Articles in the ‘Speaking’ category
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What native speakers know about Chinese (and what they don’t)
You say something in Mandarin, a native speaker corrects you, and you adjust. The next day, another native speaker tells you to revert to your original phrasing. What’s going on? Let’s explore what native speakers know and what they don’t!
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Benchmarking progress in Chinese to stay motivated
The more Chinese you learn, the less noticeable your progress becomes. Benchmarking can make your improvements more visible and help you stay motivated!
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Welcome to The Fluent Listener, a new course from Hacking Chinese!
Develop essential Mandarin listening skills with my new course, The Fluent Listener. Enrol by November 24 for lifetime access to video lessons, curated resources, tailored guidance, and a supportive learning community.
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Do you really know how to count in Chinese?
Counting is one of the first things we learn in a foreign language, yet mastering it takes time. While basic numbers may seem simple, using them effectively in communication requires much more than just memorising words.
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Don’t learn Mandarin pronunciation by reading, listen and mimic instead
Don’t try to learn pronunciation by reading. Instead, the best way to improve is to listen to and mimic native speakers. Focusing too much on how sounds are written down can actually make it harder to hear them!
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Course discount: Hacking Chinese Pronunciation: Speaking with Confidence
Hacking Chinese Pronunciation: Speaking with Confidence will help you speak Mandarin clearly and naturally. Get $31 off if you enrol before the end of October 13!
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Student Q&A, October 2024: Pronouncing the final -i after sh-, the initial z- and if Pinyin is a good transcription system
How is the Pinyin final -i pronounced after sh? How is the initial z- pronounced compared to z in English? And is Pinyin a good transcription system for learning pronunciation?
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Chinese pronunciation challenge, October 2024
It’s time for a pronunciation challenge! It starts on October 10th, so enrol, set your goal and see how much you can improve your pronunciation before the end of the month. This article contains more information and inspiration about the challenge and how to improve your pronunciation!
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YouGlish: A free service to hear and see Chinese words in context
Context matters. How words are pronounced and used depends on context, but traditional learning materials lack the diversity to prepare you for real-world Chinese. Fortunately, YouGlish is a great tool for studying language in context.
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24 great resources for improving your Mandarin pronunciation
Using the right resources is important when learning anything, but it’s essential when learning Mandarin pronunciation. In this article, I share my favourite resources, most of which are completely free!
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