How I (unofficially) cleared HSK 1 within 20 days learning mandarin (resource + tips sharing)
Disclaimer : I did not want to boast by making this post. I realize HSK 1 is the very basic of the chinese language and passing it means almost NOTHING. Here, I just want to share how I learn and what resource(s) I use.
Background : I am Indonesian, My mother tongue is Bahasa Indonesia. Ten years ago, I had Chinese tuition for one year and then stopped because things seem so difficult. I never revised mandarin, so I forgot everything except maybe 你好
This is how I learn:
- At the first few days, I drilled myself in pinyin table. A pinyin table by yoyochinese.com is quite clear. The demonstrator uses english words so readers can easily relate how to pronounce things.
- Next, I use LingoDeer app and learn the very basic words such as "How are you" and stuff. I never force myself to remember the characters, but I have to pronounce them well..The good thing about it is, they demonstrate how to pronounce everything. The app is free for the first 4 lessons.
- I decided I did not want to pay, so I searched for other resources on the net but nothing seemed to be good....until I remember about Coursera.org. For those of you who didn't know, It's a website where you can learn courses from many universities. You can get a certification (after finishing a course), but you have to pay. If you don't want to pay any money, you may enjoy all the lessons and videos as long as you enroll to the course.
- I enrolled to this course by Shanghai Jiao Tong University. When I read about it, this university accepts students who are interested in learning mandarin by taking non-degree language program. When you enroll, you can watch 2 lecture videos each week (all taught by a professor), new words+pronounciation, quizzes, even per-chapter workbook if you are interested in mastering the writing. You may even ask in the forums as well.
In my opinion, the professor here explains at slow pace thoroughly, and you get to understand the grammar and structure as well. SJTU provides 4 beginner level and 4 intermediate level courses. By the end of eight courses, you can test yourself in HSK 3 (they claimed)
- After I reached a certain lesson, I decided to learn writing as well. So I printed out the workbook and practice the writing myself. Therefore, my writing is way behind my conversation and pinyin.
- As I am aiming to test myself in HSK 1, I also enrolled in this course that specializes to prepare students to reach HSK 1. I assume this course was for those who already had the basics because videos and lessons aren't that explanative. The videos also seemed old for some reason. Here, they gave a thick pdf textbook of vocabs and conversation. I didn't really watch their videos as I only read their textbook.
- The most important thing is, I study every day. I might not have enough time on some days, so I would only rewatch some older episode's conversation so I don't forget. Sometimes it's only 10 minutes in a day but it's needed so my brain doesn't forget them. If I don't have time to open my laptop, coursera is also available as an app in android and ios. I always downloaded all the materials when I have wifi at home. I watch the videos on my phone even when I had no internet connection.
That's my tips. I hope the resources is useful for you who were looking for some free and good ones. I hope for the best for your chinese lesson.