sarahsunilife

[sarahsunilife]

4.14.17 What else would I be doing on a sunny day? ✨☀️

[sarahsunilife]

[sarahsunilife]

13/100 days of productivity

today is sunday, and i’ve been drudging up my medieval knowledge to prepare lectures for winter activities. i made my bujo spread for next week, and prepared my kindergarten lessons, as well as making the resources i need and more printouts for weekend classes. also, i know my shakespeare compilation just got delivered, so i can start reading that on my days off! 🌸🌸🌸 

[sarahsunilife]

Reading corner. 🍁

[sarahsunilife]

Phrases I Hear Most as an English Language Teacher in China

你好 (nǐ hǎo)－ hello! 

老师 (lǎoshī)－ teacher  (老师好 － hello teacher!)

坐下 (zùo xìa)－ sit down 

站起来 (zhàn qǐlái)－ stand up

名字 (míngzì)－ name (你叫什么名字 － what is your name?)

几岁了 (jǐ suì le)－ how old? (你几岁了 - how old are you?)

一，二，三！ (yī, èr, sān!) － one, two, three! 

不知道 (bú zhīdào)－ (I) don’t know

什么 (shénme)－ what?

为什么 (wèi shénme) － why?

这个 (zhège) － this one

听 (tīng)－ listen (听老师 － listen to teacher)

没有 (méiyǒu)－ there is no/none

不是 (bù shì)－ is not

安静 (ān jìng)－ be quiet!

非常好 (fēi cháng hǎo)－ very good

说 (shūo)－ say/speak

对不起  (duì bù qǐ) － I’m sorry

#studyblr #chinese #mandarin #langblr #chinese langblr #studyspo #study abroad #university #tefl #pinyin #china #chinese vocabulary #chinese language #learn chinese #languages #motivation #language learning #vocabulary list #chinese resources

[sarahsunilife]

Beginner’s Chinese Phrases

- this is if you don’t do tones/pinyin and want some basic mandarin knowledge, like if you’re going on holiday to a mandarin-speaking area of china! 

你好 － hello (pronounced nee-how)

你好吗 － how are you? (pronounced nee-how-ma)

我很好 － I’m good (pronounced war-hen-how)

谢谢 － thank you (pronounced see-e-see-e)

我叫... - my (first) name is... (pronounced war-jee-ow...)

please learn pinyin if you want to really learn how to pronounce things lol

#chinese #chinese studyblr #studyblr #studyspo #langblr #studyspiration #tefl #travel #china

[sarahsunilife]

Top 6 Apps for Learning Mandarin Chinese

Last summer, while I was supposed to be studying French intensively, I accidentally started studying Mandarin instead. These things happen! The best thing about Mandarin compared to some other languages I’ve studied (specifically Persian and Korean) is that there are a huge number of resources available to help learners, including a lot of very well-designed apps. After months of obsessively checking the iTunes store for the best apps and trying them out, these are my favorite six (plus a few more worth mentioning). They appear in ascending order from my least favorite to my most favorite.

Worth mentioning: A couple of apps not included on this list but worth mentioning are Pleco and Skritter. 

Pleco is a highly-regarded Chinese dictionary. I have it on my phone and do use it, but I left it off the list because I prefer another (#6 on this list). Since I’m still very much a beginner, a thorough dictionary isn’t quite so important to me right now. However, it seems like every advanced student of Mandarin recommends this app, so I had to include it.

Skritter is another app that’s highly regarded among serious students. I believe it focuses on helping with character recognition and writing. It has a subscription service that is a bit expensive, which is why I’ve never tried it; however, everyone seems to rave about it. If you’re a serious student, you should definitely look into it.

Also, I recommend downloading some Chinese-language apps designed for preschoolers. I found several of them online in the iTunes store, and a lot of them include short stories with simple words, practice with basic characters, etc. Using these apps gives you some immersive listening practice, which is fun. They can be kind of hit and miss, so I recommend downloading all you can find and seeing what you can figure out and what you like. They won’t replace any of the apps below, but they still serve a purpose.

