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  • Want to Learn More Mandarin? Study Less

    Want to Learn More Mandarin? Study Less

    Most Mandarin learners I speak to aren’t short on resources. They’re drowning in them.

    Three flashcard apps. Two textbooks. A grammar course they’re halfway through. An HSK vocab list, a character-writing app, a tone trainer, a YouTube playlist saved “for later”, and a podcast they listen to on 1.5x speed while doing something else.

    And after all that, they still freeze when someone asks them a simple question in Mandarin.

    Here’s the slightly counterintuitive idea behind this post: if you want to learn more Mandarin, you probably need to study less. Not less time, necessarily, but far fewer things. Pick the few activities that actually get the results, and put almost all of your time into them. That’s the secret to a Mandarin study routine that actually works.

    Simple Mandarin study routine: input, study and output

    The resource overload trap

    There has never been more stuff out there for learning Mandarin. That’s great, but it comes with a hidden cost.

    Every new resource feels like progress. Downloading an app, buying a course or building a new study plan gives you a little hit of motivation. It feels productive. But setting up your learning isn’t the same as learning.

    The more things you try to do, the more of these problems creep in:

    • Your time gets spread thin. Ten minutes here, fifteen minutes there. Nothing gets enough repetition to actually stick, and repetition is key for successful learning.
    • You spend more time managing than learning. Keeping streaks alive across five apps becomes the goal, rather than understanding and speaking Mandarin.
    • You never find out what works. When you’re doing everything at once, it’s impossible to tell which activity is actually making you better.
    • You burn out. A Mandarin study routine with ten moving parts is hard to keep up. One busy week and the whole thing collapses.

    I see this all the time with students I work with. They’re working really hard, but a lot of that effort goes into activities that barely touch the thing they actually want, which for most people is to understand native speakers and hold a real conversation. I’ve even seen students ‘procrastinate’ by doing things that seem easier, e.g. practicing calligraphy when they know they should be speaking, because speaking ‘feels harder’.

    The 80/20 rule for learning Mandarin

    You’ve probably heard of the 80/20 rule (the Pareto principle): roughly 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts.

    It isn’t a precise law of nature, but it’s a surprisingly useful way to think about language learning. Out of everything you could be doing to improve your Mandarin, a small handful of activities account for most of your progress. The rest are nice-to-haves at best, and distractions at worst.

    So the goal isn’t to find more things to do. It’s to:

    1. Find your 20%: the few activities that genuinely make you better at understanding and speaking.
    2. Put the majority of your time into them.
    3. Cut, or heavily reduce, everything else.

    This is where most learners get it backwards. They keep adding resources, hoping the next one will be the breakthrough, when the breakthrough is usually doing the boring basics consistently, day after day.

    Part of the problem is that everything in language learning is marketed as the one and only breakthrough, but very few things actually live up to that expectation. I’ll openly admit I have a course based on learning Chinese in chunks, and a bit of software (it’s called the Fluency Trainer) that helps you learn to construct natural sentences out loud. But as great as they are (and I use my Fluency Trainer daily), if you’re already swamped with resources, don’t just add them to the pile. If you are going to get a new app/course etc, use them to replace something else, not as one more thing to do.

    My simple Mandarin study routine

    People are often surprised by how simple my Mandarin study routine is. There’s no complicated system. It has three parts: input, study and output.

    1. Input: listen and watch a lot

    I listen to podcasts (like Tea Time Chinese, 大叔中文 Dashu Mandarin and Mandarin Corner early on in my learning, and now things like 霓达播客 and 大人的Small Talk) and audiobooks, and I watch TV shows in Mandarin. That’s it.

    This is where most of my time goes, and it’s the easiest part to fit into a busy day. Commuting, cooking, going for a walk, winding down in the evening: all of it can be Mandarin time.

    Lots of input is what lets you keep up with native-speed speech. It also exposes you to how people actually talk, which is often quite different from the textbook.

    2. Study: note down useful sentences and review them

    While I’m listening or watching, I note down useful sentences. Not individual words, but whole sentences or chunks that I can imagine myself saying.

    Then I throw them into my Fluency Trainer for review. Because I practice building and saying those sentences out loud, they don’t just sit in my head as things I recognise. They become things I can actually say. (If you’re wondering how this compares with flashcards, here’s my Anki vs. Fluency Trainer comparison.)

    This is the bridge between input and output. Input gives you the raw material, and review makes sure it sticks.

    3. Output: have regular conversations

    Finally, I have regular conversations in Mandarin with friends.

    This is where everything comes together. The sentences I’ve been reviewing start popping up naturally, and I quickly find the gaps: things I wanted to say but couldn’t. Those gaps become the next sentences I note down, and the cycle starts again.

    Why it works

    Each part feeds the next:

    • Input gives me new language in real context.
    • Study turns the most useful bits into something I can produce.
    • Output puts it to use and shows me what I’m still missing.

    No grammar workbooks, no five different apps, no complicated schedules. Just three activities, done consistently.

    If you want to see how this fits into an actual day, I break it down in How to Speak Mandarin Confidently: A Simple Daily System That Actually Works.

    How to build your own Mandarin study routine

    Your 20% might not look exactly like mine, and that’s fine. Here’s how to work it out.

    1. Get clear on your goal. If you want to speak Mandarin confidently, your time should mostly go into things that build listening and speaking. Hours of handwriting practice won’t get you there, however satisfying it feels.

    2. List everything you’re currently doing. Every app, course, book and habit. Be honest. Most people are surprised by how long the list is.

    3. Ask one question about each item: does this directly help me understand real Mandarin at native speed or say what I want to say? If the answer is “sort of” or “not really”, it’s a candidate for the chop. You need to be a bit more brutal with what you’re doing with your time if you want to make real progress.

    4. Look at what’s actually made you better. Think back to the moments you noticed real progress. What were you doing at the time? That’s a strong clue to your 20%. e.g. I noticed that conversations with friends grew my speaking and listening abilities massively, I also noticed that things I put in my Fluency Trainer just naturally work their way into my future conversations, finally, audiobooks have significantly boosted my vocabulary and motivation. So these are the cornerstone of my routine.

    5. Cut ruthlessly, then double down. Drop or pause the low-value activities, and move that time into the high-value ones. You’ll probably end up studying a similar number of hours, but far more of them will count.

    6. Stick with it. The hardest part isn’t choosing a simple routine. It’s resisting the urge to add the shiny new app you see next month. Give your new Mandarin study routine a few months before you judge it. I would recommend taking some inspiration from my routine, as I’ve found it to work for many others too. I go into more detail in my video Day in My Life Learning Mandarin While Writing My PhD Thesis.

    FAQ

    How many hours a day should I study Mandarin?

    Consistency matters more than hours. A routine you can keep up every day beats a heroic study session once a week. Most of that time can be easy input, like podcasts on your commute, with a short daily review and regular conversations on top. I want to set you the challenge of getting in 1 or 2 hours of Mandarin a day (that sounds hard, but if you use time like your commute, cooking, cleaning, it’s much easier than you think).

