Podcast Episodes
Back to Search
223 - Four key principles to improve your Mandarin listening comprehension
Season 1 Episode 223
Listening is the cornerstone of language learning, yet many students struggle to improve their Mandarin listening comprehension. Fortunately, making …
1 year, 8 months ago
222 - Student Q&A, November 2024: Pros and cons of digital tools for Chinese reading, and the struggle to find comprehensible and interesting texts
Season 1 Episode 222
Is reading digitally in Chinese better than on paper? What are the best digital tools for reading? And what should you do if you can’t find texts tha…
1 year, 9 months ago
221 - How to learn Zhuyin (Bopomofo) in two hours
Season 1 Episode 221
Many people believe that learning a new script is challenging, but mastering systems like Zhuyin (Bopomofo) or Japanese kana is surprisingly easy. Wi…
1 year, 9 months ago
220 - Do you really know how to count in Chinese?
Season 1 Episode 220
Counting is one of the first things we learn in a foreign language, yet mastering it takes time. While basic numbers may seem simple, using them effe…
1 year, 9 months ago
219 - Three things I wish I had known as an advanced student of Chinese: Time machine, part 3
Season 1 Episode 219
Improving your Chinese after you reach an advanced level requires new ways of learning and new sources of motivation. If I could go back in time to g…
1 year, 9 months ago
218 - Don’t learn Mandarin pronunciation by reading, listen and mimic instead
Season 1 Episode 218
Don’t try to learn pronunciation by reading. Instead, the best way to improve is to listen to and mimic native speakers. Focusing too much on how sou…
1 year, 10 months ago
217 - Student Q&A, October 2024: Pronouncing the final -i after sh-, the initial z- and if Pinyin is a good transcription system
Season 1 Episode 217
How is the Pinyin final -i pronounced after sh? How is the initial z- pronounced compared to z in English? And is Pinyin a good transcription system …
1 year, 10 months ago
216 - How to use YouTube and other video platforms to learn Chinese
Season 1 Episode 216
YouTube and similar platforms offer a vast treasure trove of content that can help you learn Chinese, whether you're watching videos in Chinese or ex…
1 year, 10 months ago
215 - Three things I wish I had known as an intermediate student of Chinese: The time machine, part 2
Season 1 Episode 215
Traversing the intermediate Chinese learning plateau requires a shift in focus. Here are three pieces of advice for intermediate learners of Mandarin…
1 year, 10 months ago
214 - YouGlish: A free service to hear and see Chinese words in context
Season 1 Episode 214
How words are pronounced and used depends on context, but traditional learning materials lack the diversity to prepare you for real-world Chinese. Fo…
1 year, 10 months ago