xie xie ni, Benny. I love learning mandarin. Ok i’m still a novice. I’ve been practicing the tones alot. And in some cases when listening i don’t hear the exact pitch as i learned it but the word is still used in the same manner…are the tones really that important? or can they be fudged a little like when your’e angry or very excited? will people still kow what i am saying?