    What’s the best Mandarin study routine?

    Focus on the few activities that build real listening and speaking: lots of input, reviewing useful sentences, and speaking with real people. Cut the activities that don’t directly help you with your listening and speaking (if these are your main goals)/

    How many resources should I use to learn Mandarin?

    Fewer than you think. One or two sources of input you enjoy, one tool to review (e.g. my Fluency Trainer) what you’re learning, and one way to practice speaking is plenty.

    Learn more Mandarin by doing less

    Learning Mandarin isn’t about doing everything. It’s about doing the right few things, a lot.

    For me, that’s lots of input, reviewing useful sentences, and talking to real people. Simple, but it works, and it’s the Mandarin study routine I’ve stuck with for years.

    If you want a simple way to handle the study part, give my Fluency Trainer a try: add the sentences you come across and practice saying them out loud until they come out naturally in conversation. You can also sign up to my free email course for more tips like this.

    And I’m curious: what’s in your current Mandarin study routine, and what could you cut? Let me know in the comments here or over on my YouTube channel.

  • How I Actually Learn Mandarin: Your Questions Answered

    How do I actually learn Mandarin? You’ve been asking, so this post answers your questions directly. Flashcards have been a huge part of my journey, so most of the questions are about them, but we’ll also cover listening, speaking, native-speed reductions and how long it all took.

    By the way, feel free to watch the video version here

    Cloze deletion or English-to-Mandarin flashcards?

    Both work very well, and I used both. They just have different strengths.

    • Cloze deletion blanks out part of a Mandarin sentence and you fill the gap.
    • English-to-Mandarin shows you an English sentence and you recall the whole Mandarin sentence.

    Cloze deletion: great for thinking in Mandarin

    Because the whole card is in Mandarin, cloze cards train you not to translate into English. They also sharpen your sense of context: where a word naturally goes in a sentence.

    The downside is that you start recognising the shape of the card. After enough reviews, you see where the gap is and the answer pops out automatically. You haven’t really done the work.

    The fix is what I call sentence transformation: take the original sentence and make new versions by swapping parts in and out. It’s harder at lower levels, but it beats the recognition problem.

    English-to-Mandarin: great for building sentences

    The obvious worry here is translation. But translation only causes two real problems for learners:

    1. Translating while listening. If you have to convert everything to English to understand it, you’ll fall behind. The cure is listening so much that you simply don’t have time to translate, and consciously telling yourself to just understand and enjoy it.
    2. Translating word for word when speaking. Learners who don’t know how a Mandarin sentence is built go English word, Mandarin word, English word, Mandarin word.

    That second one breaks what I call the conversation rule: in a real conversation you don’t have time to translate, because the conversation will have moved on before your sentence is ready.

    The way around both is to learn in chunks. With chunks, you aren’t translating word by word; you’re slotting ready-made pieces together.

    The big advantage of English-to-Mandarin cards is that you build whole sentences rather than filling gaps. That mimics what you actually do in conversation. It’s why, when I built my fluency trainer, I moved to whole English-to-Mandarin sentences: for many learners, it can work better (as long as you don’t translate word-for-word). That said, try a mix of both in Anki and see what works for you.

    How to make good cloze deletions

    Should you hide the whole chunk? Most of the time, yes. If that chunk is what you’re trying to learn, hide all of it.

    Should you add English? It depends on how clear the gap is:

    • If the context makes the missing piece obvious, keep the card entirely in Mandarin.
    • If you’re hiding a whole chunk, you’ll usually need English to make it specific. That’s fine.

    A big weakness of cloze cards is that without English they can be so vague that almost anything fits the gap. At that point you’re guessing, not learning.

    There’s also a middle option: split the chunk into two cloze deletions, one per part. Then you can usually work it out from context without any English.

    Should you make several cards for each chunk?

    My view here has changed over time. To use a chunk flexibly in conversation, you need to see it in several contexts. So I’d add two or three cards for important chunks, especially with English-to-Mandarin cards (multiple cloze cards for one chunk tend to look the same anyway).

    Balance that against how fast your vocabulary is growing. Go big on the chunks that really matter, not on everything.

    A feature I’m excited about in my Fluency Trainer is this: attach several very similar sentences to one chunk, each with small changes, and show a random one at each review. You see a new context every time, so you internalise the chunk instead of memorising a sentence.

    That’s the real skill behind speaking confidently. It isn’t reciting memorised sentences like a script; it’s building sentences on the spot to say what you mean.

    20,000+ flashcards: don’t the reviews run away?

    Not if the cards are good. When I was adding 10 to 15 new cards a day and getting over 90% right with long-term retention, I had around 100 reviews a day. If you’re quick, that’s 15 to 20 minutes.

    The catch: go back and delete or fix the cards you keep failing. Most of the time, forgetting something isn’t about your memory. It’s a poorly designed card.

    Do I still use Anki?

    Yes, every day, because all my reviews live there. But I now put new material into my fluency trainer instead. Abandoning Anki for new cards was a tough call after using it for so long. The main reason is that I can speak into the trainer, and I simply prefer it.

    I actually think flashcards matter more as you advance:

    • Beginner: somewhat less important.
    • Intermediate: very important.
    • Advanced: still very important, because new words and chunks are rarer and more technical. You may not hear them again for a long time, so a flashcard is your snapshot of it.

    So even at a high level, keep treating new material as seriously as you did early on.

    Should you delete old cards?

    Yes and no. Mature cards end up with review intervals of years, so they barely cost you anything. I can’t be bothered to delete them, so I leave them. Badly designed cards, though, I delete or fix straight away.

    Can I buy your Anki decks?

    I get this question constantly, and the answer is no. I don’t sell them or even give them away, because flashcards should be personal.

    Beyond the core chunks everyone needs to build sentences, your vocabulary depends on your job, family, where you live and your background. What you talk about will be different from what I talk about. My cards make sense to me, but they’d be a rocky road for anyone trying to go from beginner to fluent with them. Personalised cards will serve you far better.

    This is why, although I think my Fluency Trainer curriculum works very well, I encourage my students to add their own sentences they come across into the system to personalise their learning.

    Do Mandarin subtitles hurt your listening?

    In Mandarin they’re unavoidable: almost every video comes with subtitles. The key is not becoming over-reliant on them, and the easiest way is to listen to lots of podcasts, which have none.

    Mix subtitled video with plenty of podcasts and real conversations and you’ll be fine. Subtitles are even a plus, because they make looking up new words and sentence mining much easier.

    Imitation and self-talk (自言自语)

    Listening and repeating is one of the best things you can do. I did a lot of shadowing and sentence-by-sentence imitation, because pronunciation, and especially rhythm, is a big issue for non-native speakers.

    You don’t need a native accent. You do need a solid one that anyone can understand clearly and easily. Five to ten minutes a day repeating native speakers will get you there.

    Self-talk is something I’m a big believer in. Most of us listen, read and study characters a lot, but don’t speak nearly enough. Speaking is a skill that needs training, and talking to yourself lets you practice anywhere, any time.

