A daily audio course you can listen to anywhere: on your commute, on a walk, over coffee. You'll start understanding native speakers and finally feel comfortable speaking, all inside WhatsApp.

First Steps in Chinese – HearSay

Chinese A1

Listen in as 若汐 and 亦辰 talk about ordering food and buying things at a market in real, everyday Chinese. By the end of this course their conversation will feel easy to follow, and you'll be ready to join in.

Lessons

Offering a drink politely
Ruoxi offers Yichen some tea and asks if they can practice Chinese tones, prompting Yichen to demonstrate the four basic tones.
Distinguishing Chinese tones
Ruoxi practices repeating the four tones and discusses with Yichen how different tones change the meanings of Chinese words.
Asking about Pinyin
Yichen reassures Ruoxi about learning tones and explains the role of Pinyin as a tool for pronunciation rather than writing.
Introducing yourself
Ruoxi expresses her relief at not having to write characters yet and practices introducing herself to Yichen.
Stating where you are from
Ruoxi shares that she is British and asks Yichen about his background, leading him to share that he is from Sichuan.
Practicing tricky Chinese initials
Yichen helps Ruoxi practice the difficult "q" and "x" sounds, while Ruoxi points out another challenging sound she struggles with.
Practicing difficult vowel sounds
Yichen guides Ruoxi through pronouncing the "zh" and "ü" sounds by giving her helpful tips on mouth positioning.
Suggesting a trip to buy food
Ruoxi associates her pronunciation practice with her love for eating fish, prompting Yichen to suggest a trip to the market to buy some.
Asking if items are available
Ruoxi asks Yichen if the market has coffee, and Yichen encourages her to ask about the price of a cup.
Asking the price of items
Ruoxi asks about the price of different items at the market, and Yichen helps her compare the costs.
Ordering food and drinks
Ruoxi practices ordering noodles and tea, and Yichen praises her natural phrasing.
Asking if someone is free
After Yichen gives Ruoxi feedback on her tones, Ruoxi asks if he is free tomorrow to meet at his exhibition.
Asking about locations
Ruoxi asks Yichen where the exhibition is being held and realizes it is at a community center she visits every day.
Saying see you tomorrow
Yichen and Ruoxi wrap up their conversation and bid each other farewell until the next day.

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