CONTINUED. . , Speaking Mandarin can be really tough, because each word can be pronounced in four ways (or 'tones'

, and a beginner will invariably have trouble distinguishing one tone from another. But if over a billion people could do it, so could you.
Try saying hello!
To say 'hello' in Mandarin, say 'Ni hao' (Nee HaOW). ('Hao' is pronounced as one syllable, but the tone requires that you let your voice drop midway, and then raise it again at the end.)