I don't understand why everyone is talking trash about you learning Chinese in 3 months, you can do anything, your mind is the key to everything, and if you put your mind, and hard work (I know your method works) then of course you can learn fluent Chinese in 3 months, nothing is impossible!!!1 good luck with your Chinese studies.
Il più grande pericolo per noi non è che miriamo troppo in alto e non riusciamo a raggiungere il nostro obiettivo, ma che miriamo troppo in baso e lo raggiungiamo. -Michelangelo Buonarroti
@epecholdas Very interesting! If he's putting in the time it can of course be possible - 10 hours a day would be the minimum for such a project. If he intends to speak it at that high level he absolutely must speak it frequently as soon as possible, at least via Skype. Otherwise he will just have passive skills in the language. I wish him the best!
Don't know if you're interested but, James Heisig wrote a book called Remembering Traditional Hanzi. He uses your word association trick to remember how to read Chinese characters. I did the one for Japanese and it was fun and easy. Apparently you can learn 2,000+ characters in four weeks. But you have to be dedicated. I took much longer. Anyway, good luck with your mission! I hope you are successful! :)
@LittleShinikami Yes, I'm using that book and will write my thoughts on it in a blog post later. I'm taking a break from Hanzi to focus on speaking for a couple of weeks, but learned a decent amount in my first two weeks.
there are tens of thousands of characters in Chinese. But I encourage people not to fear. To be proficient in mandarin, all you need is around 2000-3000. We native speakers learn about 10 a day so if you do that it takes less than a year. I speak 5 languages and I can tell you for every one it takes around two years to get around and understand everybody. If you really try , you can learn faster!
Oh my gosh!!!! I am so happy I found you!!!! I just started learning Mandarin! I'm so happy right now!!! You give me such inspiration!!!! Totally subscribing!!!
@mashmusic11235 Going to a different country every three months IS my day job. I earn from blogging and vlogging about it since a tiny percentage of people who enjoy what I write will buy a book I wrote. If I can make interesting videos and blog posts, new readers appear. Since it's premium priced I only need to sell one a day to cover my expenses, so you won't see me advertise it blatantly at all.
Videos like this and blog posts are more work than they look.
Woahh I never knew that there were 6 levels to classify fluency.. that's so cool :o! If C1 is the equivalence of a normal day to day conversation, then what would B2 be like?
I started learning mandarin myself and originally wanted to learn simplified,seems much easier,but,then i discovered around aus the main writing system is traditional(seems to be that way because of the cantonese diaspora to the west in the 50s),most restaurants & shops,all the chinese newspapers etc,use traditional,so now im in a quandary,but i will continue with pinyin for the time being
Thanks for ur reply and cant wait to see u go around the markets conversing in mandarin,what a trip lol :)
Hey Ben Bob from Aus here,it seems that the majority of foreigners go to Taiwan to learn mandarin instead of mainland China,is it because the mainland has tighter tourist conditions or because Taiwan seems to be more western friendly, etc? (im aware of the traditional vs simplified characters differences already)
Oh and btw i though Taiwan used Bopomofo instead of Pinyin?
@bobdacker If I was in China, I wouldn't be able to reply to this comment of yours or have uploaded the video in the first place to Youtube. The lack of free speech is a big push factor for me, especially as a blogger. I'm not sure of other people's reasons. Although I'll visit China and know better then.
They use Bopomofo yes, but for children to learn pronunciation and for keyboards. All books for foreigners and all important signs are romanised.
Hey, just wanted to let you know that I am In Taiwan and would like to share some chat with you. I am half-Costa Rican half-Taiwanese and kinda fluent in Spanish, English, Chinese, Japanese, and Italian. Let me know if you're interested! Thanks!
I am not trying to discourage you or anything, far from it.
Coming from my personal experience, I think one quick way to learn is to watch a lot of
TV Soap Operas. They are the best way to learn, because they speak the most standardize form of prounciation, and its usually about everyday situation which is relevent to the learner, and lastly, the delivery is usually emotional, the body language and gesture, facial expression transmits the subtleties in langauge that are easy to understand.
As a matter of fact, I have heard from many people who have mastered the Indo-European family of languages to having difficulties learning Chinese. Its actually detrimental for having mastered multiple European languages because of something called "L1 interference" (language transfer) in the field of SLA (Second-language acquisition) speak.
I have to say from personal experience it took me a year to get fluent in English as kid, and I came from the more difficult Chinese language background.
@RareVDO Chinese is so logical in so many ways, and I will be writing a post later to ENCOURAGE learners who want to take it on, especially comparing it to European languages. I think it's just so exaggerated to say a European language is easier. I can give lots of examples, and will later.
Since I am bilingual (Chinese/English) from my personal experience, I agree with you that English is illogical in many ways - due to the fact that English is a hodge-podge of multiple languages (German and French influenjce mostly). For example something like "Laissez-faire" makes absolutely no sense in the structure of English, because its a borrowed word. There are countless examples in English like that (Déjà vu comes to mind, doppelganger another one!)
But Chinese on the other hand, is difficult because of something in Linguistics called "Orthography" - The orthographic depth of an alphabetic orthography indicates the degree to which it deviates from simple one-to-one letter-phoneme correspondence. And because of that, Chinese is consider both "complex" and "deep" orthography.
In other words, deep orthographies are writing systems that do not have a one-to-one correspondence between sounds (phonemes) and the letters (graphemes) that represent them.
WOW! I gotta say, your new year resolution is epic! EPIC !!!
But I have to agree with others here that the goal you set out is IMPOSSIBLE. I am positive you will never reach C1, or even B1. At best you will reach A2.
Why? because the languages you have mastered so far are all similar - they are all Indo-European family. Chinese/Mandarin on the other hand is Sino-Tibetan, the whole language concept is completely different to the Indo-European family.
It doesn't sound like you understand what the C1 and C2 levels represent at all. You're suposed to understand complex technical instructions outside of your domain of specialization in C1. Hell you're supposed to understand technical discussions pertaining to subjects you're familiar with already in B2! Along with being able to read contemporary literature and so forth. It sounds like you're aiming for a level right around low-middle B1.
I don't think you'll reach either but good luck anyway.
Gente, quisera eu poder me jogar assim em Taiwan e aprender mandarim. Ai, muito estranho ver alguém que aprendeu tão bem tantas línguas, eu mal falo bem inglês. Hahahaha, me sinto muito burro. :p
Pô, geral nem tá ligada no jeitinho irlandês cara..lol XD
Boa sorte novamente Benny, você é uma grande inspiração para quem quer aprender um idioma ou mesmo se tornar um poliglota. Mantenha para cima o bom trabalho(brincadeira)Continue com esse trabalho de divulgação maravilhoso que você faz.
Ps1: você vai trocar mais idéias agora com o Khatzumoto?
Ps2: e o Húngaro, como está o seu nível de proficiência?
For the chinese characters I used Heisig mnemonics and learned a lot characters in a short amount of time. Do plan on using some sort of system like this? I found it very effective for me. Good luck on your journey.
@jugglingotaku I'm using Heisig, but I find it to be inefficient as a pure learning mechanism because of how useless the order is for someone who needs to use the language immediately (while it seems like the best order if you study to use it at a later date), and prefer to use it as reference. I'll explain this in the week-one summary on the blog!
You're definitely a maverick! And your attitude and passion are inspiring. You're smart enough, so I don't think anyone here can say anything wise enough to detract from or add to your endeavor to just go out and get your dreams.
However, as a (one-time) consumer of your products, in all constructive honesty I cannot say that I have been satisfied enough to buy again from you. The controversy you generate on the internet may be good for passionate learning, but not for a lasting business.
Your goal is unrealistic but your drive is there, as always, so best of luck. I'm envious of your stay in Taipei. If I'm to suggest one thing, perhaps lessen the character work in exchange for more speaking practise, because that'll be more vital for greater fluency.
Like pretty much everyone, I'm sure you'll miserably fail... but proving everyone wrong would be really epic. Stop reading the comments AND GO STUDY SOME MORE!!!
