The Latest Mandarin Chinese Language Lessons
Excellent Materials for You to Learn Chinese Mandarin Language
Latest Lessons
Various Speech Acts and 向 (xiang) Qing Wen
Prepositions are a source of endless questions when learning any new language, and Chinese is no exception. Since we've already covered basic speech-related verbs, this lesson introduces some intermediate-level speech acts along with their associated preposition pals. Hopefully you can handle 跟 (gēn), but now get ready for 向 (xiàng)!
speech
Renting an Apartment through an Agent 3 Intermediate
Sometimes you find an apartment you think you can be happy with, but it all comes down to the dealings with the landlord. What is the landlord's attitude like? Willing to replace things? Willing to make other changes? In this lesson, there's just a bit of friction. Learn the Chinese to deal with this apartment hunting situation in this lesson.
apartment, renting, furniture, cleaning
Your First Mooncake Pre Intermediate
It's called a mooncake, and it's about the size and shape of a hockey puck. If you're in China during the autumn, you just may have the opportunity to partake in this quintessentially Chinese ritual. Learn not only the key vocabulary, but also some of the cultural features as well, such as what makes Taiwan's Mid-Autumn Moon Festival special.
mooncake, festivals, culture, moon, food
Giving Instructions to the Ayi Intermediate
The middle-class Chinese custom of having an "ayi" (housekeeper) is one that most foreigners can get on board with right away. With the domestic assistance, however, can come language difficulties. In this lesson, learn some of the most importance Mandarin words relating to cleaning the home.
housework, cleaning, furniture, electrical appliance
Working in the Countryside Upper Intermediate
Do you know all the work that goes into maintaining a rice paddy? And can you talk about it in Mandarin Chinese? In this lesson, a visitor to the countryside learns about both the hard labor and the simple pleasures to be found outside of China's urban areas.
countryside, farmer, rice, harvest, field
Ways of Using ChinesePod How to Use ChinesePod
In this, our final show in the How to Use ChinesePod series, Jenny and John discuss an important topic that often comes up with new users. You've learned about the kinds of content we offer, you've learned about personalizing the learning experience, now find out just how many ways there are to integrate your studies with ChinesePod into your life!
studying, ChinesePod, iPhone, computers
There Is No Try Qing Wen
Have you ever noticed that it's really hard to translate the word "try" into Chinese? There seem to be lots of different ways to say it, and picking the right one for the right occasion is more than a little tricky. In this lesson, Connie, Lili, and John look at the various cases and explain what's going on.
try, food, clothes, verb
It's Not the Heat, It's the Humidity Intermediate
In the eternal "north vs. south" debate, one of the key issues is always climate. The north gets colder, it's true, but at least the air is dry. Meanwhile, down south everyone suffers through damp cold and sticky, drippy summers. This lesson will equip you with all the Chinese vocabulary to discuss these most pressing of climate issues.
weather, south, north, dry, humid
Set the Alarm Clock Elementary
You've got big plans for the morning, so don't forget to set your alarm clock. But do you know how to say this in Chinese, and to ask your travel buddy if he has performed this very necessary ritual? Learn the essential alarm clock Chinese in this lesson.
time, sleep, leaving, alarm clock
How do you fix a boring Chinese course? Upper Intermediate
Foreigners everywhere are working hard at learning Chinese. Unfortunately, many of those sincere students find themselves learning from boring, poorly designed material. In this lesson we take a look at this issue from the angle of the school and the teachers, who are asking each other: what can we do to make these Chinese classes more interesting?
education, studying, students, language, materials, levels, teaching
Getting a Tattoo Intermediate
Tattoos are commonplace among young women of many western countries, but what about in China? You might be surprised how many tattoos you'll see on girls in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai. In this lesson, we'll hear two Chinese girls discuss whether or not to ink their bodies.
tattoo, fear, pain
Personalizing ChinesePod How to Use ChinesePod
ChinesePod provides a plethora of great options for personalizing your Chinese learning, but some of those options might not be immediately apparent to new users. In this podcast, Jenny and John talk about some of the more useful features for customizing your Chinese learning experience on ChinesePod.
ChinesePod
Speaking with 跟 (gen) and 对 (dui) Qing Wen
In English we have multiple words for talking, like "talk" and "speak," and then various prepositions that can collocate with them, such as "with," "to," etc. Chinese has the same situation going on. Unfortunately, when you start talking prepositions, logic goes out the window. In this lesson, however, we help you to get a better sense for how prepositions combine with speech-related verbs in Mandarin Chinese.
talking, chat, speaking
An Email Introduction Elementary
It's fairly common in China for the newcomer in the office to send out a friendly introductory email to new co-workers. In this lesson we'll be taking a look at that simple email, and all its essential Chinese words and phrases.
email, introductions, work, greetings, office, jobs
Getting the Correct Change Intermediate
In China there's a whole special language reserved for counting out change (and no, Shanghai poddies, we're not talking about Shanghainese!). This is the language where the Chinese word for "to search for" suddenly becomes "to give back money." Learn all the essential Mandarin in this lesson to make sure you get the right change back.
money, numbers
Transportation Card Elementary
If you're planning to spend much time in a big city like Shanghai or Beijing, you're going to want to use the subway or bus system. A commuter pass, or "transportation card," as we say in Chinese, can save you a lot of time and hassle scrambling for change. This lesson will prepare you to buy the card and put money on it. Soon you'll be commuting as effortlessly as a local.
transportation, money, numbers, show
Shopping for a Rice Cooker Upper Intermediate
If rice is the staple of the Chinese diet, then the electric rice cooker is the staple of the Chinese kitchen. In this lesson, learn about the range of options available to the rice cooker shopper, and which features are most important to the discriminating Chinese consumer.
cooking, rice, internet, technology, culture, function, design