    The risk is that you might be making mistakes. Don’t worry too much, as long as they don’t get in the way of communicating and you get corrections when you need them. To lower the risk, stick to things you’re confident about.

    For example, when I was studying medicine at university, I’d sit in my room between study sessions naming objects in Mandarin until I hit one I couldn’t name. It grew my vocabulary and my confidence speaking out loud.

    How do you get things out of Anki and into conversation?

    A lot of learners find words get stuck in their flashcards. Anki gets something into your head so you can say it. Using it repeatedly is what makes it stick for life:

    • in real conversations, ideally
    • out loud, on your own
    • in your own practice sentences
    • in practice with AI
    • through sentence transformation (see above)

    At its simplest: make a list of the things you struggle to say, and make your own sentences with them until they come out naturally in conversation.

    Why can’t I keep up with native-speed speech?

    One Mandarin learner commented on a YouTube video of mine saying they know all the official tongue positions but get lost in the reductions native speakers use. Are they hearing it wrong?

    Mostly, it’s just speed. Native speech feels impossibly fast at first, but once you’ve heard enough of it, it almost starts to sound slow.

    There are some real reductions, though, especially in northern China. In fast speech, sh and zh initials often soften into something close to an r sound. For example: [add example word or phrase]. This is probably the most common reduction that trips learners up.

    The solution is lots and lots of listening. You’ll gradually start to notice these and pick them up.

    Why Mandarin sentences can feel ambiguous

    Another learner asked how to use context quickly to follow what someone is saying. I think the real issue is that Mandarin can be quite vague. Unlike English, it often drops the subject, and a sentence can carry more than one meaning.

    Here’s an example I came across while designing some learning materials: 你应该早点来找我. Depending on context, it can mean either:

    • Past: “Why didn’t you come and find me earlier?” (you should have)
    • Future: “You should come and find me early.”

    This comes up a lot in Mandarin. To handle it:

    • get plenty of exposure and have lots of conversations
    • be aware that this ambiguity exists
    • practice at the sentence level so you really understand how Mandarin sentences are built

    It’s one of the harder, often-overlooked nuances of the language, and it simply takes practice.

    Podcast recommendations for HSK 4–5

    First, some news: I’m going back to making Mandarin podcasts myself, aiming for one a week with my girlfriend and other guests. Expect stories about my life, some crazy things that have happened, Mandarin learning and culture.

    Beyond that, my two top picks:

    • Tea Time Chinese – slightly easier, and one I recommend a lot.
    • 大叔中文 Dashu Mandarin – slightly harder. I’ve been on their channel many times and it’s one of my favourites. Nearly every learner I speak to loves it.

    How long did it take me?

    I’ve been learning Mandarin consistently for nearly seven years, and I’ve almost never missed a day. After about two years I was pretty happy with my level.

    The five years since have mostly gone into expanding my vocabulary, especially the technical side: language for my PhD, medicine and similar topics.

    Got more questions?

    I’d love to do more relaxed Q&As like this, talking through the problems you’re having with Mandarin. If anything here raised a follow-up, or I misread your question, drop it in the comments either here or over on my YouTube channel, and I’ll answer it next time.

  • Glossika vs. Chunking Chinese Fluency Trainer: The Best Glossika Alternative for Learning to Speak Mandarin

    If you’ve been learning Mandarin seriously for a while, there’s a good chance Glossika has come up. It’s one of the few tools built specifically around full sentences rather than isolated vocabulary, and its listen-and-repeat method has a loyal following. If you’re reading this, there’s also a decent chance you’re weighing it up against other options, including Chunking Chinese Fluency Trainer. So here’s an honest look at how the two actually work, where they overlap, and where they don’t.

    How Glossika Works

    Glossika is a mass-sentence, listen-and-repeat training system. Each session gives you five new sentences, and you work through five repetitions of each, twenty-five reps in total: hear the sentence, hear the native-speaker audio, repeat it back. Its spaced repetition engine (Glossika calls it GSR) schedules your reviews around which sentences you’re most likely to be forgetting.

    A typical rep looks like this:

    • You hear an English (or your native-language) sentence.
    • You hear the Mandarin translation, spoken by a native speaker, usually twice.
    • You repeat it, or in full practice mode, type it out and record yourself saying it.

    There’s a lot to like about this. Full sentences give you word order, natural rhythm, and context that isolated vocabulary never can, and Glossika’s native-speaker audio is genuinely useful for pronunciation and listening speed. Its spaced repetition engine is also solid: it’s the same underlying principle Anki and most serious language tools use, applied here to full sentences rather than single words.

    The main limitation is on the production and feedback side. The exercises are built around recognising and reproducing sentences that already exist in Glossika’s bank, so you’re not asked to build new sentences of your own or in new contexts. And in full practice mode, while you can record yourself speaking, the recording is saved without any correction, so you don’t get told whether your pronunciation or tones were actually right. Each sentence in the bank also has one fixed form, so there’s no way for the system to recognise a different, equally correct way of phrasing the same idea.

    Where Chunking Chinese Fluency Trainer Takes a Different Approach

    I built the Fluency Trainer to focus specifically on the piece I just described: taking language you’ve learned and actually producing new sentences in different contexts with it, rather than reproducing sentences you’ve been given. A few of the specific ways that shows up:

    Sentences are constructed, not repeated. Instead of hearing the Mandarin answer and echoing it, you get an English prompt and build the Mandarin sentence yourself, using chunks you’ve already learnt, in contexts you haven’t seen before.

    Chunks are typed by role. Every chunk in the database is tagged as an opener, a question, an opinion, an action, and so on, and I’ve written and organised every chunk and example sentence myself, with native speakers checking them, so the way they combine reflects how they’re actually used in real conversation.

    Alternative correct answers are recognised, not just one fixed sentence. There are usually several legitimate ways to express the same English sentence in Mandarin, depending on register and which chunks you reach for. The Fluency Trainer is built to recognise more than one correct construction for a given prompt, rather than grading against a single fixed answer.

    Pronunciation and tone feedback is character-by-character. We’ve recently built this in directly: when you speak a sentence, you get feedback down to the individual character and tone, rather than just a saved recording.

    Chunks are introduced before they’re tested, and new exercises specifically target the chunks you’re weakest on, rather than moving through a fixed, generic sequence.

    Your progress is shown as a connected network rather than a list of separate items, so you can see how a new chunk links up with what you already know.

    You can add your own sentences. Glossika’s sentence bank is fixed and curated centrally, so everything you train on is generic by design. In the Fluency Trainer, you can add your own sentences, ones from your own conversations, your own life, things you actually want to be able to say, so you’re not limited to material someone else chose for you. You can customize and personalise your learning experience, which played a big role in my Mandarin when I was using Anki, and continues to to do as I use the Fluency Trainer daily. (You can see a comparison of Fluency vs Anki here)

    None of this makes Glossika a bad tool. It’s built to solve listening comprehension and pronunciation exposure, and it does that well. The Fluency Trainer is built to solve a different problem: getting you from recognising Mandarin to actually producing it under a bit of real pressure with instant, flexible feedback so you know where to improve.

