drkn335

I always feel really nervous before the exam :sweating:, and then when I am sat waiting for it to start I real very nervous, But as soon as the exam starts I feel really relaxed and it's like there is no one else in the room. I just focus on the test and get on with it

Well I suppose it does, when people stereotype. I am from the south so I speak posh, but it's not like I'm rich. People always just make assumptions, and they shouldn't, nor should they care about someone's class, but people always will make those judgements. I don't particularly think it represents class, it just represents the area in which people live in, like what city or countryside

I suppose it depends on the person - it is supposed to be the most difficult language to learn in the world, because it's tonal and there are thousands of characters. But I learn quickly and I actually find it easy to learn, but maybe that's because I have been surrounded by the language for years. It does take practice I suppose, but it will get easier, as will any language the more you learn it.

Okay thank you, I was just thinking that natives might understand what I was saying, but I guess the tones do matter (well obviously when speaking) Xiexie (you still understand that though, right )

I always over use it, it'[s so bad! I use it in almost every single sentence, just because if I don't people might think that I am being moody or too serious, and sometimes I sound blunt so I need to soften my sentence, so year I always use it - lol

I know of course that it takes a long time and varies between individuals, but I am a fast learner. I already know the basics, and I am going to be taking weekly classes, so do you think I could become fluent enough to live in China after 3 years of classes? Also does it matter if you cannot read Chinese characters very well when living over in China? I read that a large % of the Chinese can't read the characters so it doesn't matter as much.

I have been learning Chinese for a while now, and my keyboard does not have the tones for the pinyin and so when I type I usually miss out the tones on letters. Do you think that matters? Can you still understand mostly what a person is saying without the tones written?

I always make it a habit of using correct grammar and spelling when writing in English as I think it is important, and it's always good to be grammatically correct. It annoys me when people don't bother to use their own grammar.

If you are speaking, then it is perfectly okay to start a sentence with a conjunction It is only really frowned upon when you are writing, especially if you are writing formally or for an exam, as then it isn't a good way to show off your linguistic skills by starting a sentence with a conjunction. Typically, the role of conjunctions are to link 2 sentences/clauses, not to start one.

I would say that I am quite a fast reader as I can normally read a page of a book within 30-6o seconds, but most days I like to take my time reading. And I always read out load, I find it much more enjoyable to do that.

Hello! Ni Hao! I am Emily, an English native who is learning to speak Mandarin Chinese. I hope to live in China after university Wo hen gaoxing renshi ni!