Learn Chinese Mandarin as a Second Language
Language learning products for Chinese Mandarin
There are hundreds of different dialects within China, but the one that is considered the official language of the country—the language that is used for government, media, and education—is Mandarin.
China is becoming an important player in the global economy and international business with China is certainly set to increase. Learning Mandarin can greatly benefit your life and is certainly a business advantage in the world today. Reasons to learn Mandarin Chinese
Find the best way to learn Mandarin for you, your budget, and your schedule below
Premium Reviewed Language Learning Products - The major Chinese language products reviewed by Lingualogue
Fluenz Chinese - Mandarin 94% in our Review
A fantastic piece of Chinese language software that seems to incorporate all of the positives of other language learning products while scrapping the negatives. The interface is beautifully produced with a full video tutor (Sonia) who guides you through audio conversations and breaks down the new vocabulary. The Exercises are also excellently done, focusssing on each aspect of language learning as effectively as we have seen.
Click here for Fluenz Mandarin.
Tell Me More Chinese 92% in our Review
A huge Chinese language software program with over 950 hours of learning. Includes a top class voice recognition software which is used in an excellent dialogue section with pictures and questions to involve you in verbal dialogue with the computer. It checks your Chinese vocabulary and your pronunciation at the same time. Expensive but comprehensive and well worth the money.
TELL ME MORE Chinese Language Learning Software
Rocket Chinese 88% in our Review
A surprisingly good Chinese audio course at an excellent price. Concentrates on conversations in Chinese with the listener repeating the sentences as they are broken down into parts. The accompanying games are excellent and should be considered in their own right. Pricewise, possibly the best value Chinese language course available.
Linguaphone allTalk Chinese 86%in our Review
A Chinese language audio package that follows a storyline of an English speaking person thrown into a situation in China. You join the person as they are forced to learn the situational language from a bilinugal Chinese instructor. The vocabulary is very travel oriented and you are expected to learn the vocabulary as you go along. Linguaphone also has a complete course with 9 CDs, 4 books and a professed 2000 words of vocab for those who are serious about learning.
Pimsleur Chinese 84% in our Review
A Chinese audio course that concentrates on listening to conversations and repeating vocabulary to build sentences and phrases. Uses graduated interval recall (vocabulary is reintroduced continually at increasing intervals)to help cement memory. Possibly the quickest way to get started at learning to speak Mandarin Chinese.
Order Pimsleur Chinese Download or Pimsleur Chinese CD Delivery
Rosetta Stone Chinese 84% in our Review
A Chinese language software program that uses a multiple-choice style of studying involving images of objects or actions accompanied by phrases spoken and written in the Chinese language. The aim at the beginning is to listen to the sentence or phrase and choose the most appropriate image. As you continue the phrases begin to combine and add more vocabulary to make more complicated sentences.Visit Rosetta Stone
Michel Thomas Chinese 84% in our Review
A Chinese language audio product that places you as the third student in the classroom with Michel Thomas. You and the other two students must answer the questions and translate the sentences when asked by Michel. Michel has many techniques and tricks for making shortcuts to learn Chinese.
Transparent: Learn Chinese Now 82% in our Review
The software portion of the Transparent family of products—they also have a Chinese audio and a Chinese flashcard course, and a complete set comprising all three. The software uses voice recognition to check pronunciation and concentrates on building situational conversations with as few or as many prompts as you need. Also has historical passages in Pinyin Mandarin Chinese.
Electronic Dictionaries and software
Recommended
Language International- Learning Chinese in China
Learn Mandarin Chinese in Beijing, Guangzhou, or Shianghai with Language International. Immerse yourself in the language and the culture: The food, the history, the sights, and the conversation—by far the ultimate way to learn the Chinese language. If you have the time, the money, and the inclination you will find no better or faster way to learn Chinese. A sure-fire language learning method Learn Chinese in China.
