Learn Chinese You want to learn chinese ten i'll give you advice that to Study everything! Don't look for one or two resources and expect to learn everything from them. When someone asks which book, CD, or computer program is best to learn from, I say, "All of them!" I learned something from every Chinese language-related book I've ever read. Read a lot and you'll learn a lot. I like the book "Rocket Chinese" by Lin Ping, which gives a nice overview of the language with lots of examples from real Mandarin. Resources- Learn Chinese About.com Video Lessons Youtube.com Chinese Grammar Cheers James
Hmm... I think it seems easier for people that know cantonese to move on mandarin. When it's the other way around it seems more difficult for people to do the pronunciation part.
Go with learning mandarin, last time I checked, schools in HK are starting to teach students to learn mandarin. If your out there to meet new people and learn about chinese culture then go with the official language.
i speak cantonese and write traditional chinese i can understand mandarin and some stimplified chinese writing i personally like traditional chinese writings because it looks more elegant i don't really like mandarin coz they sound like they are shouting at each other and sound so rude... however mandarin is easiest to learn tho :(
i speak canto but i rec mando as more widely used in china gl anyway cz its gonna be hard i dont even know how to write any chinese just speak canto, raise in UK (BBC FTW)
i can speak cantonese....but i cant read chinese wish i could speak mandarin :( so i can understand more movies lol
I would say mandarin since it is more useful and the market in China is expanding so I think it would wise to learn mandarin. If you want to learn chinese to get girls or watch hk dramas but tw idol series are not bad.
i know canto and mando, but mando is def a lot easier to learn if you dont know any chinese at all before
Hell yeah I think you should definitely learn mandarin first because it's easier to pronounce with less tones, easier to pronounce if english is your first language , used by wayyyyyyyyyyy more people (a lot of people in Hong Kong knows mandarin ) and simplified chinese writing is easier. You can grasp cantonese easier after learning mandarin anyway.(though you might never ever get the pronounciation right )
canto is great for pouring-your-heart-out cussing. mandarin is more uptight and people who don't speak chinese probably won't realize you're cussing. guess they both have pros and cons
i think if your a beginner with no previous knowledge of the language then go for mando. It is much easier to learn because it has less tones and the characters are in simplified.
Personally I love cantonese and I think it is easy to speak (may be it is my own opinion); but if you ask my suggestion, I think I would say Mandarin because it is popular right now