5 Questions to Ask Before You Start to Learn Chinese

Five important questions designed for beginners to learn Chinese. Ask yourself before you make any decision to choose a proper learning method.

Do you have a general idea about Chinese?

If not, please take a short tour of Chinese 101 first.

What is your purpose of learning Chinese?

You may want to learn Chinese for travel to China, for further your business or career in China, or for exam. Also, you may want to teach your kids Chinese. Different purposes may lead to totally different learning plan including your time spent on learning, your efforts on percentage of speaking, listening, reading and writing as well as your learning method.

What level you want to get to?

This question is also very important. You answer decides how much effort you need to make. If you are learning Chinese for a better job, see, you’d better know what requirement the employers usually ask for.

What is your time limitation to reach your targeted level? How long time will you spend on studying Chinese per week?

With clear time limitation and targeted level you want to reach, you may time your learning schedule reasonably. It never means that more time may bring better results, but smarter arrangement can.

Your budget of learning Chinese?

For different budget, you should choose different learning methods. If you have enough budgets, you can equip yourself with best learning supplement freely. If you have fewer budgets, you can choose self-teaching with help of necessary learning tools. But no matter how many budgets, the most important thing is persistence. There is a Chinese proverb 有志者, 事竟成 meaning "where there is a will, there is a way".

» Tip

If you plan to spend three hours per week, separate them into six 30-minute slots on different days instead of concentrating three hours in one day. This way may leave you time to refresh tomorrow’s new knowledge.

Source: http://www.aboutchinese.info