translation for 'started studying'

[etribe]

hey guys,

how would you say 'started studying' in mandarin (i.e. i started studying Mandarin 2 years ago)....would kai1xue2 be a close translation?

regards

etribe

[skylee]

Consider 開始學習 as in 我兩年前開始學習普通話。

[Glenn]

Would this be good if it's recently that you've started? 我最近學習中文了。

[skylee]

would kai1xue2 be a close translation?

開學 means the start of a school year after a long break (eg summer vacation).

[Shi Tong]

Glenn,

I think I would be right in saying that you're looking for:

我最近(開始)學習中文了, or are you trying to say that you've been studying Chinese recently, because that sentance means that you've recently started studying Chinese (you've just started, not studied before, then started studying again) if you get what I mean?

[bossidy]

How bout 我中文開始學習了?

[tmartin6]

wo xuele zhongwen liange yue xuele

[Glenn]

Shi Tong,

Yeah, I was going for the "I've recently started studying Chinese (for the first time in my life)" sort of meaning. Are you saying I need the 開始 in there, or were the parentheses to show that it's optional in that instance?

[Shi Tong]

Hello Glenn,

If you want to say you've literally just started learning Chinese for the first time in your life, then 開始 is essential, the () was to show you where I added words

Your original sentance 我最近學習中文了 means as a literal translation "I most closely (most recently) study/ studied chinese already". This would mean that you were just studying Mandarin, maybe if you were going to a party and people were asking you what you'd been doing before you came out you would use this kind of sentance, though I would like to add a bit to make it sound more flowing/ make more precise sense:

For example, because I have (personally) just started studying reading and writing much closer than I ever have done before, I would say:

我最近又開始學習中文了 (I have recently again started studying Mandarin).

I would also probably add in 字, 我最近又開始學習中文(字)了, meaning that I'm studying the words, rather than the totality of Chinese (speech and writing).

If you had just been learning at home, but you'd been learning a few months, someone might ask you.. what have you just been doing, you could say:

我剛才在學習中文了 (I, just now, was at studying Mandarin).

I hope this helps.

I've put this all in traditional characters because that's what you'd put in your post.

[Glenn]

Oh, wow. Thanks for the clarification and detailed explanation! And thanks for using traditional characters. I prefer them.

[Shi Tong]

Always a pleasure, and glad to be of assistance. I prefer traditional as well, but practically speaking I'm going to be learning simplified.

[YingTao]

Maybe not valid right now but perhaps useful a little later in your studies... I just say 我是一个中文初学者

I'm a Chinese beginner student.