    Where Glossika Is a Genuinely Good Fit

    If your current bottleneck is pronunciation, listening speed, or getting your ear used to natural sentence rhythm, especially once you already have a base of vocabulary and grammar, Glossika’s shadowing format is well suited to exactly that. It covers 65 languages, which is useful if Mandarin isn’t the only one you’re working on, and I especially like that it offers a programme for rarer/minority languages that most tools ignore entirely. (In fact, it very generously offers these for free!)

    Where it’s less suited is training flexible sentence construction: holding a real conversation, answering a question you didn’t anticipate, or saying something about your own life that isn’t already sitting in its sentence bank. That’s a different skill, and it’s the one the Fluency Trainer is built around.

    Choosing Between Them

    These two tools are honestly solving different problems, so the more useful question isn’t “which one is better” but “which gap are you trying to close.” If it’s pronunciation and listening speed, Glossika is a solid choice, and plenty of learners use it well. If it’s the ability to construct your own sentences and actually speak in real conversations, that’s what I built the Fluency Trainer for: a chunk database, pattern-based exercises, sentence construction with feedback, synonym-aware grading, and character-level pronunciation feedback, all aimed at production rather than repetition.

    Spaces in each new batch are limited, so if you want hands-on support as you build toward speaking Mandarin in real conversations, join the waiting list here.

  • How to Use 了 in Mandarin: 5 Simple Sentence Patterns You Can Start Using Today

    If you’re learning Mandarin, how to use 了 in Mandarin can feel like a total mystery. Many learners get completely stuck on it, thinking it only marks past tense. But in reality, 了 is far more versatile, and understanding it is key to speaking Mandarin naturally.

    Over the years, I’ve helped thousands of Mandarin learners break out of the intermediate plateau and start speaking confidently using chunking, learning short phrases and sentence patterns that can be combined to form sentences automatically. In this post, I’m going to teach you five simple sentence patterns using 了 that you can use in real conversations immediately, and learn how to use 了 in Mandarin without memorizing complicated grammar rules.

    Why Learners Struggle With How To Use了 In Mandarin

    Most people think 了 only indicates the past tense, and this misunderstanding is why it’s so hard to use naturally. The truth is that 了 is a versatile particle that can show changes, completion, future events, stopping actions, and even wishful thinking. Once you start recognizing patterns, learning how to use了 in mandarin conversation becomes much easier.

    Understanding how to use 了 in Mandarin can significantly enhance your conversational skills.

    1. 快了 – Showing Something is About to Happen

    The first sentence pattern is 快了, which means “about to” or “will happen soon.” It’s used to show that something is imminent.

    Pattern:
    [Who] + 快 + [what is about to happen] + 了

    Examples:

    • 你现在才开始收拾行李呀，飞机快起飞了，你快点！
    • 我快收拾完了，等我一下，好不好？
    • 行行行，但你真的得快一点，我们快赶不上了。

    Tip: You might hear 飞机快要起飞了 – adding 要 is perfectly fine and carries the same meaning.

    2. 还有…就了 – Talking About Time Left Before Something Happens

    Next up is 还有…就了, which is perfect for saying how much time is left until an event.

    Pattern:
    还有 + [time left] + 就 + [event] + 了

    Examples:

    • 是不是快过年了呀？
    • 是呀，还有三天就春节了。
    • 那太好了，还有三天就能收红包了。

    Other variations you might hear:

    • 我还有一周就考试了。
    • 我还有一个月就要搬家了。

    3. 不了 – Showing Something is Stopping

    The 不了 pattern is used when something is stopping or no longer happening.

    Examples:

    • 我决定放弃做油管了，我不拍视频了。
    • 为什么呀？
    • 大家都不点赞了，也不评论了，我还拍什么呀？
    • 哎呀你别开玩笑啦，你真的不拍了吗？
    • 好的好的，我不开玩笑了，我怎么可能不拍了呢？

    This pattern is great for signaling a change or ending an action.

    4. 太了 – Expressing Strong Emotions

    太了 is used to emphasize emotions, often meaning “too” or “so” in a positive or emotional sense.

    Examples:

    • 我做的饭好吃吗？
    • 这个太好吃了！
    • 你太会做饭了！
    • 我太幸福了！

    You can find even more patterns like this in my sentence pattern and sentence starter PDFs or in my Chunking Chinese programme.

    5. 要是…就好了 – Expressing Wishful Thinking

    Finally, 要是…就好了 is used for wishes or hypothetical situations.

    Examples:

    • 我太怀念我在中国的日子了，我们要是在中国生活就好了。
    • 是呀，我要是能天天吃到中国菜就好了。

    This pattern is perfect for practicing natural, conversational Mandarin while expressing desires or wishes.

    Start Using 了 in Real Mandarin Conversations Today

    By learning these five sentence patterns, you’ll stop struggling with how to use 了 in Mandarin and start speaking naturally in real-life situations. Remember: the key is chunking, learning phrases as building blocks rather than memorizing endless grammar rules.

    With consistent practice, you’ll go from being stuck on 了 to using it effortlessly, and your Mandarin will sound much more natural.

    And if you want to go deeper with learning in chunks like we have done in this blog post, then check this out

  • Why You Understand but Can’t Speak Chinese(And How to Fix “Silent Chinese”)

    Many Chinese learners share the same frustrating experience:

    You’ve been learning Mandarin for years.
    You can understand podcasts and videos.
    But when it’s time to speak… nothing comes out.

    You still can’t speak Chinese!

    If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

    In this article, you’ll learn:

    • why “silent Chinese” happens
    • the two real reasons behind it
    • a simple 5-step system to turn passive knowledge into confident speaking

    What Is “Silent Chinese”?

    “Silent Chinese” describes learners who:

    • understand spoken and written Chinese
    • know lots of vocabulary
    • but struggle to form even basic sentences when speaking

    This isn’t a talent, motivation or intelligence problem.
    It’s a learning system problem.

    And this problem is the reason you can’t speak chinese, even with all your effort.

    The Two Reasons You Can’t Speak Chinese

    Reason 1: A Psychological Barrier to Speaking

    Many learners are afraid to speak because they:

    • feel nervous opening their mouth
    • worry about making mistakes
    • are too hard on themselves

    But here’s the truth:

    This barrier contributes to the feeling that you can’t speak chinese.

    Even native speakers make mistakes.

    Every error you make is not a failure, it’s a learning opportunity.
    If you wait until you’re “ready,” you’ll never speak.

    Focus on the fact that you can’t speak chinese yet, but you will.


    If you want to learn Chinese well, you will make mistakes.

    Progress only comes from persistence.

    This one mindset shift will help you go from ‘can’t speak chinese’ to well on the way to fluency.

    Many learners often feel they can’t speak chinese due to their fears.

    Reason 2: Your Passive Vocabulary Is Too Big

    Most learners spend years expanding their passive vocabulary:

    • words they can recognize
    • words they understand when reading or listening

    But speaking requires active vocabulary:

    • words that come out naturally
    • words you can use fluently in real conversation

    Understanding is not the same as being able to speak.

