How To Learn Chinese – Where to start

Want to speak Chinese without getting lost in translation – both literally and figuratively? After a quick Google search of ‘Learn Chinese’, you find there’s simply so much information to cipher through.  Whether it’s Google Ads or cleaver YouTube titles, you’ll find yourself not knowing who to trust for the best curated, cognitive and well-crafted lessons.  Let’s do a comparison between Good, Cheap and Fast content.

See, in our world, you cannot have your cake and eat it too….

You MUST choose 2 of 3 options: Good, Fast or Cheap – as described by Jennifer Kes Remington’s Blog: Good, Fast, Cheap: You Can Only Pick Two!

Image Source: Venn Diagram showing the correlation of Good, Fast, and Cheap

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In her blog she explains 3 different but similar concepts:

 

  1. Cheap+Fast=NOT Good
  2. Good+Cheap=NOT Fast
  3. Good+Fast=NOT Cheap

As most would agree, these 3 concepts are an unsaid law which plays a major role in our day-to-day lives.

You’ve probably already searched the term “Learn Chinese” and you’ve probably seen the ads which implicitly state ‘Learn Chinese Fast.”  Maybe you saw something like this:

“Learn Chinese in 30 Days – Scientifically Proven Method” – $8.25/month

“Learn Chinese in 2 Days – Chinese Flashcards” –$9.00/month

Both are relatively cheap. If you are in need to Learn Chinese quickly, great! These are exactly what you need. On the other hand, for those who are searching for quality, in-depth online courses, you’d need to dive a tad-bit deeper.

Here at ChinesePod.com, we do not pride ourselves on being in the FAST lane. We pride ourselves on QUALITY content shown by over 4,000 online lessons, with a good PRICE tag. Here Furio Fu, the author of saporedicina.com, writes:

Source: https://www.saporedicina.com/english/chinese-courses/

One way to measure QUALITY is online reviews from both websites and students. With over 13 years of content, we are flooded with positive reviews on our very popular YouTube Channel and several 3rd party websites as shown below.

Youtube video: Describing Personalities in Mandarin Chinese: Part One (Intermediate Level)

 

Source: https://www.alllanguageresources.com/chinesepod-review/

Further, to insure you will not jump into the deep end, we’ve placed several safeguards. Here you will find our structured lessons and levels:

  • Newbie – The newbie lessons focus on pronunciation and basic words/phrases which are mostly in English. Perfect for the beginner
  • Elementary – The elementary lessons focus on building a vocabulary base and introduces simple grammar structures
  • Pre-Intermediate – Weighted portion in English, focus on simple exchange of information regarding routine matters
  • Intermediate – A mix between Chinese and English, this level focuses on complex grammar structures
  • Upper-Intermediate – Primarily Chinese with some English, this level focuses on advanced grammar patterns
  • Advance – Entirely Chinese, with a focus on formal vocabulary

This is a great time to see what level you are with the $.99 one month Premium Subscription! 

Of course, the hands down best, aka GOOD,  way to learn Chinese is to live abroad in China. Surely you can expect the associated expenses such as Cost of Living, but considering just the cost of learning the language – you learn pretty much free of charge. And what’s better than a 6-12 month long hands on experience?

ChinesePod is filled with TONS of well-crafted lessons and curated material from Newbie to Advanced. So, don’t worry about not fitting in. Let ChinesePod be your gateway to learn Mandarin. Start with Pinyin Here!