6. WCC Dictionary This is the dictionary I use instead of Pleco. I like it primarily because of its beautiful design (something Pleco doesn’t really have). This app is mainly a dictionary, but it offers a lot more than that. For example, it has a character scanner (so you can look up words you find in books by taking a picture of the character). It also has a “story library” with a few simple books to read (with Pinyin, the characters, an English translation, and the ability to listen to the story being read). Characters are color coded if you use that as a device to help you with tones. It has a flashcard program with pre-created word lists, extensive example sentences, a section on radicals with example words, and stroke order animations. It also offers a “character of the day” and daily “homework” to motivate you to use what you learn. The dictionary itself is free, but there’s a lot of content that you have to pay to unlock, although there’s also a way to buy the content using “coins” that you earn through using the app.

5. Mindsnacks Mandarin A lot of you are already familiar with the Mindsnacks app because it’s offered for a lot of different languages (and a few school subjects like geography). This app uses games to teach Mandarin, mostly focusing on vocabulary (not grammar or sentence construction). It’s a bit limited, but it can be a really fun way to learn. After a while, the games start to feel repetitive and can get boring, but the app also has you move through levels (which allow you to unlock new games) and uses other incentives to keep you playing. The audio is an actual human, too, which is a big benefit since many apps and programs rely on Google Translate robot voices. This is a paid app, which could be a drawback.

4. FluentU This app is the reason I started learning Mandarin in the first place. I tried using it for French, but I felt like my French was too advanced to gain much from it. Even though there were advanced-level videos with vocabulary I didn’t know, FluentU doesn’t do a good job of adapting to your level and guessing which words will give you trouble. That’s perfectly fine for a beginner, though, since every word will probably give you trouble, which is why I used it for Mandarin. I think the makers of FluentU are Chinese speakers, and they seem to have focused more on Mandarin in their app. They have a built-in course you can follow, using videos they made themselves for teaching the language. The videos are pretty good, and you will feel like you’re learning a lot. There are also a lot of other videos if you want to branch out, including some catchy songs and clips from commercials or TV shows. The built-in flashcard system is a good way to review, but there’s no way to adjust their algorithms, so you might end up reviewing the same words way too often. I stopped using the program when I had 400+ words to review every day, and I just couldn’t keep up and continue advancing. This app is also very limited in the free version, and the paid subscription is VERY pricey, in my opinion, especially considering that there are other apps out there that offer more features. All of the videos are on YouTube anyway, so you can still use them to learn as you advance (or if you have a friend who can help you). I recommend this app if you want to pay for one month and use it to study intensively and advance quickly. That’s what I did, and I think it helped me out a lot.

3. ChineseSkill This is the first app that was designed to be a “Duolingo for Mandarin,” and it has a lot of great features. There’s the typical “tree” like in Duolingo, where you advance through different lessons one by one. It teaches character recognition, pronunciation, and grammar. The lessons can be really challenging for a beginner (sometimes too challenging, I thought), but it covers a lot of material. I’m not completely happy with the order in which lessons are taught (for example, there’s a lesson on shapes near the beginning that has you learn words like “triangle,” which seemed unimportant to me). The other drawback is there isn’t an easy way to review what you’ve learned (like on Duolingo when your gold-level lessons start to fade). It’s possible, but not super easy to access. Other interesting features include a tone game, a pinyin chart, a “survival kit” that’s like a travel phrasebook, and practice with stroke order. Also, this app is 100% free, which is amazing! I definitely recommend this app.

