Becky 回答：

Mandarin is very intimidating in the beginning due to the speaking tones, yet surprisingly easy once you get going!

刚开始，因为普通话的声调，你会觉得它很吓人。不过，一旦你开学，你就会觉得它很简单。

Jessica 回答：

Tones are critical to Chinese. If you cannot produce the tones correctly, then for all intents and purposes you cannot speak Chinese. Beyond the simplest phrases, you won't be understood, and even then people often won't know what you're saying.

语音语调对中文来说，很重要。如果你不能发出正确的声调，那么无论出于什么目的和原因，你都不会说中文。除了简单的词组，你（说的中文）都无法被理解，也不会有人知道你在说什么。

Victoria 回答：

One of the biggest problems for someone learning Mandarin as a second language, especially if they're coming from native English, is PRONUNCIATION. There's so much difference already in how vowels and consonants are pronounced, then add tones into the mix and it's just a nightmare.

对于某些把普通话当做第二语言来学的人（特别是母语是英语的人）来说，学普通话最大的困难就是“发音”。元音和辅音的发音有很大差异，更何况是加入混合的音调，这简直是场噩梦！

Kaiser Kuo 回答：

Cut yourself off from other languages. Spend time only with Chinese people who don't speak English. Force yourself off the English intertubes. Don't read anything or watch anything in English or another of your existing languages: Only Chinese radio, Chinese Websites, Chinese television shows, Chinese newspapers and magazines.

切断所有其他语言，只把时间花在不说英语的中国人身上。强迫自己不要受英语的干扰。不要看任何和英语或你自己现有的语言所相关的内容，只听中文广播，看中文网站，看中文电视节目，读中文报纸和杂志。

Laird 回答：

If you are in China,that shouldn't be hard to do. A lot of Chinese people are more than eager to talk to foreigners. If you are not,I would recommend WeChat. It's an app for sending instant messages,voice messages,and video-chat for free. Put in your profile that you are a foreigner wishing to learn and practice Chinese,and use Shake to find people,tons of Chinese will want to help you.

如果你在中国，那和中国人交流不是难事。很多中国人更愿意和老外交流。如果你不在中国，我建议你可以使用微信，一个发送即时信息、语音消息和视频聊天的免费APP。在你的微信个人简介中，写明你是一个想要学习中文的外国人，然后使用“摇一摇”功能去找人，相信很多中国人都会想来帮你。

Ether 回答：

金（gold） 木（wood） 水（water） 火（fire） 土 （earth）are very important to learn other characters，beacuse a lot of characters are created by them.

金木水火土，对于学习其他中文字符很重要。因为很多字符都是从它们演变过来的。

Boyd R. Jones 回答：

Mandarin Chinese is an extremely easy language to learn.  Grammar is very straightforward and clear.  No conjugations.  No plurals (no adding "s" to words).  No declensions.  No tenses.  

普通话真是很简单。语法直截了当，很清晰。没有动词的词形变化，没有复数形式 （不用添加"s"字），没有词尾，也没有时态。

The only tough part can be the tones.  But Mandarin only has four tones (whereas other Chinese dialects can have many more).  Practice can allow one to overcome the tones issue -- all or in part.

唯一的难点就是它的声调。但普通话也只有4种声调，虽然中国方言有更多的声调。勤练习可以克服声调问题。

Kelvin Hsu 回答：

Certainly Chinese is difficult than English, much more difficult than English.

中文当然比英语难学，而且难多了！

Firstly, Chinese characters look like a picture, remember a picture in mind is difficult.

首先，中文字形看起来就像一个图案，把图案记住真的很难。

Secondly, Chinese has four tones of phonetics, it's the most difficult part for foreign people when they learn Chinese, and this is why native Chinese speaker feels ridiculous when they hearing foreign people speak Chinese.

其次，中文有4个声调，这对学中文的老外来说是最难的一部分。这也是中国人听老外讲中文，觉得很滑稽的原因。

And thirdly, if you can learn Chinese well, you may find Chinese will have more ways of expressions when comparing with English. For example, English will say "wife", but in Chinese, we have at least 4 kinds of words which can express the meaning of "wife". 

第三，如果你能学好中文，你可能会发现，和英语相比，（同个意思）中文有更多的表达方式。例如，英语用“wife”一个词来表达"妻子"的意思，但中文至少 有4 种词能表达的"妻子"的意思。