Articles in the ‘Learning outside class’ category
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The Fluent Listener: Navigating Spoken Mandarin Like a Fish in Water is open!
Develop essential Mandarin listening skills with my course, The Fluent Listener. Enrol now for lifetime access to video lessons, curated resources, tailored guidance, and a supportive learning community.
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The best podcasts for learning Chinese in 2026
Podcasts let you create your own Chinese immersion experience, with level-appropriate stories and authentic conversations. Learn flexibly on the go with the best podcasts for beginners, intermediate and advanced students!
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Effective progress or experience points? The double-edged sword of measuring your Chinese learning
Measuring your Chinese progress is a double-edged sword: it can keep you motivated, but it can also tempt you to chase numbers that don’t reflect real progress.
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Chinese vocabulary challenge, May 2026
It’s time for a vocabulary challenge! It starts on May 10th, so enrol, set your goal and learn as many characters and words as you can before the end of the month. This challenge is sponsored by Skritter, so there are also prizes on the line! This article contains more information about the challenge, some important things to keep in mind as well as some advice about learning Chinese characters and words.
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The best time to start learning Chinese is now: A guide for expats
The best time to start learning Chinese might be behind you, but the second-best time is now. If you’ve been surrounded by Mandarin for years and keep putting off learning the language, this guide is for you!
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Improve your Chinese conversations by listening to the listener
The obvious way to learn Mandarin is to listen to a person speaking the language. The less obvious way is to listen to the person who isn’t speaking in a conversation. What can you learn by listening to the listener?
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Chinese reading challenge, August 2026
It’s time for a Chinese reading challenge! It starts on August 10th, so enrol, set your goal and read as much as you can before the end of the month. This article contains more information about the challenge, as well as some advice about improving reading ability in Chinese.
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A practical guide to your ideal Mandarin self: Build motivation that lasts
Motivation is not a personality trait that you either have or lack. It is a system you can design. Give yourself a clear future self in Mandarin, set up your study routine so it feels good in the moment, and let small, steady actions narrow the gap.
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Chinese speaking challenge, March 2026
It’s time for a speaking challenge! It starts on March 10th, so enrol, set your goal and improve your speaking ability as much as you can before the end of the month. This article contains more information about the challenge, some important things to keep in mind as well as some advice about improving speaking ability in Chinese.
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Chinese reading practice for beginners: 7 resources to improve your Mandarin
The best way to learn to read Chinese is to read texts you can understand without constantly using a dictionary. As a beginner, those texts aren’t always easy to find, but let’s look at the best reading resources I know for beginners.
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