are hsk textbooks useless? epic hsk guide pt 1 | HSK1-3

have you ever had this thought: how do i learn a language efficiently? or conversely, what’s the best textbook to learn chinese? are hsk textbooks useless or will they get me to that elusive fluency goal? today we’ll try to answer that question for HSK levels 1-3!
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website: biancalearns.wordpress.com/
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[@kira5612]

I loved this video. It’s so helpful! I am currently studying mandarin and am using the hsk books. I just completed hsk 1 and felt a little deflated because I’m not confident all the time when speaking , but I’ve been reminding myself that this is all a process and most importantly something I’m doing for fun. I just got the hsk2 and 3 and am preparing to continue studying 😊

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

Woww that’s so great!! And honestly, I’m at HSK5 and I still can’t speak fluently! And that’s okay :) I find so much joy from just being able to read something I never thought I could read!! in time, you’ll get to the point where speaking comes naturally!!

[@nicoleraheem1195]

If your concerned is speaking, then hsk isn't for you because HSK is going to hone your reading skills and your listening skills. (If you listen to the audio) My suggestion to you, is to hire a tutor to help you develop your conversational skills. If you have any questions on how to say something you can ask your tutor memorize it and put it to use in real life. Whatever dramas or movies that you watch right down phrases that can help you have a cohesive conversation in your target language. Hsk is not designed to help you speak isn't designed to help you converse like a native , it's designed to help you build a foundational knowledge of Chinese. That's why the texts are so simple and that's why hy many say they can't speak good Chinese even after level 4. The HSK standard course books are not sufficient enough to determine your fluency in Chinese. The ssk books are basically like the Head start. I've been studying it since 2019 and this is what I've learned about HSK so far. There are more books out there than HSK and Tuttle Publishing. There is Behind culture and language university, short term spoken Chinese and more. Cover as many Elementary level books as you can beyond HSK, and it should make your foundation stronger than anyone who has only taken college courses and used HSK books.

[@wrigleyextra11]

Thinking about formal textbooks in the sense of potential immersive content is a game changer. Not sweating rote grammar is something I need to stop doing haha but I get paranoid that I am missing out. Thanks for the video bianca!

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

Don’t worry about missing out!! You’ll come across so much content that you’ll pick up the grammar naturally! You’ll surprise yourself when you can use grammar without even having to think about it because you read, watched, and listened to so much content that it just comes out right!

[@wrigleyextra11]

@@bianca.phdinprogress thank you!! Needed this vote of confidence in my acquisition ability fr

[@alexzr354]

You have no idea how much I needed this video, I've been trying to learn chinese for so long but I not even capable of having a basic conversation, I really don't know how to approach the lenguage or use the text books... thanks a lot 💜

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

aww thank you!! and don't feel too hard on yourself. having a basic conversation is actually much harder than many people think, especially with chinese. you'll use a large chunk of vocabulary just talking about daily life even simply, so don't use that goal to measure your progress in the beginning! by spending a lot of your time reading and listening, look at the texts you're able to read to guide your progress. if you're starting from HSK1, look at the difficulty of first chapter and compare it to what you're able to understand by the last chapter! Do that with each level, and you'll see just how much you've learned over time :)

[@LarissaGXZ]

I'm loving your videos, Bianca! They're so helpful and you have lots of great tips. I plan to buy a HSK 3 workbook next month and I hope I'll buy the main book later for review.

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

thank you!!! i made a lot of mistakes when I first started out, so i'm glad that I can help others not make those same errors!! good luck with your learning :) 加油！

[@LarissaGXZ]

@@bianca.phdinprogress 不客气！i hope we'll have lots of improvements and accomplishments in 2022. 加油 you too

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

我也希望！谢谢！:)

[@elisas.sesang]

this (along with your blogpost on the textbooks) is super helpful! I've been jumping back and forth between the HSK textbooks, new practical chinese reader and the boya textbook for over a year now after passing HSK 3 last year and it feels like I've spent more time grappling with resources and how to study rather then actual studying... Will now go back to my HSK 4 textbook and hope to make some progress, thanks for all the awesome chinese learning content!!