Podcasts
Chinese Pod
Learn to speak Chinese with daily podcasts. Listen to the lesson on the go and then come back to the website to reinforce what you have learned. A wealth of information of everything Chinese. Take a free trial for a week and see how it can work for you. Learn Chinese with ChinesePod
Imandarin Pod
A Site with many podcasts to help you learn Mandarin. Uses a lot of Chinese language to help immersion. Imandarin pod
Chinese learn online
A quality free site releasing podcasts for learning Chinese three times per week. Premium membership available if you want transcripts or extra lessons. Chinese learn online
Tutoring
Mando Chinese
Mando Mandarin is one of the world’s leading online Chinese schools. They specialize in teaching Chinese LIVE over the internet through private, 1-on-1 classes. They have recruited and trained only the best teachers from China. Their teachers use free VoIP video-chatting software (Skype) in order to teach Mandarin over the web. Mando Mandarin
Chinese Voice
ChineseVoice.com is an effective online learning experience which will help you learn Chinese quickly and easily with the most professional Chinese teachers available in the most advanced live virtual class setting on the web—all from the comfort of your home, in your time. Chinese Voice can help you learn conversational Chinese as well as reading and writing the written script. An exceptional tool for all Chinese language learning students. ChineseVoice
Studio Chinese
StudioChinese is an online Mandarin learning service that puts students worldwide in touch with live teachers in China. Based in Beijing and founded by two Stanford graduates, StudioChinese offers a beginners course for aspiring travelers, returning businessmen and the merely curious, all drawn to China through its emergence onto the world stage. The course features 30 sessions comprised of interactive preparatory material, a live conversation with a certified Chinese tutor, and a downloadable review of the conversation. Studio Chinese
Chinese Language Learning Books
Other Chinese Products
Chinese for Smart Kids
A fun based language package aimed at giving young children a strong foundation in Mandarin Chinese. Has a free demo to test the package—always good to have a free demo first.
Active Chinese
Active Chinese is an interactive virtual learning environment that uses Flash lessons. Live tutors, MP3s, Mp4s and more to help you learn the Chinese that is important to you. Each course is tailored to the kind of person that will be using it: There are courses specifically designed for travellers, professionals, teachers, home schooling, businesses and many more. It is well worth a minute to check it out
Free Courses
BYKI Lite Chinese
"Before you know it" is an excellent flashcard program designed to help you learn vocabulary easily and quickly. The BYKI Lite is available for free download and is certainly worth taking advantage of to increase your Chinese vocabulary. Free BYKI™ Lite download
Rocket Chinese 6-Day Evaluation
Get 6 free lessons of the excellent Rocket Chinese language course sent directly to your email inbox. Even if you don't want to buy the course it is still 6 full audio lessons for nothing. We like things for nothing. Worth checking out; no obligations to buy.
Chinese Tools
A useful site crammed with all things Chinese. Learn Mandarin Chinese quickly and easily!
40 online lessons with audio, including reading, speaking, writing, modern vocabulary, grammar, calligraphy, examples and exercices. All texts and dialogs in mp3 format for download. Chinese Tools
See also our Free language courses section.
Free Links
learningmandarinpod.blogspot - a learning Chinese blog
mandarintools - A resource full of all things Chinese
thechinesereader - Helping you to learn to read Chinese
popupchinese - An interesting Chinese learning resource
More about Chinese
It is not strictly correct to call any one language the 'Chinese' language. There are hundreds of different dialects within China, but the one that is considered the official language of the country—the language that is used for government, media, and education—is Mandarin.
Mandarin, however, is only spoken by 53% of China's population, with 66% of people in the cities and only 45% of those in the countryside being able to speak the language. The education system is obviously pushing the language though, as about 70% of people between 15 and 29 can speak Madarin as opposed to only 30% of people over 60.
There are also another 25 million people who speak Mandarin in other countries around the world, most noticeably countries in South east Asia (Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand etc) but also in the UK and US. More now than ever before, China is becoming an important player in the global economy and international business with China is certainly set to increase. Learning Mandarin is certainly a trade advantage in the world today.
Reasons to Learn Mandarin Chinese
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