How can I learn to speak Chinese?

The most straightforward way to learn to speak Chinese is to sign up for a Chinese immersion program. You’ll live with a Chinese family, share meals with them, and attend Chinese lessons daily. The combination of exposure, instruction, and practice will help you learn to speak Chinese in the minimum possible time.

Chinese immersion programs are appropriate for any level student, from true beginners to more advanced students. Beginners will pick up very simple, everyday phrases in Mandarin and use them with people around town. It’s an exhilarating feeling to go from a total stranger to navigating a city with some confidence in just a few weeks. Intermediate and advanced students gain confidence speaking Chinese in China, particularly if they’ve only ever studied Chinese in a classroom. Anyone who’s learned a language knows what a shock it is to dive into the “real thing.” All those hours spent memorizing characters suddenly pay off when the language springs to life around you.

Of course, some people don’t have the time or money to go to China. If that’s your case, you can try to learn some basic Chinese online, using video tutorials, websites, and podcasts. There’s a lot of free material available and even more material if you have a budget for paid subscriptions. Learning Chinese this way requires that you be self-guided and motivated, but for those with little money, that’s the only option.

You can also look for a conversation partner either in your area or online. The Chinese diaspora is large and widespread, so you may find that there are people in your neighborhood who would be glad to exchange half an hour of conversation in Chinese against half an hour of conversation in another language.  Learning to speak Chinese is a complex, long-term goal, but for those who stick with it, it’s also extremely rewarding.