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

thank you for your comment!!!! and honestly, stick with one resource, whichever one keeps you studying. the books in it of themselves will not make you fluent, but will help you get to the place where you can pursue fluency on your own terms (namely learning from content you actually enjoy). textbooks can be dry, which makes us want to flop over to other stuff, but they do give us the structure we need to learn the foundational words and grammar so that we can learn the rest without guidance! So don't get too hung up if you don't ever learn every single thing perfectly in the textbooks either! the most important thing is that you can understand the dialogues (both in reading and listening). Once you understand what's happening and can follow along with the audio and read it, move onto the next one! I'm actually going to start an intensive HSK5 study plan on January first, and you could apply that type of studying with HSK4! You'll see tons of progress if you focus on one resource at a time and devote daily study to it (however much time you're able to give!) I'll be posting the actual study plan next week, but the main points are this: Day 1. go through chapter 1 until you understand it. put the textbook down and leave it (your brain needs time to process) Day 2. go through chapter 2 until you understand it. review chapter 1. put the textbook down and leave it. Day 3. go through chapter 3 until you understand it. review chapter 2. review chapter 1. put the textbook down and leave it. Day 4. go through chapter 4 until you understand it. review chapter 3. review chapter 2. make anki cards for chapter 1. As you go through new chapters, add the textbook audio to a playlist and just play that on repeat every day. Once you go through a new chapter, add that new chapter to your playlist. In this manner, you're going through new content AND reviewing old content while giving your brain enough time to process it! Obviously the time table is pretty intensive for me (i'm trying to get through HSK5 in 2 months), but you can adjust that! the amount of time spent through each "day" is dependent on how much time you want to devote to studying each day. Good luck!!! 加油！:)

[@elisas.sesang]

@@bianca.phdinprogress thank you so much for the in-depth response! The study plan seems awesome, especially as it aims to get through the book as quickly as possible while still making sure you're not forgetting everything as you go by continuously reviewing the content. I will definitely try this out but might do one chapter over two days as university has been keeping me busy. Keep up the great work!

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

Yep!!! The point is to show the method. Timelines can be adjusted for each person!! Two a day is still really intensive!! You’ll get through the textbooks, workbooks, and anki cards in 4 months at that rate!! :)

[@dandilion7746]

thank you so much for this video! i've had a bit of a learning slump but this has inspired me to pick it back up again. i sometimes have to take a break of a day or two to keep going long term. But sometimes i can't get myself to actually pick it back up again. this time it was a break of a little less than a month and i've felt guilty everyday i haven't studied lol. great stuff

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

Slumps are so easy to focus on, but it’s just a tiny portion of your studying! It’s okay to take breaks here and there because learning is a long term process! You have way more great days than slump days! 加油！

[@dandilion7746]

@@QuizmasterLaw those are some great tips, thank you!

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

I totally agree! often times we feel pretty bad about ourselves when we can't get ourselves to study. but maybe that just means you need a change of resource! if you're learning from a textbook but you start to hate it, stop using it and find something that you enjoy instead! do whatever keeps you engaged and enjoy learning, even if that's technically "not the best resource". whatever keeps you learning is that best resource for you at that point in your journey :)

[@dandilion7746]

@@bianca.phdinprogress thank you! I'm so happy I've found your channel, you have so many great tips and resources. Pls keep up the good work!

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

Thank you!!! I really appreciate your comments and questions!! :) makes me feel really good about the content I make heheh

[@joemarshburn8295]

Thanks for the helpful video, I'm currently at 120/150 words for HSK 1 and looking forward to continuing with these textbooks

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

that's so awesome!!! hopefully you'll continue to enjoy these books as you keep learning! 加油！

[@jon7939]

I've been learning Chinese on and off for a few years. I've decided to take the HSK exams to ensure I have a goal to aim at. This video has inspired me to study more!

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

amazing!! good luck on studying and the HSK exam!!

[@okorolina]

Beautiful plants! I would love to speak Chinese and talk plants and herbs all day 😂 I'm so glad I stumbled upon your channel. I loaded the anki deck and wow I gotta get the hsk books cause just seeing those characters gave me anxiety lol. Thank you for making this journey feel empowering and doable though your videos. I'm looking forward to immersing myself .

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

aww thank you for the kind words!!! it's an intimidating journey at first, but soon you'll realize how amazing and fun it is!

[@zakaria3898]

Omg your mom is so wholesome ❤️

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

heh yes she is!! :)

[@PopDasKorn]

I thought it was just a person with the username "your mom" hahaha

[@mosasaurvideos50]

@@PopDasKorn lol

[@SR-lh4rm]

Great vid and editing. Love this content.

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

thank you!! really appreciate it :) hopefully you stick around for more!!

