The most convenient way to learn Chinese the way it is actually spoken and used. Start with our basic lessons, and in no time you’ll be listening to music, watching films and television and engaging in the actual language. With free daily podcasts, a vibrant community, online study tools and much more, PopupChinese is the most powerful and personal way to learn mandarin.
Elementary - Network Transfer
Jun 04, 2012
Show notes
Han Lin grinned at his girlfriend as he gestured towards the office headquarters that rose above the small park where they were eating lunch. China Mobile was one of the more prestigious places for a new engineer to find employment, and Han couldn't help but want to show off his employee privileges. "I'll just send the file over the corporate network then," he smiled as he pocketed the USB drive, adding that "even something this big should only take a few minutes at most."Living in China? No matter what industry you're in, at some point you are going to find yourself in an office environment locked in mortal combat with office equipment. Fortunately, regardless of whether you need to scan documents, backup files to a USB drive or just transfer files across the network, in this lesson we cover the key vocabulary you need to get things done. So take a listen, let us know what you think in the discussion section below, and feel free to email us anytime at service@popupchinese.com.
Intermediate - Beijing Autopia, 2157
May 31, 2012
Show notes
After the construction of the new downtown expressway, drivers had raced through the streets of Beijing with an almost cavalier disregard for the laws of physics, for who among us would not feel exalted to speed from the outskirts of Shunyi to the downtown core in just ten minutes? And yet within a few years, even this technological marvel would prove no match for the ingrained habits of an entire generation of Beijing cab drivers.
Elementary - Return of the Roommate
May 28, 2012
Show notes
The hardest thing about Andy's transition to university was adjusting to life with a roommate. Having become accustomed to studying through the night, sleeping in late and otherwise treating his living space as exclusive personal territory, sharing his day-to-day routine with someone was a new experience. And while it was nice to have company in some ways, it was an adjustment putting up with his roommate's eccentricities, and it seemed the semester would involve many lessons in not only applied maths but also in compromise.Learning Chinese? A lot of people trying to learn Chinese feel that they're missing out from not having a Chinese roommate, and lament all the time they spend in expat circles. Because of this, we're happy to announce a new program aiming to mimic the experience of studying at Tsinghua: for only $1000 a month Popup Chinese will send a Chinese person to live with you in your flat or apartment. No guarantees on hygiene or personal behavior, but it will probably work out. To take us up on this generous offer, just email Echo!
Absolute Beginners - The Interminable Wait
May 23, 2012
Show notes
At forty-five minutes past the hour Mark was visibly restless, and by a quarter past he was positively pacing. It didn't matter to him that this was a sensitive legal affair involving three major parties across two continents. Considering that Hawkins-Billet was extending its services pro bono - hardly an inexpensive favor - surely it wasn't too much to expect punctuality from the client?Learning mandarin? Our lesson today teaches how to make confident statements about the future using what Brendan refers to as a "prediction sandwich" and the rest of us call the 会... 的 construction. But don't let this grammatical lingo scare you off -- by the end of this lesson you'll have learned a tremendously easy way to make predictions about what will happen. So join us for today's show and if you have any questions, feel free to let us know in our discussion section below.
Advanced - The Anti-Foreign Crackdown
May 22, 2012
Show notes
If you've been following the news, you'll know our title for this show refers to the latest "official crackdown" going on in Beijing: this time aimed at the apparent flood of itinerant foreigners in China to steal money, jobs and women from Yang Rui at CCTV. In unrelated news, if you want to buy some drugs, you can apparently still pick them up at Sanlitun.As far as we can tell, the most immediate effect of all this commotion has been a clampdown on visas issued in Hong Kong and a tightening of the agency system many people rely on to assist with visa applications. But what is likely to happen long-term? This is a topic worth talking about, which is why in today's show Amber, Brendan and Echo take to the studio to chat about public enemy number one. In the process, we cover some of the more useful vocab you can use for talking about these developments with your own friends and colleagues.
Intermediate - Occupational Hazard
May 16, 2012
Show notes
Flying into Los Angeles at night was like falling into the stars themselves. Below the plane, the darkened sprawl stretched to the ends of the horizon, the streets bathed in a hundred thousand glimmering lights, flashing and twinkling as the cars on the expressway churned their way home. And welcoming them all was the LAX airport in the distance, its runways framed by strobing lights....
Elementary - Drinks with the Boss
May 14, 2012
Show notes
Remember the time you worked for that state-owned auto company and got invited to the annual banquet and said yes and were surprised when everyone started relaxing and having a good time and soon you were even flirting with Xiao Li and thinking it might go somewhere but then the next thing you remember was waking in a pitch-black room with your body wracked in a kind of throbbing scream and your mind seized with visions from Ecclesiastes, wondering how you managed to get from the banquet hall to this place, and where exactly was this place anyway?Let us be frank: it does not take much exposure to China to learn that there are some activities in this country that are not conducive to either learning mandarin or continuing to live. This lesson covers one of those cases, but is also a bit of a dual-use podcast. Because while the mandarin we cover has the potential to get you into trouble, it can also help keep you sane in a different context. So listen up and use your newfound powers for good or evil as you wish.
Absolute Beginners - Thinking and Feeling
May 09, 2012
Show notes
Our lesson today is for absolute beginners to the Chinese language, which means that even if you don't know any Chinese you should still find it accessible enough to pick up some of the basics. In it we cover two useful verbs you can use to tell others what you are thinking and feeling. And as a bonus, we also cover a useful phrase for apologizing in Chinese, either so you can apologize yourself, or so you can demand satisfaction from everyone around you.New to Popup Chinese and not sure what we have in store? This lesson is for absolute beginners to the Chinese language, but if you're a more advanced student don't worry: we have hundreds of lessons at your difficulty level in our Chinese lesson archive. Just create a free account for yourself and you'll get full access totally free of charge. So create your own free account today and let us know what you think of our stuff.
Intermediate - Son of Gump
May 02, 2012
Show notes
The somnolent corpse twitched as the first jolts of electricity seared through its head, trunk and prostrate limbs until wreaths of blue flame arced up and down the leg braces as the voltage faded and the laboratory returned to silence, a silence filled with only the smell of charred flesh and the unspoken question that reached between the two observers, asking if this might finally be the time for the legend to rise again?Our Chinese podcast for today is all about speed, and is filled with some hot-swappable expressions you can use when things start happening faster than you expect. But before you get started with the madness that is today's lesson, if you haven't heard our previous show titled "They Called Me Mad, The Fools" you might want to give it a listen first, since our story picks up where its predecessor left off.
Elementary - Workplace Pickup Techniques
Apr 30, 2012
Show notes
Every language learning program needs at least one lesson on creepy workplace stalking. And by this we mean a lesson filled with useful tips and tricks on how to pickup friends and coworkers without coming across like a creepy stalker. And that's why we've taken special pains to produce this show filled with tips and tricks for maximizing your chances of office romance. And also two really useful prepositions. What more could you want?
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