In this Newbie lesson, Joe and Joy will show us a catchy slogan which would come in handy when you’re crossing the streets, and we’re also going to learn some vocabulary about traffic lights and transportation! Fasten your seat belt and check out this video! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/4277
A few subway tips you might not be aware of: 1. The process of letting those on the subway off before boarding has not yet caught on; 2. Mobile ring tones are downloaded so owner and train neighbors can hear – meaning you’ll be treated to 90 seconds of a Backstreet Boy weeping; and 3. The process of letting those on the subway off before boarding has (still) not yet caught on. Now – we know you’re patient, but for that friend of yours, here’s a “strong” way of telling someone to immediately refr...
In this lesson, Joe and Lyn will show you a useful sentence to politely turn down someone’s invitation to a meal, and you'll also learn how to express feeling hungry or thirsty in Chinese! Let's check it out! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/4273
"LaoWise” is a ChinesePod series aimed at aiding expats in China. She might be all of 5’2” and 50 – but those knuckles dig deep into the arch of your foot and you can either put on a brave face or tell her it feels like tiny hammers… In this podcast, we’ll teach you how to say “a little harder”, or the more likely to be used “a little lighter” in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0241
You might look the part, you might sound the part, but you’re not actually Chinese. So how would you go about telling someone that although you might sound like a native speaker (hopefully!), you’re not from China? Ken knows – he gets it all the time. Listen to this podcast to learn how to clarify where you are from, using Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0343
In our previous newbie tone change series, we have introduced the tone change rules for 不, 一, two third tones, and three third tones. Just like many other aspects in the Chinese language, tone changes are more nuanced than the rules you see in textbooks. That's why for the elementary tone change series, we decided that we would reinforce the rules with the help of dialogues that you hear in everyday conversations. Practice and familiarize yourselves with the sounds, and you'll be a tone master i...
As mentioned previously, uttering “xiexie” and “nihao” seem to automatically put you in the bracket of “fluent”, meaning they’re going to speak to you in a normal (read: fast) speed. So learning how to tell someone in Mandarin Chinese to “slow it down a bit” in this podcast just might save you from having to admit that you’re actually not quite that fluent yet. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0338
With the, ahem, “affordability” of DVD’s here, you might find yourself three seasons into a show you’ve never even heard of (see: “The Pretender”) and not wanting to go all the way downstairs and 50 feet to the right. So, you either snack on those cold chicken feet your neighbor gave you, or you order in. In this podcast, learn how to order take-out in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0236
I know what you're thinking, "Is this a lesson about Chinese Kung Fu?" Well, not really, sorry for the misleading thumbnail. Instead in this lesson, we're going to show you how to rush your driver in a taxi, and a very common word for expressing "Oh I'm finished!" in Chinese. "But...What about the master?" That's another mystery we're going to solve. Check out the video and find out yourself! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/4234
Oh, it will happen – right after the cab driver who you just told “I don’t speak Chinese” starts drawing Chinese characters on the window with his hand. It’s the “tone correction” sit-down. Get used to it now, with this podcast giving you a Mandarin Chinese lesson in a tone correction. Forget those “ma/ma/ma/ma” classes. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0232
Quick – name things that you love! 1. ChinesePod 2. Cake That’s right! So what’s the only thing we could include to make this a very special day? How about taking advantage of the coincidence of one of your hosts being born on this day? In this podcast, learn how to wish someone a Happy Birthday! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0333
Chengyu are Chinese idioms that consist of four characters. Although they originate from classical Chinese, Chengyu remain as an important aspect in both spoken and written language. They may seem erratic and confusing to you at first since they don’t follow the usual sentence order and their meanings depend heavily on context. But don’t worry, in this Chengyu series, we will introduce simple Chengyu made up with all the characters that you already knew, and you can infer the actual meaning by l...
