How to Speak Mandarin Chinese for Beginners

Introduction

Let's be honest, learning to speak Mandarin Chinese is not easy. Mandarin is a tonal language, which means if you say a word with the wrong tone or inflection, you can be misunderstood.
To hear the different tones in Mandarin, visit this page.
Mandarin's writing system consists of written symbols. There are two systems for writing Mandarin: traditional and simplified. Simplified characters are used mainly in China and Singapore, while Taiwan uses traditional writing.
Beginners, however, usually start with lessons in Pinyin, which is Chinese written phonetically in the Latin alphabet.
But do not be discouraged, you can learn how to speak Mandarin! Practice a few phrases and words each day, and the language will begin to make sense. It will take time and commitment, but if you follow the steps below you too can speak Mandarin!

Mandarin Pronunciation

• You will need to learn the tones of Mandarin to truly speak the language. Do not get discouraged if you can't hear tones at first - tonal changes get easier to distinguish the more you study.

Tones

• Mandarin has four distinct tones. In Pinyin, tones are noted with numbers or tone marks, so pay attention to the marks as you read new words.

1. Play the sound clips on this page to hear different tonal pronunciations.
2. Repeat the tones as you hear them.

Pronunciation

• This pronunciation guide is another great reference as you study Mandarin.

1. Listen to the different sounds by clicking on each sound clip.
2. Repeat the sounds as you hear them.

Mandarin Basic Phrases

• You can easily learn a few basic phrases in Mandarin, like "Hello" and "Good-bye."

Knowing basic phrases makes communication easier. (Photo by Chris Greene)

1. Standard Mandarin has a short page of common phrases.
   • Simply click on the arrow next to each phrase to hear it pronounced.
   • Practice saying a phrase each time you hear it!
2. If you're going on a trip, you might also get a phrasebook or electronic translator to carry with you. That way you can look up phrases whenever you're in an unplanned-for situation.
   • Wikitravel has online phrasebooks for both traditional and simplified Mandarin.
   • McGraw-Hill's iSpeak lets you download 1,500 Chinese phrases for your iPod.

Language Guide Chinese Phrases

• This site has key phrases in Mandarin, arranged into categories like Greetings, Numbers, and Jobs.
  • The categories are labeled in Pinyin and simplified characters. Hold your mouse over each category to see its name in English.

1. For example, click on the category wen4 hou4 yu3 (Greetings).
2. Move your mouse over each phrase to hear it in Mandarin.
3. Repeat the phrase after you hear it.
4. Other sections have pictures instead of words. Just move your mouse over each picture to hear it in Mandarin.

• • The introductory lessons in the next section are another good source for learning some basic phrases.

Introductory Mandarin Lessons

• Each of these lessons has good information for beginning Mandarin students. If you are interested in learning phrases for travel, the BBC's Real Chinese or Times Online's introductory course for Mandarin Chinese are particularly good sources.

BBC's Real Chinese

Study Mandarin and visit the Great Wall. (Photo by Steven Cheah)

• The BBC's Real Chinese is a ten-part series of lessons in basic Chinese. Follow this series and you will learn key phrases and cultural insights necessary for a trip to China.
  • This course's Mandarin is entirely in Pinyin, so you are not exposed to any Chinese characters.

1. Go to the course's home page.
2. Choose a lesson from the column on the right.
3. When the lesson page loads, press "Start" to begin.
4. The phrase initially appears in Pinyin. Check the English to see what it means, then choose "Sound Only" and repeat it yourself.
5. At the end of the lesson, a summary appears.
6. Click on "Useful Phrases" to review the lesson's key words once more.
7. Watch the video to get some cultural background on what you've just studied.
8. Take the "Challenge" and see how much you've learned!

Times Online

Times Online Learn Mandarin Chinese

• Times Online has an introductory course for Mandarin Chinese. These lessons will help you learn how to introduce yourself and hold simple conversations. It's another great course to use before you go on a trip where you'll want to speak Chinese.
  • These lessons are also in Pinyin.

1. On the course's home page, use the arrows to tab through the ten lessons until you find the one you want to work on.
2. Click on the lesson to go to its home page.
3. Follow the instructions to either download or stream your lesson.
   • Each lesson has two parts: the lesson itself and a practice conversation.
4. Listen to the audio lesson, repeating the Chinese when you are prompted.
   • Go to or print out the lesson's home page, so you can read along as you listen.
5. Then listen to the practice conversation. You'll be amazed at how much you understand!

California State University, Long Beach

• This course provides audio files for conversations in Mandarin. Listen and then reinforce what you're learning with the practice sessions.
  • These lessons have Mandarin written in traditional characters and Pinyin.

