<p>In my experience, taking a class, and watching/listening to Chinese media truly helps. 
I have taken classes on Chinese, and Chinese media can test if you understand Chinese. Using media also helps you "exercise" your brain; much like taking a jog once in awhile.</p>

<p>In order to retain knowledge on the Chinese, you should practice saying the word, or at least use them once in awhile. It's easier to remember the words with constant/common usage.</p>

<p>I would not recommend software; one problem I see is that if you have a question, you can't ask your computer. With a teacher, on the other hand, you can ask them questions and they can explain. It's a great time saver.</p>

<p>I'm not sure about any places you should go to learn, unfortunately. It greatly depends on what your age is, where you live, and your schedule.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-10-08T21:01:51.803Z
2012-10-08T21:01:51.803Z
PuppingCaps
<ul>
<li>Language exchange. Look on classifieds sites and posters near universities to arrange a language exchange where you can practice with someone in Chinese and then help them with English or another language.</li>
<li>Do plenty of reading and practice by reading aloud. Get books that are at your level e.g. use children's books if you are at a beginners level so you don't get hung up on trying to find the meaning of every sentence.</li>
<li>Learn the words to your favourite Chinese songs. There are plenty on youtube.</li>
<li>Pay someone from China to chat with you online using Skype. There are now plenty of services available on the net to do this.</li>
<li>Go to your local Chinese grocery / fish / butcher / restaurant / bubble tea shop once a week and practice your Chinese when buying.</li>
<li>Get an account on <a href="http://weibo.com" rel="nofollow">weibo</a> and join in a conversation on your favourite topic.</li>
<li>This will highly depend on your local community, but I play casual soccer every week with an all Chinese team. I am the only white guy on the team and we only speak Chinese.</li>
<li>Get some Chinese friends and just hangout / Skype / phone / play 三国杀 / whatever</li>
<li>Join a Chinese language class and make some friends and also meet-up outside of class.</li>
<li>Date someone Chinese (I know this sounds stupid, but I would have never started learning if I never met my wife).</li>
</ul>

<p>There are plenty of opportunities, but it depends on your personality and how willing you are to reach out.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-10-08T22:11:46.833Z
2012-10-08T22:11:46.833Z
going
<p>I think that enrolling in a formal course of Chinese language study is the best. The reason is that it keeps you moving and keeps you motivated. It is fun studying with others too. I attended the local community classes and I met a lot of other motivated Chinese language learners.</p>

<p>As well as my formal course of study at Uni. I also take private one on one lessons from a teacher in P.R.China. I found that there is a great deal of price difference in schools so shop around. Many offer a free introductory lesson. The advantage of this is that you can decide the text and content of your lessons. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-11-14T00:44:25.147Z
2012-11-14T00:44:25.147Z
Chinese Mandarin Learner Cml
<p>I recommend <a href="http://www.wechat.com/zh_TW/" rel="nofollow">Wechat</a> for you, the most popular social platform in China, where you can chat with your Chinese friends, browse their daily life state etc. </p>

<p>I have the same experience with you, I worked in China for half a year and now I'm back to US. I have been learning Chinese with <strong>Hanbridge Mandarin</strong> for the past month or so, and I can already see a huge improvement in language ability. They offers the online teaching with the native teachers face to face using the virtual classroom, this is a great way to go immerse myself whenever possible and learn Chinese well when I'm not in China.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-12T03:27:28.367Z
2015-08-12T03:37:12.843Z
2015-08-12T03:37:12.843Z
Alice Brown
<p>I think the simplest way is to listening Chinese news and try to say it by yourself.I am a native Chinese and I have learned English for a couple of months.I listen VOA everyday,through this way,I can also get the international news.I think I can achieve two aims at the same time.
I think you need a Chinese friend too.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-10-18T07:27:47.837Z
2012-10-18T07:27:47.837Z
liam xu
<p>I try to learn Chinese words and characters in "bunches," based on similar "phonetics" (typically the right side or bottom of characters).</p>

<p>For instance, the word  马 ma (third tone), means "horse," is the "root" word.</p>

<p>Add the radical for "woman" to the left, and the changed word 妈 means "mother," and is pronounced ma (first tone). Change the radicals again, and you have a "family" of similar-sounding words that mean "dock," "agate," "to scold," etc. all with a common phonetic.</p>

