Learn Chinese Online - Beginner Lessons

Beginner Lesson - Videos - Survival Chinese - How much do you sell this for?

In a previous podcast we taught you how to say "How much ?" in chinese: 多少钱. But actually here in China you will hear quite often: 这个怎么卖. If you translate this to english it means: How much do you sell this for? Both expressions are equivalent but it is always useful to know both. Watch this video with Demi and see a real life example on how to use this expression.

Beginner Lesson - Videos - Survival Chinese - Would you like to have coffee with me?

You have met the chinese girl of your dreams and now you want to take it one step further. Learn how to say it in chinese. How can she ever refuse that? You only have to say：你能跟我一起喝咖啡吗 And she will certainly reply with 可以. You don't know how to pronounce it? Then please watch this video with Demi.

Beginner Lesson - Videos - Survival Chinese - Where is the toilet?

This is a very practical lesson that everyone who goes to China should learn. Learn how to ask: Where is the toilet? Watch this video and learn a very valuable lesson.

Beginner Lesson - Videos - Survival Chinese - Long time no see

You meet your friend on the street, who you have not seen for a long time. What would be the first thing you say to him? Perhaps you would say "Long time no see"?. Did you know that "Long time no see" is the exact english translation for the chinese saying 好久不见? Watch this video with Demi and find out how to pronounce this sentence.

Beginner Lesson - Chinese Podcast - Survival Chinese - Going Home after the Party

One Friday night, Emil hung out with his friends in a bar, where they drank, ate and talked. They didn’t feel like going until one of they became too tipsy to move. It was already really late at night, or rather, early in the morning. The only public transportation was the taxi. Emil supported the drunk guy and waved to a coming taxi. He was going to bring his friend home. In the taxi, Emil and the driver had a small conversation:

A: Do you usually walk home?
B: yes, it doesn’t take so much time.
A: But I also take subways, there are 5 stops.
B: Oh, I see.
A: How long have you been learning Chinese?
B: About two years.
A: Do you drive?
B: No, it is hard to find place for parking.

If you want to consolidate what you have learned, why not try the exercises for this lesson? Please Chinese test to try the exercises now.

Beginner Lesson - Chinese Podcast - Survival Chinese - Can I have a menu please?

He goes to a restaurant sits on a table and shouts: "Can I have a menu please?"... Ten pass after he looks 100 times at his watch... and still no menu on his table. He again shouts with a touch of indignation in his voice "Can I have a menu please!!!?" Once again, nobody seemed to notice him. Only if he had known he would have gone to another more expensive restaurant. There they certainly quickly serve him a good meal. When he was just about to leave a lady on the table next to him said: "Why don't you speak chinese? I don't think anyone here understands english...
Perhaps you have been in a similar situation then if that is the case you should listen to this podcast and learn some very simple sentences on how to get your menu and how to order your food in a chinese restaurant.

What you will learn:
How to get the attention of a waiter: 服务员！
How to ask for a menu: 我要酒水菜单
Showing initiative, paying for the bill - 慢慢吃, 不着急，我买单.

If you want to consolidate what you have learned, why not try the exercises for this lesson? Please Chinese test to try the exercises now.

Beginner Lesson - Videos - Survival Chinese - Giving directions

Learn how to give directions in chinese. This time instead of asking, we will be teaching you how to give someone who only speaks chinese directions to a place or location.

Oscar opened up a company with three other people and they set their headquarters in Beijing. Oscar’s home was not so far away from his office so he usually walked there. Yet there were not so many good restaurants around his area, and he tended to take a taxi to somewhere a bit further away. He could remember the names to the destinations but since his apartment lay in a small community that cornered itself in a deserted street. There were lots of turns and twists on the way and taxi drivers always got lost and confused and sometimes really annoyed if Oscar was not able to tell exactly where he wanted to go.
“I couldn’t speak a word of Chinese.” Complained he one day to his parents, “And taxi drivers are so aggressive that I don’t even dare to argue with them any more, besides, they don’t understand me either.” His parents suggested that he picked up some useful words, at least words that could bring him back home. He begged his Chinese girlfriend for help. And they decided to make sure he knew how to direct the taxi driver first.

Let's learn some words and sentences about directions in chinese. For example: 请告诉我怎么去那里？如何去那里？去那里怎么走？In these sentences, 怎么 means "how". Furthermore, you will learn more words about directions like: east - 东, west - 西, south - 南, 北 - north.

Beginner Lesson - Chinese Podcast - Survival Chinese - Getting married

It was April 20th, 2009; Jane Jackson was going to get married in a couple of days. She was so excited that she couldn’t sleep. Jane lived in China currently and loved this country. So she decided to hold her wedding in a local church. Jane had a best friend who was a Chinese lady. Jane was thinking perhaps she could also invite the girl’s parents since whenever she visited the girl, her parents would always cook great food for her and treated her as if she were their own. Jane rang the girl and asked if her parents could tag along on the wedding day.

"Certainly, they would be really much willing to do that.” Replied the girl at this proposal. “But it would be better if I can write an invitation to them. That may sound more formal.” Said Jane, “The problem is ….I don’t think your parents read English?” The Chinese girl smiled and nodded, “No, They can’t understand a single word…so sending them an invitation won’t make any sense” .Jane was silent, kept her head lower, eyes staring down on the feet. Then she looked up, with delight swimming in her eyes. “I can try writing the invitation in Chinese instead, and then they will possibly understand.” Her friend beamed, and replied, “That’s really a fantastic idea. Do you need any help from me?” Jane rejected the offer. She claimed that a dictionary will work.”

If you want to consolidate what you have learned, why not try the exercises for this lesson? Please Chinese test to try the exercises now.

Beginner Lesson - Chinese Podcast - Survival Chinese - Telling the time in Chinese

Learn how to tell and ask the time in Chinese. If you already know how to say the chinese numbers from 1-24 then telling the time in chinese is really easy! Of course there are a few complications to it. You can't just merely say the current time as numbers. There are a few rules and sentence patterns that you need to use. But they are not complicated and after you listen to this podcast you will understand how to tell the time in different ways.

What you need to know:
1) If you want to ask what time is it in chinese you can say 现在几点? You could answer for example - 现在11点.
2）If you want to ask the time for a certain event, for example going to the class room you can just say - 你几点上课？And to reply：我9点上课

If you want to consolidate what you have learned, why not try the exercises for this lesson? Please Chinese test to try the exercises now.

Beginner Lesson - Chinese Podcast - Survival Chinese - A Marriage Proposal

The suit cost him almost one thousand dollars and the tie was worth more than three hundred .He just came back from the hairdresser’s, feeling really excited. He was going to invite his girlfriend to an exquisite dinner and propose to her as well. He needed to look good and neat. The appointed time finally arrived. He waited impatiently in fron of the restaurant entrance. It was almost half past six and his girlfriend was nowhere to be seen. He was so anxious that he decided to ring her to make sure she was alright. The phone kept on ringing for 5 seconds before she answered. “你在做什么?” He almost shouted .” 我不能来了”. She replied, sounding quite uncaring.

His heart was frozen. He never felt such coldness casting every pore in his body. Disappointment, frustration reigned. He felt the world was turning upside down and he felt like everything around was meaningless. With trembling voice, he asked at the phone, “你什么时候可以来?” she took a pause and said quietly, “我会让你知道的”.

If you want to consolidate what you have learned, why not try the exercises for this lesson? Please Chinese test to try the exercises now.