How This Introvert Learns Languages
Language learning is tough. Especially for people who are naturally quiet. I don’t enjoy talking. Yet I love learning languages. Because I do it my way.
Category: videos
好 hao – No good if you don’t know it
你好 Nǐ hǎo! Hello, you good! Did you know that 好 expresses a lot more than just ‘nice’?
How to Use 了 le and 过 guo
Which of the following mean that the action of eating has occurred? 1a)Wǒ chīle.我吃了。我吃了 1b)Wǒ chīguo.我吃过。我吃过 1c)Wǒ chīguo le.我吃过了。我吃过了 All of them! Both 了 and 过 give the impression that something has occurred. How do you use...
When to Use 了 le
了 = past tense If you ever hear someone tell you that, you can be quite sure that the person doesn’t understand the language at all, even if they are Chinese! Because 了 ≠ past tense! Looks...
白 bái ~ Your Loss If You Don’t Know It!
白云 bái yún, 白马 bái mǎ, 白花 bái huā These three words all contain 白 bái (white), and one of them is different from the other two. Can you tell which is the one? 白 bái –...
Spot the Difference – 再 zài, 又 yòu and 还 hái
Why is the Chinese way of saying goodbye 再见 zàijiàn? You might know that the phrase literally means ‘again’ and ‘meet’, so put together, 再见 zàijiàn means ‘see you again’. Well then, how about using 又 yòu...
How to Say Yes and No in Mandarin
How do you say Yes and No in Mandarin? You might think it’s a simple question, but the answer might not be so!
A Little Bit of 一点儿 yìdiǎnr 一下 yíxià 一会儿 yíhuìr 有点儿 yǒudiǎnr
In Mandarin, “一点儿 yìdiǎnr”、“一下 yíxià”、“一会儿 yíhuìr”、“有点儿 yǒudiǎnr” all mean a little. Do you know how to use them the right way? Learn how to differentiate them in this article, and then test yourself via this quiz in...
Hey! 12 Mandarin Interjections For You!
Is there a way to measure how much a new language is a part of you, or maybe, how much you have accepted that language into your system? I don’t know about you, but for me, when there is a need for some interjection and I spout it out in a foreign language, it is an indication that the language no longer feels that foreign to me anymore.
Mandarin Pronunciation Lesson 5 – Initials (Part 1)
What are Mandarin initials? You’ll need to know them well if you wanna speak Mandarin! Learn them in this video, with tips to say them well, as well as example words. If you missed the previous videos,...