    Many people find they can’t speak chinese despite their understanding.

    How to Turn Passive Vocabulary into Active Vocabulary

    To fix this, you need a system, not random practice.

    Here’s the 5-step method I use and teach, called The Feedback Loop.

    Step 1: High-Quality Input (But Done Right)

    You need daily exposure to Chinese through:

    • reading
    • listening

    But two things matter most:

    Content must interest you

    If you’re bored, you won’t stick with it, and learning slows down.

    Content must match your level

    Not too easy.
    Not too hard.

    While listening or reading, write down expressions that feel useful, not random words.

    Step 2: Deliberate Learning with Anki

    Next, add those expressions into Anki.

    This is where many learners go wrong:

    I’ve made many videos on using Anki effectively, so I won’t repeat everything here.

    If you want a clear, step-by-step system, my ebook
    It’s Time to Make Mandarin Stick breaks down:

    • the entire feedback loop
    • which Anki cards to use
    • how to design them properly

    (It’s built specifically for learners stuck in “silent Chinese.”)

    Step 3: Output – Use Chinese in Real Life

    Anki helps words take root in your brain.

    But if you want to truly own them, you must use them.

    I’ve noticed:

    • words I use soon after learning – stick forever
    • words I never use – disappear

    Example:

    I learned the phrase “to want quick results” (for some reason I can’t write Mandarin characters on this blog!) while chatting with a friend.

    1. noticed it in conversation
    2. wrote it down
    3. added it to Anki
    4. used it repeatedly in real situations

    It quickly became automatic.

    That’s how vocabulary moves from passive to active.

    Step 4: Get Feedback (This Is Critical)

    Making mistakes is normal.
    Not correcting them is dangerous.

    Without feedback:

    • errors become habits
    • habits become hard to fix

    When you practice speaking:

    • ask native speakers for feedback
    • confirm your word choice
    • check tones and pronunciation

    If something is wrong, ask for:

    • the correct sentence
    • how a native would naturally say it

    Step 5: Turn Feedback into New Anki Cards

    This is the final and most powerful step.

    Every mistake becomes:

    • a new Anki card
    • a targeted correction
    • deliberate practice

    This almost guarantees:

    You won’t make the same mistake again.

    Why This System Works

    Most learners:

    • collect information
    • but don’t close the loop

    The feedback loop ensures:

    • mistakes lead to improvement
    • input leads to output
    • learning becomes permanent

    That’s how you stop being “silent.”

    Final Thoughts

    If you want to start speaking Chinese:

    • stop chasing more methods
    • start following one clear system
    • accept mistakes as part of progress

    Speaking Chinese isn’t about talent.
    It’s about training the right way.

    For a more in depth guide on how to apply the feedback loop to your Mandarin learning click here

  • 29 Hard-Earned Lessons to Speak Mandarin Confidently in 2026

    After five years of learning Mandarin, I’ve made just about every mistake you can imagine. Some mistakes cost months of wasted effort, others set back my confidence.

    Instead of letting you repeat them, I want to share the 29 biggest lessons I learned the hard way, the things that actually move the needle if you want to speak Mandarin confidently in 2026.

    We’ll skip the fluff and go straight to the actionable insights that will help you learn Mandarin faster, retain more, and actually enjoy the process.

    By the way, if you prefer video content click here.

    1. Stop Waiting to Speak

    Speaking isn’t something you earn at the end, it’s one of the main ways you learn. Don’t wait until you “feel ready.” Start speaking early on and you’ll learn to speak Mandarin confidently faster.

    2. You’ll Have Good Days and Bad Days

    Some days everything clicks; other days nothing makes sense. Progress is about the trend, not the daily feeling.

    3. Celebrate Small Wins

    Using a new word correctly or understanding a podcast you couldn’t before matters more than you think. Every small win is a step forward. If you want to speak mandarin confidently you need to first build your confidence, celebrating the little things on a daily basis will help with this.

    4. Re-watch, Re-read, Re-listen

    The first time through content, comprehension is limited, and that’s normal. The second, and third time is where real learning happens. You’ll find on the second and third pass through the same content you’ll be able to understand so much more.

    5. Handwriting Is Optional

    If your goal is speaking, you don’t need to handwrite every character unless you genuinely enjoy it. Focus on what matters to you.

    6. Stop Ignoring Tones

    Tones carry meaning. Ignoring them early creates problems that are much harder to fix later.

    7. Use Your “Dead Time”

    Turn walking, cooking, commuting, or chores into listening practice. Even passive exposure adds up over time.

    8. Work With Your Energy Levels

    Do hard tasks, like flashcards and speaking, when your energy is high. Save easier input, like listening, for low-energy moments.

    9. Talk to Yourself in Mandarin

    Narrate your life. It builds fluency and gradually shifts your internal monologue into Chinese. Trust me this is key for learning to speak Mandarin confidently.

    10. Stop Searching for the Perfect Method

    The learners who succeed are the doers, not the overthinkers. There is no perfect method, just start and keep going.

    11. Consistency Beats Intensity

    Short daily exposure beats long, infrequent study sessions every time.

    12. Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

    Everyone’s Mandarin journey is different. Comparison kills motivation. Focus on your own progress.

    13. Use Spaced Repetition Properly

    Tools like Anki and Mandarin Mosaic help you retain words so that you can actually use them, not just recognize them. To speak Mandarin confidently you need words and chunks ready for when you need them, and SRS can help you massively with this.

    14. Use New Words Actively

    If you don’t use a word in sentences or conversation, it won’t stick. Make sure you use all that you learn – if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.

    15. Learn Common Sentence Starters

    Often the hardest part of speaking is starting the sentence. Sentence starters make it easier to get talking.

    16. Learn Tones With Every New Word

    Don’t hope tones will “sink in naturally.” Learn them properly from the start and make sure you learn the tones for every new word, phrase or chunk you learn.

    17. Follow Your Interests

    Learning irrelevant textbook language kills motivation and retention. Stick to topics you love and follow your interests.

    18. Prioritize What You Learn

    You don’t need all the words, you need the right ones. Focus on frequency and usefulness. Try and learn words you genuinely think you’ll use in conversation.

    19. Learn in Context

    Isolated vocabulary doesn’t turn into speech. Context does.

    20. Learn Sentence Patterns

    Patterns let you express new ideas without building sentences from scratch.

    21. Don’t Obsess Over Grammar Rules

    Grammar only matters if you can apply it naturally while speaking.

    22. Learn to Think in Chinese

    Turn your daily internal monologue into extra practice time.

    23. Accept Repetition

    Repetition isn’t failure; it’s how fluency is built.

    24. Don’t Give Up

    Most learners fail for one reason only: they stop. Keep pushing forward and progress will come.

    25. Use AI Wisely

    AI is a tool to support learning, not a replacement for real input and language use.

    26. Don’t Fear Mistakes

    Mistakes are one of the fastest ways to improve. Embrace them.

    27. Drop Your Ego

    You’ll sound childish at first, that’s normal and necessary. Language learning is a humbling experience.