@clarinini Why "miserably" - can't I just fail very slightly and get a wee bit below my target?
I've got a new computer and have just installed the Leechblock plugin. I'm going to activate it from tomorrow so that it only gives me 20 minutes a day max to spend on forums and Youtube to minimise my exposure to unhelpful discouragement :P
@irishpolyglot Yeah, in the end it doesn't matter which "level" you attain, after 3 months of intensive study, you've won either way. The C1 aim feels crazy high but eh, if anyone has a chance of making it, it's really you anyway. Thanks for answering, but GOD, this proves how bad you need Leechblock ;)
@clarinini "if anyone has a chance of making it" No, he has no chance at it. But, I think he'll do pretty well if he gets right into it. If he has a chance, then anyone does. I don't see why Benny is a better language learner than the rest of us. He's just motivated and can get to the countries where the languages are spoken.
My only criticism is that you use the Common European Framework of Reference saying something about C1 a then use a different meaning of what C1 is. You know this: if you can't perform in all the skills they evaluate you can't pass the exam, therefore, you can't achieve a reasonable good C1 level. Other than that... way to go! Your technique (and I say this after looking and looking) is what I consider the best way to learn a language. My congrats and encourage to you on this hard task.
@Jate0000 Thanks! Yes, I'm being flexible with my definition of C1 in that I'm only referring to the oral component. I've sat several of these types exams so know what is required, but I can confirm now that my written and reading and grammar (if there were an equivalent part in a Chinese exam) would be lower than C1.
Only interested in C1 oral - not sure if I'll get it, but it's worth a try, right? :)
For the record, if anyone mentions Steve Kaufmann or brings up his arguments here, I will delete your comment and/or block you from replying. That dead horse has been beaten enough and is not relevant in the slightest bit to this video.
Be nice, and present your criticisms and skepticism maturely. Or better yet, how about some encouragement for a fellow human being with an extremely difficult task? :)
Ignore the haters and just do what you have to do. I don't necessarily agree with the video's subject matter but I love your positive attitude (which I believe is most important when it comes to success) and don't let negative youtube comments shine over what you're trying to do.
Btw how many language have you learned so far? Could you tell us a couple of tips to study on our own being in a country where the target languge isn't spoken widely?
@johnspeech Search my site for "any language anywhere" and you will see several posts with tips about that! Being in the country is not necessary, it just encourages a higher level of immersion.
Me parece muy bien que estés entusiasmado y motivado para aprender idiomas. Aprender un idioma implica mucho esfuerzo, pero al final, todo esfuerzo se paga bastante bien. No sé si pueda creer que una persona pueda aprender un idioma en apenas 3 meses. Para serte honesto, me parece super poco probable, sin embargo, si consigues aprender chino como dices que lo aprenderás en ese tiempo tan corto, me dejarías bastante impresionado. ¿Por qué no creer? Demosle una oportunidad de demostrar su teoría.
languages on a B2, maybe a C1 level. Then the next 10 years of their life they will learn another 3 to 4 languages. The only exception is if you are speaking languages very similar to your native tongue like Luca the polyglot who is Italian speaking French and Spanish on a B2 level in less than 2 years, But an English speaker trying to learn Turkish, Arabic and Japanese and saying they are gonna be C1 level within learning these language in less than 2 years? Let us not be silly.
B2, C1 and C2 levels are for people who plan on studying a particular language 3 to 5 years on an intense level while wanting to know the grammatical rules meticulously and want to build a high level of vocabulary that can be used for mundane and business technical level. People like this are not jumping around from one language to another. Yes, they may be polyglots, but they probably studied one language intensely every 2 to 4 years where in a 10 year period they could speak 3...
And I am only going by his own words in a Youtube video when a girl asked him how many languages he speaks and he said himself that when he isn't using some of his languages he forgets them. That is what happens to many polyglots who jump around from one language to another every 3 to 4 months, they don't retain that knowledge when their goal is to speak over 10 languages under a 5 year period. And whey you jump around, you are not focused on any given language long enough to pass a B1 level.
Then C1 and C2 isn't what he will be speaking. I like Benny for trying to inspire people to learn a language, especially if they are abroad, but I think a lot of polyglots on Youtube need to be realistic about how they rate their fluency level. If Benny speak on a B1, maybe B2 level in English when on Youtube then how in the hell he gonna speak C1 in another language within 3 months? It just ain't happening. Especially when you are language jumping around like Benny...
C1 and C2 conversation is using highly technical and formal business conversation using lots of jargon talk and no polyglot is speaking on that level unless they have studied a particular language for YEARS while catering that language to knowing highly technical business language. Unless Benny is not only trying to learn Mandarin in 3 months, but also learn for instance chiropractor medical jargon, or bio-engineering business jargon in 3 months in order to give a business lecture, then....
@TheSeductiveArts I have reached C2 before and it did not take me years. Even in Spanish, the slowest language I've learned, it took me about one year to reach C2 starting without any prior related language.
I'm not a chiropractor and don't know their vocabulary in English. Honestly, what a silly demand.
I can't wait to see where you are in 3 months! Chinese is very difficult because of the complexity of all the words and when you use them. There are so many words for the word happy or the feeling of happiness that we just don't have in English. I'm interested in seeing how you are going to get all those down. I still am learning all those random words that people use daily!
I know you know alot about languages, so I won't deny what i'm about to say is obvious. But I think part fluency in say Spanish or Italian could be possible in three months but I mean, mandarin!? I'm not sure how you'll do it man but good luck to you.
I was wanting to ask. is there a web-site where you can take these framework language tests for every language? or to apply to sit one at least
@CorinWright, Sadly I don't think there is such a think as fluency in any language in 3 months. Come on, the average native English speaker does not speak C level in every day life. The average person speaks between B1 and B2 level. Discussing with family and friends that you hate your job, you think you have the flu, your favorite football team lost, or you are hungry for some ice cream is all B1 talk. Depending on your job, you may talk B2, if your job requires you to talk formally.
你好爱尔兰会好几种语言的人，我希望三个月以后会说国语很流利，你很有野心！我祝你好运，学汉语是很满意和值得。加油！(translation: Hello Irish polyglot, I hope after three months you can speak in Mandarin fluently. You are very ambitious! I wish you good luck, Studying Chinese is very satisfying and rewarding. Make great effort!)
No matter what other people may say, I will always support you because your language learning is so social you go and talk to people (I also often do that aswell) ! I like the idea to socialize while learning ! No matter which level you reach, THE important thing is that you live and experience a new way of living ! Good luck !
it's easy to learn how to speak but the writing and reading part could be difficult as you know the characters are totally different from european languages. in taiwan we don't use pinyin. i've been teaching a friend and it takes more time than we thought. but since you've got the talent and are ambitious i wish you all the best! plus i really like irish accent!! i might not be able to teach you but would be glad to talk to you if you'd like to talk in chinese (or other language? german?) 加油!
Have been doing the same, without the cocky part.. mandarin is my 7th language and it seems that i live a few blocks from your video, even if I had non-stopping full immersion fro my first 4 months.. that includes.. taiwanese girlfriends, (motivation ;)) you might reach B1. Since the approach I guess it will be just the speaking part, i guess everybody can speak after 3 weeks.. anyway.. wish you endurance on your odyssey.
Good luck ! Mandarin is a LOT harder than Spanish, but i find that it is also rewarding to learn - that is i feel good about learning it, and that's what's important IMO.
The FSI gives an estimate of 2200 hours to gain "General Proficiency" in Spoken and Reading Mandarin. Over 90 days (roughly 3 months), that's 24.44... hours a day... Now, I know you're not aiming for full writing proficiency, but still. I'd say that at least B1, probably B2, for you, is possible. But full C1? Good luck!
@AMusingNerd That's either 24.44 hours a day, OR the FSI is WRONG my friend. ;) That's way too many hours - sounds like it's all rote learning or using inefficient academic methods.
