Learning through CCTV/Jiangsu Tv/ Hunan TV

[jgraham11]

Hi everyone, this is my first post here glad to be apart of the forum. I have a quick question on learning through the methods I listed above. I learned Mandarin in a 1 on 1 setting for about 8 months or so, but I've been at it for the past year. I feel pretty good about my skill, but I'm not fluent of course. Anyway that's some context on where I'm at

 

Now for the question. I sometimes understand a good amount of what's being said on these channels. Shows like baba qu nar ( 爸爸去哪儿) or that dating show on Jiangsu tv with 孟非 the presenter. My question is should someone after a year of learning be able to understand all of it, or most of it? Furthermore, how advanced are those shows vocabulary exactly? Sometimes I feel like they use a more complicated type of dialogue than they would need to (more so the dating show)

 

I haven't taken the HSK tests yet but I would assume I'm a level 3, maybe a level 4, but judging by how I miss a good portion of what's said in these shows I'm not sure. So anyway, yeah any advice/opinions or help on this question would be appreciated

 

Thanks

[Guest realmayo]

If the dating show is the one called 非常勿扰 then I don't remember very advanced language being used much. But my feeling is that for someone who has only been studying for a year, if they can basically follow what's going on then not only are they doing well, they're also improving each time they watch an episode. Don't feel bad if there are chunks you don't understand.

 

Maybe you should widen your viewing: take a look at http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/forums/topic/42490-qqsrx-list-of-episodes/

 

The best gauge though would be level-specific textbooks. Specifically listening comprehension books.

[jgraham11]

4 hours ago, realmayo said:

If the dating show is the one called 非常勿扰 then I don't remember very advanced language being used much. But my feeling is that for someone who has only been studying for a year, if they can basically follow what's going on then not only are they doing well, they're also improving each time they watch an episode. Don't feel bad if there are chunks you don't understand.

 

Maybe you should widen your viewing: take a look at http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/forums/topic/42490-qqsrx-list-of-episodes/

 

The best gauge though would be level-specific textbooks. Specifically listening comprehension books.

 

Yeah, i'd say I understand anywhere from 25-40% of what's going on which is I guess is "okay" considering it isn't geared for a foreigner. I should look into more literature type comprehension books that's a good recommendation. Thanks for the link too, i'll take a look  

[abcdefg]

Quote

>>" My question is should someone after a year of learning be able to understand all of it, or most of it?"

 

Agree with Realmayo. Don't be discouraged.

 

I watch an hour or two of TV most days when eating supper alone. Clutch my 手机 in one hand, chopsticks in the other. Look up words I don't know and add them to review queues in Pleco. Go through those every day or two while riding the bus or doing something similar. Try to use mindless down time wisely. Once a week, I select some of those words as "keepers," put them into phrases or sentences and feed them to the Anki Monster for longer-term SRS processing.

[jgraham11]

9 minutes ago, abcdefg said:

 

Agree with Realmayo. Don't be discouraged.

 

I watch an hour or two of TV most days when eating supper alone. Clutch my 手机 in one hand, chopsticks in the other. Look up words I don't know and add them to review queues in Pleco. Go through those every day or two while riding the bus or doing something similar. Try to use mindless down time wisely. Once a week, I select some of those words as "keepers," put them into phrases or sentences and feed them to the Anki Monster for longer-term SRS processing.

 

 

Exactly, I do the same thing. I just listen, try to pick out what I can make out in pinyin, go to google translate and then match up the pinyin with the characters. It may not be the most academic way of going about learning, but I think it has served me pretty well up until now at least

[Zhān mǔ sī]

abcdefg, you mentioned "Look up words I don't know and add them to review queues in Pleco."  This is a feature I don't know about in Pleco.  How do I find it and use it?  Is it perhaps a pay-for add-on?  Sounds like a good idea to be able to add words.

[abcdefg]

Zhan, I think it's part of the basic free bundle. I also see a paid add on named "flashcards" for $9.99, but I don't know what it does.

 

When you look up a word in the dictionary, on the top of the page (Android mobile version) you will see a plus sign (+). If you click that, you should see a message that says, "card created."

 

Then if you go to the drop down menu at the left of the Pleco display, you will see sections. The top one is "Reader," next after that is "Flashcards." As part of that, you are given the option to "Organize Cards" or start a "New Test" and so on.

 

Have a look. I'm sure the setup is similar on iPhone and iPad, though there might be some small differences in layout.

 

I arrange my cards into groups of about 50 so I can review each group without spending too much time.  

[Zhān mǔ sī]

Thanks for your reply, abcdefg.  I have android, too.  So what you were talking about is the ability to make a flashcard of a word you have looked up, and subsequently use that card  with the flashcard add-on.  Thanks for the explanation.  I was actually wondering whether the plus sign was a way of adding new words.  Not that I expect to be adding any new words anytime real soon!  But still, making words one looks up into a flashcard must be a way to help remember the word.

 

I'll test this.  And thanks again for taking the time and trouble to answer.

[abcdefg]

You're welcome. It works reliably and is easy to use.

 

Flashcards can either be reviewed in the order they were created (called "simple,) or can be reviewed using a spaced recall algorithm SRS. You get to choose.

[LiMo]

The paid add-on provides greater functionality. The basic function allows you to create cards that you then just run through and self grade. The extra functions are things like spaced repetition (the app shows you cards based on your proficiency in previous rounds, easy cards show up less frequently and vice versa). You can also do multiple choice and other functions I haven't got around to yet. Pleco is a great app!

 

I think this is a very good method and is basically how I learnt Chinese (I'm sure anyone who pays attention to my posts is probably tired of me harping on about it), it was a great way for me to learn multiple things at once. I practised reading from the subs, listening from the audio and I'm also convinced that the listening actually helped a lot with speaking. I've had comparatively few language partners or consistent and regular opportunities to speak with people, yet my speaking ability is still on par with others I know who've had much more practice. I think you're right on track, especially if you're aiming for HSK because the lower levels are almost entirely multiple choice and your score is dependent on reading speed and vocabulary. I went straight in at level four and found it quite manageable. 

 

Here's some past papers, have a skim through and see how much you can do.

 

http://www.confuciusinstitute.manchester.ac.uk/hsk/hsk-learning-resources/

[abcdefg]

Could not agree more with you, @LiMo about this being a very useful tool. Looks like I must have added the paid ad-on without remembering it, because I use those "advanced" options like SRS and fill in the blank.