ONLINE MANDARIN CHINESE LESSONS

Grammar 语法

Studying grammar rules can be a hassle, but they are a vital aspect to any language. Even if you know a lot of Chinese vocabulary, you won’t be able to organize your speech coherently unless you know the rules that govern the language. Use the following resources to supplement your classroom learning and cement your knowledge!

• BEGINNER INTERMEDIATE Beginner and intermediate students looking for simple and engaging grammar explanations should access Hanbridge Mandarin, a website that features step-by-step grammar lessons in video and written form. After each lesson, you will find exercises to help you remember the rules you have just studied.

• BEGINNER INTERMEDIATE ADVANCED Access the University of Texas’ site for fantastic online resources to learn Mandarin Chinese grammar through interactive activities, like crosswords, YouTube videos, flashcards, and more!

• ADVANCED Students with an advanced level of proficiency in Mandarin can take advantage of the interactive exercises in DongYu. For example, complete activities that compare major verbs, like “cai” or “jiu,” or enable you to practice noun and adverb agreement.

Pronunciation 发音

Most Mandarin Chinese learners complain that pronunciation is one of the most difficult aspects to acquire. Different from English, Chinese is a tonal language, which means that the same symbol can have multiple meanings depending on the tone with which a speaker says it. There are six different tones in Chinese and mastering them can be quite challenging. However, with the help of these websites and resources, you can practice in your spare time and improve faster than ever!

• INTERMEDIATE ADVANCED Read advice on how to perfect your Chinese accent quickly!

• ADVANCED And if you are an advanced student looking for some theory on Mandarin Chinese tones and how to improve your pronunciation, have a look at this complete guide by Sinosplice.

• INTERMEDIATE ADVANCED Learn how to use the right tones with these 50 interactive exercises. You’ll sound like a native Chinese speaker in no time!

Vocabulary 词汇

Having a robust vocabulary in your target language is essential to hold conversations in an array of topics. Now, with Mandarin Chinese being strikingly different from English, increasing your lexicon can be a challenge. But with these resources, you can improve your vocabulary in your spare time and from anywhere!

• INTERMEDIATE ADVANCED Want to know more about Chinese colloquial phrases? Learn popular Chinese idioms and their explanations, so you don’t get confused when people use them in a conversation.

• BEGINNER INTERMEDIATE Put your skills into practice with these interactive vocabulary exercises, such as Word Match (match pinyin words with the correct Chinese characters), sentence formation (put Chinese symbols in the right order), and choosing the correct measure words for different nouns (similar to English collocations).

• BEGINNER Try out these great vocabulary tests for beginners and discover how much you know and what areas still need some improvement.

Reading 听

Take a gander at these libraries and repositories with free non-fiction books, novels, and short stories for your to put your skills into play. The more your practice reading in your free time, the more vocabulary you will learn and the more you will comprehend the language and the culture.

• ADVANCED Learn about Chinese history and culture with this free library. It contains over 80 classical and modern texts, historical documents, children’s stories, and more!

• BEGINNER INTERMEDIATE Reading fiction is a great way to sharpen your skills while acquiring new vocabulary and getting acquainted with Chinese culture, tradition, and philosophy. Browse this amazing repository of graded short stories in Mandarin Chinese. Most stories have audio recordings, word lists to help you remember vocabulary, and even English translations.

• INTERMEDIATE ADVANCED Read the New York Times in Chinese! Stay informed about matters that interest you while improving your language skills at the same time. You can even look for an option to turn on parallel reading (so you’ll have the Chinese version on one side of the screen and the English version on the other).

• ADVANCED If you love to read and are looking for some outstanding books that can help you learn Mandarin, have a look at our blog post where we offer some suggestions.

Listening 说

Listening can be a tricky skill to develop, especially when the language is so different from your mother tongue. But with a lot of meaningful practice and guidance from experts, soon will achieve your goals. Use the following resources to improve!

• INTERMEDIATE ADVANCED Browse some great YouTube channels to follow to put your listening skills into practice while you learn more about the things that interest you!

• INTERMEDIATE ADVANCED Podcasts are amazing resources to take your listening skills to the next level, especially while on the go. If you are looking for some suggestions, read this article for four free Chinese podcasts for beginner- and intermediate-level students.

• BEGINNER Listen to this collection of spoken articles. They are very short and the speaker pronounces each word in a slow and articulate manner. Plus, each recording includes English subtitles.

• BEGINNER INTERMEDIATE ADVANCED Enjoy great Chinese TV shows and films for free (and with English or simplified Chinese subtitles) by accessing the PPS website. They also have American movies subtitled in Chinese if you prefer to watch something you already know.

Writing 读

The more you write and receive feedback from teachers, peers, and native speakers, the faster you will improve. Check out these resources to take your writing skills to the next level.

• INTERMEDIATE One of the main elements of writing is knowing how to spell words. In Chinese, this is a bit different because there are no letters but characters. Get to know more about the Chinese symbols and their evolution with this post!

• BEGINNER INTERMEDIATE And if you are looking for some tips on how to memorize Chinese symbols, this article will be of help!

• INTERMEDIATE ADVANCED If you don’t currently have a teacher to help you develop your Chinese writing skills, you can join Penpals, where you will find other enthusiastic Chinese learners with whom to exchange texts and help each other improve!

Speaking 写

Ideally, you need to find a partner with whom you can practice your communication skills. But if that is not possible (or if you want to complement the speaking practice you already have), take a look at these online resources!

• INTERMEDIATE ADVANCED Join Conversation Exchange or Tandem and find other motivated learners who also want to partner up to improve their Chinese skills.

• BEGINNER Just Learn Chinese has a thorough guide with plenty of advice for elementary students who want to improve their speaking skills without a partner.

For Kids 针对儿童

Give your kids a little push and help them acquire Mandarin Chinese in a fun, interactive way with the following resources:

• Looking for fun, interactive games for your children to learn some Mandarin Chinese vocabulary, like numbers, colors, or animals? Visit Pandatree! This website also has a section called “Story time” that features classic short stories, like The Tale of Peter Rabbit or Cinderella, read aloud in Chinese.  

• Digmandarin is another great website with an array of resources for kids to acquire Chinese with colorful flashcards, catchy songs, and fun games while giving tips and suggestions for families who want to learn Chinese. 

• Rock ’N Learn is an entertaining YouTube channel with appealing videos for kids to learn numbers, colors, body parts, and more basic Chinese vocabulary through the use of cartoons and songs.

Miscellaneous 杂

And a few more resources that may be of help:

• The Chinese language has a long (and very interesting!) history that goes back to the 11th century BC. Learn more about the origins of Chinese and how it became what it is today in this article!

• Are you planning to visit China soon? Learn the 10 sacred words and phrases in Chinese every tourist should know.

• Dictionaries are crucial when learning a foreign language, but the options available on the market can be overwhelming. Discover some tips on how to choose the best Chinese-English dictionary for your needs!

• Would you like to know how your Chinese name would sound? Try out this Chinese Name Generator and have some fun!