Like with all goals, it will be easier to reach a target if you set a time limit for yourself. It’s not enough just saying: “I’m going to speak regularly with natives, listen to them speak, etc.” Set your overall target, and then break it down into mini-goals.
For example, if your main goal is to be fluent in six months, ask yourself what your target is for the first month, the second, and so on. Be critical of yourself and push yourself hard. Get out of your comfort zone, and the result will be worth the suffering.
2. Listen more
Listening is the foundation of speaking. Most research suggests that listening is extremely important, both for the obvious reason that it enables us to understand what people say in Mandarin, and for the less obvious reason that it’s a requirement for being able to speak.
You can’t expect to be able to pronounce anything you have never heard. You will have great difficulties pronouncing tones correctly if you can’t hear the difference. The same is true for vocabulary in general.
Even if you are not as good at speaking Chinese as you would like to be, you will be able to learn much more if you integrate new words into your speech every day. Focusing solely on vocabulary words you are comfortable with will prevent you from ever progressing in your language-learning attempts. Start using new Chinese words and phrases until you become comfortable with them, and then keep adding more.
4. Focus on a single topic.
If you are in a Chinese-speaking environment and thus speak Chinese with many natives, you have probably noticed that your speaking ability depends greatly on the topic. Many native speakers may be curious about who you are and why you’re learning Chinese, so questions like these pop up all the time.
The first time you answer, it might be haltingly and without much confidence, but the hundredth time you answer the same question, you know what to say and you can deliver it with confidence. But the problem is that you may only get this kind of practice in areas that people spontaneously ask you about often.
Try bringing up a less common topic with many different people; you’ll find this process is great for learning new phrases and words, especially if you can get some feedback.
5. Think in Chinese.
Instead of translating words from your native language to Chinese before forming a sentence, try training yourself to actually think in Chinese.
This can help you improve your ability to express yourself. After all, the order of words in a sentence may be completely different when using your native language, which will only slow you down. Furthermore, if you think in Chinese, you will have an easier time using correct grammar and saying what you really mean.
As a child, you learned your native language by being immersed in it. Everything you wanted to communicate had to be in that language.
Although adults may not pick up languages as easily as kids, you can still use the immersion technique to learn Chinese more quickly: always try speaking Chinese first, even when a native speaker is fluent in your native language. You can also constantly listen to Chinese on your iPod and watch movies exclusively in Chinese.
Positivity is important because it keeps you motivated. Rather than expecting perfection from yourself and being continually disappointed, start to view your errors as progress in your learning.
Making mistakes means you’re pushing yourself enough to learn and grow, and if you aren’t making any mistakes, there’s a good chance you’re stagnating. Mistakes are good indicators that you need to study a particular area more or increase your understanding of a particular principle; in this way, mistakes can help you focus on what you really need to learn and thus become fluent in Chinese.