Apps, websites and books to learn standard Mandarin: Learn Chinese
BlogLanguagesChineseLearn Chinese: Tools for Progress: Apps, websites and books to learn standard Mandarin: Learn Chinese
Hellotalk
Chinese Character
Pleco Dictionary
Learn Chinese: The Most Trusted Websites
What books to use to learn the language of Confucius?
Advances in new technologies have made living language learning methods have evolved enormously. Many people today use their computer, Smartphone or television to discover Mandarin Chinese.
In this article we intend to show you some mobile e-learning applications , learning platforms, as well as manuals to learn standard Mandarin.
Hellotalk: Apps, websites and books to learn standard Mandarin: Learn Chinese
Hellotalk, one of the essential applications for learning with online Chinese classes , is intended for students of all levels.
Built on its own community of announcers, this application available on Google Play and iTunes, is based on the linguistic interaction of its users. The particularity of this application to learn Chinese lies in the fact that, once the user has created a profile, they will ask them to indicate their city of residence so that other users can locate it (although this option can be deactivated if someone wants to remain anonymous).
This application is very interesting for Spanish residents in China.
What are the best methods to learn Chinese?: Apps, websites and books to learn standard Mandarin: Learn Chinese
Once the user has optimized his profile, he can, as if it were a social network, get in touch with native Chinese speakers in order to perfect the Confucian language . A playful way of learning by meeting people, discovering the culture and the daily life of the Asian giant.
This interaction is bilateral, since Chinese voice overs interested in coming into contact with Spanish-speaking users are also looking for someone with whom to practice the Cervantes language. That is what makes this application unique, unlike classic messaging applications such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger or Wechat, it lies in the fact that we can directly correct the spelling mistakes of our fellow learners. Also, for those who want to improve their speaking skills, the text chat can be turned into audio notes for listening and speaking.
Ideal for progressing in Standard Mandarin, this optimized language learning tool should be intended as a learning companion for practice and review between classes.
With more than 40,000 downloads on Google Play and a 4-star rating , this application is a “must have” for anyone who wants to learn Chinese for free.
Chinese Character: Apps, websites and books to learn standard Mandarin: Learn Chinese
We are aware of how difficult it is to learn Chinese characters. To help you overcome these linguistic obstacles, there are a large number of applications that offer users the ability to review so as not to forget the strokes of the characters.
Chinese Character is one of the leading Mandarin learning apps on Google Play with a 3.9 star rating . This «app» allows you to know the origins and evolution of ancient Chinese characters.
An exciting application for lovers of traditional Chinese and the most current standard Mandarin that has more than 200 characters with its traditional and contemporary versions.
Ideal for understanding the historical meaning of Chinese characters, especially thanks to the illustrations, this application has a more cultural than linguistic dimension. Even so, it is also perfect for those who want to learn the characters with the help of some memorization techniques.
Pleco Dictionary: Apps, websites and books to learn standard Mandarin: Learn Chinese
Pleco is used and recommended by many Chinese students around the world. This great app available for Android and Apple averages 4.6 stars (Android) and has received more than 20,000 ratings.
Its biggest drawback? That the translations of the Chinese characters appear in English. So if you don’t know Shakespeare’s language, it may be difficult for you to use Pleco; But why not take advantage and learn two languages at the same time?
This application contains about 130,000 words in Mandarin and 22,000 in Cantonese. In addition, it contains 20,000 examples of phrases in pinyin , a transcription of Chinese that uses the Latin alphabet.
Pleco offers its users some great features:
The possibility of practicing drawing characters. Why not become a Chinese calligraphy professional?
Scan Chinese words with your Smartphone to get an instant translation.
Hear Mandarin, Pinyin, or Cantonese words spoken by authentic native speakers.
Finding a way to write a word in Chinese by pronouncing it yourself (a voice recognition system).
Great, right?
Learn Chinese: The Most Trusted Websites
This is one of the most comprehensive Chinese learning websites on the Net. It is aimed at different levels (both beginners and advanced learners) and offers a large number of resources:
Chinese course (divided into Basic, Intermediate and Advanced), where a large number of lessons on very diverse topics are grouped.