[@josephine549]

Thank you so much for this really useful review! I’ve tried other textbooks before, too. However, I didn’t like the high ratio of new- to old words in every chapter. You sold me on the hsk books with the low amount of new words in each chapter, at least in the earlier books. A lot of COMPREHENSIBLE text/input is great. If every text is full of many new words, however, the text doesn’t even qualify as comprehensible input. It’s much easier to pick up the new words on the fly without much effort, while reinforcing what has been encountered previously, when there aren't so many new words. Much more natural to learn like this, more motivating and it’s ultimately possible to learn more quickly. Thanks again.

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

you're so welcome!!! i'm currently transitioning from HSK to native material, and honestly, it's been a fairly smooth transition. yeah, HSK didn't teach me every single beginner word etc, but it did teach me enough in a variety of categories to get started with using native content as my main learning resource with less pain haha!! good luck on your journey :) its a fun one!

[@josephine549]

​@bianca.learns Congrats! Everything get's so much easier, once native content is possible (one just needs to skip the very first chapter of Harry Potter, haha). Though I don't know how that goes with Hanzi. I've been learning French starting with mainly Duolingo since last December and am going to really dive into Chinese now. Too bad Duolingo doesn’t have anything similarly as good for Chinese. 
The HSK series really does seem to feel quite a bit like it, though. I’m 2/3 through the first one now (I had already dabbled a little bit into Chinese in the summer, so mainly recap so far). Seems like the HSK standard course might be just the right thing for me to really get started without too much frustration.

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

the nice thing about it is that you can get through it fairly quickly with enough study. speeding through some of the more boring things in HSK gets you to the native content that you actually care about so much more quickly!

[@josephine549]

I absolutely agree! I really like to rush and spend a lot of time in the beginning to quickly get to the stage where I can actually enjoy the new language using native content. After that initial stage, I'm personally in no hurry any more for a while and just enjoy the process, learning mostly en passant.

[@matildawolfram4687]

Fun video! Many thanks to the author of the channel for the recommendations! The problem with many people is that they want to take a "magic pill" or get "secret knowledge" and immediately have skills and abilities. However, the truth of life is that knowledge, skills, and abilities do not come by themselves. You can't learn a foreign language without doing anything, without wasting your time and effort, just like you can't learn to ride a bike lying on a comfy couch, listening to lectures and watching videos about "modern methods of learning" on a bike. To really learn something, you have to really practice every day. You're going to fall down while you're learning, and you're going to get bumps - that's normal! The ups and downs of learning are an integral part of our lives. Motivation from success and depression from failure will always be your study companions. However, every student has problems in his or her studies that he or she lacks the knowledge to solve. It can be: poor memorization of words; no progress in language learning; the student can speak, but does not understand speech by ear; misunderstanding of grammar; incorrect pronunciation, etc. Agree that a problem you don't know how to solve is very demotivating. In order to find the answer to our question we have to spend a lot of time to read videos, articles and books by polyglots. In today's world, we have to solve problems as quickly as possible. I don't have time to study and analyze a huge amount of information. My goal is to master the basic knowledge of a foreign language as quickly as possible and already start earning money effectively in the international arena. I settled on the practical guide by Yuriy Ivantsiv " Polyglot's Notes: practical tips for learning foreign language". This book is always in my bag. If I have a problem while learning a language, I quickly find the answer in this book. There are many different techniques and tips for learning a foreign language in Polyglot Notes. I have made my own individual schedule and plan for language learning. Now I know what I am going to study, how I am going to study, when I am going to study and what results I am going to achieve. No problem could stop me! With an effective language learning plan my professional skills are more and more in demand internationally every day. Friends, don't stop there! Everyone has talents that millions of people around the world need! Learn the language and make your ideas and dreams come true! Thanks to the author of the channel for the informative and useful video! Your videos motivate me.

[@chiarab1640]

Thank you ! I was a bit confused with the HSK 1 book, I studied Korean and Japanese and was used to a different style of textbooks, now I kind of understand why it is build up like it is.

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

glad it was helpful!! yeah, HSK is definitely a different way of setting up a textbook. I think that's also because it's usually used in a course like structure if I remember correctly (I could be wrong on that). The higher levels basically require a teacher to explain what they ask of you if you're working through all of the practice sets, so it's a higher barrier to entry for us self learners.

[@amyx231]

I’m a native/heritage speaker. I keep blazing through book 1 (or lessons 1+) of a series then losing interest. Oops. Currently I’m using 四五快读。Fast and easy lessons - 8 characters per lesson. The funny part is, separating common word combos frustrates me but also makes learning individual characters more effective. I’m just needing memorization basically. And I guess tech words - but whatever, mostly memorizing words. I still confuse 的 and 得， lol.

