Everyday Chinese: Why You Can't Speak Chinese Yet

Hello everyone! Welcome to 'Everyday Chinese'!

I'm your friend, Wang Yu.

Hi everyone, I'm Li Ming. Great to see you all again.

Li Ming, I want to start by asking you a question today.

Oh? What question? Go ahead.

It's like this: I have many friends who are currently learning Chinese.

They often send me messages in Chinese characters, and they write very well.

They also listen to our podcast often,

and they say they can understand it.

Mhm, that's great. It shows they are studying very hard.

Yes. But they have one big problem.

They can't speak Chinese. Or rather, they don't dare to speak Chinese.

They often ask me, 'Wang Yu, why is it that I've studied for so long,

know so many Chinese characters, but I just can't speak?'

Ah, I see. That is a very, very good question.

I think many of our listeners who are tuning into our podcast right now

might have the same problem.

Exactly! So today, we want to chat with you all about this topic:

Why can't you speak Chinese even after studying for a long time?

Great. I hope today's chat will help everyone.

Li Ming, I think the first and biggest reason is 'fear.' Fear of making mistakes.

I agree. For many people, it's not that they 'can't speak,' but that they 'don't dare to speak.'

Right! It's exactly this 'not daring.'

It reminds me of when I first started learning English. I knew many words on the page, and I

could understand them all.

But when the teacher had me stand up to answer a question, oh my goodness, my heart would beat so fast.

You were scared.

Yes. I had so many thoughts in my head, but my mouth just wouldn't cooperate.

I couldn't say a single word. I was afraid my pronunciation was wrong, my grammar was wrong, and

my classmates would laugh at me.

I completely understand. We call this feeling a 'psychological barrier.'

You really want to speak, but it feels like there is a wall blocking your mouth.

Yes, yes, yes, exactly a wall! You put it so well. Did you have this feeling when you were learning foreign languages before?

Of course I did. I'm someone who tends to be a bit of a perfectionist.

So, when I first started learning, I always wanted every single sentence I said to be completely

correct.

The grammar had to be right, the word choice had to be right, and the pronunciation had to be right too.

And what was the result?

The result was that I thought too much and spoke too little.

Before saying a sentence, I would think in my head for five minutes.

By the time I figured it out, others had already moved on to the next topic.

Hahaha, me too! Exactly the same! So how did you change that later on?

Later, a Chinese teacher of mine said something to me that changed me.

He said, 'Language is for communication, not for exams.

It doesn't matter if you make a mistake. As long as I can understand what you mean,

that's what is most important.'

That's so true! 'Understanding what you mean is what is most important.'

An American friend of mine also told me the exact same thing.

Back then, I wanted to tell him in English that I went to see a movie yesterday.

I said, 'I yesterday see a movie.'

Mhm, that grammar is incorrect.

Yes, it was completely Chinese grammar.

After saying it, my face turned very red. I felt it was so embarrassing.

But my friend immediately said, 'Oh, a movie! Which one? Was it good?'

He completely understood what I meant! He didn't think my grammar was weird at all.

Yes. He cared about 'what movie you watched,' not 'whether your sentence was correct.'

From then on, I started to become brave.

If I made a mistake, so be it.

What mattered was that I spoke! I expressed my meaning.

So, to our friends listening to our podcast, I want to tell you:

Please don't be afraid. It really doesn't matter if you make a mistake.

Your Chinese friends and your Chinese teachers will definitely understand you.

Right. Bravely opening your mouth is the first step to learning to speak Chinese, and also the most important

step.

Wang Yu, besides 'fear,' I think there is a second very important reason.

What is it?

It's that many friends only 'input' but don't 'output.'

Input? Output? What does that mean?

It sounds a bit like computer terms.

Haha, let me explain. It's very simple.

'Input' is the process of your learning.

For example, you read books, recognize Chinese characters, and listen to our podcast.

This knowledge all goes into your brain. This is 'input.'

Oh, I see. Then I am 'inputting' every day.

Yes. But language learning requires not only 'input,' but also 'output.'

'Output' is the process of you using the language.

For example, you write characters, or, more importantly, you 'speak' Chinese.

I get it! Many friends spend a lot of time every day reading books and listening to lessons, which is 'input.'

But they never speak Chinese, so they have no 'output.'

Exactly.

Wang Yu, let me make an analogy for you.

What do you think learning to speak Chinese is like learning?

Hmm... like learning to sing?

A bit. I have a better analogy. I think learning to speak Chinese is just like learning to swim.

Learning to swim? Interesting. Tell me more.

Think about it, if a person wants to learn to swim, he buys a lot of books about swimming and reads them every day

at home.

The books tell him how his hands should move, how his feet should move.

He also watches many videos online to see how world champions swim.

He has learned all the theories.

Mhm, he is a very serious student.

Then, I bring him to the side of a pool and say, 'Okay, now you can jump into the water and swim.'