@irishpolyglot Nice attitude. ;) I should have qualified my initial comment. They base their estimates on 3 hours class a day, plus at least the same again self-study, second half of the course in country. So, not the best possible method.
As a maths student, I just needed numbers to put it in perspective. Again, good luck! I'll be interested to see how well your method applies to such a different language. Spoken, apart from tones, will be fine, written will be difficult. 祝你好運!
@irishpolyglot inefficient = academic? I think you've got that wrong. It's possible but you seem to be inferring something academic must be inefficient.
I agree that you'll maybe get B1 or B2, if you're lucky. Still, I wish you well. Go for it.
@Imyirtshashem I don't think that's what he meant. By "inefficient academic" he wasn't saying that all academic methods are inefficient, he's saying that he has gained experience himself, and that some academic methods are undertested theories. I'm not sure I agree it's good to completely ignore FSI's estimations, however. Benny, if you ignore the script, you'll get a little far, otherwise you won't.
@irishpolyglot If massive drilling is inefficient, but it's not. You're not fooling anyone, well actually you are, ok, you're not fooling at least one person, that is me. I'm fluent at C2 in 3 languages (French is one of them) with 2 more I know at about the level you know French.
@heloizyjhenifer I really hope you don't include English among those languages you claim C2 in. There are VERY basic sentence/preposition/stylistic mistakes in your writing.
My French is better than your English, I'm sure of that. But if English is a language you are still struggling with (and not claiming C2 in), keep up the good work!
@lingosteve Read his comment. It's awkward. Great English, but not C2.
And I am definitely in the position to retort someone criticising my level on the Internet without meeting me in person, by criticising their Internet level. It's only fair. In fact, it's less fair because I have hours of footage of me speaking French, and he wrote two sentences that I can find, and it's still poor.
Steve, leave me alone please. I grew tired of explaining myself to you a very long time ago.
@irishpolyglot My questions again "Which are the VERY basic sentence/preposition/stylistic mistakes in his comment?"
"Are we to judge people's language level based on short comments here, often containing typos (mine do)?"
"How do you know his level of English is worse than your French. He has heard your level of French (so have I) and his judgment is based on that. You have not heard him in English."
You comment on my youtube channel, I am just returning the favour.
@lingosteve There is no favour being returned!! You are making videos about ME and my projects, so it's relevant for me to comment on them. This video is not about you and I have told you that I don't want to hear from you.
If I ever make a video specifically about you (don't hold your breath) it would be important that you comment on them. This video has nothing to do with you, so why do you keep commenting when I ask you not to?
You have some weird obsession with me. Please stop
@irishpolyglot All I take from your response is that there were no "VERY basic sentence/preposition/stylistic mistakes". It was just the usual Benny attempt a clever put down in lieu of reasoned discussion, and that you have no idea of his level of his English, although I suspect, from reading his English , and having heard your French, that your French is unlikely to be better than his English, but I admit that this is a guess. I would have to hear him in English.
@lingosteve Steve, if you continue to TROLL my Youtube channel, despite me very clearly asking you to stop five times, I will block you. You have been warned.
I'm so sick of your weak arguments, defending everyone I confront who has insulted me, with nothing but snide remarks like "usual Benny attempt..". You are only interested in arguing with me. Reply one more time on this video and you'll never be able to reply on my channel again.
@irishpolyglot Your response to the original comment from Heloiz was rude. You are rude and intolerant towards people who disagree with you or challenge your claims. If you can you shut them up. You blocked me at your blog and so I see no reason why you should no do the same here.
@lingosteve What a hypocrite you are! I've asked you to leave me alone and you still pester me. That is terribly rude - much more so than me replying to someone insulting my level of a language, exactly in sort. I've never brought any fights to you Steve.
You are a true troll and have been blocked from yet another site. I'm sure you lose track of all the forums, MANY blogs and Youtube channels that have told you enough is enough. I'm doing what many sane people did before me.
@lingosteve I've learned the hard way that answering your questions will just lead to more questions, and then shortly after, your swiss cheese memory will kick in and I'll be asked the same questions all over again ad nauseam.
You have used up all your chances with me Steve, I owe you nothing. Forgetting crucial details about our prior discussions and misrepresenting me makes me find it impossible to take you seriously in "discussions". Kindly go away.
Benny, would you be willing to record a video Skype discussion with Steve Kaufmann in April in Mandarin? (I gave you a thumbs-up by the way --you've got cojones for setting a goal like that)
@LearningFrenchNow Definitely and absolutely not. I hate the guy and he's a Canadian English speaker, not a Mandarin native! I've already said (pretty damn clearly) in this video that I will interview a native spontaneously on camera. That should prove way more than speaking with another English speaker ever will.
Steve has an agenda with me; I don't know why he is so obsessed with me, but it's unhealthy and I'm not going to encourage him.
@TheCzechExperiment Saw it. I've told him a million times that I hold a C2 certificate in Spanish from the Instituto Cervantes & one of his biggest arguments is that my Spanish "isn't" C2 in his opinion, so I don't get the grading system.
Rest of his video is just waffling nonsense, like the whole world being too mean to have the patience to listen to beginners just because he's an asshole with English learners.
Don't LINGQers have anything more productive to talk about?
@irishpolyglot I think lots of people are impatient with beginners trying to talk to them. I'd punch them in the face if I could. And who say's steve's an asshole with english learners? As he's super interested in language learning I'm sure steve would be happy to help anyone who walked up to him in the street.
And i'm sure all lingqers are nice people with plenty to talk about.
But good luck. If you aim for the moon, then at least if you miss u'll die in the vacuum of space :)
@cheekyatheist Punching someone in the face (or wanting to do so) is an asshole thing to do. I'm that beginner every 3 months, and I never meet people as mean as that, or as impatient as Steve is claiming to be.
You guys need to get out more - many people outside of English speaking countries aren't as antisocial, selfish and as unhelpful as you would be to them.
@irishpolyglot Haha I don't really want to punch beginners in the face. Since I'm watching langauge learning videos, then clearly I'm interested in langauge learning and would love to help any beginner .I'm one myself..i was joking.
Maybe you have a sweet face or something so noone wants to punch it when you talk to them...but you have more experience than me in that area. But I can imagine a lot of people being impatient. Maybe other's who try your techniques WOULD get punched?
@cheekyatheist My "techniques" include de-punchification ;)
Go on my site and search for "convincing natives to speak with you", "Northern European myth" and "battle of wits" and I explain some techniques I use to make sure the other person isn't frustrated or switches to English.
Perhaps simply speaking and sounding very very awkward would annoy the hell out of the other person, but that's the opposite to my approach ;) I speak the little I know confidently & that changes a lot
@irishpolyglot Benny, would you be willing to record a video Skype discussion with Steve Kaufmann in April in Mandarin? (I gave you a thumbs-up by the way --you've got cojones for setting a goal like that)
Good luck and Happy learning! I really enjoy your blogs. I'm a native English speaker, and am fluent in American Sign Language. This month, I start my third language: French. I am so excited! <3
You, sir, are a linguistic warrior!! I wish you much success in this gargantuan endeavour! This will be a very interesting journey for all of us who will be watching :) 안녕!
I would suggest to still try to write when you do Remembering the Hanzi, it helps a lot with comprehension. The first 100-200 are a bit of a challenge to write, but it's really systematic and there are a lot of recurring parts so after that it's pretty easy.
Just a quick calculation I did, assuming 3000 characters might be about the ball park number of characters you'll need to learn. So that's 250 characters a week, 35-36 characters a day, for day 1 ok fine but when you get to day 90, thats 35-36 characters while you're still trying to remember the 2964 other characters!! Even if think half the number of characters will do, we're still looking at 18 a day and 1482 previous characters come day 90!!
@sing2speak Just to note about Chinese characters: Many Chinese characters are made of radicals that are repeated in many other characters. For example, the word 杯 (cup) is made from the word 木 (wood) and 不(not). If you can remember basic and essential characters, you'll see repeated shapes. Plus, although each character is an individual word, Chinese combines more than one characters to make different words.