[@JaponicaBelichii]

Wow! You’re doing a great job on filming. Keep it up! 💪

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

Thank you!!!

[@gabrielbour1722]

very pleasant and informative video, thanks a lot

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

glad it was helpful for you!!

[@jolintsaiforever3697]

I only finished up to Hsk 5 halfway..For me it was boring that I didn’t wanna continue…so I completely discarded hsk, only used Pleco and just kept listening to mandarin KZbin videos, tv shows and read articles. To practice speaking I used italki and used mandarin whenever I buy stuff and groceries from Chinese stores. Personally I felt textbooks are ok for basic vocab, but even after hsk 5 I felt more of the real vocab were the ones I acquired from listening and talking to native speakers.

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

I completely agree!! I actually gave up HSK5 in the middle of part two .-. but now I'm using native content and it's so much more motivating!

[@sammygardner1786]

Funny how this video came right on time I’m literally just halfway through chapter 4HSK one lol

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

woww so awesome!! hopefully you're enjoying your time with the books so far :)

[@ShotaAM]

"Call and response" mentions to music makes me immediately jump to jazz when you said that

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

Well I am a musician as well, so not surprised by that one HAHA. Classically trained, but dabbled in jazz here and there heh

[@ShotaAM]

@@bianca.phdinprogress oh cool! Didn't know that. Only just found your channel

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

Most people don’t know on the internet hahaha. Never really had a chance to share about it since this is a language channel hahaha. But I was classically trained in piano for around 10ish years? Decided to swap over to science in college!!

[@hectorpg1181]

In the earlier stages, I find it more beneficial to use apps like Duolingo and Super Chinese rather than textbooks. This preference stems from the interactive nature of these apps, which offers a level of engagement that textbooks often lack. With language learning apps, you can receive feedback on your pronunciation, practice listening skills, and engage in compelling interactive drills. These features make your learning experience more productive and enjoyable compared to textbooks and traditional methods

[@Erraiad]

Do you have any recommendation on certain website, online schools to use as a tools as well beside books?

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

yeah!! I don't use schools or courses, but I wrote a blog post that lists everything I found useful for learning chinese, including textbook comparisons, graded readers, best apps, podcasts, helpful websites, tv shows/movies! along with that, here's another great youtube channel that is based off a course in beijing and gives supplementary material for the HSK. blog post with tons of resources and explanations: biancalearns.wordpress.com/2021/08/31/how-to-learn-chinese/ youtube channel: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gH62pZmYj6mnZ80

[@hustino11]

I JUST GOT TO THIS VIDEO. the shout out 😍 i have so many vids to catch up on!

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

HAHAHAH hope ur phd studies aren't killing u bruhhh

[@heyipp1618]

literally i have been so tired ,so i only used memrise for mandarin .I don't know how to balance school and learning chinese

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

I think using materials that you actually enjoy using is super helpful. if you're using something that feels like a chore, you're gonna burn out over time. but if you really like a tv show, study that and it won't feel like a chore!

[@elsa-pt7gz]

hi! i JUST started learning chinese and i'm not even halfway through the hsk1 textbook. i really like your view on textbooks, i completely agree with it because i have already had that same experience as an english learner. can you expand a bit on the grammar section? how did you view that section as you were learning? i'm a bit confused with the explanation in the video and i would definitely love to know more about it. thank you

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

Would it be helpful to make a video about my approach to grammar? I’m thinking about making a series about how to start learning various aspects of Chinese next month!

[@elsa-pt7gz]

@@bianca.phdinprogress definitely! thank you so so much

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

it's on my docket so keep an eye out for it :))

[@lin7916]

Can you als make a vid on memorizing the characters (meaning, pronunciation)? Thanks! Loving your vid and tips! It’s very helpful in my Chi class🥺❤️😭

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

check out some of my most recent videos :)) hope your class is going well!

