If you’re just trying to learn some survival Chinese or looking to start a lifelong relationship with the language, here’s where to start.

• Focus on pronunciation and basic words/phrases.
• Mostly in English
• Recommended: 50 lessons

When you can get by with some key phrases, but are looking to start having basic conversations in Chinese, elementary lessons will help you make the jump.

• Builds vocabulary base and introduces simple grammar structures.
• Still mostly English with increased Chinese.
• Recommended: 80 lessons

Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment). Can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. Can describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need.

Once you have simple conversations in Chinese, intermediate lessons will help you explore more variety of topics and use richer language.

• More complex grammar structures and topical vocabulary.
• Even mix of English and Chinese.
• Recommended: 120 lessons

Upper-intermediate lessons are for students with conversational fluency but looking to use more sophisticated language and tackle more specialized topics.

• Advanced grammar patterns and specialized vocabulary.
• Primarily in Chinese, with some English.
• Recommended: 160 lessons

Advanced lessons are the black-belt of ChinesePod: you can already speak circles around your friends, but are looking for “complete” fluency Chinese.

• Specialized, nuanced, and formal vocabulary.
• Entirely in Chinese.
• Recommended: 120 lessons

For advanced students, Media lessons present a new challenge: unfiltered Chinese, as it’s used in real contexts, taken from the original sources.

• Discusses news and other real-world articles.
• Entirely in Chinese.
• Recommended: 80 lessons