2. Social Language This app is really different from the others and is probably the most useful if you believe in speaking a language as soon as possible. I don’t think a lot of English speakers know about it because it seems to be marketed mostly to Chinese speakers. It’s a bit hard to explain, but I’ll try my best: basically, there’s a tree like you have for Duolingo, but the exercises are all to improve your speaking and pronunciation. You work through the lessons, and Chinese-speaking users rate and comment on your recordings. They can even leave voice messages to help you improve. You can do the same for them (in fact, you have to if you want to unlock higher levels). That alone makes the app worth downloading, but even better is that it includes a CHAT FEATURE that makes it very easy to interact with native speakers. You can see the profiles of hundreds of Chinese speakers who are online at any given time of day, and you can send a text or voice message to them and later add them to your friends’ list. What’s more,the ratio of Chinese to English speakers heavily favors English speakers. You will find hundreds of Chinese speakers eager to practice their English, and often you will be one of only a handful of English speakers on the app, meaning you have instant access to a chat partner any time of day or night. Have a question about your homework, something you read, or a phrase you don’t know how to pronounce? Instant, free tutoring is available 24/7 on this app, which is also FREE! I met some really nice people here without the pressure of a more formal language exchange. You can have a casual conversation any time you want, and it’s like text messaging so there’s less pressure if you’re shy about speaking Chinese. The only drawback is the same as with all language exchanges, which is that it’s sometimes difficult to balance the two languages. Also, I had problems with sending voice messages in chat, which can be frustrating. Overall, though, I’d say Social Language is a must-have.

1. HelloChinese This app didn’t exist last summer when I was looking for a Mandarin version of Duolingo, but I discovered it last week and fell in love with it. It actually has fewer features than ChineseSkill, but the pacing seems much better, and it focuses more heavily on pronunciation (though the speech recognition software isn’t perfect and you will sometimes need to skip a speaking question just to keep moving forward). It comes with some good grammar explanations and a really basic flashcard program for review. Honestly, I feel bad for rating it higher than ChineseSkill since ChineseSkill has been around longer and offers a lot more features, but I feel like HelloChinese just makes more sense and is easier to stick with than ChineseSkill. Like ChineseSkill, it’s also 100% free! I consider HelloChinese to be my “core” app for casual study, with the other apps acting as supplements. If you’re a more serious student, HelloChinese might not be your #1 pick, but it’s great for beginners who like the structure of an app like DuoLingo.

[sarahsunilife]

13/100 days of productivity

today is sunday, and i’ve been drudging up my medieval knowledge to prepare lectures for winter activities. i made my bujo spread for next week, and prepared my kindergarten lessons, as well as making the resources i need and more printouts for weekend classes. also, i know my shakespeare compilation just got delivered, so i can start reading that on my days off! 🌸🌸🌸 

#100 days of productivity #100dop #studyblr #bujo #bullet journal inspiration #bullet journal #onenote #onenote bullet journal #studyspo #tefl #teach abroad #study abroad #china #langblr #chinese langblr #blackpink #kpop studyblr #pink #pink aesthetic #pastel #pastel aesthetic #rose blackpink #sarahsunilife

[sarahsunilife]

Let's go to a restaurant : 我们一起去餐馆吧。(Wǒmen yīqǐ qù cānguǎn ba)

When you enter in the restaurant , you’ll often hear :

你们几位? (nǐ men jǐ wèi) ： How many people (are in your group?) or simply 几位？(jǐ wèi)

You might respond : 

Two： 两位 (liǎng wèi) Three： 三位 (sān wèi) Four： 四位 (sì wèi) etc…

What you might hear (too) :

您要点菜吗？：(nín yào diǎncài ma?) Would you like to order?

您要点什么？：(nín yào diǎn shénme?) What would you like to order?

您已经选好了吗？：(nín yǐjīng xuǎnhǎole ma?) Have you chosen already?

您要先喝点儿什么吗？：(nín yào xiān hēdiǎnr shénme ma?) Would you like to order some drinks to start with?

马上! (mǎ shàng)： Be right there!

Getting the Waiter’s attention

In a Western restaurant, we may politely say something like, “Excuse me. We’re ready to order.” Not so in a Chinese restaurant. 

Waiter! Order food! ： 服务员! 点菜! (fú wù yuán! diǎn cài!) 

Instead of 服务员, depending of the place (Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan…) we can use 小姐 (xiǎo jiě) for waitress. 