<p>I've found it a lot easier to remember a "bunch" of similar words than the same number of unrelated words.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-10-18T00:47:54.480Z
2012-10-18T01:01:01.687Z
2012-10-18T01:01:01.687Z
Tom Au
<p>If you find a group of people interested in Learning chinese you can start a weekly study group. I currently do this with a group of 4 people and we invite students from a local university who are from china to teach us, and in term we give them some english expressions and help with their pronunciation. I do suggest you set yourselves a goal. We use the NPRC and our goal is to go chapter by chapter every week or two depending on complexity. We also blazed through the yongho books two chapters at a time. It really helps if you lack discipline like me. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-11-13T07:11:04.817Z
2012-11-13T07:11:04.817Z
Mallow
<p>I have the same situation like you, just all the other way:</p>

<p>I am Chinese, used to work with people from US in 2008 a lot. Then my English was rather OK. But in 2009 I started a company so one day when I called a guy from US in English, I was shocked that I was speechless then.</p>

<p>Luckily in 2010 I successfully expanded my business to oversea countries and all the communication is in English. So again I gained up my skills.</p>

<p>Then due to some unexpected reasons my business did not go well in 2011-2012, and I do not have that much communication with those oversea partners. I feel my English is getting worse again.</p>

<p>Then I decide to communicate more to retain it: Playing with Facebook, Twitter, Quora and now Stack Exchange :)</p>

<p>I think <strong>daily/casual communication</strong> is the BEST way to retain it, otherwise you'll have to do it in a painful way.</p>

<p>Just my personal experience and advice. Not sure whether it works for Chinese but if you're interested, I suggest you start using websites like Weibo and Youku.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-10-09T02:01:29.680Z
2012-10-09T02:01:29.680Z
AGamePlayer
<p>I lived in China for a few months and picked up quite a bit of Mandarin. Now that I've moved back to the US, I have forgotten the Chinese I knew and spoke while there. Other than actually living where they speak Chinese, what is one of the most effective/efficient ways to learn Chinese (semi-quickly) and retain it? Software? Community classes? Watching/listening to Chinese media? Any suggestions of places to go to learn?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-10-08T23:31:19.783Z
Related (possible duplicates): [Techniques for learning and retaining characters](http://chinese.stackexchange.com/q/91/43) and another one [Where to practice speaking Chinese?](http://chinese.stackexchange.com/q/29/43)
Alenanno
<mandarin><learning><spoken><mainland-china>
Learning/remembering Chinese
# Learning/remembering Chinese

(Asked by: username_0 on 2012-10-08)

I lived in China for a few months and picked up quite a bit of Mandarin. Now that I've moved back to the US, I have forgotten the username_4 I knew and spoke while there. Other than actually living where they speak username_4, what is one of the most effective/efficient ways to learn username_4 (semi-quickly) and retain it? Software? Community classes? Watching/listening to username_4 media? Any suggestions of places to go to learn?

**Tags:** mandarin, learning, spoken, mainland-china

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Related (possible duplicates): [Techniques for learning and retaining characters](http://username_4.stackexchange.com/q/91/43) and another one [Where to practice speaking username_4?](http://username_4.stackexchange.com/q/29/43)  

---

## 8 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2012-10-08. Score: 3

In my experience, taking a class, and watching/listening to username_4 media truly helps.
I have taken classes on username_4, and username_4 media can test if you understand username_4. Using media also helps you "exercise" your brain; much like taking a jog once in awhile.

In order to retain knowledge on the username_4, you should practice saying the word, or at least use them once in awhile. It's easier to remember the words with constant/common usage.

I would not recommend software; one problem I see is that if you have a question, you can't ask your computer. With a teacher, on the other hand, you can ask them questions and they can explain. It's a great time saver.

I'm not sure about any places you should go to learn, unfortunately. It greatly depends on what your age is, where you live, and your schedule.


