Mandarin Minutes

There are 4 tones in Mandarin Chinese (actually 5, the 5th being a non-tonal “silent” tone). This aspect of Mandarin presents a challenge for many learners and is hard to master. Fluency in Mandarin is characterized not only by good pronunciation but also good intonation, in addition to a simply fluid rhythm and correct grammar. Tones are hard for almost everyone studying Mandarin, so don’t beat yourself up too bad if you can’t get the hang of it at first. For more info on the tones, please see here for a detailed explanation, which is much more accurate than any I could provide. Tones are vitally important to speaking good Mandarin, however, don’t worry too much if you are having difficulty. The most important thing is to open your mouth and speak, practice new vocabulary and grammatical constructions, and improve your intonation as you hear more native speakers. WIth all the dialects in mainland China, there’s bound to be someone with intonation like yours! Of course, that is not standard Mandarin, but what the heck; no one’s perfect.