Learning Chinese through a Chinese course in Singapore is a great thing to do. The Chinese language is a key that could open up communication with an extra 1 billion people on the planet, which is a very practical skill. This article talks about the three cool facts that come with learning the Chinese language.
Mandarin is a language that has a lot of different tones.
In music, each note has a different pitch. Before you learn Chinese, remember that each Chinese character has a different tone. This is what instructors mean when they say that Chinese is “tonal,” and this is what they mean.
Before you start with your SkillsFuture language courses, you should know that Standard Mandarin has four different tones (five if you count the neutral tone). These tones give different meanings to words that have the same mix of consonants and vowels.
Chinese grammar is easier than you think.
No matter what language you’re learning, it can be hard to figure out how to use grammar structures. However, the basic structure of Chinese grammar is very similar to the structure of English grammar in many ways, and this is correct. Both languages employ a subject-verb or subject-verb-object pattern, which is also shared by both. A SkillsFuture Mandarin course will teach you this extensively.
The best Chinese speakers and listeners work on their skills all the time.
At the beginning of your SkillsFuture sessions in Chinese, it’s often hard to understand what native speakers are saying in Mandarin because you don’t speak the language. This could be because the speaker is moving too quickly, or they use words that aren’t familiar.
The same thing happens if you haven’t been able to speak your Chinese aloud with someone else. For example, you might be using the wrong tones, which will make it hard for your conversation partner to understand what you’re saying.
Use your SkillsFuture credit for a Mandarin course, and experience lifelong learning. Visit Stanford Language Centre for more details.