Here we explore everyday Chinese vocabulary in ways that make sense to an adult learner – and we have FUN doing it!
(Find out more about our Fun Learning Chinese (FLC) Firecracker membership below)
I tried more formal, academic approaches to learning Chinese, but they were too dry and boring. I was very pleased to find a tutor who saw the benefit of learning a foreign language the way we all learn our first language.
We learn language best through trying to communicate about the things we are actually doing and thinking about in our lives.
My Chinese tutor, Vesta is her English name, is a native Chinese speaker who grew up in Taiwan. She has years of language teaching experience. You can listen to her biography by clicking below:
An Interview with My Chinese Tutor
She has been patiently helping me learn the Chinese language since the summer of 2009. We have conversations and share stories, many of which end up getting thoroughly translated and posted on this website.
What you can get for free
Almost every story or discussion has a corresponding audio recording that is published as a podcast via iTunes or any podcast player that uses the iTunes podcast feed. You can also listen on Spotify.
The podcasts are free. You can listen anytime to practice your listening skills.
(If the Fun Learning Chinese Podcast is not showing up on your podcast player of choice, please shoot me an email and I will see about getting it there.)
There are advantages to becoming a Firecracker member
Each podcast has a diagrammed translation, with helpful notes, that is available for FLC Firecracker members.
To find out more about becoming an FLC Firecracker member, please click here.
If you would like to see a diagrammed translation, here are a couple of them that are available for non-members to view:
I Explain How to Make Hot Chocolate 我說明怎麼做熱巧克力 in Chinese
Alaskan Grizzly Bears and Salmon Bones 阿拉斯加灰熊和鮭魚骨頭 in Chinese
If you aren’t quite ready to take advantage of the benefits of being an FLC Firecracker member, you can purchase pdf Singles of FLC diagrammed translations (as they become available) here: FLC pdf Singles have been discontinued.
There are two ways to be a Firecracker member:
Monthly Firecracker Member
Annual Firecracker Member
Thanks for checking us out and we hope you are having as much fun learning Chinese as we are!