Post: #1

I just got a friend to hook me up with two Chinese girls who will help me with conversational Mandarin. I've been learning on my own for a year and half through Pimsleur, ChinesePod and Memrise, but am trying to take it to the next level through actual conversation. Probably will meet once or twice a week or so for around an hour or two.

These girls aren't professional teachers or tutors, so does anyone that's had this kind of arrangement have any tips on how to make the most of it in terms of a loose curriculum or plan of attack? I want a plan of some sort so that we don't waste a lot of time just sitting there deciding what to do.

One idea I had is to hit up Chinatown with them and try and go about my day-to-day business shopping, dining, etc. and using the girls to help correct me or teach me when I don't know the appropriate phrases.

Post: #2

That's a great idea. If you want to be using Mandarin for daily activities and general conversation, doing those things in Mandarin is probably the best way to learn them. Check out fluentin3months.com - Benny advocates using the language as much as possible in real conversation, and indeed it's the most practical way to pick up a language.

Post: #3

Immersion is the best method of reinforcing new language skills.

So yes, a chinatown visit is best.

Walk streets randomly, say 'you want to go down this street', ask for something off a menu, ask "is that the colour <red>" to reinforce, and get feedback about your queries. Your training is best served when it is legimately functional, as opposed to "how much is a hotel room tonight?" when reading off a textbook in a lounge room.

The self-improvement part here now for you is to attempt to build up your vocab for your next lesson. Think of things you'll expect to see, or talk about in chinatown, learn them first, then make the activity with the two girls your tutorial.

Post: #4

I tried to learn Bulgarian with four different chicks. Only ended in a Tequila binge and drunk sex. Four times. Yes, I don't learn from my mistakes. My advice: get a guy. he can teach you how to converse with style in a foreign language. Cuz chicks never talk in style, in no language.

I'm looking for a bulgarian gym partner right now: perfect arrangement. Forces you to work out every day and everyday 2 hour conversation: you learn the language in no time. If you don't find someone for free just pay his gym membership. If you break it down to the hour that's tutoring from a native for 0,08 cents per hour or so.

Post: #5

Best way to learn a language is with a female partner you are banging. If you try to speak in the language at all times, your proficiency will sky rocket believe me.

Post: #6

The guy Benny from fluentinthreemonths is sort of aggressively optimistic about picking up a language that quickly (he makes some bold claims) but if hardcore language immersion is your thing then your plan is excellent.

I always got the impression that Chinese girls were shy (do they speak English? Are they second generation?) so you might have to direct the conversation seriously to get the information you want.

Make day plans or short excursions and stop at cafes. Bring a notebook, study your notes from week to week, and ask them how the Chinese interact with each other.
Customs (bowing and whatnot) are useful to know unless you like to play the naive and dimwitted foreigner - which can be an option, foreigners usually get a pass.

Bring your own sheets of vocab and have them critique it - eliminating the worthless or archaic words and replacing them with useful words (you'd be surprised at the shit that clutters modern language textbooks, I knew of a few very archaic German words that I'd drop in conversation - people were completely baffled and it took me a while to unlearn those words).