    28. Use Your Adult Advantages

    Combine listening with active study instead of trying to “learn like a baby.” Adults can accelerate learning in ways children can’t.

    29. Mandarin Isn’t Inherently Harder, It Just Takes Longer

    Constantly telling yourself how ‘hard’ is just going to slow you down. Change this mindset and everything becomes easier. Patience + consistency = results.

    Speak Mandarin Confidently in 2026

    Learning Mandarin is a long journey, but avoiding these common mistakes can save you years of frustration. Focus on speaking early, learning in context, and staying consistent.

    If you want me to guide you to improve your Mandarin speaking skills click here.

  • The Chunking Method for Learning Chinese: How to Speak More Fluently Without Memorising Endless Vocabulary

    The Chunking Method for Learning Chinese: How to Speak More Fluently Without Memorising Endless Vocabulary

    chunking method for learning chinese
    The Chunking Method for Learning Chinese

    “Speak more, listen more, read more.”

    If you’ve been learning Chinese for any amount of time, you’ve probably heard this advice countless times, and you’re probably tired of hearing it.

    But if you ask what actually made my Chinese improve rapidly in a short period of time, the answer is simple:

    Not just more listening, reading, or speaking, but instead using the chunking method for learning Chinese.

    So, in this article, I’ll break down the chunking method for learning Chinese, why it works, and exactly how to apply it step by step to dramatically improve your Chinese speaking skills.

    Why Memorising Vocabulary Alone Doesn’t Improve Chinese Speaking

    Most Chinese learners focus on one thing:
    expanding vocabulary size.

    I used to do the same.

    While learning new words isn’t wrong, there’s a big problem when vocabulary is learned in isolation, without context.

    The Problem With Learning Single Words

    When you memorise disconnected words:

    • You don’t know how to use them in real sentences
    • You don’t know what sounds natural
    • You freeze when speaking because your brain has to:
      • find the word
      • apply grammar rules
      • build the sentence from scratch

    If you’re at an intermediate level, this becomes especially frustrating.

    What Is the Chunking Method for Learning Chinese?

    Definition of Chunking

    Chunking means learning Chinese in ready-made pieces, not single words.

    These chunks include:

    • Common phrases
    • Fixed expressions
    • Sentence patterns
    • Frequently used structures

    Instead of memorising individual vocabulary items, you learn language that native speakers actually use in daily life.

    Why Chunking Works: The Puzzle Analogy

    Learning Chinese vocabulary word by word is like trying to complete a 2,000-piece puzzle:

    • You can’t find the piece you need
    • Even when you find it, you don’t know how it connects to others

    Chunking is like starting with already-connected puzzle pieces.

    Suddenly:

    • A 2,000-piece puzzle feels like 200 pieces
    • Sentence formation becomes faster
    • Speaking feels smoother and more natural

    This is exactly what chunking does for your language organisation ability.

    How Chunking Improves Chinese Speaking Fluency

    When you learn Chinese in chunks:

    • You don’t need to think about every sentence
    • Your speech becomes smoother
    • You can react faster in conversations
    • You sound more natural and native-like

    Instead of assembling sentences word by word, you connect larger blocks instantly. That’s the beauty of using the chunking method for learning chinese.

    Example: Why Chunks Are Easier Than Single Words

    Even as a native English speaker, I struggled to learn the word “gaslight”.

    Why?

    Because I knew the word, but not how to use it.

    Once I learned the chunk:

    “You’re gaslighting me”

    Everything clicked.

    The meaning, usage, and context became clear instantly.

    This exact principle applies when using the chunking method for learning chinese.

    The 3-Step Chunking System to Improve Chinese Speaking

    Here’s a simple and effective 3-step plan you can start using today to implement the chunking method for learning chinese.

    Step 1: Find Your Chunk Sources (Input With Purpose)

    Yes, you still need input. This is how the chunking method for learning chinese starts.

    But not textbook-only input.

    Best Sources for Chinese Chunks

    • TV shows and dramas you enjoy
    • Podcasts you like
    • Books or articles that interest you

    While listening or reading:

    • Pay attention to chunks used by native speakers
    • Write them down
    • Choose chunks that:
      • You’ll actually use
      • Are relevant to your daily life

    Relevant chunks are memorised much faster.

    Step 2: Learn the Chunks Properly

    Method 1: Anki + Spaced Repetition

    Use Anki flashcards with:

    • Spaced repetition
    • Active recall

    This is scientifically proven to improve retention.

    Method 2: Sentence Transformation (Highly Recommended)

    How it works:

    1. Copy the original sentence
    2. Change one small element:
      • subject
      • verb
      • adjective

    This keeps the structure intact while training flexibility.

    Step 3: Massive Output (Even Without Chinese Friends)

    Input alone is not enough.

    Chunks won’t stick unless you use them.

    “But I Don’t Have Chinese Friends…”

    That’s okay. I didn’t have Chinese friends when I first started learning either.

    I probably spent one-third to two-thirds of my speaking practice talking to myself. This was a key part of getting the chunking method for learning chinese to work for me.

    Here are 4 effective ways to practise output alone:

    1. Talk to Yourself in Chinese

    Describe:

    • Your surroundings
    • Your plans
    • What you’re doing right now

    This helps you:

    • Automate chunks
    • Start thinking in Chinese naturally

    2. Write a Daily Diary in Chinese

    Writing is also output.

    A short daily diary:

    • Improves sentence organisation
    • Reinforces chunks
    • Builds long-term fluency

    3. Chat With AI in Chinese

    Modern AI:

    • Sounds natural
    • Gives feedback
    • Corrects grammar and pronunciation

    If you don’t have speaking partners, this is a powerful alternative.

    4. Use Language Exchange Apps

    Apps like:

    • Tandem
    • HelloTalk

    You can:

    • Start with text
    • Move to voice calls
    • Split time between English and Chinese

    This was a huge part of my early Chinese learning journey.

    Final Thoughts: Why Chunking Leads to Real Fluency

    If you want to:

    • Speak Chinese smoothly
    • Stop freezing in conversations
    • Sound more natural

    Then stop memorising isolated words.

    Start learning Chinese in chunks, in context, and with output.

    Understanding Chinese is one thing.
    Speaking Chinese is another.

    And speaking Chinese is a trainable skill.

    If you want some more help applying the principles of Chunking to your Chinese learning, then click here.

  • 5 Pronunciation Mistakes Stopping You Speak Mandarin Confidently (and How to Fix Them)

    If you want to speak Mandarin confidently, pronunciation is non-negotiable. But here’s the surprising truth: most Chinese learners are making the same five major mistakes, and they often don’t even realize it.

    Why?
    Because native speakers rarely correct you.
    They don’t want to offend you, or they simply feel it’s impolite to point out mistakes.

    So in this article, I’ll play the “bad guy” for you.
    I’ll break down the 5 most common pronunciation mistakes that stop learners from sounding natural, and I’ll show you exactly how to fix them, so you can finally speak Mandarin confidently and smoothly like a native.

    Let’s dive in.

