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5 Crucial Lessons I Learned In Just 5 Days Using the Hello Chinese App
Should I start to learn this language even though I can use shortcuts?
Five days in with the Hello Chinese app, which is a TOP-rated app, and it is one I chose on a whim. I can’t explain it. Suddenly, I wanted to understand Chinese. Maybe I wanted to challenge myself. Maybe the Chinese literature I’ve been reading, intrigues me. Perhaps my brain needed to be challenged in some way. Either way, here are 5 things I learned in 5 days since starting the Hello Chinese app.
I must watch my tone
I was unaware that Chinese is a tonal language.
On the first day of learning through the app, the initial lesson, like in most languages, is the greeting — this involves understanding tonal variations. The accent mark indicates the correct tone to use.
This is crucial as it can change the meaning entirely, such as the difference between saying “mom” and “horse” — quite a significant mix-up!
It’s fascinating because, in English, we certainly use punctuation marks to indicate how our pitch…