How can I improve my Chinese speaking? You really need Chinese conversation practice? 你真的需要中文对话练习吗？
Feb 04, 2024你好，我是老魏，你的中文教练。
Hello, I'm Wei, your Chinese coach.
很多人认为学中文口语需要两个人。
Many people think it takes two people to learn to speak Chinese.
找个中国人对话是最好的练习中文口语的方法。
Getting a Chinese person to talk to is the best way to practice speaking Chinese.
这种观念其实是不对的。
This idea is actually not true.
我们把中文口语学习分为两个阶段：
We divide the learning of spoken Chinese into two stages:
第一阶段是从不会说中文到会说中文。
The first stage is from not being able to speak Chinese to being able to speak Chinese.
第二阶段是从会说中文到说得更好。
The second stage is from being able to speak Chinese to speaking it better.
如果你处于第二阶段，
If you are in the second stage.
中文对话练习对你是有用的。
Chinese conversation practice is useful for you.
如果你是处于第一阶段，
If you are in the first stage.
你还不会说中文。
You don't speak Chinese yet.
你可能不需要做中文对话练习。
You probably don't need to do Chinese conversation practice.
独自练中文口语效率更好。
It is more efficient to practice speaking Chinese alone.
老魏给你描述一下，一个中文老师
Wei will describe to you how a Chinese teacher feels
在一个典型一对一中文口语课中的感受。
in a typical one-on-one Chinese speaking class.
刚开始，
At the beginning,
我会以正常语速说一段中文，
I will speak some sentences at a normal speed.
目的试探你的中文水平。
The purpose is to test your Chinese level.
然后
And then,
我发现你听不懂我说的话，
I realize that you couldn't understand what I was saying.
你只能尴尬而不失礼貌的微笑。
You can only smile awkwardly and impolitely.
这时候我就要迁就你。
That's when I have to accommodate you.
我就降低语速，
I'm going to lower my speed of speech.
挑选简单的词和句子和你聊天。
I'll pick simple words and sentences to talk to you.
这样的结果就是
The result is
你听懂了你本来就能听懂的，
that you understand what you could have understood.
你本来听不懂的最后也听不懂，
For what you don't understand, you still don't understand.
你的听力不会有什么进步。
Your listening will not improve.
然后，轮到你说话的时候，
When it's your turn to talk，
你在脑子里先用母语想好了一个句子，
you think of a sentence in your native language.
然后在大脑中苦苦搜索对应的中文词语，
Then you search your brain for the corresponding Chinese words.
然后用你知道的中文语法造句。
Then you use the Chinese grammar you know to make a sentence.
通过在大脑中翻译和造句
By translating and making sentences in your brain，
你终于开口了，
you finally speak.
开口说了一半之后发现说错了，
Halfway through the sentence, you realize you've made a mistake.
你停下来，试图改正，
You stop and try to correct it.
然后就变得结结巴巴。
So you stutter and you don't speak fluently.
而我在等待你说的时候，
And while I'm waiting for you to speak，
须要去猜你想表达什么。
I have to guess what you want to say.
然后我把正确的中文句子说出来。
Then I say the correct sentence in Chinese for you.
你就跟着我重复。
And you repeat after me.
你重复的时候会出现错误，
You make mistakes when you repeat.
我就去纠正你。
I will correct you.
一堂一对一的口语对话课持续40分钟。
A one-on-one Chinese speaking class lasts 40 minutes.
其中的30分钟被用于尴尬的沉默、等待、
30 of 40 minutes are spent in awkward silence, waiting,
互相猜测对方的意思，
guessing each other's meaning,
不断的重复纠正错误。
and constant repetition of corrections.
实质性对话大概只有30句。
The actual conversation is about 30 sentences long.
但这30句中，
Out of those 30 sentences,
你新学到的表达方式大概只有3句。
you learn about 3 new expressions.
这3句话你能保证不会忘记吗？
Can you guarantee that you won't forget those 3 sentences?
能保证自己随时能说得出来吗？
Can you guarantee that you will be able to say them at any time?
这就是为什么我说处于第一阶段的学习者
That's why I say that learners who are in the first stage of learning
没必要去上一对一中文口语对话课。
don't need to go to a one-on-one Chinese conversation class.
花40分钟，几十美金只学3句话
Spending 40 minutes and tens of dollars to learn only 3 sentences
照这样进行，
Carrying on like this.
需要花多长时间，多少钱
How long and how much money do you need to spend
才能流利说中文？
to become fluent in Chinese?
这样练习中文口语产出投入比太低了。
This is a very low ratio of output to input for practicing spoken Chinese.
注意：
Attention:
我不是说中文对话练习效率太低。
I am not saying that Chinese conversation practice is too inefficient.
我是说你不适合这种练习。
I am saying that this kind of practice is not suitable for you.
为什么不适合你？
Why is it not suitable for you?
因为目前阶段的你听不懂中文。
Because you don't understand Chinese at this stage.
听懂中文
Understanding Chinese
是练习中文口语的前提条件。
is a pre-condition for practicing speaking Chinese.
至少有两个原因。
There are at least two reasons.
原因一：
Reason 1:
在对话中我们要做两件事：听和说。
In a conversation we do two things: listen and speak.