@sing2speak I'll aim to confidently know 500-1500 characters, not 3000. That's the level required for full proficiency, which I'm not aiming for in reading.
@irishpolyglot As someone who lives in Japan and knows Japanese and Mandarin Chinese among other languages, I can tell you that you are mistaken. Knowledge of at least 4,000 characters would be required for proficiency in the language. If you only learn 1,500-2,000, there will be a huge gap in your vocabulary and knowledge compared to native speakers or even non-natives who have taken the time to learn many characters, as the entire language is based around the characters.
@shogyoumujou11 I'm aiming for spoken proficiency, and lower level reading abilities. I'm focusing on learning words, not characters. Everything you said about proficiency and importance of characters is irrelevant to spoken abilities.
@irishpolyglot Fair enough, it is possible to be relatively good at speaking without knowledge of 2.000+ characters, (general conversations with people), and I wish you luck! However, in the long run, knowledge of characters is not irrelevant to spoken abilities. I have never met one person with fluent/near-native Japanese or Chinese who could not read extremely well. There are many things which will not come up in regular conversations, but any native speaker would know.
@irishpolyglot I would say that it is impossible to be fluent in Japanese or Chinese without an extremely high reading level. I have met many people who have lived in Japan or China for 5-20 years, and while they can easily get by and talk to people, they are no where near native level because they can't read properly. If I tried to even read passages from books in Chinese or Japanese, they wouldn't understand many words because they never came across them in day-to-day life.
@MrGrinningManiac Yes, I didn't find them a huge issue in my superficial dealings with Thai, although I do need to say them correctly or people simply won't understand me.
You know, I'm starting to think that formal eduction is getting in the way of language learning, I've been learning German in school and now college for three years but I've barely learnt a think, but as soon as I started taking an interest in German outside of school, my level has increased dramatically. Good luck, Benny!
If you achieve it, you will be the first person in history to go from zero to C1 in Mandarin in 3 months. Even folks with full immersion tend to take years. So, this is going to be the greatest achievement in the history of Mandarin.
@FluentCzech I doubt I'm the *first* person in history. Historians rarely document very social people who go on to have non-world-impacting social lives, learning the language quickly as a consequence. I'm confident others have done it before, but I'll be the first person "in history" to blog about it ;)
I find the Mandarin tones much easier than Thai, so you should have it easy if you could hear the Thai ones. They are marked differently from the Mandain ones which is a bit weird. Anyway, good luck. Quite an outrageous claim. 祝你好運
I don't understand why everyone is talking trash about you learning Chinese in 3 months, you can do anything, your mind is the key to everything, and if you put your mind, and hard work (I know your method works) then of course you can learn fluent Chinese in 3 months, nothing is impossible!!!1 good luck with your Chinese studies.
fanaticodeidiomas 2 weeks ago
You might contact Mike Campbell while you aer there--since he is fluent in nearly every language on the island (all 18 of them).
christopheclugston 3 weeks ago
@christopheclugston Yes, we're in touch and will meet up some time!
irishpolyglot 3 weeks ago
@irishpolyglot Just don't tell Steve Kaufmann he will say you need to read on link for 3 months before you try to interact with Mike
christopheclugston 3 weeks ago
This is really exciting to follow along with. Inspirational!
gotilk 1 month ago in playlist Uploaded videos
Il più grande pericolo per noi non è che miriamo troppo in alto e non riusciamo a raggiungere il nostro obiettivo, ma che miriamo troppo in baso e lo raggiungiamo. -Michelangelo Buonarroti
AnAmericanlinguist 1 month ago 2
@AnAmericanlinguist Bravo!! Mi e' piaciuto molto la frase!!
irishpolyglot 1 month ago
Your shirt is AWESOME!!!
CRLSMORA 1 month ago 2
watch?v=_8fOWWmAU-k
The guy from 3NIHONGO says he is gonna try to learn japanese in 3 months without even being in japan. sounds interesting. (Japanese in 3 months)
epecholdas 1 month ago
@epecholdas Very interesting! If he's putting in the time it can of course be possible - 10 hours a day would be the minimum for such a project. If he intends to speak it at that high level he absolutely must speak it frequently as soon as possible, at least via Skype. Otherwise he will just have passive skills in the language. I wish him the best!
irishpolyglot 1 month ago
Don't know if you're interested but, James Heisig wrote a book called Remembering Traditional Hanzi. He uses your word association trick to remember how to read Chinese characters. I did the one for Japanese and it was fun and easy. Apparently you can learn 2,000+ characters in four weeks. But you have to be dedicated. I took much longer. Anyway, good luck with your mission! I hope you are successful! :)
LittleShinikami 1 month ago
@LittleShinikami Yes, I'm using that book and will write my thoughts on it in a blog post later. I'm taking a break from Hanzi to focus on speaking for a couple of weeks, but learned a decent amount in my first two weeks.
irishpolyglot 1 month ago
What about Hungarian have you learnt it ??I was so glad! Somebody learn my language too!
TheMartikaa 1 month ago
That what you are aiming for actually isn't C1. :S
yahuamulan 1 month ago
there are tens of thousands of characters in Chinese. But I encourage people not to fear. To be proficient in mandarin, all you need is around 2000-3000. We native speakers learn about 10 a day so if you do that it takes less than a year. I speak 5 languages and I can tell you for every one it takes around two years to get around and understand everybody. If you really try , you can learn faster!
edwardtang1977 1 month ago in playlist Uploaded videos
Oh my gosh!!!! I am so happy I found you!!!! I just started learning Mandarin! I'm so happy right now!!! You give me such inspiration!!!! Totally subscribing!!!
prestonhamren007 1 month ago
Okay... I've been wondering ever since I started watching your videos...
Do you have a day job that lets you go to a different country every three months?
mashmusic11235 1 month ago
@mashmusic11235 Going to a different country every three months IS my day job. I earn from blogging and vlogging about it since a tiny percentage of people who enjoy what I write will buy a book I wrote. If I can make interesting videos and blog posts, new readers appear. Since it's premium priced I only need to sell one a day to cover my expenses, so you won't see me advertise it blatantly at all.
Videos like this and blog posts are more work than they look.
irishpolyglot 1 month ago
@irishpolyglot where can I buy your book? (ein link würde hilfreich sein). muchas gracias. ;)
advancedtomorrow 1 month ago
@advancedtomorrow The link is in the video description! ;)
irishpolyglot 1 month ago
Woahh I never knew that there were 6 levels to classify fluency.. that's so cool :o! If C1 is the equivalence of a normal day to day conversation, then what would B2 be like?
XxTeeyuhxX 1 month ago
how do u no wut lvl u r? is there some kind of test?
jimmyjam9014 1 month ago
I started learning mandarin myself and originally wanted to learn simplified,seems much easier,but,then i discovered around aus the main writing system is traditional(seems to be that way because of the cantonese diaspora to the west in the 50s),most restaurants & shops,all the chinese newspapers etc,use traditional,so now im in a quandary,but i will continue with pinyin for the time being
Thanks for ur reply and cant wait to see u go around the markets conversing in mandarin,what a trip lol :)
bobdacker 1 month ago
Hey Ben Bob from Aus here,it seems that the majority of foreigners go to Taiwan to learn mandarin instead of mainland China,is it because the mainland has tighter tourist conditions or because Taiwan seems to be more western friendly, etc? (im aware of the traditional vs simplified characters differences already)
Oh and btw i though Taiwan used Bopomofo instead of Pinyin?
Cheers :)
bobdacker 1 month ago
@bobdacker If I was in China, I wouldn't be able to reply to this comment of yours or have uploaded the video in the first place to Youtube. The lack of free speech is a big push factor for me, especially as a blogger. I'm not sure of other people's reasons. Although I'll visit China and know better then.
