Many people who try their hard at Mandarin complain that it’s too hard. As such, it’s become part of popular culture to declare the language as just being plain too complex to learn. Is it such a valid concern, though?
True, written Mandarin is probably one of the hardest languages to get a grip on. I have Chinese friends who went to Chinese schools for elementary and high school (but live in Western countries) who remain barely proficient in the written form of the language. Imagine how that will go for someone exposed to the language and those thousands of characters in its alphabet for the very first time.
Spoken Mandarin, though, is another story. According to many language experts, spoken Mandarin can prove easier than to learn than most European languages. While that may be simplifying it, Mandarin does have an uncomplicated grammar structure. Plus, the basic word order in Mandarin is the same as in English: subject-verb-object. Among the many qualities that make it less complex for second language learners include:
- The lack of a necessary subject-verb agreement.
- The absence of plural form for verbs.
- The absence of conjugations.
- The absence of verb tenses.
- The simple numbering system.
- The simple conditional sentences.
- The simple prepositions.
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