What level was your Mandarin when you first moved to Taiwan?

Language Learning Chinese
21

I am intermediate fluent. Koreans used to come here and be better than me in 6 months

22

Six years ago, I couldn’t tell 蘋果 from 如果. I wasn’t quite at zero knowledge, but I was pretty bad.

Now, I can read novels. Currently hacking my way through the Qing Dynasty novel on the story of Mulan.

I wouldn’t say my Chinese is amazing… but it’s advanced a lot. But not just because I’m living in Taiwan (although that helps a ton). I have to work really hard every day.

23

The koreans I know, they can’t pronounce the z c s, really hard to understand

24

I did convince an Italian “hello” in Chinese was “Tswor sai” which he merrily greeted everyone in the office with every morning.

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25

When I first went to Taiwan, I didn’t know any Chinese beyond ni hao and xie xie. As I was only planning on staying for a “gap year”, I didn’t bother learning anything beyond directions and basic menu items while I was there.

When I moved back, I was quite enthusiastic for the first couple of years and got up to intermediate level. However, by the time I left at the end of my third year there, I couldn’t be bothered to push myself anymore and dropped to upper-beginner level in a surprisingly fast space of time.

I’ve now been away from Taiwan for two years and I have no idea what level I am because I haven’t been keeping it up. If I go back, I’ll probably start from the very beginning again, but try to zoom through the beginner stages.

26

It was non-existent when I got here. Now it’s at a toddler’s level (I’ve been here 3 years).

27

I tend to hover between completely sht and moderately sht. To distract people , I start doing my Taiwanese bit , which seems to stop the Mandarin . Funny as quite a few people only know as much Taiwanese as I do , and I can see they feel the same as I do , when trying my Mandarin out. My Taxi and 7/11 Mandarin level has reached “expert” level.

28

Your English abilities have improved immensely, though :smile:

29

Looks like you may have found your role model. :wink:

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30

I keep walking into them @Dr_Milker Must …stop…joking…:frowning_face:

31

My experience was 1997-2002. I don’t remember any Koreans on the TV show that was all non-Taiwanese but there had to be a token. As for Koreans’ language levels, a Korean woman had her own ESL TV who was a ringer for an American

32

When I first came to Taiwan my Mandarins were at the non existence level. Then I went to Carrefour - fruit and vegetables section - and my level of mandarins was greatly improvised in a relativistically short time frame.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly1tmQ802Do

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33

Yes, but are you conversant in Pomelo?

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34

Nothing . Nada. Zilch. Not even Ni Hao.

35

I can understand it when it is made into marmalade, but otherwise no.

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