Podcast Episodes

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 sounds are written down can actually make it harder t…

Published on 9 months, 1 week 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 for learning pronunciation?

#learnchinese #pronunc…

Published on 9 months, 2 weeks 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 exploring content about language and culture. But ho…

Published on 9 months, 3 weeks 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.

#learnchinese #intermediate #timemachine #learni…

Published on 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. Fortunately, YouGlish is a great tool for studying l…

Published on 10 months, 1 week ago

213 - Student Q&A, September 2024: Slowly spoken Chinese, passing listening exams and understanding numbers

Season 1 Episode 213

Should you slow down the Mandarin you listen to? How can you prepare for difficult listening exams? And how can you understand Chinese numbers in context?

#learnchinese #rateofspeech #slowaudio #exam…

Published on 10 months, 2 weeks ago

212 - Getting the most from Hacking Chinese in024: Back-to-school course discounts

Season 1 Episode 212

There are over 500 articles and more than 1 million words on Hacking Chinese. How are you supposed to absorb all that information and inspiration as a student? Let’s discuss how to get the most out o…

Published on 10 months, 3 weeks ago

211 - Three things I wish I had known as a beginner student of Chinese: The time machine, part 1

Season 1 Episode 211

I started learning Chinese more than 15 years ago. Here are three things I wish I had known back then, as a beginner!

#learnchinese #beginner #timemachine #learningstrategies

Link to article: Three t…

Published on 10 months, 4 weeks ago

210 - The 10 best free Chinese listening resources for beginner, intermediate and advanced learners

Season 1 Episode 210

Listening is the most important skill of all, because it accelerates all other learning and is crucial for social integration. What are the best free Chinese listening resources out there for beginne…

Published on 11 months ago

209 - Student Q&A, August 2024: Avoiding mental translation, untranslatable words and why practising translation is good

Season 1 Episode 204

How can you stop translating in your head? What are some Chinese words that can’t be translated? And why is translation a worthwhile learning activity?

#learnchinese #translation #mentaltranslation

P…

Published on 11 months, 1 week ago