You Can Learn Chinese

Learn HOW to learn Chinese with hosts Jared Turner and John Pasden. You will learn tips, strategies, and insights so you can supercharge your language learning. You will also be inspired by guest interviews with people from all over the world who have learned Chinese.

Both Jared and John both learned Chinese, lived in China for many years, and have worked with learners all over the world and understand the unique challenges that Chinese learners face. They stay at the forefront of language learning research and methods and bring that to listeners everywhere.

Last refreshed: May 12th, 2026 at 8:00 PM ⓘ

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Episodes

#4 Chinese Language Power Struggles

In this episode, John introduces the concept of language power struggles which is when you want to practice your Chinese with a Chinese person, but they will only talk to you in English. We also talk about the reverse when you are speaking English and the other person is speaking Chinese and you both understand each other, kind of like Han Solo and Chewbacca. We delve into the different accents in Chinese along with the myriad of different "dialects" in Chinese and how in reality many of these a...

Feb 25, 2019•47 min

#3 Chinese Dual Immersion: It's Been Going On Longer Than You Think

In this episode, Jared asks John how his Chinese became so good, Chinese that is so good that he once asked him the word for "puppet" and he knew it offhand. In the US, there are nearly 300 Chinese dual language immersion schools and they have been going on for decades. Caitlin Lee graduated from such a program over ten years ago and it will make you wish you learned Chinese like this! She shares her experience of learning Chinese as a kid including how it has impacted her life and career. A sto...

Feb 07, 2019•57 min

#2 Why Chinese is Taught the Way It Is

In this episode, John and Jared talk about why Chinese is taught the way it is, can we learn Chinese the way a child does, and how do you keep up your Chinese? You'll also get a rant and a rave. A guest interview with Josh Campbell, a public relations executive in China to talk about his experience with learning Chinese in the 90's and how it has impacted his career, including his experience with managing the Singapore Airlines crash of 2000 in Taiwan. Find us at www.MandarinCompanion.com See Pr...

Feb 07, 2019•46 min

#1 Introduction

Introduction to the podcast, getting to know Jared Turner and John Pasden, and an overview of what this podcast is all about. What This Podcast Is This is the very first Chinese podcast of it’s kind! Here is what it is all about. Discussing the best ways to learn Chinese Sharing leading research and best practices for learning Chinese Identifying trends in Chinese learning (good and bad) Discussing funny and interesting instances of Chinese in movies and culture Interviewing a wide spectrum of C...

Feb 04, 2019•4 min

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