The Blog

Learn Mandarin Here
Free Email Course

Tag: will-hart-chinese

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • How to Speak Mandarin Fluently: Tips to Turn Understanding into Real Conversations

    Do you ever feel like you understand Mandarin pretty well, but when it comes to speaking, you freeze up or struggle to find the right words? You’re not alone. Many learners experience this gap between comprehension and speaking. The good news is, speaking Mandarin is a skill that can be trained, and today, we’ll cover exactly how to speak mandarin fluently.

    Why Understanding Mandarin Doesn’t Always Mean Speaking It Well

    Watching Chinese TV dramas, listening to podcasts, or reading in Mandarin can make it feel like you’re progressing quickly. You might understand everything, but when it’s time to respond, words seem to vanish.

    The truth? Speaking issues usually come down to two main problems:

    1. Learning too passively
    2. Learning words in isolation

    Let’s break these down and explore practical strategies to fix them.

    Problem 1: Learning Too Passively

    If you’re only listening and reading, your brain doesn’t link understanding with producing the language. It’s like knowing how a car works but never learning to drive.

    How to Speak Mandarin Fluently – Active Practice

    Here are proven strategies to turn passive understanding into active speaking:

    Make New Sentences With Vocabulary

    Don’t just memorize new words, use them. Write sentences, say them out loud, or even think in Mandarin throughout the day. For example, a student I coached could barely speak Mandarin at first. After a year of consistently creating sentences with new words, she could discuss ultramarathons and daily life events fluently.

    Shadowing

    Shadowing means repeating phrases immediately after a native speaker. Podcasts, videos, or songs work perfectly for this. It builds muscle memory for speaking and helps bridge the gap between comprehension and conversation. Many learners find it one of the most effective ways to boost fluency.

    Here’s what Emilio had to say about shadowing as part of the Chunking Chinese system:

    It is exactly at my level and it is exactly the kind of material that gets me hooked, and it seems very well structured too. I love the shadowing segment!!! – Emilio

    Talk to Yourself

    This may sound unusual, but describing your thoughts, actions, or plans in Mandarin, even aloud to yourself, helps train real-life speaking skills. I used to “pretend” to call Chinese friends while walking to class, practicing speaking without pressure. Even 5–10 minutes daily can make a significant difference.

    Problem 2: Learning Words in Isolation

    Learning single words without context makes it hard to form sentences naturally. Your brain struggles to combine individual words with grammar rules in real-time conversations, leading to freezing or hesitation.

    Learn in Chunks and Context

    Instead of memorizing isolated words:

    • Learn common phrases, sentence starters, and patterns
    • Focus on prefabricated chunks used by native speakers
    • Use real examples from reading or listening materials

    Think of it like building with Lego blocks, prefabricated chunks help you assemble sentences quickly and naturally. This method makes your speech more fluid and reduces stress when conversing.

    Golden Rules for How To Speak Mandarin Fluently

    1. Learn in context – Attach new words to sentences rather than isolated memorization.
    2. Use prefabricated patterns – Focus on ready-made sentence starters and phrases, especially at the intermediate level.

    You can still learn new vocabulary, but always integrate it into meaningful sentences. This way, your brain can understand nuances and recall words naturally in conversation.

    Turning Understanding Into Speaking Skills

    Remember: understanding Mandarin is one thing; speaking is another. Speaking is a skill, and like any skill, it can be trained. Combine active practice, shadowing, self-conversation, and chunk-based learning, and you’ll see real results. Soon, Mandarin won’t just make sense in your head, it will flow naturally from your mouth. And that is exactly how to speak Mandarin fluently.

    If you want a complete system that integrates all these methods into your Mandarin learning journey, I’d highly recommend checking out Chunking Chinese by clicking the button below. It’s designed to take you from understanding Mandarin to speaking it naturally and confidently.

    Learn Faster with Chunking Chinese

    Recommended Next Steps

    • Start actively producing Mandarin every day
    • Shadow native speakers to train your muscle memory
    • Learn in chunks and context, not isolated words
    • Practice self-talk to build confidence

    Follow these steps, and your Mandarin conversation skills will improve faster than you expect.