1. First check out the pronunciation guide to practice the tonal differences in Chinese.
2. On the course's home page, choose a lesson.
3. Listen to the conversations from Part I: Listen and Learn. Just click on the speaker button to hear the audio file. Repeat each phrase after you hear it!
   • As the audio file opens in a new page, it may be helpful to do this lesson in two browser windows. Keep the dialogue page open in one window, and use the second window to listen to your audio files.
4. Part II is a dialogue review, so click on the page to read the sentences one more time.
5. Then do the exercises in Part III to practice what you just learned. Say the words aloud in Chinese, and just click on the English words if you don't know an answer!

Live Mocha

• LiveMocha is an online learning community. You can follow their online courses, but also participate in the online community. You can ask fellow members for help with Mandarin, and offer help to those who are learning English.
  • These introductory lessons are also in Pinyin.
  • It's helpful to take this as a supplemental course, or take copious notes as you go through the lessons, because the course is vocabulary-intensive.

1. Go to LiveMocha's home page.
2. Click on "Get Started" to register for a free account, and select that you want to learn Chinese.
3. You will receive a confirmation email; when it arrives click on the included link to activate your account.
4. You have the option to upload a profile image; if you prefer click "Skip" to skip this step.
5. Then choose the online course "Chinese 101."
6. Begin with the section marked "Learn" on Unit 1, Lesson 1.
7. Each lesson has four sections:
   • Learn: Listen to words and phrases. Repeat the words as you hear them.
   • Reading: Read words and phrases you just learned and select the correct image.
   • Listening: Listen to the same words and phrases and select the correct image.
   • Magnet: Now you must re-create the words and phrases. Choose from the presented words and drag them into the answer box, in the correct order.

Introductory Mandarin Podcasts

Shilin Night Market. (Creative Commons photo by Prince Roy)

• Podcasts are another great way to introduce yourself to Mandarin. You can listen to these lessons anywhere with your iPod or MP3 Player.

Peace Corps Mandarin Chinese Language Lessons

• These Peace Corps lessons are a valuable introductory tool. They offer pronunciation tips, as well as basic phrases.

1. Go to the Peace Corps language lessons page.
2. Click "Download the transcript of this lesson" to download a PDF file of the lesson vocabulary and dialogue.
   • Note that the Mandarin is in Pinyin.
3. You can listen to the lesson by clicking on it; the audio file will play in your web browser.
4. Or copy and paste this xml code: http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/multimedia/language/chinese.xml into your podcast software.
   • In iTunes, click on the "Advanced" menu in the toolbar and choose "Subscribe to Podcast..."
   • Paste the URL in the box that appears and click "OK."
   • Your subscription is all set!

Mandarin Chinese Lessons with Serge Melnyk

• This podcast offer comprehensive Mandarin audio lessons.

1. Visit the list of lessons to choose an appropriate level.
2. Listen to the podcast online by clicking on the arrow under "Listen Now."
3. Or click "Download" to save the audio file to your desktop. That way you can import the file onto your MP3 player or iPod!
4. Listen to the lesson. Repeat tones and phrases as you hear them.

• If you want to, you can subscribe to the podcast for an additional fee. Subscribing means you'll receive transcripts and worksheets for each podcast.

ChinesePod Podcasts

• ChinesePod is a popular podcast for learning Mandarin Chinese. You can listen to its podcasts for free, or pay a subscription fee for more learning tools.

1. On the home page, click on "Get Started" to create an account.
2. Fill in the requested information on the next page.
3. Once you've completed your sign up, you can access lessons right away. Click on the "Lessons" tab to choose a lesson.
   
   • The default level for lesson choices is "Newbie," which is a perfect starting place for beginners. If you want a different level for your lessons, just choose the appropriate tab on the lessons page.
4. Listen to the podcast by pressing the play button to hear its streaming audio.
   • The new vocabulary is presented slowly, so try to repeat each new word or phrase as you hear it.

• New users receive a free 15-day trial period as premium members. Check out this page to learn about subscription levels and prices.

Introductory Mandarin Videos

• Videos are a great way to see and hear people speaking Mandarin.

1. Ask Benny offers fun introductory videos. Benny goes through important phrases, teaching them word by word (in Pinyin).
2. The cartoons from Active Chinese present dialogues, then show the words in simplified Mandarin as they explain each word's meaning.

Practice saying "Merry Christmas" in Mandarin.

Writing Mandarin Characters

Write in Chinese

• You'll learn more about writing in intermediate and advanced classes, but even a beginner should familiarize himself with Chinese characters.

1. The right stroke order is important to write cleanly in Mandarin. Visit this site to see the stroke order for common simplified characters.
2. If you want to see a particular word written in Chinese characters, this dictionary shows words in Pinyin, simplified, and traditional characters.
3. If you want to translate Chinese characters into English, Babel Fish and Google Translate are two good resources. Remember that translation software sometimes makes mistakes, however!