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Is HSK Standard Course 1 good for a beginner?


wabel

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Hello everyone,

I'm currently considering learning Mandarin, and I just don't know where or how to start.

(So, I thought that the best way to start is by learning from the official book for HSK. ( HSK Standard Course S

So? do you think it's going to be a good place to start? especially that this book will prepare me well for the exam HSK 1 "I believe so".

 

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Hi @wabel welcome to the forum!

The 'Standard HSK' course books are especially good for preparing for the HSK exams since they focus on the vocabulary and grammar required.

I think that the textbooks are not ideal for self study though as they don't contain answers and the study explanations may not be obvious without a teacher. 

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Hey! Welcome!

 

i recommend Rosetta Stone, it’s a wee bit pricey but it set a really positive mindset for learning in my experience, since it makes you think in terms of understanding versus translating. It’s pretty nebulous but i think doing beginner Rosetta Stone helped me a ton! Other than that you can probably find a tutor which will help you more than any book or software could! If your budget is really limited to book prices, I suggest the “a key to Chinese speech and writing” series by Joel Bellassen. For books, they kinda do throw you in the deep end but they genuinely do start from a beginner who has never spoken any Chinese level. Those books are a lil tough but if you stick with it they helped me more than the hanban official series. Good luck! And remember it will take time, dont get discouraged by little setbacks! :)

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Hello and welcome to the forum.

 

I think you have made a good first move by finding this forum:D

 

I think you should try starting with this book, remember you could always change your mind if you don't get on with it or find something you prefer.

 

Personally I use New Practical Chinese Reader, I describe more about in the link in my signature.

 

IMO I would strongly disagree with using Rosetta Stone, especially as a beginner. There was a big discussion on the forum awhile ago and the general consensus was that it was not useful for beginners especially. Please don't use it, it will cause you confusion.

 

 

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Upvote for new practical chinese reader. Time tested, graded progression all the way up to intermediate/advanced, well rounded and not as dull as the hsk series.


I think Pimsleur is also worth checking out, I used it right at the beginning and at the very least it taught me that tones are important and why (although definitely can't be sure I was actually saying the tones correctly…)

 

Chinesepod *was* a good starting point. If you can find the ones with John and Jenny hosting from a few years back you'll be on the right track (no offense to the new guys, I just preferred their dynamic)

 

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Im not familiar with the HSK 1 materials, but make sure whatever you do end up using covers listening and pronunciation exhaustively.

 

The first unit of my university course consisted of pinyin and tone practice, where we had to listen to Chinese sounds and record our own pronunciation. Studying pronunciation first will pay dividends later. I know students who didnt put the work in for pinyin/tones and paid for it later. They sounded ridiculous

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@wabel

there is a distinction to be made here, if you are considering learning mandarin in the sense that you are mostly interested in just testing the water versus interested in the sense that you can see yourself committing years toward learning makes a big difference! If it’s the second the best thing you can do is to invest in a good tutor because even the best book can’t give you personal advice. If it’s more the first option, then starting on only book courses might work better since the cost of a good tutor can run pretty high! At least that’s my take on the difference

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2 hours ago, ZC said:

invest in a good tutor

In effect, the first time I tryied to study chinese was in 1970 years... but only after a regular course I had some success.

There exists also audio/video courses associated to books, like Great Wall Chinese, or MOOCs in e-learning, but a teacher mark the difference.

 

Any way HSK Standard Course is a good idea for preparing HSK, because from the start it proposes HSK-like exercices.

 

Attached: my first trial in chinese language study...

 

Furio

LChineEnCostruction73.jpg

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I echo what @Shelley has said about Rosetta stone. I tried it and found it did not help me progress at all. I wasn't aware the forums had reached a consensus on the matter, but it's worth noting that consensus on these forums is rarely achieved.

 

That said, HSK standard course books are great guides to direct your studying but should be paired with a tutor and other methods.