[@bes-tie395]

Thank you for this but I wanted to ask if you have any recommendations for websites to learning Chinese

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

are you asking for websites to teach you chinese? or websites to help you understand the chinese you're learning from other resources? I I personally don't like courses, which is what the majority of websites that teach you chinese are formatted like. They basically teach you things that you could learn yourself, it'll just take more time, but I guess that's why you pay for a course. I mostly use websites that help me understand other resources (tv shows, textbooks, podcasts, graded readers, etc). Here are some that I personally use! *graded readers* - they give you reading content that is designed according to HSK level so you can find comprehensible input duchinese.net thechairmansbao.com HSKreading.com *online dictionaries* purpleculture.net/chinese-english-dictionary/ www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary *grammar (HSK1-3)* resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/HSK_1_grammar_points *sites to watch tv shows* viki netflix youtube

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

@Awaken King if you have no motivation, it'll be hard to stick with anything to be honest. but if you have the motivation to learn chinese no matter what, you can use any resource and learn. some resources are better than others, but ultimately the best resource will be the one that you want to use. there's a few options you can take! 1. textbook route: go through a textbook series that will get you to a high enough level to swap over to native content! this is the route that i'm taking with the HSK series. The HSK series gives a great structure that helps me to focus on consuming more comprehensible content. I don't have to waste time trying to find material that is not too difficult or too easy for my level. It won't teach me everything though, hence the swap to native content (tv shows, podcasts, novels etc) after I get to a high enough level! for me i'll swap after I finish HSK5! 2. native content route: if you can't get yourself to go through textbooks, you can study content that you find interesting. it'll be harder and require more effort since the content hasn't been tailored to be just a bit harder than your current level. instead of 1 unknown word per sentence, you may have 9 unknown words per sentence. that will be challenging but not impossible. the advantage to doing this though is that you're studying content that you're interested in. studying a tv show that you absolutely love to watch will help with that motivation bit! 3. use a mix of both! if you have the motivation to do textbooks right now, focus on the textbooks. if that motivation goes away, swap over to something you enjoy in native content. keep an eye out on your motivation and your goals and adjust your study accordingly! tldr: even if you have the perfect study framework, if you can't get yourself to actually study, it's useless. do the stuff that will help you to keep learning!

[@chebelme]

@Awaken King I can relate to this. I wanna learn chinese but no motivation to study on my own and i need a structured path to follow. HSK books will help you a lot. If you're willing to spend a little bit, Chinese Zero to Hero course is a huge help for me. They use HSK books too so it is easy to follow. They explain grammar so well which is beneficial for someone like me who doesn't have a study partner or tutor. Chinese Zero to Hero website in general is very useful. They have useful tools like dictionary, videos where you can hear how the words in hsk are used, grammar cheat sheet and other stuff for free.

[@egreeno]

Hey Bianca, how do you use your workbooks?

[@nothere3982]

What I usually do is to review the material alone and then review it again in another textbook. Wether you like it or not you have to study and dedicate time. Currently I'm not using any specific textbook for Chinese but the grammar webpage along with flashcards as my goal is to read (that's what I want Chinese for mainly, maybe speak but way latter),and I have to start grabbing textbooks and re reviewing things already (kinda postponing it 😂 I know I shouldn't, I'll get to it when I have a bit of free time). Just adding to the video, hope it's of use.

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

That sounds like a great strategy, especially if you love grammar!! ultimately you're getting a great amount of natural spaced repetition while also learning in different contexts!

[@user-vz9wl5fl8b]

Did you eventually get use to tones? I can hear the tones well, but I don't seem to be able actually pronounce them out.

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

from my experience, at first you have to intentionally pronounce the tones. Oftentimes, over-pronouncing the tones actually helps. Overtime, I've increased my ability to understand tones, and that's translated to being able to pronounce them well. There is a delay though. You'll learn to hear tones more quickly than pronouncing them. It'll just take time!

[@nicoleraheem1195]

If you have noticed in dramas, the children always speak more clearly and emphasize the tones. Mimic the Children.

[@badillosway154]

Good stuff, Bianca!

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

thank youu :)

[@Talvisielu]

Thank you Bianca for the review! I am planning on buying HSK3 book in 2 weeks. Should I get the textbook along with the workbook? Or just the textbook would do the work? 谢谢你！

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

if you have the funds for both books, they are useful, however, not necessary. the workbooks are primarily for HSK exam test taking practice, so if you're planning on taking exams, I would say buy it. If you're not planning on taking the exam, it's not really necessary! they give you more listening and reading practice, but you can actually find the audio to the workbooks on youtube! you could use that to practice listening comprehension. conversely, you could just go through the textbooks and that will get you closer to native content. I found the workbooks more useful in the earlier levels, but I stopped using them at HSK4 since I just wanted to get to HSK5 as quickly as I could. that way I jump into native content by the end of HSK5!

[@Talvisielu]

@@bianca.phdinprogress Thank you Bianca ! That’s exactly what I want to do. Maybe I take the exams later on but first I want to reach a “decent” level when talking. Greetings from Mexico!