Making your order : 

I want… ：我要… （wǒ yào） or I would like： 我想要 (wǒ xiăng yào)

Examples : 

I’d like an order of Kung Pao chicken ： 我要一份宫保鸡丁 (wǒ yào yí fèn gōng bǎo jī dīng) 

I want a bowl of rice ： 我要一碗饭  (wǒ yào yì wǎn fàn)

Do you have chicken ？： 请问,有鸡肉吗？

Is this beef ？： 这是牛肉吗？

(While pointing to the menu) : 这个, 一份 (zhè gè, yī fèn) (One serving of this.)

I want a bottle of Coke： 我要一瓶可口可乐 （Wǒ yào yī píng kěkǒukělè）

Asking questions : 

Waitress/ waiter, please give me the menu： 服务员, 请给我菜单 (Fú wù yuan，qĭng gěi wŏ cài dān) 

What can you recommend?： 你有什么可以向我推荐？(nǐ yǒu shénme kěyǐ xiàng wǒ tuī jiàn?)

What’s the most popular dish here?： 这里最火的菜是什么? (zhè lǐ zuì huǒ de cài shì shén me)“

Where is the restroom ？： 洗手间在哪里 ? (xĭ shǒu jiān zài nă lǐ)

Restroom／WC：洗手间 (xĭ shǒu jiān) or 厕所 (cè suǒ)

Complaints : 

这不是我点的  (zhè bú shì wǒ diǎn de) ：This isn’t what I ordered 

我点了炒饭，还没到 (wǒ diǎn le chǎo fàn, hái méi dào) ：I ordered some fried rice and it hasn’t arrived.  

帐单不对 (zhàng dān bù duì) ： The bill is not right. 

Other phrases : 

I don’t want MSG ： 我不要味精 (wǒ bú yào wèi jīng)

I don’t want it spicy ： 我不要辣的 (wǒ bú yào là de)

I don’t eat meat ： 我不吃肉 (wǒ bù chī ròu)

I am a vegetarian ： 我吃素 wǒ chī sù

I am vegan ： 我吃全素 (wǒ chī quán sù) (or 我吃 纯素 wǒ chī chún sù)

I’m sorry, is it possible not to put meat in that? : 不好意思，可以不放肉吗 ？(bù hǎoyìsi, kěyǐ bù fàng ròu ma?)

After the meal, you might say :

The bill, please!： 买单! (mǎi dān) or 我买单 wǒ mǎidān (I would like to pay) 

How much is it (in total)?：  一共多少钱?  (yí gòng duō shǎo qián)

Can I use a credit card?： 刷卡可以吗? (shuā kǎ kě yǐ mā) 

Pay together： 一起付 (yī qǐ fù) 

Pay separately：分开付 (fēn kāi fù)

[EXTRA] 

It’s not customary to tip in restaurants in China. If the service was exceptionally good, and you are paying in cash, you can simply ask them to keep the change as a tip.

Don’t need to give me the change. It is a tip ： 别找了，算小费吧。(bié zhǎo le, suàn xiǎ fèi ba)

or 

不用找了，当小费吧！(bú yòng zhǎo le dāng xiǎo fèi ba)” ：No need to get change, keep it as a tip!

[sarahsunilife]

40 Important Mandarin Chinese Verbs!

1. 是 [shì] ~ (to) be

2. 有 [yǒu] ~ (to) have

3. 做 [zuò] ~ (to) do; (to) make

4. 可以 [kě yǐ] ~ can; (to) give permission

5. 认识 [rèn shí] ~ (to) be acquainted qith

6. 知道 [zhī dào] (怎样) (zěn yàng) ~ (to) know (be aware)