Vocabulary: thematic vocabulary lists containing the Spanish word, its Chinese equivalent, the pinyin transcription and a short audio to learn pronunciation.
HSK test preparation: where review exercises and exam models are compiled in a very organized way.
Readings: a list of readings with different levels of difficulty, each with its translation into Spanish, its pinyin transcription and an audio.
Conversations: recordings of dialogues with different themes (again, accompanied by the pinyin transcription and the Spanish translation).
In addition, this website offers a Library section, which allows users to search for books from different categories to complete their learning. If you want a complete page that helps you learn at your own pace, we have no doubt that this page answers what you are looking for
The Chinese of daily life with CCTV
Aimed at people with a command of the language, this website offers Chinese students to improve their level through news videos with very varied topics that will also allow them to learn a little more about the culture of the Asian giant.
Would you like to travel? Learn Chinese in a practical way to get the most out of your getaways.
The topics covered are usually of a practical nature (from day to day) and are designed for those who consider going to live in the country of the Great Wall:
Greetings,
the numbers,
the presentations,
the time and the hour,
the dates,
the directions,
The only downside is that the web interface is in English.
The Chinese-China.com method
This is, without a doubt, the best known platform, since it has evolved and improved during its 10 years of existence thanks to the feedback from all the students who have used it.
It features over 40 standard Mandarin progressive lessons with audio recordings , so it’s great for getting used to the language’s hues. In addition to these lessons, the website also offers Chinese calligraphy exercises . It also offers exercises and examples to facilitate the learning process for students and to help them review.
The only drawback of this website is that it is not available for tablets or smartphones.
Discover other websites to learn Chinese online.
Learn Chinese with videos
When we talk about e-learning videos , we tend to think directly of YouTube, which offers a large amount of linguistic content completely free of charge.
The videos are great for learning Mandarin Chinese (as a complement to the classes), since they help us to know the tones and pronunciation of the words of a living language as far away from ours as the language of Confucius.
With the videos we can:
Get started in the language of Sun Tzu.
Learn to write with Chinese characters.
Know the conjugation and grammar of Standard Mandarin.
If you want to learn Chinese with YouTube, take a look at channels like Dani Wang’s, Time for Excellence or Tell me in Chinese.
Would you like to practice for the HSK?
On the other hand, in addition to the Chinese learning videos and YouTube tutorials, you have the possibility to learn Mandarin with other resources, such as television series, movies and cartoons. If you dare to see them in VO (Original Version) or VOSE (Original Version Substituted in Spanish) you will not only learn the language in a playful way, but you will also become familiar with Chinese culture.
What if you are looking for a Chinese course to advance your learning?
What books to use to learn the language of Confucius?
Live chinese
Living Chinese is a series with a large number of volumes designed for students who study Chinese as a foreign language. Each volume focuses on one aspect or element of the language and its culture:
Study in China
Commercial Chinese
Official communication in China
Culture in China
Travel in China
Live in china
…
Come on, there is something for everyone!
All these works have been specially designed with pedagogical criteria that aim to help students to know the language from a practical perspective. In addition, these manuals also include CDs to practice well the diction, pronunciation and intonation of such a melodic language as Chinese.
Everyday chinese
The Pons publishing house has published a manual designed for those people who want to learn the Confucian language in a self-taught way. It includes a brief history of the language, as well as a pronunciation and phonetic guide and a CD (in audio and MP3 format).
Learn Chinese to feel integrated in Chinatown.
It is a manual written in Spanish and Chinese, so that it can be used by both Spaniards who want to learn Chinese, and Chinese who want to learn the language of Cervantes. It includes the most common words, phrases and expressions of everyday life with their equivalents in Spanish and explanations of a grammatical nature.
Today’s Chinese
Today’s Chinese is another of the great leftovers of reference for those who want to learn the language of Confucius. It is a series of volumes with teaching materials endorsed by the State Office of China for the teaching of Chinese to Spanish-speaking foreigners and is the best-selling method in Spain.
The series consists of three textbooks (levels I, II and III) with CDs, transcripts of the audios and answers to the exercises. Some magnificent works that will help you reach a level 4-5 of the HSK.
Note: The latest editions of this book include new teaching resources and self-study tests with answers available to students on the Chinese Plus website.
