Languages question

[lun_tau]

hi,

i'm going to be in HK for the next 2 months and i want to know if there are any good chinese classes i can attend as my chinese reading and writing skills are pretty poor. I understand cantonese and i am able to conduct a conversation at basic levels... and yes im chinese !! haha.

thanks in advance

[cosmokat]

Angiebaby, you mentioned the YMCA for chinese lessons at a good price. Which Y were you referring to? Do you know what the cost is? Does the program teach both speaking and reading/writing? (Didn't know if some are purely conversational...)

Thanks!!

[petrm]

Do not stop learning Mandarin. Most non-ignorant Cantonese speakers in HK know that Mandarin is the only Chinese language that has a future.

I understand your desire to master Cantonese too. However, Cantonese is quite more difficult and may confuse you ........

Giving up Mandarin would be a grave mistake.

[discobay]

You may find it more difficult to pick up girls using just putonghua. You will certainly have difficulty ordering food using it. You may be OK when you go shopping in Landmark or Pacific Place.
Stick with Cantonese, things here won't change that quickly.

[Jessica Adams]

As a local, I would suggest that you stick to your Mandarin and do not be bothered with Cantonese (unless you would like to chat up with local girls...or you would like to understand the gossips among your colleagues). If you can speak English plus Mandarin, you can go anywhere in HongKong without troubles. All service industries speak the language. It is a fact that you may encounter some people on the street who cannot speak Mandarin, but you can always ask the next one. In particular, if you are a westerner speaking Mandarin, local people would be more interested. You can try it yourself and you will be amused!

Anyway, once you move in town, you will soon learn some Cantonese from TV/your colleague on day to day basis easily because you have Mandarin background. Cantonese is "funny" but extremely difficult to learn!