When most English speakers attempt learning to speak Chinese, they are often amazed that the tone in which a word is said changes its meaning. In English, if you say the word "fish," it makes no difference whether you say it in a high-pitched voice or with a rising or falling tone – it's still a fish. This is not true in Chinese!  "Ma" said in one tone means "mother"; in another, it means "horse." So the best method of learning to speak Chinese is the one that will help YOU learn most effectively.

1. Listen, listen, listen! Any good method of learning to speak Chinese will focus on building auditory, or listening, skills. You need to be able to separate sounds that on the surface seem very similar, as well as words that are pronounced exactly the same except for the pitch in which they are said. This cannot be replicated in a book – you need to be able to hear these distinctions. I recommend you use the interactive and affordable Rocket Chinese language course to do this with.

2. Watch, watch, watch! Why is watching the speaker pronounce the words useful in learning a language? Because in every language, how the speaker places his tongue or shapes his lips affects the way the sound comes out. In English, think of the difference between the "th" sound in "the" and the "th" sound in "thigh". One is harder than the other, and one is voiced while the other is voiceless. This is much easier to see when we watch the speaker form the words. Watching is an important element of learning to speak Chinese, just as it is in English.

3. Talk, talk, talk! Find a Chinese person with whom you can practice. Start with your local Chinese restaurant; most people love to share the language of their birth with interested friends. By the way, there are many variants of Chinese, so make sure that that your new friend speaks the type of Chinese you want to learn. Two common ones are Mandarin (the standard language of the People's Republic of China and Taiwan) and Cantonese (spoken by residents of Hong Kong). Learning to speak Chinese can be a social activity, too!

4. And finally, forget about those pretty symbols for now. Those symbols are called "characters" (not letters), and if you plan to read a great deal of Chinese, it's important to learn them. But if you just plan on carrying on a Chinese conversation, recognize that by studying the characters you'll be spending a lot of time learning something that takes Chinese students years to master. Learning to speak Chinese is not the same as learning to read it, so if you're planning a trip to China, concentrate on conversation first.

There are many good methods of learning to speak Chinese. The old standby – taking a classroom-based course – forces you to adapt to the schedule of the instructor, and is not convenient for many people. Courses on CD are convenient, but lack the visual factor; video courses supply both visuals and sound, but force you to sit in front of a screen. Online courses often provide games and learning extensions in addition to language lessons, and provide not only auditory but visual input. The best plan is to begin with one of those formal methods, and then find yourself some Chinese friends to talk to. Before you know it, you'll be well on the way to learning to speak Chinese, and you'll  have gained some new friends in the process!

Give Rocket Chinese Premium a try today, it might just be the audio and software based Chinese learning program you were looking for...

You may also be interested in the following Rocket Languages courses to help you learn a foreign language fast.

Rocket German
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Rocket Italian
Rocket Arabic
Rocket Hindi
Rocket Korean
Rocket Sign Language