7. 理解 [lǐ jiě] ~ (to) understand

8. 讲 [jiǎng] ~ (to) speak; (to) talk

9. 听 [tīng] ~ (to) listen to

10. 听到 [tīng dào] ~ (to) hear

11. 看 [kàn] ~ (to) see

12. 觉得 [jué de] ~ (to) feel

13. 活着 [huó zhe] ~ (to) live

14. 要 [yào] ~ (to) want

15. 需要 [xū yào] ~ (to) need

16. 喜欢 [xǐ huān] ~ (to) like

17. 爱 [ài] ~ (to) love

18. 给 [gěi] ~ (to) give

19. 拿 [ná] ~ (to) take

20. 玩 [wán] ~ (to) play

21. 笑 [xiào] ~ (to) laugh

22. 来 [lái] ~ (to) come

23. 去 [qù] ~ (to) go

24. 坐 [zuò] (…) 去 [qù] ~ (to) go by (…) (e.g. by car)

25. 写 [xiě] ~ (to) write

26. 读 [dú] ~ (to) read

27. 计数 [jì shù] ~ (to) count

28. 发音 [fā yīn] ~ (to) pronounce

29. 拼 [pīn] ~ (to) spell

30. 共轭 [gòng è] ~ (to) conjugate

31. 记住 [jì zhù] ~ (to) remember

32. 忘记 [wàng jì] ~ (to) forget

33. 吃 [chī] ~ (to) eat

34. 试 [shì] ~ (to) try

35. 用 [yòng] ~ (to) use

36. 打开 [dǎ kāi] ~ (to) open

37. 关闭 [guān bì] ~ (to) close

38. 欢迎 [huān yíng] ~ (to) greet; (to) welcome

39. 开始 [kāi shǐ] ~ (to) begin

40. 结束 [jié shù] ~ (to) end

[sarahsunilife]

12/100 days of productivity

i really suck at making posts to keep up with this in terms of posts, because i’m not making pretty notes like i would be at university :( yesterday i planned next week’s lessons, sent resources to my classes, made more resources for next weekend and taught 7 classes :) it’s so cool to see some of my students actually improving! 📈📕❤️

#100 days of productivity #studyblr #100dop

[sarahsunilife]

9, 10 and 11/100 days of productivity

the work week in kindergarten is kind of the worst because of lack of internet connection, but i did study chinese every day and made it to my goal of chapter 6 in my new textbook. I also started planning my students’ winter activities, and did the reviews for the weekend, and started planning lessons for next weekend ❄️❄️

#100 days of productivity #it cold af

[sarahsunilife]

9/100 days of productivity

today i had a Chinese lesson and went shopping, and then went to study before English Corner on the night. i studied some more Chinese beforehand too, i really want to make it my mission to study Chinese everyday this week

#langblr #studyblr #100dop #100 days of productivity #onenote #bullet journal #bujo #bujo inspo #bullet journal inspiration #pink #bts #skincare #studying #chinese #chinese langblr #chinese language #pink aesthetic #pastel

[sarahsunilife]

8/100 days of productivity Yesterday I went to a cafe to study Chinese and got through 3 chapters of my new book, most of which was a review 🌱

#100 days of productivity #100dop #studyblr #coffee shop #aesthetic #studyspo #Chinese #langblr #tefl #study abroad #university #Chinese Language #learnblr #studying #study motivation #academics #education #motivation

[sarahsunilife]

6 and 7/100 days of productivity

Weekends are school days for me, so i have classes to teach; I completed the reviews for each child in their review books, and printed the materials for next weekend, as well as finishing the lesson plans. I had an assessment that involved loads of parents watching me which was terrifying haha but it went well! 🌷

I also managed to squeeze in some Chinese studying on Sunday, as well as preparing my kindergarten classes for this week

#100 days of productivity #studyblr #langblr #China #Chinese

[sarahsunilife]

5/100 days of productivity 

Yesterday i did some more lesson planning, and made my onenote bullet journal spread for next week :) i wasn’t very productive actually, but i did some planning which is better than nothing 

[sarahsunilife]

4/100 days of productivity

Yesterday i did a lot of lesson planning for my kids to do projects this weekend, but i did procrastinate going food shopping, so i have to do that today :(