Learning Chinese Simply and Quickly

Hi there!

I’d love to hear about your experiences!

So, I’d like to learn Chinese with a SIMPLE and fairly quick method.

I won’t be able to study full-time, so I need a method I can pick up and put down depending on my schedule.

In addition to this personal learning method, have any of you taken classes? Are they essential?

Thanks for your replies here or via private messages!

See you soon! 😉

it’s not easy to learn Chinese; you already need to have a little basic knowledge. it also depends on whether you want to learn to write or speak it. you need to have contacts in a Chinese environment.

; you should already have a little basic knowledge.

That’s exactly the foundation I’d like to build! I’d prefer to focus on speaking so I can chat a bit! I don’t know anything about Chinese culture, but I hope you don’t need to hang out with Chinese people to learn Chinese!

You can start by learning pinyin. It’ll help you learn Chinese faster.

I started with pinyin and the Assimil method, but it didn’t work for me because I’m more of a visual learner. After a 6-month break, I went back to classes focusing on characters, and that worked much better.

You can listen to 42 Chinese lessons on this radio station: http://fr.chinabroadcast.cn/newfr/chinaabc.htm Each lesson is only 5 minutes—quick, but the learning is 😕

There are also lessons, I think, on http://www.chine-informations.com/

Siya http://perso.wanadoo.fr/chine-ethnic — a selection of sites for learning Chinese on the links page

but still, pinyin is a foundation for learning Chinese.

Thanks Suisiya!

I’ll try all of this!! 😉

Hang in there... I know a few French people who speak Chinese as well as I do, so if you put in the effort...it’s not difficult

If you can read English, this site from the Chinese department at Pasadena City College is really useful: http://www.pasadena.edu/chinese/resource.html

I know that in Paris, there’s a place called Belleville that’s full of people of Chinese origin. Honestly, when I was there, it felt for a moment like I was in Asia, not France. But only for a moment, because a white French guy approached me at the metro speaking Chinese... I got the impression he hangs out there and practices his Chinese with locals often. He spoke it really well—great accent and everything. Chinese grammar isn’t too hard for French speakers, actually. The biggest hurdle (and the key to understanding) is pronunciation, and for that, you’ve got to practice with a native speaker. Luckily, in France (at least in Paris), there are plenty of them around!

Hi there, I don’t have a very long history with Chinese, but I really relate to your approach. Like you, I didn’t have much time to dedicate to it and was looking for something simple—something I could easily pick back up without pressure. Since I’d already learned another language online before (on clic-campus), I realized that for me, consistency mattered more than speed. With Chinese, I quickly saw that there’s no real “quick” method in the strict sense, especially because of the tones and pronunciation. That said, short, well-structured formats helped me make progress without getting discouraged. I didn’t take in-person classes at first, and it wasn’t essential for me. I mostly worked with materials I could access whenever I had a moment, even just 15–20 minutes. Classes can definitely help with correcting pronunciation, but I’d say it really depends on your goal and motivation. Looking back, accepting that slow but steady progress was more helpful than searching for a miracle method. And taking breaks when needed, without guilt, is part of the learning process too 😊

Nihao, I’m Tina, Chinese. I have over 5 years of experience teaching Chinese. Your post about learning Chinese really resonated with me! Especially the emphasis on consistency over speed—that’s exactly what I think too. I actually created a free online Chinese course for beginners, designed for short free moments (15-20 minutes per session). The content is updated regularly, and once you sign up, you get free lifetime access. The sign-up link is on my profile picture if you’re interested! Just sharing, no pressure 😊