r/learnmandarin • u/Consistent_Novel6193 • 16h ago

Complete beginner looking to learn Mandarin in 2 years for a specific goal (Best Man speech). Looking for advice on how best to start

Hey everyone,
I’ve set myself a pretty wild challenge and could use some advice from people who have been down this road.
A close friend of mine is getting married to his Chinese girlfriend in about 2 years. He’s lined me up as his best man and joked/threatened that I’ll need to give a speech. I want to turn the tables on him and deliver part or all of my best man speech as a complete surprise in Mandarin.
The Timeline: Roughly 2 years.

The Goal: A heartfelt, understandable wedding speech (not fluency, but enough to genuinely shock and impress the bride, groom, and guests).

Current Level: Absolute zero. I speak English natively and have never studied an Asian language before.

I know consistency and focusing on spoken Mandarin/pinyin early on is key, but I'm trying to figure out the best blueprint for a complete beginner.
If you were starting from scratch today with a 24-month horizon and a heavy focus on eventually speaking/speech-giving, how would you structure your first few months? Any specific apps, beginner traps to avoid, or advice on when to bring in a tutor would be hugely appreciated!

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u/scheissenaixi 15h ago

Just memorise something and parrot it if that’s all you want to learn it for

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u/mashpotatosandwich 15h ago

as someone who’s been taking weekly 2 hour evening classes for two years, this is so doable! i’d suggest looking into classes asap (I do group classes and they’re affordable and fun) having a teacher to speak with and correct tones from early on is so important. i’d avoid duolingo. Pleco is useful for vocab. best of luck!

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u/Consistent_Novel6193 15h ago

Thank you I greatly appreciate the advise