Learning Mandarin

I've decided to take Mandarin classes and I've been shopping around. One center in PJ charges RM1200 for at RM30/hour for 40hours total +RM50 registration fees. Paying full amount upfront = waive registration fees. Classes are 3hours/week, maximum 8 student/teacher ratio.

Is this a fair deal?

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  NY: Try asking uitm.
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  SYP: One to one？

  
  
• For adults, i charge $40~45/hr.

  
  
• My advice is, only u really wnt to learn and use it.

  Otherwise, u wil just throw ur $into the sea.
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  NB: uitm fakulti bahasa....near to 2ndgate & seksyen 7

  
  
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  SYP: Last time, my wife take a 3 month Korean language class, but now, all return back to the teacher....
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  RZ: The best deal get lessons from your bros n sis at MPCAM. Its more slice of life and real-time plus watch
  Farewell to my Concubine- you learn fast.

  
  
• Me: UiTM is too far, prefer PJ

  
  
• USSB: Perhaps EJ could share his view on this.

  
  
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  MB: Why not Rosetta stone apps/ Internet course then practice ngan kengkawan cina bila dah pandai sikit.. At your own time whenever u want.. Pastu tengok citer cina banyak2 giler ngan subs.
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• MB: I already bought books & CDs...I need a teacher :D

  
  
• EJ: KL,YMCA,RM 12 per hour roughly.Ask for Mr Ooi's class.He's good. =)

  
  
• And make sure you keep watching,listening,reading to Mandarin.If not easy to forget =)

  
  
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• AT: live in china for 1 month, guarantee can speak, some more got accent one ah...dont play2 
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  HLH: EJ not possible for Dr Mazlyn to watch movie/drama from China, too many communist elements.
• RZ: What i meant was you have a lot of friends there who can help. Making a speech in Mandarin requires formal training. If you are learning just to communicate with constituents informal training will do. May i also add Cantonese & Hokkien and Tamil on the list - these will be useful semasa turun padang.

  
  
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  FN Depends how fast you catch up with the lessons.

  
  
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  SYP: I teach a foreigners b4, he finished the std 1~6 syllabus within 2yrs.

  
  His gf is a Chinese...
  
  ~^O^~
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• KKH: You know what they say about the Chinese language: If you can sing, you can speak, if you can draw, you can write! Good move on your part!

  
  
• JL: Sun Yih Ping : where do you teach?

  
  
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  PT: Dear ....i was educated in BM stream school since primary & secondary & only learn to speak Mandarin in Form 2 onwards by conversing with schoolmates who came from Primary Chinese stream.Now i can only speak moderate level Mandarin but cant read Chinese.Is the class worth it? If u can afford the time & $$ why not? For me 1.2k to pick up a usefull skill is worth it but only if u ensure u continue to utilise it or else as our frens mentioned here -will return back to teacher.

  
  
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  Me: J & SYP: let me guess, Empire Shopping Ctr

  
  
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  P: my C friends only speak English/Malay with me...cos I wouldn't understand a word of anything else :D

  
  
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  YP: What i means is if u wnt to learn a new language, ur intention /motive Very important.
  Or else, it just waste ur time n $.

  
  
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  Me: I'm very motivated once I make up my mind...Sun's deal might be better for me since I need flexibility to fit things into my schedule, plus I prefer dealing with friends :)

  
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  SYP @ kota kemuning , usj, puchong.
  Mainly in k.kemuning.
  The other 2 places hav to depending on the timing.

  
  
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  PT Sometimes they still laugh & make fun of me as I use the wrong vocabulary in my conversation....being unable to read chinese I have limited chinese vocabulary .
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  Me: SYP how about PJ?
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  SYP maybe u can start from self learning 1st....

  Then when u taking any other Chinese lesson, wil be more easy catch up.
  
  
  
• Me: What is self learning???

  
  
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  URH: Bring hubby to learn Chinese together.. it will be fun and both of u can learn faster + the family support system always work well.

  
  
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  URH he ONLY learns plastic surgery related stuff...

  
  
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  SYP PJ need to depend urs n my timing, cos certain timing, from my place to PJ,traffic very jam.

  
  
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  JL: Sun Yih Ping : too far from me. I m more pj...
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  Me: I thought my kids would want to learn but they have adamantly refused...never mind, let me start first :D

  
  
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  SYP: I though u said u oredi bought the learning material?

  
  
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  Me: I tried it...dunno what they are talking about

  
  
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  SYP: teaching Kids n adults wil be different....

  Hard to learn together...
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  AM someone told me to get a chinese girlfriend. I said ' you crazy what?' then i ate my burger and ponder...hmm
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  Me: Tell me about it, I am used to teaching med-students. Ask me to teach my 7year old math and I have no idea how to do that...

  
  
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  SYP: Later i send u an apps , i think wil be helpful to u...

  
  
• U using apple or android?

  
  
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  Me: AM if you are single why not? 
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  JL Sun Yih Ping: if you do pj , let me know. Email me at justineliong@gmail.com

  
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  AM thanks for sharing the apps..will study with MY SON ;-) hehe

  
  
• Me: apple

  
  
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  AM: http://www.appolicious.com/...