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

@@Talvisielu yeah!! I also think that if you do want to take exams, just take them for HSK4 or HSK5. the early levels are not as useful, but if you have certificates for HSK4/HSK5, you could get a masters or work in china! so there is some utility to that. Another thing you can do is just take practice tests as a proxy for the real one! I'll be posting a video in 2 weeks going through 2 resources for practice tests :)

[@Talvisielu]

@@bianca.phdinprogress Looking forward to it!

[@mikassamikassa1951]

I started chinese 4 years and I stopped like 6mounth after cause there was something missing there I couldn't go ahead very efficiently ... I hated grammar But now I think I'll buy a text book that looks very organized and proffesional

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

if you hate grammar, then only use it when you need to understand a sentence! no point in getting bogged down by grammar if you prefer to just read or watch or consume content!

[@tongsllc]

Which textbooks allow me to study the groups of characters that have similar roots, but one different element? Otherwise, I get mixed up with similar characters.

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

For that you probably would need to get an etymology book or use books that focus on the radicals. I would say though that most of those books get really confusing over time. In the beginning, looking at the radicals can be useful but it will probably become a crutch overtime. Integrated Chinese has a radical book which can help in that regard. The easiest method I've found to distinguish similar characters is actually paying attention to the components, stroke order and writing down the characters until you can distinguish differences. As you learn more characters, you'll actually notice the components and it'll help you predict meaning and or pronunciation of the characters. But ultimately the way to prevent mixing characters up is reading more and paying closer attention!

[@ezrabrooks6251]

Really helpful videos! I subbed 😄

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

thank youuu!! appreciate it!

[@ThatOneFanficWriter]

I have the HSK 1 textbook collecting dust after i decided I want to learn mandarin. Its so nerve wracking especially since i have absolutely no platform to go by. But thinking it as supplement really is a good idea!

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

I would say just go through it for as long as you want to! don't stress yourself out too much, especially when trying to find the "perfect textbook" or "perfect study plan". a good resource or plan for you is the one that you'll keep using!!

[@ahmedkarmoum7290]

where i cna find those Simulated Tests of the New Chinese Proficiency Test HSK (HSK Level 3)(Chinese Edition) (English and Chinese Edition) please ? as a pdf and audios

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

The newest HSK3.0 series hasn't released their textbooks or practice tests yet, but here are some websites for the HSK2.0 series! They have tests for levels from HSK1 to HSK6!! www.hskhacker.com/2018/08/12/free-hsk-practice-tests/ mandarinbean.com/hsk-chinese-test-online/

[@ahmedkarmoum7290]

@@bianca.phdinprogress thats was extremely extremely helpful thank u ❤️❤️

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

you're welcome!!! :)

[@bashireisa3761]

hi Bianca love your vids its sooo helpful sorry for the random question by the way which pc U are using

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

thank you!!! by pc do you mean laptop or my monitor setup?? or what computer I use to edit?

[@bashireisa3761]

@@bianca.phdinprogress the computer u use

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

I use a Mac book!

[@catarinatang980]

How about the workbook and MP3 available? Are they needed if I'm planning to learn on my own?

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

the MP3 is very useful, but you can actually find the audio for that on youtube. I use the workbook but more for extra comprehensible input. for HSK1-3 it's great to test my reading/listening comp, but once you get into HSK4+ they introduce more grammar exercises, which I don't personally use!

[@catarinatang980]

@@bianca.phdinprogress thxs for your reply!

[@dflosounds]

Complete Chinese beginner here. How meticulous should I be about understanding the literal translations of every single character? I really want to use these HSK textbooks because I love having a sense of progression and a structured path for learning. My problem is that I often get really caught up in taking notes and focusing on all the detail, to the point where I practically end up re-writing the textbook itself! For example, things started out fine in HSK 1 with 你好. I'm like, "okay, 你 means 'you', and 好 means 'good', so it's like saying 'you good'". But then I started getting really caught up with, for example, 没关系 for "no problem". I'm like, "okay, 没 is 'nothing', 关 in this context is 'concern', and 系 is...department...or something?" So end up going down some rabbit hole, and next thing I know my notes are way out of the scope of the textbook. Do you have any tips for this? Do you even take notes, or do you literally "just read" (and do the exercises when prompted)? I'm guessing there's a compromise between trying to drill down to the microscopic level, and plowing through without retaining any knowledge? Thanks for the video!