They use Bopomofo yes, but for children to learn pronunciation and for keyboards. All books for foreigners and all important signs are romanised.
irishpolyglot 1 month ago
xian zai ni de han yu zen me yang?
alkantre 1 month ago
Hey, just wanted to let you know that I am In Taiwan and would like to share some chat with you. I am half-Costa Rican half-Taiwanese and kinda fluent in Spanish, English, Chinese, Japanese, and Italian. Let me know if you're interested! Thanks!
yuanhaoark 1 month ago in playlist Uploaded videos
wow! good luck!!!! :)
purplejade01 1 month ago
I am not trying to discourage you or anything, far from it.
Coming from my personal experience, I think one quick way to learn is to watch a lot of
TV Soap Operas. They are the best way to learn, because they speak the most standardize form of prounciation, and its usually about everyday situation which is relevent to the learner, and lastly, the delivery is usually emotional, the body language and gesture, facial expression transmits the subtleties in langauge that are easy to understand.
RareVDO 1 month ago
40 people want everyone to learn languages either very slowly... or not at all!
irishpolyglot 1 month ago
As a matter of fact, I have heard from many people who have mastered the Indo-European family of languages to having difficulties learning Chinese. Its actually detrimental for having mastered multiple European languages because of something called "L1 interference" (language transfer) in the field of SLA (Second-language acquisition) speak.
I have to say from personal experience it took me a year to get fluent in English as kid, and I came from the more difficult Chinese language background.
RareVDO 1 month ago in playlist Uploaded videos
@RareVDO Chinese is so logical in so many ways, and I will be writing a post later to ENCOURAGE learners who want to take it on, especially comparing it to European languages. I think it's just so exaggerated to say a European language is easier. I can give lots of examples, and will later.
irishpolyglot 1 month ago
@irishpolyglot
Since I am bilingual (Chinese/English) from my personal experience, I agree with you that English is illogical in many ways - due to the fact that English is a hodge-podge of multiple languages (German and French influenjce mostly). For example something like "Laissez-faire" makes absolutely no sense in the structure of English, because its a borrowed word. There are countless examples in English like that (Déjà vu comes to mind, doppelganger another one!)
RareVDO 1 month ago
@irishpolyglot
But Chinese on the other hand, is difficult because of something in Linguistics called "Orthography" - The orthographic depth of an alphabetic orthography indicates the degree to which it deviates from simple one-to-one letter-phoneme correspondence. And because of that, Chinese is consider both "complex" and "deep" orthography.
RareVDO 1 month ago
@irishpolyglot
In other words, deep orthographies are writing systems that do not have a one-to-one correspondence between sounds (phonemes) and the letters (graphemes) that represent them.
RareVDO 1 month ago
WOW! I gotta say, your new year resolution is epic! EPIC !!!
But I have to agree with others here that the goal you set out is IMPOSSIBLE. I am positive you will never reach C1, or even B1. At best you will reach A2.
Why? because the languages you have mastered so far are all similar - they are all Indo-European family. Chinese/Mandarin on the other hand is Sino-Tibetan, the whole language concept is completely different to the Indo-European family.
RareVDO 1 month ago in playlist Uploaded videos
@RareVDO "the languages you have mastered so far are all similar"
Wasn't ANYONE following my blog last year? I took on *six* languages and only one of them was Indo European.
irishpolyglot 1 month ago
It doesn't sound like you understand what the C1 and C2 levels represent at all. You're suposed to understand complex technical instructions outside of your domain of specialization in C1. Hell you're supposed to understand technical discussions pertaining to subjects you're familiar with already in B2! Along with being able to read contemporary literature and so forth. It sounds like you're aiming for a level right around low-middle B1.
I don't think you'll reach either but good luck anyway.
simplexe9999 1 month ago
It looks like an unrealistic target, but I'm sure you'll success anyway. Good luck!
By the way, how much did all your materials cost? I mean the materials on the photo you shared before.
attent1on 1 month ago
Gente, quisera eu poder me jogar assim em Taiwan e aprender mandarim. Ai, muito estranho ver alguém que aprendeu tão bem tantas línguas, eu mal falo bem inglês. Hahahaha, me sinto muito burro. :p
kauemoura 1 month ago
希望你学好国语。
kauemoura 1 month ago
Eita nóis, e todos estes dislikes aí bixo D:
Pô, geral nem tá ligada no jeitinho irlandês cara..lol XD
Boa sorte novamente Benny, você é uma grande inspiração para quem quer aprender um idioma ou mesmo se tornar um poliglota. Mantenha para cima o bom trabalho(brincadeira)Continue com esse trabalho de divulgação maravilhoso que você faz.
Ps1: você vai trocar mais idéias agora com o Khatzumoto?
Ps2: e o Húngaro, como está o seu nível de proficiência?
Ps3: Você conhece Carlos Amaral?
português FTW
pradoxmediaful 1 month ago
@pradoxmediaful "Pô, geral nem tá ligada no jeitinho irlandês cara..lol XD" Isso!
Esqueci o meu húngaro.
irishpolyglot 1 month ago
@irishpolyglot Eu também esqueci o húngaro, pretendo voltar... competição amigavel =P?
TheKyukun 1 month ago in playlist Uploaded videos
For the chinese characters I used Heisig mnemonics and learned a lot characters in a short amount of time. Do plan on using some sort of system like this? I found it very effective for me. Good luck on your journey.
jugglingotaku 1 month ago
@jugglingotaku I'm using Heisig, but I find it to be inefficient as a pure learning mechanism because of how useless the order is for someone who needs to use the language immediately (while it seems like the best order if you study to use it at a later date), and prefer to use it as reference. I'll explain this in the week-one summary on the blog!
irishpolyglot 1 month ago
You're definitely a maverick! And your attitude and passion are inspiring. You're smart enough, so I don't think anyone here can say anything wise enough to detract from or add to your endeavor to just go out and get your dreams.
However, as a (one-time) consumer of your products, in all constructive honesty I cannot say that I have been satisfied enough to buy again from you. The controversy you generate on the internet may be good for passionate learning, but not for a lasting business.
orangeroomstudios 1 month ago
Your goal is unrealistic but your drive is there, as always, so best of luck. I'm envious of your stay in Taipei. If I'm to suggest one thing, perhaps lessen the character work in exchange for more speaking practise, because that'll be more vital for greater fluency.
PaulSLambeth 1 month ago
The comments are full of people that spent 12 months learning mandarin 30 to 60 minutes a day and aren't fluent yet. U mad?
Krunkalunga 1 month ago
@Krunkalunga 20-60 minutes a day? Either not serious language learners or don't have a whole lot of time. :)
Imyirtshashem 1 month ago
Benny is a Mavrick! It's interesting how he gets so much negative attention from others.
gaoxinglangblog 1 month ago
Benny , you are a joke.
lucasburguer 1 month ago
Like pretty much everyone, I'm sure you'll miserably fail... but proving everyone wrong would be really epic. Stop reading the comments AND GO STUDY SOME MORE!!!
clarinini 1 month ago
@clarinini Why "miserably" - can't I just fail very slightly and get a wee bit below my target?
I've got a new computer and have just installed the Leechblock plugin. I'm going to activate it from tomorrow so that it only gives me 20 minutes a day max to spend on forums and Youtube to minimise my exposure to unhelpful discouragement :P
irishpolyglot 1 month ago
@irishpolyglot Yeah, in the end it doesn't matter which "level" you attain, after 3 months of intensive study, you've won either way. The C1 aim feels crazy high but eh, if anyone has a chance of making it, it's really you anyway. Thanks for answering, but GOD, this proves how bad you need Leechblock ;)
clarinini 1 month ago
@clarinini "if anyone has a chance of making it" No, he has no chance at it. But, I think he'll do pretty well if he gets right into it. If he has a chance, then anyone does. I don't see why Benny is a better language learner than the rest of us. He's just motivated and can get to the countries where the languages are spoken.