 

It should be complimented with

1) proper grammar resources (like a grammar book or the grammar wiki),

2) a good method to learn stroke order and practice differentiating tones (which can be done with Pleco's flashcard system, have it only "display" the audio first. The flashcards also come with pre-organized set of HSK 1-6 cards though I'd recommend adding in words one by one in the order of the book you use)

3) someone to point out your errors, like a tutor. Knowing that you did something wrong is hardly helpful. Knowing why what you did is wrong is very helpful (was it a grammar mistake, word-pairing mistake or a cultural mistake?)

 

Overall, though, I like how the HSK vocabulary and grammar points are organized and find them to be mostly useful (until HSK 6, then blah).

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I remember my first month studying mandarin and attending classes. I used an iPhone app called 'Pin Pin' that worked through how to pronounce the sounds of the Chinese language. I think this might be helpful if you are doing self study as it will teach you how to sound the Chinese language. I used to copy out(drill) the sounds of the language on my morning commute to work, I think people on the bus & subway probably thought I was crazy but it was nice to be able to practice something like this without carrying any materials and without having to use too much thought in the mornings.

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You're getting inundated with suggestions, most of which I'd agree with. One course that may be worth considering is Chinese Zero to Hero, which is based on the book you're using & was on this forum last year. (Full disclosure: I've not taken it but am considering it.) Link to forum thread:

https://www.chinese-forums.com/forums/topic/54643-chinese-zero-to-hero-hsk-based-video-courses/

Website: http://www.chinesezerotohero.com/

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ3IlLg5VGeydxtswBoyt6A

BTW, I notice that their prices are going up at the end of March.

 

Regarding Rosetta Stone, I've noticed that most of those who have had a good experience with it were using it as a supplementary tool. It is expensive for that purpose & there are smartphone/tablet apps that do some of the same things, & in some cases for free. I've gone through Hello Chinese & ChineseSkill. I came to prefer Hello Chinese, but they're both good apps. You can't go wrong with either one. Duolingo has also recently produced a Chinese course, which I've not tried.

 

Last but not least, get a good dictionary. Most people are using apps for this purpose now. I use Pleco & use it constantly.

 

 

 

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Are you planning on doing this alone?

 

Speaking so that you are understood is THE major difficulty learning Chinese. It's quite possible -- after a lot of time and effort -- to be able to read and listen and form perfect sentences in your head, only to draw blank stares when you open your mouth.

 

Solo study does work for some languages. But not Chinese.

 

So I'd say it's most important from day one to be working with a tutor. Go it alone and you'll undoubtedly develop all sorts of bad habits you'll find impossible to break.

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Strongly recommend getting yourself a teacher, or else you might be pronouncing things incorrectly from day one.  And Mandarin pronunciation is far from straightforward.

 

I've been super happy with the teacher I found on italki.com.  She's in Shanghai (I'm in Singapore) and we have 2-3 one-hour classes a week on Zoom or Skype.  The teachers all have profiles, verified qualifications etc and ratings from their students. 

 

As for diving into HSK level 2 or 3, be aware that as you move up a level the number of words that you need to know doubles each time.  Also for 1 and 2 you don't need to do any "writing".


 

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Regarding Rosetta Stone, I don't know about this forum but I know that on other language learning forums (e.g., reddit.com/languagelearning) they have been met with a lot of derision. Not only do people feel that it's a very overpriced        , ineffective resource that has a very slow tempo, but that in combination with the fact that it's one of the most known brands and usually what completely uninitiated language learners start with (and, ultimately, what might make someone give up language learning), it almost seems feels like people bear a personal grudge against them. It has gotten the point where language "coaches" will use it as part of their marketing - "Have you spent hundreds of dollars on expensive products like Rosetta Stone without ANY success???"

 

As someone who would attribute about 70% of their Chinese skills to self-studies, my biggest advice to a beginner is to indeed get a teacher who can drill you in pronunciation. Not only to learn the tones but also the various initials and finals. Once you've "mastered" (read: are no longer butchering) the pronunciation of Chinese characters using the pinyin alphabet, you can begin your self-study in earnest. To save money, find a teacher o iTalki and use the MP3 Skype Recorder software that will automatically record your sessions. Then you can use Audacity to edit your files, listen a hundred times and record your own voice to compare.

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