    PS. you can watch the video version here

    Pronouncing the Three “de’s” Too Heavily

    The first mistake most learners make involves the three common particles in Mandarin, the three ‘de’s’:

    Native speakers pronounce all of these very lightly, because they’re neutral tone words. In fast speech, Chinese speakers often swallow them completely.

    But many learners over-pronounce the neutral tone, making it sound unnatural and too heavy.

    How to fix it:

    • Pronounce all three de’s softly.
    • Only say them clearly when they’re at the end of a phrase.
    • When speaking quickly, you can even drop them—native speakers do it all the time.

    Mastering light neutral tones is essential if you want to speak Mandarin confidently without sounding stiff.

    Mispronouncing the 3rd Tone + 2nd Tone Combination

    This mistake is incredibly common, even intermediate and advanced learners struggle with it.

    Learners often pronounce this tone combo as two separate, isolated tones:

    But native speakers blend these together.
    The 3rd tone only dips slightly, and then the 2nd tone pulls it up:

    The trick is:
    – Don’t pronounce a full third tone
    – Shape just the dip
    – Let the second tone rise pull it smoothly upward

    How to fix it:

    • Listen to native recordings of 3rd + 2nd tone
    • Mimic their rhythm in chunks
    • Don’t overthink tones, focus on the flow

    This blending technique instantly makes you sound more natural and helps you speak Mandarin confidently in real conversations.

    Incorrect or Unnatural Use of Erhua

    Erhua is the “-r” sound added in some northern dialects, especially in Beijing.

    But learners tend to make two major mistakes:

    Mistake A: Adding Erhua in the Wrong Places

    That is, adding erhua where it doesn’t belong.

    Mistake B: Not Swallowing the Final Vowel

    Even when learners add erhua in the right word, they keep the full vowel sound, which is incorrect.

    For example:
    Incorrect – wán ér
    Correct – wá’r

    How to fix it:

    • Only use erhua when native speakers in that region do
    • When adding erhua, swallow the final vowel
    • Follow real northern pronunciation patterns, not guesses

    Using erhua correctly is advanced, but mastering it can boost your spoken Chinese and help you speak Mandarin confidently with native-like flow and a northern accent.

    Ignoring Intonation, Rhythm, and Pauses

    Many learners focus entirely on tones.
    And that’s good, at the beginner stage.

    But once you reach intermediate level, tones are no longer enough. If you ignore:

    • intonation
    • rhythm
    • natural pauses

    …your Chinese will sound robotic.

    The truth is: every region in China has its own rhythm and musicality. To sound natural, you need to copy the rhythm patterns of the speakers you listen to most.

    How I discovered this myself:
    Even after my tones were good, something still felt “off.” Native speakers told me my pronunciation was good, but not native-like. It wasn’t until I fixed my rhythm and intonation that my accent suddenly clicked into place.

    How to fix it:

    • Shadow real native audio
    • Pay attention to phrasing and pausing
    • Listen to long-form native speech (vlogs, conversations, dramas)

    Good rhythm is the key to speaking Mandarin confidently and sounding truly natural.

    If you want to learn Mandarin rhythm with me click here

    Overpronouncing the Third Tone

    This is similar to mistake #2, but even more common: learners exaggerate the 3rd tone every time they see it.

    Learners often pronounce third tone with a big dramatic dip, but native speakers rarely do this in the middle of a sentence.

    Why?
    Because full third tones slow down the rhythm.

    How to fix it:

    • Use half-third tones in the middle of sentences
    • Reserve full 3rd tones for emphasis , when a word stands alone or at the end of a sentence
    • Lighten your third tones to maintain natural flow

    Once you master lighter 3rd tones, your speech will instantly sound smoother, and you’ll be able to speak Mandarin confidently without the “learner accent.”

    Click here to get more help with losing your learner accent

    Final Thoughts: Fix These 5 Mistakes and Speak Mandarin Confidently

    These are five of the most common, and most damaging, pronunciation mistakes Chinese learners make:

    1. Overpronouncing “de”
    2. Mispronouncing 3rd + 2nd tone
    3. Incorrect erhua
    4. Ignoring rhythm, pauses, and intonation
    5. Exaggerating the 3rd tone in sentences

    Fixing them will dramatically improve the naturalness of your speech, help you understand native speakers better, and most importantly, help you speak Mandarin confidently in any situation.

    Happy studying – by the way if you want to learn Mandarin with me click here

  • How I Finally Started Speaking Mandarin (After Years of Feeling Stuck)

    In this post, Christopher, one of my Chunking Chinese students shares his story of how Chunking Chinese helped him start finally start speaking Mandarin naturally.

    How to Learn a Living Language

    I went about learning Mandarin the wrong way. 

    I never had a plan. I’d bounce between textbooks. I’d shy away from talking to people. 

    Somehow, I eventually reached an upper-intermediate level, but it was wobbly. I was conversational and functional, but was missing some fundamentals of grammar while being able to speak on advanced subjects. 

    I bought a book on sentence patterns thinking, “Language is just chunks and structures.” It’s a lovely book, and it remains lovely since its spine remains intact.

    Here was my problem… I’d reached a level where it was hard to find material. Beginner material was too easy, and native material too hard.

    Most Mandarin content on YouTube is focused on three things: content for absolute beginners; content about how to learn without actually teaching the language; or SHOCKING locals.

    That’s where Chunking Chinese came in. Chunking Chinese is designed specifically for a tragically under-served market, the intermediate learner. These are people who have the words but not the voice. There’s a big difference, you see, between saying Chinese words and speaking Chinese. 

    The Chunking Chinese method is elegant in its simplicity:

    1. Listen and Read (Normal Speed) — absorb the rhythm, get a feel for the flow.
    2. Slow Listening — hear every syllable clearly; notice the tone and texture.
    3. Sentence Imitation — chunk, pause, imitate pronunciation and intonation.
    4. Shadowing — remove the pauses; flow with the native rhythm.

    It’s not just listening practice, it’s a full reprogramming of your ear, tongue, and brain to sound like a human being again.

    If you’ve ever began your study from a textbook, you’ve started from a place likely of grammar and vocabulary, implicity installing an idea that language is static. But speech is alive. And the way people speak can’t be learned from a textbook. 

    That was my first mistake years ago: thinking I could learn tones and pronunciation from ink on a page.

    You can’t. Especially not in Mandarin. 

    Will’s approach flips that. It treats Mandarin as music before it treats it as meaning. You learn to hear the rhythm before you chase the tones. You learn to mimic the sound before you force the structure. And because each module repeats the same content in four scaffolded ways, you don’t just understand it, you internalize it. It gets into your ear, your mouth, your rhythm, and finally, your life.

    Here’s why I think Chunking Chinese works, and why it will work for you: it simply skips the academic clutter. 

    What’s happening is sophisticated and elegant, but spending time on the meta-learning can actually be a barrier to learning, if not at least a speed bump. Chunking Chinese gets you right to doing it, with each step building on the last. You’ll feel the progress by building familiarity rather than recalling theory. By the time you’ve shadowed the module 4 times, the sounds have shifted from foreign noise to an internalised and deeply felt sense. 

