Disclaimer: this post is mostly an AI-generated summary of my previous journal entries. I prefer to spend my limited time/energy on new posts, but I might give this a more thorough edit in the future.
I had been learning Chinese for a few years with Duolingo and a lot of questions for my partner. It gave me a little vocabulary and a feel for some grammar, mostly when reading pinyin or listening to a familiar phrase. Speaking was much harder, and writing was barely part of the picture. I started taking notes after lessons to see what I was actually learning.
What the app helped me notice
The notes were full of small, recurring problems: where to put 的, how to make sense of 了 and 过, and how to connect simple thoughts into a longer sentence. I could often understand a whole phrase while still missing the individual characters. Pinyin was doing more work for me than I wanted to admit. Tones were similar: replaying a recording until I got an answer right did not mean I could pick the tone out in an ordinary conversation.
I kept collecting phrases that might be useful on a trip: asking when the bus leaves, finding a nearby shop, or offering to wash the dishes. One I actually used was 听不懂 — “I don't understand” — to ask my partner to repeat herself. Those little moments made the language feel less like an exercise and more like something I wanted to use.
A trip was a better test
In China I understood more than on my previous visit. I could catch pieces of a conversation and sometimes use the context to fill in the rest. But when it was my turn to speak, I could manage only basic wants or refusals. My shyness did not help. I also learned to say 普通话 (Mandarin) when talking about the language I could or could not speak, rather than assuming 汉语 was the right word in every context.
Where I left it
Back home, busy months turned the note taking into an occasional intention. I kept using Duolingo and listened in on things my partner watched, but I did not make the leap to a course. Her own intensive language course also needed time and support from me. By the end of the series, I had stopped pretending that the notes were adding anything meaningful to my learning.
I still want to learn. For now, a little contact with the language is better than none. When I have room to give it focused time, lessons or a more immersive stretch feel like the next honest step. Until then, this is where the story stands.
Looking back
It's not much, but I am happy to report that I am still faithfully doing my Duolingo lessons every day. This summer we took another trip to China, and I was able to say a little more. For very basic things I could ask hotel or restaurant staff without a translator. But once it got more complicated I had to bring out my phone or rely on my partner. Luckily the people I met were very patient and helpful.