Hi Sean,

I’m happy to hear you find the website insightful so far! If you prefer to listen, there’s also a podcast you might want to check out. I started learning Chinese after the internet became a thing, but before it made it radically easier to learn the language. I think the smart phone has made the biggest impact, to be honest, although accessing extra reading/listening was much easier when I started learning than when you did, to be sure. Let me know when your memoirs come out. 🙂

Best wishes,

Olle

Do you think it is possible to passively learn characters by watching movies and trying to read the Chinese subtitles? I wonder how good your listening skills need to be do it that way?

My goal is to speak/listen fluently – but accent/correct tones aren’t too important as long as everyone can understand me. I need to be able to read everyday stuff as well however (so low HSK6 level), and write using Hanyu-Pinyin (which is easier than actually being able to read).

Right now my listening/talking are about similar level to people who just pass HSK6 but live mostly abroad. But my reading is non existent. Actually half a year ago – I went to the reception of Feng Chia and asked about studying there. They told me it makes no sense as my conversation level is the same as their highest course for chinese as a foreign language, but I could not follow the courses at all with no reading ability – hence advised my 1:1 tutoring (got lazy and still did not take any chinese class). However well that is not enough to understand most movies, I do understand most soap operas without subs. I still watch with English subtitles – as I feel I can learn more new words that way.

Yeah and I hate learning by stories or whatever. I think rote learning with Anki cards will still be the best solution – even though very boring?