当我们说的时候，
When we speak,
我们可以选择
We can choose
自己熟悉的词语和句型
words and sentence patterns we are familiar with
去表达自己的意思，
to express ourselves,
回避自己不熟悉的词和句型。
and avoid those that we are unfamiliar with.
但是当我们听的时候，
But when we listen,
无法回避任何内容。
we can't avoid any content.
一句话只要有一个关键词听不懂，
If we don't understand one key word in a sentence,
整句话就听不懂了。
we don't understand the whole sentence.
听不懂了你如何回应？
How do you respond if you don't understand?
对话如何进行？
How do you carry on a conversation?
原因二：
Reason 2:
如果你听不懂中文，
If you can't understand Chinese,
那你不可能用中文思考。
then you are unlikely to be able to think in Chinese.
如果你不能用中文思考，
If you can't think in Chinese,
那你说中文的时候
you are translating and making sentences
就是在大脑中翻译、造句。
in your brain when you speak Chinese.
如果你说中文的时候需要翻译和造句，
If you need to do that when you speak Chinese,
你的口语是不可能流利的。
you cannot speak fluently.
中文里有个词“十聋九哑”，
There's a word in Chinese, "十聋九哑",
意思是十个聋人里面有九个都是哑巴。
meaning that nine out of ten deaf people are mute.
这是自然规律，
It's a law of nature.
你无法在听不懂一门语言的情况下流利地说这种语言。
You can't speak a language fluently without understanding it.
如果你听不懂中文，
If you don't understand Chinese，
对话练习是没办法让你说中文流利的。
conversation practice won't make you fluent in Chinese.
当然，
Of course,
对话练习也可以帮助你提高听力，
oral practice can help you improve your listening.
但是效率很低。
But it's inefficient.
它不是专门针对听力的训练。
It's not specifically for listening.
如果你现在还听不懂中文，
If you can't understand Chinese now，
你应该去练听力
you should practice listening.
听力练习的作用
The role of listening practice
帮你从不会说中文
is to help you go from not being able to speak Chinese
到会说中文。
to being able to speak Chinese.
而口语对话练习的作用
Speaking practice helps those
是帮助那些已经能听懂中文的人。
who can already understand Chinese.
口语对话练习帮助第二阶段的人
Conversation practice helps people in the second stage
把中文说得更好。
to speak Chinese better.
和母语者的对话
Conversation practice with native speakers
主要有三个功能：
has three main functions:
功能一，
Function one
帮助你突破心理障碍。
is to help you break through mental barriers.
就像我在《怎样像母语者一样学中文六步指导》里面提到那个泰国女孩，
Like the Thai girl I mentioned in <How to Learn Chinese Like a Native Speaker:6 step guide>
她已经能听懂中文了，
She could already understand Chinese.
并通过朗读建立了中文表达体系，
and had built up a Chinese expression system by reading aloud.
但是她还是不能说中文
But she still couldn't speak Chinese.
我用了一周时间和她进行中文对话，
I spent a week conversing with her in Chinese.
帮她突破心理障碍，
to help her break through the psychological barrier
建立信心。
and build up her confidence.
从那之后她就能流利地说中文了。
Since then she has been able to speak Chinese fluently.
功能二，帮助你纠正错误。
Function two, to help you correct your mistakes.
当你能说中文之后，
After you can speak Chinese,
你的口语中还是会有很多错误表达。
You will still have a lot of wrong expressions in your spoken language.
你自己很难发现这些错误的。
It's hard for you to realize these mistakes by yourself.
但是母语者一听就知道问题在哪。
But native speakers know what the problem is as soon as they hear it.
他们可以帮助你纠正错误。
They can help you correct your mistakes.
母语者也可以在对话中
Native speakers can also point out
指出你的发音问题，
your mispronunciation in a conversation.
但是要帮助你纠正这种错误发音是很难的。
But it's difficult to help you correct this mispronunciation.
你还是得靠听力和跟读去改善发音。
You still have to listen and read along to improve your pronunciation.
功能三，教你一些更高级的表达。
Function 3: Teach you some more advanced expressions.
在和母语者的对话中，
In a conversation with a native speaker，
你可以对比自己和母语者的表达方式，
you can compare your own expressions with those of native speakers.
这样你可以学到一些更高级的词汇、
This way you can learn some more advanced vocabulary,
更地道、更简洁、更高效的表达方式。
and more authentic, concise and efficient expressions.
你可以看出，
As you can see.
口语对话练习的三个功能
Three functions of spoken dialog practice
对于中高级水平的中文学习者是有用的，
are useful for intermediate and advanced level Chinese learners.
而对于大多数中文学习者来说没有什么意义。
and not meaningful for most Chinese learners.
所以不要着急去找个中国人
So don't be in a hurry to find a Chinese person
做口语对话练习，
to do oral conversation practice with.
大多数中文学习者目前都处于第一阶段，
Most Chinese learners are currently at the first stage.
把时间花在听力练习上更值得。
It is worthwhile to spend time on listening practice.
听力是我们输入中文信息唯二的方式之一。
Listening is one of the two ways we can input Chinese information.
不要急着去输出。
Don't rush to output.
输入越多，输出的才能越多。
The more you input, the more you can output.
关注老魏，你将用中国人的方式无痛学会中文。
Follow ChineseWei and you will learn Chinese the Chinese way, painlessly.
再见
See you.
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