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2012-10-08. Score: 2

* Language exchange. Look on classifieds sites and posters near universities to arrange a language exchange where you can practice with someone in username_4 and then help them with English or another language.
* Do plenty of reading and practice by reading aloud. Get books that are at your level e.g. use children's books if you are at a beginners level so you don't get hung up on trying to find the meaning of every sentence.
* Learn the words to your favourite username_4 songs. There are plenty on youtube.
* Pay someone from China to chat with you online using Skype. There are now plenty of services available on the net to do this.
* Go to your local username_4 grocery / fish / butcher / restaurant / bubble tea shop once a week and practice your username_4 when buying.
* Get an account on [weibo](http://weibo.com) and join in a conversation on your favourite topic.
* This will highly depend on your local community, but I play casual soccer every week with an all username_4 team. I am the only white guy on the team and we only speak username_4.
* Get some username_4 friends and just hangout / Skype / phone / play 三国杀 / whatever
* Join a username_4 language class and make some friends and also meet-up outside of class.
* Date someone username_4 (I know this sounds stupid, but I would have never started learning if I never met my wife).

There are plenty of opportunities, but it depends on your personality and how willing you are to reach out.


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2012-11-14. Score: 1

I think that enrolling in a formal course of username_4 language study is the best. The reason is that it keeps you moving and keeps you motivated. It is fun studying with others too. I attended the local community classes and I met a lot of other motivated username_4 language learners.

As well as my formal course of study at Uni. I also take private one on one lessons from a teacher in P.R.China. I found that there is a great deal of price difference in schools so shop around. Many offer a free introductory lesson. The advantage of this is that you can decide the text and content of your lessons.


---

### Answer by username_5 on 2015-08-12. Score: 1

I recommend [Wechat](http://www.wechat.com/zh_TW/) for you, the most popular social platform in China, where you can chat with your username_4 friends, browse their daily life state etc.

I have the same experience with you, I worked in China for half a year and now I'm back to US. I have been learning username_4 with **Hanbridge Mandarin** for the past month or so, and I can already see a huge improvement in language ability. They offers the online teaching with the native teachers face to face using the virtual classroom, this is a great way to go immerse myself whenever possible and learn username_4 well when I'm not in China.


---

### Answer by username_6 on 2012-10-18. Score: 0

I think the simplest way is to listening username_4 news and try to say it by yourself.I am a native username_4 and I have learned English for a couple of months.I listen VOA everyday,through this way,I can also get the international news.I think I can achieve two aims at the same time.
I think you need a username_4 friend too.


---

### Answer by username_7 on 2012-10-18. Score: 0

I try to learn username_4 words and characters in "bunches," based on similar "phonetics" (typically the right side or bottom of characters).

For instance, the word 马 ma (third tone), means "horse," is the "root" word.

Add the radical for "woman" to the left, and the changed word 妈 means "mother," and is pronounced ma (first tone). Change the radicals again, and you have a "family" of similar-sounding words that mean "dock," "agate," "to scold," etc. all with a common phonetic.

I've found it a lot easier to remember a "bunch" of similar words than the same number of unrelated words.


---

### Answer by username_8 on 2012-11-13. Score: 0

If you find a group of people interested in Learning username_4 you can start a weekly study group. I currently do this with a group of 4 people and we invite students from a local university who are from china to teach us, and in term we give them some english expressions and help with their pronunciation. I do suggest you set yourselves a goal. We use the NPRC and our goal is to go chapter by chapter every week or two depending on complexity. We also blazed through the yongho books two chapters at a time. It really helps if you lack discipline like me.


---

### Answer by username_9 on 2012-10-09. Score: 0

I have the same situation like you, just all the other way:

I am username_4, used to work with people from US in 2008 a lot. Then my English was rather OK. But in 2009 I started a company so one day when I called a guy from US in English, I was shocked that I was speechless then.

Luckily in 2010 I successfully expanded my business to oversea countries and all the communication is in English. So again I gained up my skills.

Then due to some unexpected reasons my business did not go well in 2011-2012, and I do not have that much communication with those oversea partners. I feel my English is getting worse again.

Then I decide to communicate more to retain it: Playing with Facebook, Twitter, Quora and now Stack Exchange :)

I think **daily/casual communication** is the BEST way to retain it, otherwise you'll have to do it in a painful way.

Just my personal experience and advice. Not sure whether it works for username_4 but if you're interested, I suggest you start using websites like Weibo and Youku.

Good luck!


---

