Reddit reviews Can I Dance with You? (Chinese Breeze Graded Reader Series, Level 1: 300-word level) (Mandarin Chinese Edition)

Get yourself a textbook that real language programs use (New Practical Chinese Reader or Integrated Chinese). Download an SRS app like anki (It's free on PC and Android but I think costs something on iOS) for your vocabulary.


Get to work on the textbook, adding your vocab to anki as you go. Test with anki daily so it can keep track of what to show you. If you haven't looked up what SRS is and why you should use it read here, it's a game-changer. As you test with anki each day, write out the characters on some scrap paper.


Once you know about 150 characters find a language partner (this site has been great for me) and talk to as many people as you can, be sure they aren't taking advantage of you by spending all the time in English. Best to get someone who is interested in English and NOT studying for the TOEFL exam or whatever.


Pick up some cheap graded readers like Chinese Breeze and get the physical copy, it has an audio CD in two speeds. Read the book, listen to the audio while driving or whatever.


Then just keep working on your textbook, talk to language partners, read the books, do anki daily. You'll figure it out from there, but that's just about the best start I can think of if you seriously want to learn. There's a lot of apps and services, almost a new one each week it seems, but all of them are basically the same and are of little value outside just casually learning.


Most importantly, set moderate, realistic goals so that you can stick with it. It's all about the long-game, don't expect any quick reward with Mandarin, it takes many times longer than other languages (Spanish, French, etc) to learn.