds funny. For example, in Japan, puns are considered pretty funny (when done right). But you see, when you translate that into English, it's not really a pun any more. :confused: Sometimes I'll watch a Japanese drama and it'll insert a few jokes here and there that is supposed to be funny. But when it's translated, it's not funny at all. It just confuses the non-natives who are watching it (like me).

"You're" and "your" are kind of like "their", "there", and "they're" and "its" and "it's". People mix them up all the time and won't realize their mistake until someone points it out to them.

I'll probably go there within the next 2-3 years so I still have plenty of time to study One of cousins live in Amsterdam, but I can't remember where the other one lives (I'll most likely be staying with the other one if I do end up going). I'm not Dutch, but my aunt told me kids in Holland are required to study 2 or 3 foreign languages in school. So even if they don't use English as their primary language, they'll probably understand you if you try to talk to them in English.

That's not always possible though. Like what if more than one syllable was exaggerated? People with no prior Japanese knowledge wouldn't know. Reading manga in Japanese would probably be a better way to learn Japanese than watching anime (imo).

Suddenly, they heard a noise. The two turned around and....

I don't think foreign language should be a college requirement. While it's nice to know different languages, it's not useful to a lot of majors. Not to mention, I would HATE to sit in a class with a bunch of people who are taking a language just to get credit. It'll make the professor's life difficult and it'll ruin the class.

I get annoyed when people use "mines" instead of "mine" :speechless:

So she took the tiger back to the castle.

True, but then how would one know how to say the word properly if they keep listening to exagerrated pronunciations?

I definitely prefer watching subbed stuff. Reading the translation helps me learn the meaning of the dialogue better. And the dubs usually suck xD

One day when Alberta was sipping tea in her garden, a ferocious tiger came.

^What if you follow along with the lyrics? Maybe that'll help.

Thanks for your recommendations. I've also heard of the White Snake Legend! (actually watched the Raymond Lam/Charlene Choi version of the movie recently, but it wasn't too good...) I love ancient dramas so I might give The General of Yang Clans a try I don't think I've ever heard of the story though. Which version do you recommend? I think in general, books are better. But it's much easier/more entertaining to watch movies/dramas

I want to study Dutch because my aunt and cousins live in Holland and my cousins' children can't speak Chinese/English at all. I would like to communicate with them so I plan to learn Dutch before my trip there (which probably won't happen till a few years later...)

I don't watch anime, but I definitely know what you mean. Any form of media is useful in learning a language. I've heard that some animes exaggerates the sounds of Japanese words. So while it's good to pick up bits of vocabulary, keep in mind that the pronunciation might be a bit different.

English is the universal language so it's a good idea to learn it. I would also say learn Chinese since China has such an influence on everything now.