Breaking chinese friends/coworkers of the English-Only habit?

[Strawberries513]

Well, like almost everyone here Im working my butt off trying to learn Chinese, and lucky for me I have a native Beijing-er as my boyfriend. He immigrated to the US at a very young age so his Chinese isnt 100% fluent, but still very good. I really want to improve my Chinese by talking to him but he wont use Chinese with me!! I say something in Chinese and he just replies in English. I've told him to use Chinese and he might for a few sentences, then just goes back to English. Its really frustrating, but Im sure that others here have had a similar issue. Does anyone know something I can do to make/help him remember to keep using Chinese? Sorry if this a pointless question....

[Lu]

I'd first explain to him what you want, and ask him if he would be willing to help you practice. If he says no or does not look very eager, drop the subject and find a language partner. If he says yes and means it (doesn't just say yes to be polite), then when you want to have a conversation in Chinese, keep speaking Chinese even if he replies in English, and regularly ask him if you're saying it right.

It's very possible that since he grew up in English, he's just more at home in English, and not especially eager to help you study what is more like his second language than his first. It might just feel strange to him to speak Chinese with you, not because of you being a foreigner but because of him not being used to speaking Chinese with anyone else than his parents.

[anonymoose]

Does anyone know something I can do to make/help him remember to keep using Chinese?

性抵制，稳操胜券。

[roddy]

Just keep nagging him. Men love that kind of thing.

Seriously, have you asked him why? Your first port of call on this issue really needs to be the man himself, not the Internet.