  

  Best Mandarin Chinese Learning Apps

  www.appolicious.com

  I lived in Taiwan for a year, and ever since then have been interested in mainta...ining and improving my Mandarin. Studying Chinese on my iPhone while waiting in line makes me feel superproductive. Serious language learning students, please add your...See More
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   Owh wow. Learning to talk AND write in Chinese. Now where's that chinese tea?
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  SYP:JL, u wnt to learn or for ur kids?
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  AM For learning on android..is this good? https://play.google.com/store/apps/details...

  

  Easy Chinese Language Learning - Android Apps on Google Play

  play.google.com

  This basic Chinese language learning tool uses flash cards and phonetic alphabet... reference to teach basic Chinese words and phrases. Flashcards include English pronunc...See More
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  JL Sun Yih Ping : me.... I want to learn.... Started but stopped after a little....

  
  
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  AO expensive....i learn my hokkien and mandarin with friends....however the disavantage is its only spoken.....i dont read...try listening and dare to speak out....you ll manage...

  
  
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  PS: Expensive...
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  HI FYI, check out UiTM's Akademi Pengajian Bahasa as well.
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  RZ: One of the fastest way is sing karaoke & watching movies. You also learn chinese characters from there. It took me a few months before i can msg in chinese.
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  SFL Sun Yih Ping.... do u teach in traditional chinese or simplified chinese ?
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  SYP: SFL, for the word writing, i teach only simplified word.
  For reading and understanding, both can.
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   i also teach classical Chinese.
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  SFL: SYP, do you teach chinese calligraphy ?

  
  
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  RZ Sun Yih Ping, may i ask what do you mean by classical chinese? Poetry
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  SYP: SFL calligraphy, nope.
  That is different oredi.

  
  
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  SYP: RV poetry is part of the classical chinese.
  
  Classical Chinese including 四书五经 and etc...

  
  
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  SYP:  All the book from 诸子百家 consider classical Chinese.

  
  Now we call it 文言文。

  
  
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  RZ: SYP , thanks for the clarification.

  
  
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  KPF Download mandarin apps, watch mandarin drama and listen to mandarin songs, you will progress faster than attending classes.

  
  
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  EYYeah i learn my spoke Cantonese from all those years of watching tvb dramas reading the Malay subtitles on rtm and tv3

  
  
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  Use Waygo Translate app, it will translate written chinese for u.
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  Me: Great, which songs? I don't think I can handle drama - the one's in languages I understand make me sleepy.

  
  
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  FL i learn a little bit of korean language from drama reading from eng and chinese sub.. cantonese learnt from cantonese speaking friends.

  
  
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  JD the cheapest mandarin class I found and went is in Puchong. Same ratio of student:teacher. I can't remember how many classes.
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  AW Mazlyn, go and get some of these university students from china, there do part time one to one, my friend did that

  
  
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  GB What competency level you planning after class? Conversant?
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  Me Learning outcomes: to be able to understand and be understood, able to read, ability to write would be an added advantage

  
  
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  AA: 愿上帝保佑你们！

  
  
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  PCF  Woo :-)
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  NKZ I learn from chinese drama, can understand some it, but I would love to know how to write n read...:)

  
  
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  SYP If wan to really understand Chinese, wan to handle it well, still hav to attend class.

  
  
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  Chinese not like other language.

  
  One word, can be a lot of meaning, even some word got more than one pronunciation...
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   Eg

  亲
  
  亲人 close relative
  亲自 personally
  亲家 relative （by marriage）
  亲嘴 kiss
  亲切 friendly
  亲王 prince
  父亲 father
  母亲 mother
  亲子 parent n child
  亲近 get close to
  可亲 kindly
  成亲 get married
  。。。。

  
  
• SYP，i think got one book quite suitable to u.
  Tonite when i back home, try to find it.
  If i forget, pls remind me.
  
  ^_^

  
  
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   That book can help u understand the basic meaning of the chinese character .

  
  
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   this is the book...

  

  
  
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  The content:

  

  
  
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  SYP ISBN number

  

  
  
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  WLC: For reading it is better to have classes to have a strong foundation; speaking would be best practiced with Mandarin speaking friends

  
  
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  JC Chempaka Buddhist Lodge in Tmn Sea Pj..they giv out chinese class on sat ..But dony know whether it's still on.

  
  
• WWL  for online help, www.nciku.com could be a great reference tool. Selamat belajar and meninjau frontier baru!

  

  nciku - Online English Chinese Dictionary, Learn Chinese Mandarin Online

  www.nciku.com

  Chinese-English and English-Chinese dictionary with Chinese handwriting recognit...ion, pinyin translation, audio pronunciation, personalized vocab lists, picture theme words and useful Chinese conversations.See More

  
  
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  CHW welcome to the world of Chinese, which is linked to Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese and Ryukyuan.
  
  When I taught Chinese one-to-one about 15 years ago, my rate is RM 50. If you get a good teacher, then RM 40-60 is not expensive....See More