Getting Started
IMHO, the key to getting started in Chinese is to understand the tones and understand how to read pinyin.
Tones
DO NOT try to learn the word like ma - 1st tone, ma 2nd tone and so on. Learn each word with its tone combined. If you do it the ma - 3rd tone way you have memorized the sound as tone one and then you have to think how to change it - you can't really speak this way when you have to think about the sound and tone of a word each time you try to say any word you have learned.
Tones - this website has syllables with each of the different tones. Its a good place to start.
http://chinesepod.com/tools/pronunciation/section/17
Good video - this whole series is great
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f9CVsDM_iQ
Another great series. The only issue is that it looks like he was planning on writing a book at one point and it hasn't happened yet. The handouts he refers to in the videos have been removed from his website. However, his info on how to do tone was crazy helpful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVibPpX3UoI&list=PLy0u3oyKmCeWZjMKrsyCAXeShseZdc0OX
Pinyin
Wikipedia gives you a nice historical overview of the history of pinyin and how it was developed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin
The first thing to realize is that pinyin is not pronounced like English. Not only is is not pronounced like English, it has sounds not found in English. You will have to put your tongue in positions that seem very strange. Many sites have a table that pronounces all the pinyin letters and syllables. But you will still need another guide that tells you how to position your tongue and teeth and give you English equivalents so you know what you are hearing and saying.
First - the big table of Pinyin. This site is good because you can download the table to your computer and it included the sounds, not just the text. The Wikipedia site above has much of this info. I have found that looking a the same info on several different website will help you understand a concept. One person explains it one way, another explains it completely differently. Also, it can be helpful to hear several different people pronounce the same word.
Two sources for the big table
Very helpful - has audio tracks
https://chinese.yabla.com/chinese-pinyin-chart.php
Downloadable table with audio files
For now -free - very helpful
http://chinesepod.com/tools/pronunciation
English equivalent chart - What English sound is close to the Chinese sound you are trying to make?
http://mandarin.about.com/od/pronunciation/a/How-To-Pronounce-Mandarin-Chinese.htm
Help!- what does this sentence mean?
You will probably have sentences, not just words, you would like to translate. I suggest that you use multiple sources. Sometimes, I can;t quite figure out what word works or what is the preferred word when there are many options. By trying several translation sources, I can be more confident that I am saying what I mean to say. First, I use
http://translate.google.com/#en/zh-CN/
I add and subtract words, and try synonyms until I think I have what I want. Notice that there is a list of options with Chinese chart below the Chinese entry. It has a very helpful bar that gives a a rough frequency count so you know if you are choosing the most common option.
Next, I put terms into
https://chinese.yabla.com/chinese-english-pinyin-dictionary.php
This dictionary will take English, pinyin and Chinese characters. It will give you lots of options as well as show you the Chinese characters strokes.
Then I go to
http://www.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php
This is quickly becoming one of my favorite resources.
Sometimes the sentences are a little odd. I was looking for a word choice about dogs. The next two sentences were example sentences.
Will it still go ahead and explode your dog?
It is telling you that you can explode one of two boxes: one contains garbage, and the other contains the family dog—but the application won’t say which is which.
Working list of websites to index
Chinese
- The CHacks Blog | Chinese Hacks
- Chinese Hacks | Learn Chinese – Tips, Tricks, Hacks, Software and Websites to make learning Chinese easier!
- Mysticism: Experience, Response and Empowerment - Jess Hollenback - Google Books
- How to Speak Mandarin Chinese in a Day: 10 Steps (with Pictures)
- Mandarin Chinese Pinyin Chart with Audio - Yabla Chinese
- Find Chinese Lesson Plans, Activities & Teaching Ideas
- Learning Mandarin Chinese - A Step-by-Step Guide to Learning Mandarin Chinese
- MDBG English to Chinese dictionary
- Chinese English Dictionary with Pinyin and Strokes - Yabla Chinese
- Learning and Teaching Mandarin Chinese: A Collection of Lesson Plans
- Google Translate
- Rocket Chinese Members Area