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

there's definitely a balance. I think it's useful to see if you can take apart a word into smaller parts, but oftentimes that's not possible. If you can take apart a word like 你 and 好 then take note of that, because it'll help with other words that include similar words! if it sounds like gibberish when you try to take apart the words, then just memorize the phrase. 没关系 is a great example. you'll see 系 in many different words but the definition for department doesn't mean much in 没关系. so just memorize the phrase and when you find another word with 系，see if you can take it apart or just memorize it as a phrase!

[@dflosounds]

@@bianca.phdinprogress ok cool, I had a feeling that would be the better approach. Thanks for the input!

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

No problem!! I’m actually thinking about making a video based on your question if that’s alright!!

[@dflosounds]

@@bianca.phdinprogress yeah of course! Would love to see it.

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

Thank you!!! Will probs come out in 3 or 4 weeks then! Got a couple planned that I want to release first!

[@carlosIC]

I'll be honest rn I'm more interested in knowing how you have those hand drawn memes and how you have 2 frames of them looping over and over creating that "cute" animation effect

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

I use procreate!! they have an animation assist video, which lets me make my janky pseudo animations using just 2 or 3 frames! Just make a loop of the 2 to 3 frames and you get a nice animation!

[@iasmin-i]

Great video. Thank u 🙂

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

thank you for watching!!

[@sillytangbkk]

What type of font they use in these text book?

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

I’m not sure what the exact font is called, but it resembles written characters (so it won’t look like you write characters on a computer). That way you can more clearly see the composition and components of characters and their accurate spacing when writing! They look really pretty too!

[@thewolf6988]

Hey , btw should i focus on how to write these characters in hsk1?

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

for me, writing characters was very helpful. it slowed me down and forced me to really understand each character. some recommend to learn reading and listening first, and focus on writing later, but for me writing was integral to increasing my reading and listening abilities. try out writing and see if it's helpful for you or not!

[@xlvii6994]

according to the HSK official list do you mean the new list words?

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

so this was from HSK2.0 (when there were only 6 levels). the new HSK with 9 levels haven't released textbooks yet, so I can't comment on them!

[@RVA1821]

Thank you 🙌💗🙋🏻‍♀️

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

You’re welcome!!!

[@FC-kl2pm]

Are there any online free resources for the hsk level 1 test

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

there's tons of free resources, you'll just have to filter out the quality ones. You can also find the PDFs of the textbooks online for free (but you didn't hear that from me ;) hahaha).

[@FC-kl2pm]

@@bianca.phdinprogress what is the website 👀

[@nicoleraheem1195]

I think they are a wonderful foundation for people who are new to the language. especially for those who started learning on a whim without exposure. I don't think one should stop there. .I Think HSK is step one from 0 to doable but I Think afterwards, people should study elementary Chinese using books published by Beijing language and culture university oress or go to their local Chinatown and look at some Chinese learning books. They are more extensive than hsk material. I think HSK focuses on the most commonly used words, and other books like those for bilinguals, and books for the Beijing language and culture covers more vocabulary and subjects. This has worked for me. Also, studying phrases from modern tv shows helps and watching interviews given by Chinese speakers with subtitles helps. Like, with Mandarin corner. They do a great job with this. Like I said, I think one should complete HSK 1-6 AND THEN VENTURE OUT

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

I completely agree!! especially at the higher HSK levels, the amount of vocabulary useful in day to day conversation decreases, so consuming native content becomes more important!

[@TraSea72]

I love your videos! Question: How to find answers for HSK1... How to know if my answers are correct?

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

Thank you!!! There’s a few KZbin channels that show the answers!! Just search hsk1 answers into the search bar!

[@TraSea72]

@@bianca.phdinprogress Thank you Bianca

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

You’re welcome!!

[@lingo-phile]

I’m using integrated Chinese and it works for me because of the recordings and I found a teacher that uses this book. I started with the HSK 1 book and I tossed it in the trash 😅

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

everyone learns differently!! the only thing that matters is if you're progressing and enjoying your learning materials :)

[@kaysalle675]

Does it come with audio 🤔

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

The textbooks? Yep!! They have CDs but I find those really cumbersome. There’s some of people who have posted the audio on KZbin or other websites for free! There’s a QR in the books too for official audio.

[@elk11k]

谢谢

[@kimberlygoodwin8500]

Do you write in your books?

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

I write ALL OVER them! now I use pdfs because its easier to carry 6+ books with me at all times on an ipad hahaa. but I still utilize every free space to write notes!

[@kimberlygoodwin8500]

@@bianca.phdinprogress thanks!

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

No problem!!

