Learning is alifelong process. While many of us couldn’t wait for the day wegraduated from high school or college, we soon learned that was justthe beginning. There are always new skills to master, whether it’simproving your golf or tennis game or learning how to scrapbook.

Books can only getyou so far. The static photos and long lists of instructions can getpretty laborious after a while. For most, it’s far better tohave instruction from a real person who can give you feedback andhelp you improve your skills.

This is particularlytrue when you’re trying to learn a foreign language. It’svery important to get the pronunciations correct and put the wordstogether in the proper order. It can be the difference betweencommunicating very clearly and being completely misunderstood.

When learning tospeak Chinese, this is particularly true. Pronunciation is key toclarity, as is sentence structure and grammar. Learning to speakChinese from a book or even a CD or DVD course is difficult for moststudents.

The best option isthe classic teacher/student relationship where you can receiveinstant feedback, ask questions, work on your skills in a real time,live setting and move at a pace that is comfortable for you.

For some, classroominstruction is a good way to learn to speak Chinese. There, you canlearn in a group setting, which is best if you are comfortableworking on your skills in front of others. Since Chinese is spoken byone-fifth of the world’s population, classes are available atmost community colleges or through private institutions. Othercourses are taught by learning centers or community groups.

These classes,however, aren’t for everyone. If you get tripped up on aparticular skill, you may just have to move on with the rest of theclass. Learning to speak Chinese in a classroom means that you haveto keep pace with others in the class. Also, if you’re a bitshy, it can be very stressful working on your pronunciations orsentences in front of a room full of strangers.

For those who wantto move at their own pace, 1-on-1 learning is a far better option forlearning to speak Chinese. Here, you learn from an instructor andyou’re the only student in class. As a result, you can work atyour own pace, get immediate feedback and learn from someone who hasalready mastered how to speak Chinese perfectly.

When looking forindividual instruction, be sure to work with a teaching center thatoffers native Chinese speakers. Learning to speak Chinese is notdifficult, but it is a language where pronunciation is important, anda native speaker can help you learn to speak Chinese fluently andproperly.

One of the bestplaces to learn to speak Chinese is online. For example, MandoMandarin (http://www.mandomandarin.com)offers 1-on-1 instruction featuring native Chinese speakers. You moveat your own pace, receiving feedback as you go. The best part is youcan learn in the comfort of your own home whenever you have freetime. There’s no need to travel somewhere to attend class andif you don’t feel like a lesson that day, you don’t missa thing.