  • The Most Underrated Tip for How to Get Fluent in Mandarin Chinese

    If you have ever wondered how to get fluent in Mandarin Chinese faster and with less frustration, there is one underrated concept almost no one talks about. It is not a memorization trick, a new app, or a study schedule. It is something far more powerful and far more reliable.

    Every successful Mandarin learner shares one thing. They willingly put in hundreds, sometimes thousands of hours listening, reading, speaking, and immersing themselves in the language. They become absorbed by it. They want more, not because they force themselves, but because they enjoy it.

    The question is simple. How do you reach that point where Mandarin becomes something you genuinely love learning every day?

    It sounds really simple bit if you can answer that question you’re well on your way to really learning how to get fluent in Mandarin Chinese.

    Here are four practical steps you can start using today.

    Follow Your Interests in Mandarin

    Mandarin becomes far easier when you learn from content that excites you. Many learners make the mistake of forcing themselves through boring textbooks or exercises simply because they think they should.

    But Mandarin is a language filled with amazing content at every level. You can learn through:

    • Chinese dramas and web series
    • vloggers on Bilibili
    • cooking channels
    • gaming streams
    • Chinese TikTok (Douyin)
    • graded readers designed for learners
    • podcasts and casual conversation videos

    When I began learning Mandarin, I didn’t touch a textbook. I built my vocabulary almost entirely through content I was genuinely interested in. It made the process effortless and fun.

    This approach helps you stay consistent, and consistency is the real secret to how to get fluent in Mandarin Chinese.

    Build Positive Mandarin Experiences

    A lot of learners only experience correction, drilling, and pressure. That kills motivation quickly.

    What helped me the most was spending hours and hours with Chinese friends and speaking Mandarin in social settings. We joked, ate together, travelled, and talked for hours. These experiences made Mandarin feel warm, positive, and meaningful.

    Ask yourself:

    • Where can I speak Mandarin and enjoy it?
    • What Chinese communities can I join?
    • Who can I talk to that makes the language feel exciting?

    Feedback is important, but positivity is essential. The more you enjoy using Mandarin, the more you’ll want to return to it each day.

    Give Mandarin Real Meaning in Your Life

    Mandarin is not an easy language. If it has no personal meaning to you, it will feel harder than it needs to be.

    Think about what makes Mandarin meaningful for you. It could be:

    • connecting with a Mandarin speaking partner or family
    • understanding Chinese culture on a deeper level
    • reading a Chinese novel or comic in its original form
    • wanting to communicate during travel around China
    • building friendships in Chinese speaking communities

    Meaning doesn’t always exist at the start. For me, meaning came from friendships I developed and the cultural experiences I had. The more Mandarin became part of my life, the easier it was to stay committed.

    Meaning creates passion, and passion leads to fluency.

    Celebrate the Little Wins in Mandarin

    Progress in Mandarin never moves in a straight line. One day you’ll understand everything. The next day, it will feel like you’re back at zero. This happens to everyone. So understanding this idea is so key if want to know how to get fluent in Mandarin Chinese.

    That is why celebrating small wins is so important.

    A little win can be:

    • understanding a phrase instantly in a Chinese TV show
    • using a new sentence pattern smoothly
    • reading a graded reader faster than last week
    • remembering a character without reviewing it
    • finishing a conversation without switching to English

    These moments matter. They show you that you are progressing. Over months, these small wins add up and transform your confidence.

    Final Thoughts

    If you want to know how to get fluent in Mandarin Chinese, remember this. Fluency doesn’t come from the perfect textbook or the perfect app. Although these can certainly be helpful along the way. It comes from becoming genuinely absorbed in the language.

    Follow your interests. Build positive experiences. Give the language meaning. Celebrate the small victories.

    If you do these things, Mandarin will no longer feel like something you have to learn. It will become something you want to learn every single day.

