A year worth of progress

[7800]

A few days ago I received my HSK2 results. 200 out of 200, but I know that's not quite the achievement. Also, I'm pretty sure I could pass HSK3 with around 250 points, but I chose to take the test my classmates were taking.
I've been studying chinese since last February, which means it's been almost a year.

 

My question is: Is this enough progress for a whole year?

 

I study mathematics in one of the best universities here in Brazil, where I live, so I don't really have much free time, but I really like learning languages, it's an important part of my day. I've seen many people tell others about how fast they've learned a language, but I'm pretty sure they didn't really have to worry about other matters at the time; my classmates aren't really serious about learning chinese so they're not good for comparison as well.

Also, even though I'm on HSK3 level, my spoken chinese is total trash.

 

What are your opinions on my situation?

[imron]

38 minutes ago, 7800 said:

What are your opinions on my situation?

Judge yourself by your own progress, not by the progress of others.

 

42 minutes ago, 7800 said:

I've seen many people tell others about how fast they've learned a language,

Talk is cheap.  How well they actually learnt the language is another matter entirely.

[Flickserve]

50 minutes ago, 7800 said:

few days ago I received my HSK2 results. 200 out of 200,

 

Well done!

 

Are you learning for your own interest in language? If so, it’s not a race. I keep telling people how slow I am. 

 

People focus on different areas of languages. Some place emphasis on ability to read a lot. Some people want to listen and speak more. 

 

Be half satisfied with what you achieved - you need half dissatisfaction to continue further in the learning. ?

 

 

[agewisdom]

1 hour ago, 7800 said:

A few days ago I received my HSK2 results. 200 out of 200,

Congratulations. Amazing!

 

1 hour ago, 7800 said:

Also, even though I'm on HSK3 level, my spoken chinese is total trash.

  There are 4 components in language learning:

1. Reading

2. Writing

3. Speaking; and

4. Listening.

 

Seems obvious enough but HSK often makes one puts the entire focus into reading and (maybe!) writing if you're using an app to practice writing. Try to make sure you learning language is balanced in all these aspects. Maybe immerse yourself in the Chinese culture such as literature, movies, TV shows etc. to get a more rounded learning?

 

Just my opinion.

[Beelzebro]

Reaching HSK3 from zero in 11 months while being a full time student of maths is quite a good result. Students of full time language courses, living in China, are usually expected to reach HSK4 over the course of one year, and that's with taking ~3 hours of classes every day, having nothing else except language study to occupy their time, and being surrounded by Chinese speech, street signs, menus etc. Some students will reach HSK5 in that time period but that is exceptional. So considering Chinese is not your main focus and you do not benefit from immersion, I'd say you're progressing quickly. Good job!

 

Quote

Also, even though I'm on HSK3 level, my spoken chinese is total trash.

 

Yep don't worry, this is normal. I'm somewhere around HSK6 and still regard my spoken Chinese as trash. The reason of course is that my studies have been focused on learning vocab and characters rather than actually going out and using the language. Classroom teaching and textbook study, or grinding flashcards, reading books etc is good for building your knowledge but at some point, sooner or later, you will have to step out of your comfort zone and find as many opportunities as you can to listen and speak. That's the only way to reach actual fluency. Other forms of study augment the process, or are good ways to spend time if you have no-one to speak with, but cannot replace real spoken interaction.

[roddy]

9 minutes ago, Beelzebro said:

Yep don't worry, this is normal.

Normal, but not necessarily desirable or inevitable. Any quality speaking practice you get early on will pay dividends later. 

[Beelzebro]

Yeah I don't disagree. It shocked me how quickly my speaking improved after I.... actually started speaking lol. Wish I hadn't just sat in my room grinding SRS for multiple years beforehand.

[imron]

8 hours ago, Beelzebro said:

I.... actually started speaking lol. Wish I hadn't just sat in my room grinding SRS for multiple years beforehand.

Train what you want to learn.  Very few people want to learn the skill of 'sitting in a room grinding SRS'

[7800]

On 1/7/2019 at 9:27 PM, imron said:

Judge yourself by your own progress

Of course, I should be satisfied (or not) based on my own progress, but it's been too long since I've become somewhat fluent in English. I don't remember how (properly) learning a language actually feels like and I don't know what I should be expecting.

 

On 1/7/2019 at 9:27 PM, imron said:

Talk is cheap

I usually don't believe those claims. We all know that people tend to exaggerate facts, and most people don't share their experiences when they're average.

 

On 1/7/2019 at 9:44 PM, Flickserve said:

Be half satisfied with what you achieved - you need half dissatisfaction to continue further in the learning.

I feel like I'll be remembering this sentence a lot from now on.

 

On 1/7/2019 at 10:00 PM, agewisdom said:

Try to make sure you learning language is balanced in all these aspects. Maybe immerse yourself in the Chinese culture such as literature, movies, TV shows etc.

I'm aware I should be putting more effort on learning how to speak proper chinese, that's my main motivation for going to my chinese classes, it's where I can receive some feedback on my pronunciation from a native speaker. About immersing myself... I've tried to watch some chinese dramas but I have yet to find one that I like.

 

 

I feel that I've learned quite a lot this year, but I guess that's how it's suppose to feel since I've started from zero. Still, it's impossible for me to read anything outside a textbook or to understand absolutely any spoken chinese that is not an HSK exercise. My thoughts are "yes, I've learned much, but are the things I've learned useful at all? Will they become useful in finite time?".

 As I have previously stated, I'm not doing this because I'm applying for a job in china this year or I have some other goal in the not so distant future, so it indeed is not a race of any sort, but it would be nice to be able to hold a simple conversation in a few years and to read a book someday. The HSK says I'm doing good progress, however it is easier than any English proficiency test I've seen, its format tests very little writing skills even on higher levels and guessing can get you very far.

[Flickserve]

3 hours ago, 7800 said:

About immersing myself... I've tried to watch some chinese dramas but I have yet to find one that I like.

 

Personally, I find this very hard as well. It gets overwhelming with vocabulary, speed of delivery. I just end up reading subtitles and finally giving up. 

[agewisdom]

13 hours ago, 7800 said:

About immersing myself... I've tried to watch some chinese dramas but I have yet to find one that I like.

 

Well, maybe you can post the types of dramas you are interested in and ask for some recommendations. I'm sure there will be something you like. The 2010 Romance of the Three Kingdoms (95 episodes) is pretty fantastic if you're into war and history.