Learn Chinese Online - Beginner Lessons

Beginner Lesson - Videos - Survival Chinese - What time is it?

Are you in a rush to go to your chinese language class? Don't worry because at VisualMandarin we are quite patient. We will wait for you no matter how late you are. That's why we are here isn't it? But if you have a date or a very important chinese language exam, you might not be so lucky. So it is better to always be in control of time. In this video Demi will teach you how to ask "what time is it?"

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 - How to sing Happy Birthday in Chinese

This podcast is dedicated to those whose birthday is coming up. We want to sing you a happy birthday song! Not just any happy birthday song. We want to sing a happy birthday song in Chinese specially for you. Tune in with Teresa and Amy and let the concert begin.

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 - You only swiped once?

How many of us unwillingly deceived a bus driver by forgetting to drop the coin or in some cases forget to swipe the correct number of times? Maybe you can get away with that where you live, but not here. LIsten to this podcast and find out how the bus driver reacted.

What you will learn today:
- How to say - To swipe a card: 刷卡
- How to apologise, show embarrassment: 不好意思

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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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.