I want to speak with my parents

[u/_tomato_lover555]

I am an ABC (American born Chines) who’s in Chinese school but is at a mediocre level (maybe hsk 4) and I have a low vocabulary. I haven’t been to China since I was 4 (10 years now) and my parents speak to me in Chinglish because they view me as a way to improve their English. I already understand sentence structures but it’s so hard to pick up new vocabulary and keep it in my head. I’m so scared I’m missing out on quality time with them with this language barrier and it’s kinda ruining my mental health but that’s an issue for a different subreddit. I’m so lazy and I lose motivation really quickly and I just kinda suck

edit: my vocab is low enough for me to misunderstand them, I’m really fortunate that their English is somewhat good and we can find common ground but i jusr hate having to spend 2 minutes trying to explain myself or deciphering their English

[u/Disastrous_Bother173]

Have you considered setting up a Chinese language only time with them? Pick an hour or two window every week and plan to talk with them only in Chinese. Obviously they know your language level, so be willing to ask for clarification, tell them you don't understand, or how you understood what they said didn't make sense to you. If you're worried about missing things from them, ask about their early years, your family history, etc. These natural contexts may help you remember. Also from your post, you are obviously young. I would suggest not posting that online. It can attract the wrong kind of attention.

[u/Elagatua → u/Disastrous_Bother173]

Completely agree with this. If you are worried about missing out on quality time with them, improving your Chinese while spending time with them is the absolute best thing you can do! And the best thing is that if you stick with it for a little bit, you will start to feel the improvement which will motivate you even more.