If you were that kid in school who hated sharing, then we strongly suggest hypnotherapy before attending a meal here. Food, laughs and sometimes even a bottle of the ole’ baijiu are passed out among the present…which is fine, until Mr. Food-in-his-teeth mistakes your glass for his. Perhaps this podcast with a Mandarin Chinese lesson on getting straight whose glass is whose would be appreciated. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0329
Oh sure – you come over with a good 6 inches on the average Chinese person, thinking that half-a-foot will make you the leader in FAT (Food Acquisition Tolerance), but that egg you’re eyeing is about to be on your face. They can put it away; you can’t. So either concede culinary conquest, or hide behind that doggy bag. You don’t know how to ask for one in Mandarin? We do. Listen to this podcast to learn how. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0217
In today's lesson, we're going to show you how to ask others about their ability, and how to express (or show off) that you're really good at something, let's check out the lesson! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/4227
Yes – we’ve prepared you for the language side of things, but there are some situations that just can’t be prepared for (see: using an “Eastern toilet” in a cocktail dress). So perhaps being able to react appropriately would at least slow down that rush of red to your cheeks? In this podcast, we’ll aid you in admitting embarrassment in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0214
Even if you’re going to get by for the first while learning a new language using the universal language, charades, you’ll love to learn these initial basic actions in Mandarin Chinese, just in case they can’t guess. In this podcast, follow along with some basic action words in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0323
With your “I Climbered The Grate Well” t-shirt and dual-fisted approach to chopsticks, it should come as no shock that you’re not blending in as much as you’d like…so perhaps you could tell them which faraway land you come from that uses forks. In this podcast, learn how to tell someone in Mandarin Chinese which country you come from. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0223
So, you’re thirsty… for water. Now, believe it or not, some shopkeepers will give you tea when you ask for water. In fact, others will even offer up OJ! But you need some H20 and you need it now! Parch no more – it’s a ChinesePod podcast to quench that burning throat…and desire to…(ahem)…learn Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0316
Fact: Should you ever get away to the gorgeous town of Qingdao, you might be amazed at how many people aren’t on the beach during the day. Tan is most certainly *not* the new black here (read: umbrellas held while cycling). So, in this podcast, learn how to ask for sunscreen, using Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0203
It’s hard to keep that poker face when you face your Mandarin speaking opponents, tongue-tied. So, before you sit down to a card game, listen to this podcast on playing cards. Learn to invite some pals to put their money where their mouths are…in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0304
We don’t allow ugly (on the inside) people to listen (work here, yes, but not listen), so of course, when you come here to visit us, you will end up being asked out (not the other way around, of course). So, despite us never having done this on the first date before, in this podcast we’ll forgo all usual standards and give you a Mandarin Chinese lesson on the romantic meet-up. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0197
If it’s not obvious already -- we’re nerds. Nerdy enough to spend far too much money on a sound effects CD. So simply bear with us in this podcast as we listen to a door and teach you the exciting actions relating to the comings and goings through a door, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0301
In a land of Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Islam – and now Christianity – a quick sermon on how to identify your own religion might help. In this podcast you will learn how to ask about someone’s religion, and also to talk about going to church, using Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0192
You might find yourself chuckling so loud at the “No Drunkards or Psychos” rule in the back of Shanghai taxis that you forget to tell the driver where to stop. So how can you? It has something do with listening to (another) brilliant lesson by ChinesePod. That’s us. In this podcast take your taxi driver Mandarin Chinese banter to the next level. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0290
A few things you can’t live without upon arriving: 1. Toilet paper (oh – you laugh now, but trust us) 2. ChinesePod 3. A mobile phone …now, we hope the first two are self-explanatory, and about the 3rd – it’s all pay-as-you-go, so in this podcast we tender a lesson in Mandarin Chinese on “topping up” that phone. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0189
When it’s snowing out and finally realize that the reason there is no thermostat in your apartment is because there is actually no central heating, you’re gonna want to be able to find the words to whine about it. In this podcast, learn how to talk about being cold, in Mandarin Chinese—a subject that will come up often (that is when you’re not whining about being too hot). Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0286
Granted, even we can’t say “pipa” without giggling, and still feel the need to grab the “erhu” and do a scissor kick, but it won’t stop us from sitting Jenny down in this podcast and finding out why she doesn’t play the “gangqin”…all in the name of a Mandarin Chinese lesson on instruments. ChinesePod: the CBGB of podcasts. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0183
A man writes these intros. He doesn’t have a “special time” each month. He also realizes that being funny about needing feminine products isn’t funny. So he’ll simply say, “Here’s a Mandarin Chinese lesson on buying tampons.” He now feels uncomfortable. But hopes you find this podcast useful. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0281
Yes, using ChinesePod makes learning Mandarin a walk in the park – thank you. But this lesson is actually about walking in the park--not the in the metaphorical sense… ugh. Let’s make this easy for both of us: Here is a lesson on “Walking in the Park.” In this podcast you’ll learn to talk in Mandarin Chinese about things that people like you like to do in parks. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0178