[@rlylovelee]

hai

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

heh hai hai :) ur covers are giving me life rn bruh

[@zelissero2877]

What they should do is make test taking factor in the learner’s native language. An English speaker should be required to only learn pinyin and later only reading recognition and if written ability is needed to only require texting ability with a tablet. A Japanese student should be given a pencil and paper and made to handwrite in Hanzi right away, and be required to write proficiently having extensive kanji background and thus capable of learning the simplified or traditional script

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

I definitely think taking the learners native language into account should be incorporated into any program, especially for those that have a very similar or very different language background. However, from my own experience, only learning pinyin and no characters would definitely confuse learners due to the extensive homophones present in Chinese. In the beginning learning characters is hard, but it helps you quickly distinguish which similar sounding words (especially when tone recognition is poor in the beginning) is being referred to!

[@mikassamikassa1951]

How many hsk are there?

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

for the second edition of the Chinese standard course (which is the book series I'm showing in this video), there at 6 textbooks that will get you to around 5 thousand words. They recently revamped it though to include 9 levels, but only levels 1-6 will have textbooks. Those newer textbooks haven't been released though, if my information is correct.

[@dnisbet71]

Whats your own accent? Some kind of american, but sounds mixed.

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

I have a New England accent (if that's even a thing), but Romanian was my first language! learning English when I went to kindergarten!

[@user-yc7rw5wo4h]

Looking for a native English speaker who wants to learn Chinese. We can help each other out. I can teach you Chinese and at the same time I would like to practise my spoken English.❤

[@andrenate3465]

Are you still interested?

[@pansaltman]

My biggest problem with HSK textbooks is that they are, IMO, etremely boring. Exercise books are little better in this respect

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

I totally agree with that! but to counter, most if not all textbooks for beginner/intermediate learners are by nature boring. I also find the HSK textbooks boring but it's a means to an end - the faster i get through these books, the faster I can use content that I really enjoy! it's really challenging to make interesting stories without going overboard on the vocab (mandarin companion does this fairly well but their highest level book that I know of don't pass 500 words). Unfortunately, a part of learning is chugging through the boring stuff that will teach you the fundamentals to get to the stuff you're actually interested in! That, of course, is only if your preference is to learn through slightly more difficult comprehensible input (i +1 only sentences). however, if you're find with predominantly intensive studying (like matt vs japan did with his japanese studies), you can learn from any content you find interesting! it is more challenging though since there's way more unknown words. not impossible, but definitely requires more effort than the slowly increasing difficulty of the comprehensible input approach!!

[@danomolina]

👍👍👍

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

thank you for watching!!

[@danomolina]

@@bianca.phdinprogress always i see your youtube in special for chinese guide

[@anthonyli4629]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO THATS ME

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

Hehehe yes it is!!! thanks for the video idea c:

[@andreare7766]

Now hsk1 is 500 words 😭😭

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

and yet they still don't have textbooks for HSK3.0 riperoniiii

[@grahamblack1961]

HSK books are great if you can already speak and read Chinese. Otherwise they aren't particularly helpful.

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

I don't necessarily agree with that! I used HSK from the beginning and it was good for me. I definitely had to use translators as I got into HSK3, but overall not the worst textbook ever!

[@nicoleraheem1195]

@@bianca.phdinprogress Same.

[@ColinPlayzPianoC418Music]

真的没有用哈哈哈哈。但是呢，我感觉你如果在为了汉语水平考试而在这种状态学中文的话这可能比较有效吧。

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

Aww 谢谢！！I’ll do my best to study hard!!

[@diogenesstudent5585]

The good thing about Chinese is that you know the girl using them isn't doing it for some stupid singing group.

[@zelissero2877]

你有中国人的男朋友嗎？

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

对！我们在大学认识的。

[@bertyaustin]

Ew

[@PrismYuuzuki]

I missed the deadline to take the paper HSK 2 test. I might have to do the computer test in Roppongi or I’ll be waiting until the next Sunday test date in August. 🥲

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

Aww I’m sorry to hear that! Good luck on your next test! 加油！

[@kimo5509]

My problem was when I started 1 and 2 I was put in the comfort zone, of only relying on just pinyin and not focusing on memorizing characters, now I’m stuck in 3 and finding it difficult to advance to next level because of not being able to read 🥲

[@bianca.phdinprogress]

aww im sorry to hear that! but yeah, pinyin is a crutch and you'll need to get off of it eventually. luckily, learning how to read the characters isn't the worst since you have the meaning and the pronunciation down!