I've learnt Singaporean-flavoured mandarin formally for 4 years. It's been years since then. I am able to read and write chinese, even a bit of cantonese. But when I'm watching any Chinese media like reels or modern-period TV drama, I don't "understand" what is said audibly. I can read the Chinese subs and then understand what is said. Without chinese subs to guide me, I hear gibberish. This is regardless of local (sg), mainland standard, mainland with erhua, or taiwanese mandarin. (It also means that the thickest accent suddenly become understandable while reading subs) --- This is the opposite of my mouther tongue, tamil - which I struggle to speak but can understand both local (sg) and south Indian standard tamil. (I struggle with dialects but I can still understand and deduce the meaning of new words from context). --- I tried searching on reddit and online but it's always "I can't speak but can understand" like my tamil but I knew that's just practice (and **a lot** of humiliation for not being able to speak properly, gosh I hate tamil speakers) - I used to not be able to speak a lick of tamil before I decided to withstand the humiliation and expose myself to more tamil media and even study tamil from a linguistic pov. My main issue is with my Chinese. I **can speak but can't understand what's being spoken**. I think here's a good example: > when I was in China a few years back, I remember trying to buy postcards with my malay friend who spoke no Chinese. I managed to hold a conversation of sorts, and they perfectly understood what I asked and said. I wasn't sure what they said but I when I repeated what I thought they say, they nodded, so I was having this "listen-repeat-acknoledge" thing going. > But when they told the price (eg sanshiyi kuai), I stood there frozen. I didn't understand the numbers. My friend however, knew a bit of yi er san si, and he managed to retain what was said, count up with his fingers, and then tell me, "it's 31 bucks". He tries to say 31 in chinese but he doesn't speak mandarin, and the counter ppl stare at him and point to the umbrella for sale (I think they thought he said yusan). I repeat back "sanshiyi kuai dui bu dui?" and they reply "ah dui" So this was an interesting because all the while I understood nothing being spoken, but only the things they pointed out and hand signed and guestered. So basically their actions was my "chinese subs" and then I had to quickly work backwards to decode what they said. It isn't their accent either since my friend who only have heard sg chinese speak numbers, was able to deduce what they said. --- Anyone else have this issue? I always get away with mandarin conversations by just saying what I want, then acknowledge when they point to the correct one, and then just nodding when they try to small talk. I've even joked with my friends that I'd prolly be nodding happily even if they were confessing a murder they did because I couldn't understand. I also don't know if my speech is OK but from what I understand and from feedback from colleagues and friends, I am understood perfectly well (and sometimes speak better than some of my banana friends). But absolutely 听不懂 - I hear what's said but don't understand what's being said. --- Last addendum - happens to me with malay too. Malay I am less confident but able to speak what I need to speak but I can't understand sometimes - and I usually chalk it up to the environment being too loud. But my mom, who speaks horrible pasar melayu (creole market malay) can somehow "catch the gist" of what's said correctly - sometimes I am skeptical but what she hears and understands is almost always correct and it surprises me. Her "quantity" of malay is low but her "quality" is great.