You Can Learn Chinese
You can Learn Chinese, a podcast by Jared Turner and John Pasden of Mandarin Companion. Hear Chinese learning experts discuss how to learn Mandarin!
Latest Posts
How to learn similar words the right way
In this episode John and Jared share the proper way to compare similar words, characters, sounds, and grammar points. There’s a time and a place…
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Improving your listening skills (Part 2 of 2)
John and Jared talk about three types of research-backed strategies and tips you can employ to improve your listening skills, specifically in the areas where…
Improving your listening skills (Part 1 of 2)
Listening is one of the biggest challenges for Chinese learners. In this two part series, John and Jared talk about the most complicating factors to…
The Truth about Chinese subtitles
John and Jared use research to address issues related to watching movies in Chinese, with and without Chinese subtitles. Find out what the academics say…
Colorful or Clean? Swearing in Chinese
How do Chinese people feel about a foreigner with a potty mouth in Chinese? Are curse words worth learning? John and Jared talk about swearing…
Reading the News: Do’s and Dont’s
Reading a Chinese newspaper is a common goal for many learners, but is it the right goal for you? John and Jared talk about what…
The rivalry: Beijing vs. Shanghai
John and Jared answer a listener’s question about the rivalry between China’s two most famous cities: Shanghai and Beijing. They discuss culture, history, and language…
Why is Chinese so damn hard?
John and Jared are going to revisit and unpack this classic question posed by Dr. David Moser three decades ago and identify what is hard…
Pop-up dictionaries: Helpful or not?
Electronic pop-up dictionaries are all the rage! But are they really helping you improve your Chinese? John and Jared take a research-based look at the…
8 tips for using your dictionary
A dictionary is frequently one of the first things you buy when learning a language. In this episode, John and Jared will give you tips…