Imyirtshashem 1 month ago
My only criticism is that you use the Common European Framework of Reference saying something about C1 a then use a different meaning of what C1 is. You know this: if you can't perform in all the skills they evaluate you can't pass the exam, therefore, you can't achieve a reasonable good C1 level. Other than that... way to go! Your technique (and I say this after looking and looking) is what I consider the best way to learn a language. My congrats and encourage to you on this hard task.
Jate0000 1 month ago
@Jate0000 Thanks! Yes, I'm being flexible with my definition of C1 in that I'm only referring to the oral component. I've sat several of these types exams so know what is required, but I can confirm now that my written and reading and grammar (if there were an equivalent part in a Chinese exam) would be lower than C1.
Only interested in C1 oral - not sure if I'll get it, but it's worth a try, right? :)
irishpolyglot 1 month ago
For the record, if anyone mentions Steve Kaufmann or brings up his arguments here, I will delete your comment and/or block you from replying. That dead horse has been beaten enough and is not relevant in the slightest bit to this video.
Be nice, and present your criticisms and skepticism maturely. Or better yet, how about some encouragement for a fellow human being with an extremely difficult task? :)
irishpolyglot 1 month ago
Ignore the haters and just do what you have to do. I don't necessarily agree with the video's subject matter but I love your positive attitude (which I believe is most important when it comes to success) and don't let negative youtube comments shine over what you're trying to do.
kyo717 1 month ago
@kyo717 Thanks! :) I expect skepticism. Even *I* don't know if I'll be able to do what I plan to do. But encouragement is always better than hating.
irishpolyglot 1 month ago
Btw how many language have you learned so far? Could you tell us a couple of tips to study on our own being in a country where the target languge isn't spoken widely?
johnspeech 1 month ago
@johnspeech Search my site for "any language anywhere" and you will see several posts with tips about that! Being in the country is not necessary, it just encourages a higher level of immersion.
irishpolyglot 1 month ago
Me parece muy bien que estés entusiasmado y motivado para aprender idiomas. Aprender un idioma implica mucho esfuerzo, pero al final, todo esfuerzo se paga bastante bien. No sé si pueda creer que una persona pueda aprender un idioma en apenas 3 meses. Para serte honesto, me parece super poco probable, sin embargo, si consigues aprender chino como dices que lo aprenderás en ese tiempo tan corto, me dejarías bastante impresionado. ¿Por qué no creer? Demosle una oportunidad de demostrar su teoría.
johnspeech 1 month ago
languages on a B2, maybe a C1 level. Then the next 10 years of their life they will learn another 3 to 4 languages. The only exception is if you are speaking languages very similar to your native tongue like Luca the polyglot who is Italian speaking French and Spanish on a B2 level in less than 2 years, But an English speaker trying to learn Turkish, Arabic and Japanese and saying they are gonna be C1 level within learning these language in less than 2 years? Let us not be silly.
TheSeductiveArts 1 month ago
B2, C1 and C2 levels are for people who plan on studying a particular language 3 to 5 years on an intense level while wanting to know the grammatical rules meticulously and want to build a high level of vocabulary that can be used for mundane and business technical level. People like this are not jumping around from one language to another. Yes, they may be polyglots, but they probably studied one language intensely every 2 to 4 years where in a 10 year period they could speak 3...
TheSeductiveArts 1 month ago
@TheSeductiveArts OK thank you, that's enough comments for now. There is a character limit for a reason!!
irishpolyglot 1 month ago
And I am only going by his own words in a Youtube video when a girl asked him how many languages he speaks and he said himself that when he isn't using some of his languages he forgets them. That is what happens to many polyglots who jump around from one language to another every 3 to 4 months, they don't retain that knowledge when their goal is to speak over 10 languages under a 5 year period. And whey you jump around, you are not focused on any given language long enough to pass a B1 level.
TheSeductiveArts 1 month ago
Then C1 and C2 isn't what he will be speaking. I like Benny for trying to inspire people to learn a language, especially if they are abroad, but I think a lot of polyglots on Youtube need to be realistic about how they rate their fluency level. If Benny speak on a B1, maybe B2 level in English when on Youtube then how in the hell he gonna speak C1 in another language within 3 months? It just ain't happening. Especially when you are language jumping around like Benny...
TheSeductiveArts 1 month ago
C1 and C2 conversation is using highly technical and formal business conversation using lots of jargon talk and no polyglot is speaking on that level unless they have studied a particular language for YEARS while catering that language to knowing highly technical business language. Unless Benny is not only trying to learn Mandarin in 3 months, but also learn for instance chiropractor medical jargon, or bio-engineering business jargon in 3 months in order to give a business lecture, then....
TheSeductiveArts 1 month ago
@TheSeductiveArts I have reached C2 before and it did not take me years. Even in Spanish, the slowest language I've learned, it took me about one year to reach C2 starting without any prior related language.
I'm not a chiropractor and don't know their vocabulary in English. Honestly, what a silly demand.
irishpolyglot 1 month ago
I can't wait to see where you are in 3 months! Chinese is very difficult because of the complexity of all the words and when you use them. There are so many words for the word happy or the feeling of happiness that we just don't have in English. I'm interested in seeing how you are going to get all those down. I still am learning all those random words that people use daily!
I'm curious! What courses are you going to use?
I believe in you!
flashatizer 1 month ago
if you do this, i'm buying your guide and book on fluent in 3 months for sure
farazalam27 1 month ago
Good luck and I hope You'll succeed.
I subscribed and I'm gonna follow your progress.
Gtomer 1 month ago
I know you know alot about languages, so I won't deny what i'm about to say is obvious. But I think part fluency in say Spanish or Italian could be possible in three months but I mean, mandarin!? I'm not sure how you'll do it man but good luck to you.
I was wanting to ask. is there a web-site where you can take these framework language tests for every language? or to apply to sit one at least
CorinWright 1 month ago
@CorinWright, Sadly I don't think there is such a think as fluency in any language in 3 months. Come on, the average native English speaker does not speak C level in every day life. The average person speaks between B1 and B2 level. Discussing with family and friends that you hate your job, you think you have the flu, your favorite football team lost, or you are hungry for some ice cream is all B1 talk. Depending on your job, you may talk B2, if your job requires you to talk formally.
TheSeductiveArts 1 month ago
你好爱尔兰会好几种语言的人，我希望三个月以后会说国语很流利，你很有野心！我祝你好运，学汉语是很满意和值得。加油！(translation: Hello Irish polyglot, I hope after three months you can speak in Mandarin fluently. You are very ambitious! I wish you good luck, Studying Chinese is very satisfying and rewarding. Make great effort!)
longname25 2 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
No matter what other people may say, I will always support you because your language learning is so social you go and talk to people (I also often do that aswell) ! I like the idea to socialize while learning ! No matter which level you reach, THE important thing is that you live and experience a new way of living ! Good luck !
loki2504 2 months ago
it's easy to learn how to speak but the writing and reading part could be difficult as you know the characters are totally different from european languages. in taiwan we don't use pinyin. i've been teaching a friend and it takes more time than we thought. but since you've got the talent and are ambitious i wish you all the best! plus i really like irish accent!! i might not be able to teach you but would be glad to talk to you if you'd like to talk in chinese (or other language? german?) 加油!
jpear0707 2 months ago
I started trying to learn this language the start of last year. Failed New Years resolution, lol.
Nonetheless, this language is relevant to my interests. I will be snipping these lessons in and out :D
zassounotsukushi 2 months ago
Have been doing the same, without the cocky part.. mandarin is my 7th language and it seems that i live a few blocks from your video, even if I had non-stopping full immersion fro my first 4 months.. that includes.. taiwanese girlfriends, (motivation ;)) you might reach B1. Since the approach I guess it will be just the speaking part, i guess everybody can speak after 3 weeks.. anyway.. wish you endurance on your odyssey.
guayolove 2 months ago
Hey if your learning Chinese, perhaps you next mission should be Japanese.
MWTY11 2 months ago
Subscribed. Wanna see how you'll do!
I'm not gonna wish you luck, bcause you dont seen like som1 who would count on that.
So i'll just wish that you'll be able to do your best!
