Skarp
Everyday Mandarin: Practical Conversational Chinese
Learn to handle everyday conversations in Mandarin Chinese, from greetings and small talk to shopping, eating out, and getting around town. This course focuses on high-frequency words, essential sentence patterns, and real-life speaking practice so you can start communicating confidently in common situations.
Course Content
9 modules · 2h 15m total
Getting Started: Sounds, Tones, and Essential Survival Phrases
Build a foundation in Mandarin pronunciation using Pinyin, understand the four tones, and learn a set of survival phrases you can start using immediately.
Introducing Yourself: Names, Nationalities, and Simple Questions
Learn how to say your name, where you are from, and ask and answer basic personal questions to start friendly conversations.
Numbers, Time, and Everyday Counting
Master numbers, basic time expressions, and counting language needed for dates, prices, and everyday situations.
Daily Life: Family, Occupations, and Simple Descriptions
Talk about your family, job or studies, and describe people and things using common adjectives and patterns.
Talking About Routines: Likes, Dislikes, and Daily Activities
Learn to talk about what you do every day, your hobbies, and express likes and dislikes in natural conversation.
Eating Out: Ordering Food and Drinks
Practice the language needed to order food and drinks, handle menus, and manage simple restaurant interactions.
Shopping and Money: Prices, Quantities, and Simple Bargaining
Learn how to ask about prices, talk about quantities, and handle simple shopping and payment conversations.
Getting Around: Directions, Places, and Transportation
Use Mandarin to navigate a city: ask for directions, talk about locations, and handle basic transportation situations.
Staying Polite: Social Etiquette and Conversation Strategies
Explore key politeness phrases, cultural norms, and strategies for keeping conversations smooth and friendly in Mandarin.
Read the Textbook
Read every chapter for free, right here in your browser.
In this step, you will learn core survival phrases for greetings, politeness, and simple yes/no answers. Pay attention to Pinyin and tones. The phonetic guides use English sounds to help you approximate Mandarin pronunciation.
### 1. Pinyin Basics and Syllable Structure
Mandarin syllables usually have: - **Initial** (consonant sound) + **final** (vowel or vowel + n/ng) - Example: **你 nǐ** (n + i), **好 hǎo** (h + ao)