想 = Xiǎng, 要 = Yào and 想要 = XiǎngYào can all be translated into “want” or “want to” sometimes. However, they’re not exactly the same across all contexts. (Otherwise, why would there be three terms instead of one?!) You may be wondering: What are the differences? When can they be used interchangeably or not? Which one should I use and when?
Ms. Kong Long
Repeating Verbs in Mandarin Chinese
Have you come across repeating verbs in Chinese, such as 看看 and 听听, or 看了看 and 听了听, and wondered how they are different from regular verbs in Chinese? This post discusses how you could interpret and use repeating verbs in Chinese!
The verdict on two and two hundred in Chinese 两 vs 二
If you know anything about the Chinese language, you probably learned one is 一, two is 二, three is 三. (Surely you can extrapolate from here!) Have you heard of 两 (liǎng) which also means two?
Can I learn Chinese without characters?
Learning Chinese characters looks like a lot of work. Can I skip it?
How I came up with the PPM
In this post, I want to share my own language learning experiences and how they shaped the four step method, aka the PPM, at Kong Long Mandarin. The best way to learn any language including Chinese is to acquire the language, don’t be taught. Below you can see some of the techniques I used to … Read more
How long does it take to learn Chinese? The first 20 hours matter the most.
If you’re asking the question “How long does it take to learn Chinese?”, you may find answers like, it takes 10,000 hours, or it takes five years, or 2000 days.
There is only one good answer to this question: The first 20 hours matter the most. You’re probably asking “how long does it take to learn Chinese” before you’ve done anything except researching about learning Chinese. You’re probably scared of getting started.
The best way to learn Mandarin: Acquire the language, don’t be taught
The best way to learn Mandarin is to acquire the language, don’t be taught.
In this post, I want to talk about how to acquire the Chinese language for the purpose of communication.
How to Learn Mandarin like a Child: Essential Principles
Do you envy that children can learn any spoken language with ease? Have you wondered if you could learn Mandarin like a child?
If you’re here to learn Mandarin, you probably didn’t grow up learning Mandarin as a child but you still can learn Chinese like a child. I want to help you do that.
How to learn Mandarin pronunciation and tones for BEGINNERS
If you want to learn to speak Mandarin, you have to practice speaking Mandarin. Listening to or watching anything in Mandarin, let it be Peppa Pig Mandarin dub or a lecture teaching you how to speak Mandarin, will help you learn the language but will not make you a good speaker. You have to practice … Read more
Speech Shadowing, practicing speaking Mandarin the classic way
Use speech shadowing to improve your Chinese listening and speaking skills!
Speech Shadowing is a magical technique for practice listening and speaking skills when you’re learning a new language, any language.
Here, I’ve made it easier for you to practice the technique for learning Chinese. Learn to speak Chinese by speech shadowing with Peppa Pig!!