888GRM 2 months ago
Good luck ! Mandarin is a LOT harder than Spanish, but i find that it is also rewarding to learn - that is i feel good about learning it, and that's what's important IMO.
g1981c 2 months ago
That's impossible bud
PaulyVEVO 2 months ago 7
@PaulyVEVO I like to do 5 impossible things before breakfast ;)
irishpolyglot 2 months ago 13
@irishpolyglot Bascally I don't care what you are gonna do =) I just can to tell you good luck =)
PaulyVEVO 2 months ago
@irishpolyglot Where's your "Learn Mandarin before Breakfast" series then? :(
iambored404 1 month ago
@irishpolyglot
Do they have a restaurant at the end of the universe there in Taiwan?
speciesofjael 1 month ago
Good luck!! I am going to do this with Arabic
AshasJourney 2 months ago
@AshasJourney Lol
Neuroneos 2 months ago
@AshasJourney Arabic is damn hard hihi I'm fighting with it since 2011 ^_^ Good luck !
loki2504 1 month ago
The FSI gives an estimate of 2200 hours to gain "General Proficiency" in Spoken and Reading Mandarin. Over 90 days (roughly 3 months), that's 24.44... hours a day... Now, I know you're not aiming for full writing proficiency, but still. I'd say that at least B1, probably B2, for you, is possible. But full C1? Good luck!
AMusingNerd 2 months ago 2
@AMusingNerd That's either 24.44 hours a day, OR the FSI is WRONG my friend. ;) That's way too many hours - sounds like it's all rote learning or using inefficient academic methods.
irishpolyglot 2 months ago
@irishpolyglot Nice attitude. ;) I should have qualified my initial comment. They base their estimates on 3 hours class a day, plus at least the same again self-study, second half of the course in country. So, not the best possible method.
As a maths student, I just needed numbers to put it in perspective. Again, good luck! I'll be interested to see how well your method applies to such a different language. Spoken, apart from tones, will be fine, written will be difficult. 祝你好運!
AMusingNerd 2 months ago
@irishpolyglot inefficient = academic? I think you've got that wrong. It's possible but you seem to be inferring something academic must be inefficient.
I agree that you'll maybe get B1 or B2, if you're lucky. Still, I wish you well. Go for it.
Imyirtshashem 2 months ago
@Imyirtshashem I don't think that's what he meant. By "inefficient academic" he wasn't saying that all academic methods are inefficient, he's saying that he has gained experience himself, and that some academic methods are undertested theories. I'm not sure I agree it's good to completely ignore FSI's estimations, however. Benny, if you ignore the script, you'll get a little far, otherwise you won't.
PaulSLambeth 1 month ago
@irishpolyglot If massive drilling is inefficient, but it's not. You're not fooling anyone, well actually you are, ok, you're not fooling at least one person, that is me. I'm fluent at C2 in 3 languages (French is one of them) with 2 more I know at about the level you know French.
heloizyjhenifer 1 month ago
@heloizyjhenifer I really hope you don't include English among those languages you claim C2 in. There are VERY basic sentence/preposition/stylistic mistakes in your writing.
My French is better than your English, I'm sure of that. But if English is a language you are still struggling with (and not claiming C2 in), keep up the good work!
irishpolyglot 1 month ago
@irishpolyglot "There are VERY basic sentence/preposition/stylistic mistakes in your writing."
Which are these and since when are hastily dashed off comments on a youtube channel to be used as a measure of one's accuracy in using a language.
"My French is better than your English, I'm sure of that" How can you be so sure?
lingosteve 1 month ago
@lingosteve Read his comment. It's awkward. Great English, but not C2.
And I am definitely in the position to retort someone criticising my level on the Internet without meeting me in person, by criticising their Internet level. It's only fair. In fact, it's less fair because I have hours of footage of me speaking French, and he wrote two sentences that I can find, and it's still poor.
Steve, leave me alone please. I grew tired of explaining myself to you a very long time ago.
irishpolyglot 1 month ago
@irishpolyglot My questions again "Which are the VERY basic sentence/preposition/stylistic mistakes in his comment?"
"Are we to judge people's language level based on short comments here, often containing typos (mine do)?"
"How do you know his level of English is worse than your French. He has heard your level of French (so have I) and his judgment is based on that. You have not heard him in English."
You comment on my youtube channel, I am just returning the favour.
lingosteve 1 month ago
@lingosteve There is no favour being returned!! You are making videos about ME and my projects, so it's relevant for me to comment on them. This video is not about you and I have told you that I don't want to hear from you.
If I ever make a video specifically about you (don't hold your breath) it would be important that you comment on them. This video has nothing to do with you, so why do you keep commenting when I ask you not to?
You have some weird obsession with me. Please stop
irishpolyglot 1 month ago
@irishpolyglot All I take from your response is that there were no "VERY basic sentence/preposition/stylistic mistakes". It was just the usual Benny attempt a clever put down in lieu of reasoned discussion, and that you have no idea of his level of his English, although I suspect, from reading his English , and having heard your French, that your French is unlikely to be better than his English, but I admit that this is a guess. I would have to hear him in English.
lingosteve 1 month ago
@lingosteve Steve, if you continue to TROLL my Youtube channel, despite me very clearly asking you to stop five times, I will block you. You have been warned.
I'm so sick of your weak arguments, defending everyone I confront who has insulted me, with nothing but snide remarks like "usual Benny attempt..". You are only interested in arguing with me. Reply one more time on this video and you'll never be able to reply on my channel again.
What a rude person you are. Respect my request
irishpolyglot 1 month ago
@irishpolyglot Your response to the original comment from Heloiz was rude. You are rude and intolerant towards people who disagree with you or challenge your claims. If you can you shut them up. You blocked me at your blog and so I see no reason why you should no do the same here.
lingosteve 1 month ago
@lingosteve What a hypocrite you are! I've asked you to leave me alone and you still pester me. That is terribly rude - much more so than me replying to someone insulting my level of a language, exactly in sort. I've never brought any fights to you Steve.
You are a true troll and have been blocked from yet another site. I'm sure you lose track of all the forums, MANY blogs and Youtube channels that have told you enough is enough. I'm doing what many sane people did before me.
irishpolyglot 1 month ago
@lingosteve I've learned the hard way that answering your questions will just lead to more questions, and then shortly after, your swiss cheese memory will kick in and I'll be asked the same questions all over again ad nauseam.
You have used up all your chances with me Steve, I owe you nothing. Forgetting crucial details about our prior discussions and misrepresenting me makes me find it impossible to take you seriously in "discussions". Kindly go away.
irishpolyglot 1 month ago
Benny, would you be willing to record a video Skype discussion with Steve Kaufmann in April in Mandarin? (I gave you a thumbs-up by the way --you've got cojones for setting a goal like that)
LearningFrenchNow 2 months ago
@LearningFrenchNow Definitely and absolutely not. I hate the guy and he's a Canadian English speaker, not a Mandarin native! I've already said (pretty damn clearly) in this video that I will interview a native spontaneously on camera. That should prove way more than speaking with another English speaker ever will.
Steve has an agenda with me; I don't know why he is so obsessed with me, but it's unhealthy and I'm not going to encourage him.
Thanks for the thumbs up.
irishpolyglot 2 months ago
@TheCzechExperiment Saw it. I've told him a million times that I hold a C2 certificate in Spanish from the Instituto Cervantes & one of his biggest arguments is that my Spanish "isn't" C2 in his opinion, so I don't get the grading system.
Rest of his video is just waffling nonsense, like the whole world being too mean to have the patience to listen to beginners just because he's an asshole with English learners.
Don't LINGQers have anything more productive to talk about?
irishpolyglot 2 months ago
@irishpolyglot I think lots of people are impatient with beginners trying to talk to them. I'd punch them in the face if I could. And who say's steve's an asshole with english learners? As he's super interested in language learning I'm sure steve would be happy to help anyone who walked up to him in the street.
And i'm sure all lingqers are nice people with plenty to talk about.