    So their you have it, we’ve covered some really unorthodox, very much overlooked advice about how to get fluent in Mandarin Chinese.

    By the way, if you want more guidance that actually moves you forward in Mandarin, I created something special for you.


    My free seven day email course walks you through the exact methods I used to get fluent, and you’ll receive two powerful sentence pattern and sentence starter PDFs that you can start using immediately so you stop freezing up in conversations.


    Click here and start making real progress in Mandarin today

  • 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

  • How To Actually Learn To Speak Mandarin

    After Teaching Hundreds of Students, I Realised There Are Only 3 Pillars to Actually Speaking Mandarin…

    What we’ll be covering:

    • The Problem
    • The Three Pillars of Learning To Speak Mandarin Confidently
    • How To Apply This Into Your Mandarin Learning

    The Problem

    After years of studying Mandarin and teaching Mandarin to learners from all over the world, I started to notice a pattern.

    No matter how much effort they put in, hours of studying vocabulary, watching Mandarin lessons on YouTube, or memorizing grammar points, many of them still couldn’t actually speak Mandarin confidently. They were doing all the ‘right things’, but weren’t getting the results they desired.

    They could recognize characters. They could translate simple phrases. But when it came time to have a real conversation, they froze, frequently stuttered and lacked the ability to express themselves confidently in the language.

    If this sounds like you, keep reading…

    I want us to fix this together.

    Let me tell you this, it wasn’t because they weren’t smart or motivated. It was because they were focusing on doing the wrong things, and chances are you’re making the same mistakes.

    The Turning Point

    So after all of this, I decided to dig deeper.

    I paid attention to what separated the ones who actually started speaking fluently from those who stayed stuck.

    When I focused my teaching on fixing the core issues, the results were quite incredible.

    Learners who had struggled for years suddenly started holding natural conversations in just a few weeks.

    One of my students Sara said the following after implementing my 3 Pillar Chunking Chinese System:

    In only a few weeks, I’ve become more confident at speaking and although I’m not perfect at it, I can now properly practice actively speaking! – Sara

    Another student of mine went from being completely unable to hold any kind of conversation in Mandarin when I first met her, to having conversations that were 98% in Mandarin about Ultramarathons in Morocco and her daughter’s driving test. Pretty impressive right?

    So after getting results like this, that’s when it became obvious:

    To truly speak Mandarin naturally, you only need to master three pillars.

    And you can get my system step-by-step, for free, delivered straight to your inbox here:

    Get The System

    The 3 Pillars

    1. Put Pronunciation First
    2. Deepen Comprehension
    3. Retain What You Learn

    Let’s look at each of these in a bit more detail.

    Put Pronunciation First

    The harsh truth is that most learners overlook pronunciation.

    Mandarin is a tonal language, meaning if your tones or rhythm are off, people won’t understand you, even if your words are technically “correct.” Even if you are understood, natives will find it painful to communicate with you as they have to expend so much energy trying to understand you.

    That’s not to say you need to sound ‘native-like’ or have a ‘perfect accent’. In China there are literally thousands of uniquely different accents. But having clear, easy to understand tones, initials and finals and overall rhythm will be of great benefit to you.

    Getting pronunciation right early builds the foundation for everything else.

    When you can hear and reproduce tones accurately, every new word you learn sticks more easily, and you gain the confidence that you’re being understood.

    Also strangely enough, learning pronunciation well will greatly help your listening abilities in the long run.

    Deepen Comprehension

    If you can’t hear Mandarin the way it’s naturally spoken, you’ll always feel one step behind in conversations.

    To a certain extent, your listening ability is your foundation for your speaking. Listening and speaking go hand in hand.

    Understanding isn’t just about knowing vocabulary, it’s about being able to follow real speech: the rhythm, tone changes, and flow of natural dialogue.

    That’s why the second pillar is all about training your ear to truly understand the language.

    Most learners only ever listen passively , they have Chinese podcasts or shows playing in the background while doing other things. But that alone doesn’t build real comprehension, at least not when you’re a beginner or intermediate. It is certainly helpful, especially when you reach more advanced levels and want to spend more time in the language, But to make progress, you also need to listen actively.

