Podcast Episodes

196 - Student Q&A, May 2024: Understanding strangers, listening with transcripts, and which podcasts to avoid

Season 1 Episode 196

Why is your teacher is so much easier to understand than anybody else? Should you read transcripts or subtitles before, during or after listening? And why do I refuse to recommend certain podcasts?

#…

Published on 1 year, 1 month ago

195 - Why is listening in Chinese so hard? Beyond tīng bu dǒng, part 6

Season 1 Episode 195

Many people assume that the hardest part of learning Chinese must be the characters or the tones, but it turns out that most learners struggle more with listening comprehension. Why is that, and what…

Published on 1 year, 2 months ago

194 - Chengyu, a magic key to Chinese language and culture, or a waste of time?

Season 1 Episode 194

Chengyu are idioms linked to ancient literature. Are they the key to Chinese language and culture or a waste of time?

#learnchinese #chengyu #idiom #vocabulary

Link to article:⁠⁠⁠ Chengyu, a magic ke…

Published on 1 year, 2 months ago

193 - Interview: Insights from Skritter’s Complete Guide to Learning Chinese

Season 1 Episode 193

If I wrote a comprehensive guide to learning Chinese with a special focus on vocabulary, what would it look like? Now you can find out - for free!

#learnchinese #studyguide #skritter #vocabulary

Link…

Published on 1 year, 2 months ago

192 - Student Q&A, April 2024: Learning chengyu, listening to yourself and using role-playing games to learn Chinese

Season 1 Episode 192

Is recording and listening to your own Chinese useful for improving your speaking ability? How can you use chengyu to expand your repertoire? And how can role-playing games be utilised to improve you…

Published on 1 year, 2 months ago

191 - Is speaking more important than listening when learning Chinese?

Season 1 Episode 191

What languages do you speak? Do you speak Chinese? We often use speaking to represent language ability in general, but does that mean that speaking is more important than listening?

#learnchinese #sp…

Published on 1 year, 3 months ago

190 - The best podcasts for learning Chinese in 2024

Season 1 Episode 190

Podcasts let you create your own Chinese immersion experience, with level-appropriate stories and authentic conversations. Learn flexibly on the go with the best podcasts for beginners, intermediate …

Published on 1 year, 3 months ago

189 - Real communication: What it is, why you want it and how to get it

Season 1 Episode 187

A language is a structured system used for communication, so the idea to focus on communication when learning Chinese sounds obvious, but it’s surprisingly new and rarer than you think!

#learnchinese…

Published on 1 year, 3 months ago

188 - How to learn Chinese in the long term with intrinsic motivation

Season 1 Episode 188

While strong motivation doesn't necessarily accelerate your learning or improve your memory, without it you won't spend enough time learning Chinese. So how can you stay motivated for months, years a…

Published on 1 year, 3 months ago

187 - Student Q&A, March 2024: Reading aloud, finding word boundaries, and working actively with reading materials

Season 1 Episode 187

How can you improve your ability to read aloud in Chinese? How can you learn to see where a word starts and ends in a text? And how can you make sure you get the most out of your reading practice?

#l…

Published on 1 year, 3 months ago