But good luck. If you aim for the moon, then at least if you miss u'll die in the vacuum of space :)
cheekyatheist 2 months ago
@cheekyatheist Punching someone in the face (or wanting to do so) is an asshole thing to do. I'm that beginner every 3 months, and I never meet people as mean as that, or as impatient as Steve is claiming to be.
You guys need to get out more - many people outside of English speaking countries aren't as antisocial, selfish and as unhelpful as you would be to them.
irishpolyglot 2 months ago
@irishpolyglot Haha I don't really want to punch beginners in the face. Since I'm watching langauge learning videos, then clearly I'm interested in langauge learning and would love to help any beginner .I'm one myself..i was joking.
Maybe you have a sweet face or something so noone wants to punch it when you talk to them...but you have more experience than me in that area. But I can imagine a lot of people being impatient. Maybe other's who try your techniques WOULD get punched?
cheekyatheist 2 months ago in playlist Uploaded videos
@cheekyatheist My "techniques" include de-punchification ;)
Go on my site and search for "convincing natives to speak with you", "Northern European myth" and "battle of wits" and I explain some techniques I use to make sure the other person isn't frustrated or switches to English.
Perhaps simply speaking and sounding very very awkward would annoy the hell out of the other person, but that's the opposite to my approach ;) I speak the little I know confidently & that changes a lot
irishpolyglot 2 months ago
@irishpolyglot Benny, would you be willing to record a video Skype discussion with Steve Kaufmann in April in Mandarin? (I gave you a thumbs-up by the way --you've got cojones for setting a goal like that)
LearningFrenchNow 2 months ago
good luck mate, i'm following your footsteps and giving spanish in 3 months a shot during these holidays!
THOOODAI 2 months ago
are you also working while you're there? how are you supporting yourself?
SummerKingdom 2 months ago
Good luck and Happy learning! I really enjoy your blogs. I'm a native English speaker, and am fluent in American Sign Language. This month, I start my third language: French. I am so excited! <3
sarahmagradcsulb 2 months ago
I've been called a "cunning linguist" myself. LOL
Linguist1967 2 months ago
You, sir, are a linguistic warrior!! I wish you much success in this gargantuan endeavour! This will be a very interesting journey for all of us who will be watching :) 안녕!
jaylias 2 months ago
Go for it....my brithers srep son is in mainland China near HK teaching English for a couple of years ,he'll be very interested to see how you do!
borderlord 2 months ago
From a Cantonese learner that is still struggling with this fascinating language, you are truly my role model!
Japcat21 2 months ago
Mandarin isnt much like any language that exists. Perhaps the conjugation... However, 3 months is miraculous for fluency. I wish you much luck.
Smific 2 months ago
@Smific Better than luck, just wish me an active social life and I'll be on track ;)
irishpolyglot 2 months ago 4
@irishpolyglot Just make sure that you fully understand the concept of face. It's more important in making friends than even the language.
Smific 2 months ago
Best of luck to you Benny!
Duratror 2 months ago
Do you plan on taking the HSK proficiency test?
Linguist1967 2 months ago
@Linguist1967 Definitely not. Not for this mission anyway. I don't want to learn for an exam, but for real life.
irishpolyglot 2 months ago
I would suggest to still try to write when you do Remembering the Hanzi, it helps a lot with comprehension. The first 100-200 are a bit of a challenge to write, but it's really systematic and there are a lot of recurring parts so after that it's pretty easy.
Ky0uran 2 months ago
@Ky0uran We'll see ;)
irishpolyglot 2 months ago
Just a quick calculation I did, assuming 3000 characters might be about the ball park number of characters you'll need to learn. So that's 250 characters a week, 35-36 characters a day, for day 1 ok fine but when you get to day 90, thats 35-36 characters while you're still trying to remember the 2964 other characters!! Even if think half the number of characters will do, we're still looking at 18 a day and 1482 previous characters come day 90!!
Am still looking forward to it tho, good luck!!
sing2speak 2 months ago
@sing2speak Just to note about Chinese characters: Many Chinese characters are made of radicals that are repeated in many other characters. For example, the word 杯 (cup) is made from the word 木 (wood) and 不(not). If you can remember basic and essential characters, you'll see repeated shapes. Plus, although each character is an individual word, Chinese combines more than one characters to make different words.
Japcat21 2 months ago
@sing2speak I'll aim to confidently know 500-1500 characters, not 3000. That's the level required for full proficiency, which I'm not aiming for in reading.
irishpolyglot 2 months ago
@irishpolyglot As someone who lives in Japan and knows Japanese and Mandarin Chinese among other languages, I can tell you that you are mistaken. Knowledge of at least 4,000 characters would be required for proficiency in the language. If you only learn 1,500-2,000, there will be a huge gap in your vocabulary and knowledge compared to native speakers or even non-natives who have taken the time to learn many characters, as the entire language is based around the characters.
shogyoumujou11 1 month ago
@shogyoumujou11 I'm aiming for spoken proficiency, and lower level reading abilities. I'm focusing on learning words, not characters. Everything you said about proficiency and importance of characters is irrelevant to spoken abilities.
irishpolyglot 1 month ago
@irishpolyglot Fair enough, it is possible to be relatively good at speaking without knowledge of 2.000+ characters, (general conversations with people), and I wish you luck! However, in the long run, knowledge of characters is not irrelevant to spoken abilities. I have never met one person with fluent/near-native Japanese or Chinese who could not read extremely well. There are many things which will not come up in regular conversations, but any native speaker would know.
shogyoumujou11 1 month ago
@irishpolyglot I would say that it is impossible to be fluent in Japanese or Chinese without an extremely high reading level. I have met many people who have lived in Japan or China for 5-20 years, and while they can easily get by and talk to people, they are no where near native level because they can't read properly. If I tried to even read passages from books in Chinese or Japanese, they wouldn't understand many words because they never came across them in day-to-day life.
shogyoumujou11 1 month ago
Comment removed
shogyoumujou11 1 month ago
Mo cheol thú a Bhenny, go n-éirí an dushlán leat. Is foinse inspiroad mór thú. Beir bua! :D
skitsystem77 2 months ago
@skitsystem77 grma!
irishpolyglot 2 months ago
加油啊！
tudou93 2 months ago
好運氣
ArtofBackpacking 2 months ago
Loving the T-Shirt
Tones are easy enough, surprisingly - given what non-speakers would hype up about how terrifying they are.
MrGrinningManiac 2 months ago
@MrGrinningManiac Yes, I didn't find them a huge issue in my superficial dealings with Thai, although I do need to say them correctly or people simply won't understand me.
Glad you liked the t-shirt!
irishpolyglot 2 months ago
You know, I'm starting to think that formal eduction is getting in the way of language learning, I've been learning German in school and now college for three years but I've barely learnt a think, but as soon as I started taking an interest in German outside of school, my level has increased dramatically. Good luck, Benny!
LordSpuggy 2 months ago
If you achieve it, you will be the first person in history to go from zero to C1 in Mandarin in 3 months. Even folks with full immersion tend to take years. So, this is going to be the greatest achievement in the history of Mandarin.
FluentCzech 2 months ago 49
@FluentCzech I doubt I'm the *first* person in history. Historians rarely document very social people who go on to have non-world-impacting social lives, learning the language quickly as a consequence. I'm confident others have done it before, but I'll be the first person "in history" to blog about it ;)
Wish me luck :D
irishpolyglot 2 months ago
A cunning linguist indeed!
TheRiobezerko 2 months ago 2
YYYEESSS! This is gonna be such an amazing mission to follow because I'm learning mandarin too!!!!
daglug1 2 months ago
Good luck, Benny. You are an inspiration!
OShaughnessyC 2 months ago
I find the Mandarin tones much easier than Thai, so you should have it easy if you could hear the Thai ones. They are marked differently from the Mandain ones which is a bit weird. Anyway, good luck. Quite an outrageous claim. 祝你好運
rafalbielec 2 months ago