    More and more research points to the fact that our brains are prediction machines. Chunking Chinese gets you anticipating Mandarin. This places it worlds above other courses that teach you to decode Mandarin. They are different skills, and while one may lead to accuracy, the Chunking Chinese method leads to fluency. 

    It’s rare to find a programme that respects both the science of language and the art of speaking. Chunking Chinese does both. It’s thoughtful without being pedantic, structured without being stiff, and challenging without being overwhelming.

    If you’ve been stuck on the plateau, able to speak Chinese but not sound Chinese, I firmly believe Chunking Chinese will get you unstuck.

    If Christopher’s story resonates with you, you can find out more about Chunking Chinese below:

    Learn More

    If courses aren’t your thing, I’d also highly recommend the Fluency Trainer, which is a browser based software based around these principles. Check it out here

  • This Simple System Will Get You Fluent In Mandarin

    When I tell people I learned Mandarin to conversational fluency in just 1.5 years, they usually don’t believe me. In fact, when I started learning Mandarin I wouldn’t have believed it either.

    Just six months later, I even by some miracle became the UK National Mandarin Speaking Champion and started performing stand-up comedy in Mandarin. Albeit comedy is definitely not my strong point, you can check out my awful attempts here and here.

    Teachers were shocked. A few even asked if I’d secretly grown up with a Chinese nanny.

    (Spoiler: I didn’t. But you’ll have to wait until the end to find out the full story.)

    The truth is, I didn’t take traditional language classes. I didn’t spend hours on grammar drills or textbook grinding sessions. I used a system that I really want to share with you, one that actually worked. The cool thing is it hasn’t just worked for me, I’ve helped others implement it too… more on this later.

    And here’s the best part: I’m not a “language genius.”

    I nearly failed Spanish in school.

    So if I can learn Mandarin to conversational fluency, I believe with the right system in place, you can too. I really want help you achieve this and it’s the whole reason I founded Chunking Chinese.

    Let me show you exactly how I did it.

    Step 1: Find Your “Language Parents”

    Think about how babies learn languages, through patient parents.

    They babble, mispronounce words, and say total nonsense. Yet their parents listen, gently correct, and encourage them.

    Adults don’t usually get that luxury. But we can create it.

    Two weeks into learning Mandarin, I found my first “language parent.”

    His name was Ryan, a native speaker from school. I taught his sister maths, and in exchange, he agreed to spend one hour a day speaking Mandarin with me for four months.

    At that point, I barely knew any Mandarin. In all honesty, a month into learning Mandarin, trying to say something like “I ate porridge this morning” was an adventure to say at the least.

    I said ridiculous things. I mispronounced constantly. But Ryan stayed patient. He’d help me find the right words, correct me gently, and push me to keep going.

    Every session, I improved fast.

    It was the first time I realized how much real conversation accelerates learning.

    But it also revealed a new problem:

    After every lesson, I had a huge list of words and phrases to remember… and I forgot most of them by the next day.

    Step 2: Optimize Recall

    I tried everything, re-reading vocab lists, listening to recordings, endless repetition. Nothing stuck.

    Then I discovered the difference between recognition and recall.

    • Recognition is “I’ve seen this word before.”
    • Recall is “I can say this word and use it naturally in a sentence.”

    Most learners stop at recognition. That’s why their knowledge vanishes in real conversations.

    To fix that, I flipped my approach:

    • I started using flashcards backward the Mandarin word was on the back, not the front. Or using ‘cloze deletion’ flashcards
    • I forced myself to say each word aloud, use it in a sentence, and recall it from memory.

    But doing this once isn’t enough. You need timed repetition, that is, repetition + recall right before you forget.

    That’s when I discovered spaced repetition.

    Your memory is like a muscle: train it too often, and it’s tired; too infrequently, and it weakens. But if you review at just the right time, it gets stronger every session.

    I used Anki, an app that automatically schedules reviews when you’re about to forget.

    Suddenly, words that used to disappear in hours were sticking permanently.

    With just 30 minutes a day and 10–20 new cards, I built an active vocabulary of thousands of words.

    I also stopped memorizing single words and started learning mini-phrases, or chunks:

    Instead of memorizing “apple,” I learned “I want to eat an apple”, integrating vocabulary and sentence structure together.

    Soon, I started to think in Mandarin, not just recognize it.

    And this discovery is why I went on to build my Fluency Trainer

    But something was still missing.

    Before I tell you what that something is, I’ve got some good news for you. I created a free email course that breaks this system down step-by-step to take your Mandarin to the next level. Check it out here.

    Step 3: Immerse Yourself

    Vocabulary wasn’t the problem anymore, fluency was.

    Real fluency comes when you hear, speak, and think in the language constantly.

    So I went all in on immersion:

    • Listening to Mandarin podcasts while walking
    • Shadowing podcast hosts to copy their rhythm and tone
    • Chatting with language exchange partners
    • Narrating my day out loud in Mandarin

    At first, I understood maybe 30% of what I heard.

    But I kept going. 30% became 50%, then 75%, and eventually I could understand almost everything.

    Most people hear about immersion but do it passively, watching shows in the background or listening without focus.

    I did something different. I used 碎片时间 fragmented time/scraps of time.

    Five minutes here, ten minutes there. Short bursts of focused listening throughout the day. The effects of which snowballed and compounded without me even realising. Let me show you:

    If you can do an extra 30 minutes of listening a day that’s 274 hours over 1.5 years. An extra 60 minutes, equates to 548 hours. That’s a lot of listening practice which will bring you huge gains without much effort on your part.

    But the real game-changer came next.

    Step 4: Build Real Friendships (Active Immersion)

    Most learners stop at passive exposure, TV shows, YouTube videos and books.

    But passive input only gets you so far.

    To reach real fluency, I needed active immersion, that is, real friendships, real conversations, real mistakes.

    I started hanging out with Chinese friends and speaking only Mandarin.

    We cooked dumplings together. Celebrated Chinese festivals. Went dragon boat racing.

    Every interaction forced me to think and respond in Mandarin, without translating in my head.

    That’s the power of active immersion:

    • It pushes you to process language in real time.
    • It teaches you cultural nuance – what’s polite, what’s funny, what’s emotional.
    • It turns language into memories, not just information.

    The Truth About the “Chinese Nanny”

    No – I didn’t have a Chinese nanny.

    I grew up in a small town in the UK, and before I started learning, I hadn’t even heard a word of Mandarin.

    Fluency didn’t come from luck, talent, or childhood exposure.

    It came from following a system that anyone can use:

    1. Language Parents – Find patient speakers who’ll guide and correct you.
    2. Recall – Use spaced repetition and ‘chunking’ to truly remember.
    3. Immersion – Listen, read, and speak constantly in meaningful contexts.
    4. Friendships – Build real connections and use Mandarin in real life.

    That’s how I went from zero to conversationally fluent Mandarin in just 1.5 years.

    And you can too.

    If you want a step-by-step breakdown of my exact method, check out my free 7-day email course by clicking the button below:

    Join the course

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