I think I've hit a new speaking level

[suMMit]

So, i often think ahead what i'm going to say in Chinese i.e. I'm in line at the resturant I would prepare in my mind "来一份儿炒面还有一个。。。".

 

Well, yesterday I had to call a hotel and ask if they found something I left there. It was too much info to "rehearse". So, I just thought in English: tell them I stayed there, what i lost, which room, which night, describe it, tell them i'll get it next time i stay there, they will ask my name, phone number, etc.

 

I just said to myself "lets do this" and dialed the phone. It all left my mouth pretty smoothly, all the necissary words and grammar were there for me. Mission accomplished and a confidence boost!

[889]

Phone conversations are always challenging because you feel like you're speaking blind: you don't get that visual feedback that tells you whether your message is getting through. Nor the visual input when listening that helps you understand the speaker.

 

So yes, managing your first phone conversation like this calls for some self-celebration. As will your second, third, et seq.

 

By the way, you can also practice writing, and get the same sense of accomplishment, by using one of those customer service chat lines.

[abcdefg]

Yes, that's a milestone. Congratulations!

[vellocet]

Always feels great to be able to do things for yourself like an adult.  Well done.  

[Dawei3]

20 hours ago, suMMit said:

Mission accomplished and a confidence boost!

To me this is one of the dividends of learning Chinese, i.e., it's really cool when you can accomplish what you want to do and this makes you want to learn even more.   While I expect this can occur when learning any foreign language, because Chinese is so different from Western languages, I think it gives a special sense of accomplishment (and pleasure).  

 

I had a similar feeling when I started to "read Chinese writing" as opposed to "deciphering Chinese writing."  That is, when I first tried reading characters, my eyes jumped around trying to find characters I knew to see if I could decipher the meaning of a sentence.  Then overtime, I realized I was actually reading the characters.  Even if I read just a short note from a friend, it made me feel good not to have to resort to google translate.