I just started my Mandarin learning journey and as many of you have probably found out, there are SO many apps at our disposal. I can't afford them all, so I'm doing the typical trial periods then trying to decide whether I want to splurge on the purchase. Some are just ridiculously expensive (unless you pay for the full year up front) and some are completely free, but extremely limited. I'm trying to do a hybrid of podcasts, youtube, apps and even physical books; this combination seems kind of effective, but with so many resource options, I end up doing only a little bit with each. I need structure!

For apps, the ones that I seem to have pretty good luck with are HelloChinese, Chineasy, Yo Yo Chinese, DuChinese (and the indispensable Pleco...). Which ones do you all have good luck with in terms of progress? I've certainly found out that there's no one app to rule them all. Which ones have you decided to pay for and found out that you had good progress with?

Hey everyone,
I’ve set myself a pretty wild challenge and could use some advice from people who have been down this road.
A close friend of mine is getting married to his Chinese girlfriend in about 2 years. He’s lined me up as his best man and joked/threatened that I’ll need to give a speech. I want to turn the tables on him and deliver part or all of my best man speech as a complete surprise in Mandarin.
The Timeline: Roughly 2 years.

The Goal: A heartfelt, understandable wedding speech (not fluency, but enough to genuinely shock and impress the bride, groom, and guests).

Current Level: Absolute zero. I speak English natively and have never studied an Asian language before.

I know consistency and focusing on spoken Mandarin/pinyin early on is key, but I'm trying to figure out the best blueprint for a complete beginner.
If you were starting from scratch today with a 24-month horizon and a heavy focus on eventually speaking/speech-giving, how would you structure your first few months? Any specific apps, beginner traps to avoid, or advice on when to bring in a tutor would be hugely appreciated!

I'm looking for chinese tiktokers who just post random things but have english subtitles in their videos.

Hopefully it will help me get used to hearing the language in a more casual way.

A really good example of what I'm looking for is this tiktoker: https://www.tiktok.com/@charocked
Only issue is her videos are in korean instead of mandarin haha.

I also like that she has both english and korean characters as subtitles, so preferably they would also have subtitles in both languages.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Je suis étudiante en master spécialisé dans l'enseignement du chinois à l'étranger et j'ai besoin d'utiliser les données issues de questionnaires ou d'entretiens réalisés auprès d'apprenants français ayant utilisé la « Méthode de chinois : deuxième niveau » (《中级汉语》) pour ma thèse de fin d'études. Ces données seront utilisées à des fins de recherche universitaire et ne porteront pas atteinte à la vie privée. J'ai vraiment besoin de distribuer ces questionnaires à ces personnes et j'espère que vous n'hésiterez pas à me contacter si vous lisez ce message.

我是印尼华裔，前正在提高汉语水平。需要HSK7-9级难度的法律汉语学习资料比如：教材、阅读材料、案例分析等等。有没有前辈推荐或分享DF材料？ 感激不尽🙏。

I was curious where I stood on the new HSK 3.0 levels and also how I differ for reading and listening ability, so I made a quick test for it. Most tests I found were still on the old HSK 2.0 levels and didn't separate reading and listening. (I'd consider reading more reliable as pure listening out of context isn't ideal)

This HSK level estimator is free to use, no signup, takes about 1 minute per mode: reading and listening.

Disclaimer: It's part of Funetical, a Mandarin vocab building/review app I run, but the test is standalone.

https://funetical.com/level-test

Basically the tile. I’m in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale and am looking for an in-person mandarin (simplified) instructor. I’m a beginner. So far, I’ve found two groups of instructors…

(a) The young foreigner. This guy or gal really just speaks Mandarin fluently and passable English, but isn’t too well versed in the technical aspects of the language. “Teaching” is mostly comprised of chatting and sprinkling a few new words and phrases here and there. People who fit into this category, from what I’ve gathered, don’t use books, never taught the language in a serious way, and don’t appear to speak English well enough to teach a native English speaker.

(b) Less common is the pro. This person teaches at the local college, studied the language at university, and is fluent in both English and Mandarin. Accent or not, the pro knows mandarin inside and out and they’re good at conveying that information, usually with study materials and a study plan for in between sessions. The problem. The pro is expensive lol.

Looking for someone in between these two categories, preferably more like the later, in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area. Please DM me if you know someone. Thank you!

Hello!

I've been looking for an app to practise my Russian and Chinese pronunciation with music. Yeah, I know, weird method but it helps me to be persistent.

I'm currently using Sounter on Android to practise my French, but I need something like that for my other languages, as well. Mooveez or Lingopie are heavily limited in free plans. So, I was wondering in anyone knows a hid gem that I could use. For Android.

Hi! I’m looking for someone who genuinely enjoys teaching Mandarin and would like more experience teaching it in English.

I’d love to keep the sessions focused on learning Mandarin while giving you a chance to practise explaining things and developing your teaching style.

I’ve visited China before and genuinely fell in love with the country and its people. I’m hoping to go back, but this time I’d like to be able to communicate with locals.

We could try a session or two first and, if we both enjoy the arrangement, continue from there. I’m in the UTC+3 time zone.

Hello!! I’m an international student in china and i’m looking for chinese friends to practice chinese with!! i like gacha games and anime and manga and books and soooo many other things and i love making friends and just chatting!!