    Here’s how to do it effectively:

    Actively Listen

    Pick short, manageable clips, something you can play multiple times, like a podcast segment, dialogue, or short video.

    Instead of just letting it wash over you, focus your attention:

    • Try to catch individual words, phrases and sentence patterns
    • Pay attention to how speakers connect words together or drop sounds.

    Each time you replay the clip, you’ll start hearing new layers, small pronunciation details, sentence patterns, or filler words you didn’t catch before. That’s how your brain tunes itself to real Mandarin.

    Shadow What You Hear

    Once you can follow along, start shadowing, that means speaking almost at the same time as the speaker, imitating their rhythm, tone, and flow as closely as possible.

    It might feel awkward at first, but in my opinion shadowing is one of the fastest ways to improve both listening and speaking fluency. It also helps bridge the gap between just understanding and actually being able to use what you hear in real conversation.

    It forces your mouth and ears to work together, you’re training your brain to instantly connect sound to meaning and production.

    Even just 5 minutes of shadowing per day can dramatically improve your pronunciation, tone accuracy, and natural speaking rhythm.

    My students often tell me echoing and shadowing practice are their favourite part of my system:

    It is exactly at my level and it is exactly the kind of material that gets me hooked, and it seems very well structured too. I love the shadowing segment!!! – Emilio

    Test Yourself

    After listening or shadowing, take a moment to test what you’ve actually absorbed. A lot of people who just listen passively vastly overestimate how much they understood. Although testing yourself can be a humbling experience, it helps with both overall memory in the language and training yourself to catch onto those small details.

    Ask yourself:

    • Can I repeat or summarize what I just heard?
    • Can I identify key words or sentence structures?
    • Could I respond if someone said that to me in conversation?

    You could even write down a few sentences from memory and then check them against the original. The goal isn’t perfection, it’s awareness. You’re actively building comprehension through feedback and reflection.

    Over time, this kind of active, mindful listening turns Mandarin from a blur of sounds into something your brain automatically understands. You’ll stop translating in your head and start thinking in Chinese, which is a sign of real, deep comprehension.

    Retain What You Learn

    Most learners forget what they study because they only memorize isolated words, not real sentences or situations. Many also don’t have an efficient system to actually ensure they retain what they learn.

    The fix?

    • Speak out loud. Recreate phrases you hear from memory.
    • Use spaced repetition and recall-based techniques
    • Practice producing full sentences from day one.

    When you use evidence-based strategies for retention, your vocabulary becomes usable, not just recognizable.

    Here at Chunking Chinese, we teach learners to learn in context, and focus on key ‘chunks’ and ‘sentence patterns’. Think of these like premade building blocks which can help you effectively put together sentences in the language on autopilot.

    Why Most Study Feels Like Spinning Your Wheels…

    So if it’s this simple… why do so many learners still struggle?

    Because most people spend their time on the wrong activities:

    • Endless vocabulary lists with no context.
    • Rigid grammar drills with no speaking practice.
    • Passive learning (watching, reading) without active use.

    Others go to the opposite extreme, trying to “just speak” without any form of proper guidance, which often reinforces mistakes instead of fixing them.

    Without a system that combines pronunciation, listening, and active use, progress feels painfully slow.

    The Bottom Line

    You don’t need years and years of study or hundreds of apps to start speaking Mandarin confidently.

    You just need to focus on the three pillars that actually make a difference:

    1. Get pronunciation right.
    2. Train your ear for comprehension.
    3. Retain what you learn through active use.

    When these three work together, Mandarin stops feeling like a wall of tones and characters , and starts feeling like a living language you can actually speak.

    To help you actually apply this system, I’ve made a handy free email course that you can join here:

    Join The Course

    Looking forward to seeing you inside.

    All the best,

    Will

Wait! Before You Go...

Join thousands of learners mastering Mandarin with our proven methods. Get free tips and resources delivered straight to your inbox!