Hacking Chinese

A better way of learning Mandarin

Articles tagged with ‘Comprehensible input’

  1. Three things I wish I had known as an advanced student of Chinese: The time machine, part 3

    Improving after you reach an advanced level of Chinese requires new ways of learning and new sources of motivation. If I could go back in time to give a less proficient version of myself advice, here is what I would say.

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  2. How to use YouTube and other video platforms to learn Chinese

    YouTube and similar platforms offer a vast treasure trove of content that can help you learn Chinese, whether you’re watching videos in Chinese or exploring content about language and culture. But how can you get the most out of this resource at different stages of learning?

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  3. Three things I wish I had known as an intermediate student of Chinese: The time machine, part 2

    Traversing the intermediate Chinese learning plateau requires a shift in focus. Here are three pieces of advice for intermediate students of Mandarin.

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  4. Student Q&A, May 2024: Understanding strangers, listening with transcripts, and which podcasts to avoid

    Why is your teacher is so much easier to understand than anybody else? Should you read transcripts or subtitles before, during or after listening? And why do I refuse to recommend certain podcasts?

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  5. Is speaking more important than listening when learning Chinese?

    What languages do you speak? Do you speak Chinese? We often use speaking to represent language ability in general, but does that mean that speaking is more important than listening?

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  6. The best podcasts for learning Chinese in 2024

    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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  7. Listen more and learn more by building a personal Chinese audio library

    The more you listen, the more you learn, but listening more is not as easy as it sounds. By building a personal Chinese audio library, you ensure that you always have something suitable to listen to, no matter what situation you’re in.

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  8. 8 great ways to scaffold your Chinese listening and reading

    Listening and reading in Chinese can be a challenge, especially when your level is not high enough. To understand more and thereby also learn more, use scaffolding!

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  9. Student Q&A, November 2023: Reading Pinyin or characters, comprehensible vs. compelling content and reading tools

    How do you transition from reading Pinyin to reading characters? Are compelling texts better than comprehensible texts? And which tools should you use when reading Chinese?

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  10. How narrow reading and listening can help you bridge the gap to real Chinese

    Varying your diet of Chinese reading and listening practice is often considered good, indeed necessary, for your learning, but this could be wrong. In some cases, variation makes things too difficult, and then narrow reading and listening is a better option!

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