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Learn Mandarin Chinese with WorldNomads Mandarin Chinese Language Guide

CHINA | Wednesday, 27 September 2006 | Views [32472] | Comments [16]

Screenshot from the World Nomads Mandarin iPhone app - available for free from the Apple iTunes store

Have you ever been stuck in a country wanting to be polite, but not even knowing the word for 'please'? Or been frustrated when you couldn't ask for the most basic directions to where you're going?

The WorldNomads.com Mandarin Chinese Language Guide gives you enough phrases to keep you travelling safely and get more from your holiday.

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Mandarin Chinese language guides to download

If you just want the basics, try these on for size:

Audio guide for any mp3 player or computer - FREE!

Contains: 16 min language lesson
Suitable for: download to any iPod/mp3 player or play directly within this browser
Details: MP3 file, Size: 13.9MB
Written Script: Download PDF of script here

Application for iPhone & iPod Touch - FREE!

Contains: 16 min language lesson, 50+ audio phrases
Suitable for: an iPhone or iPod touch
Details: Application file, Size: 9.5 MB, link goes to iTunes App Store

Further online Chinese Language Resources

Basic Chinese Lessons
Pronunciation and Writing
Assorted Language Learning Tools
Chinese Multimedia Tutorial for Beginners
Elementary Chinese Lessons
Chinese Writing Reference
Chinese Pronunciation Guide

Other languages in the series

The WorldNomads.com Language Guide gives you enough basic phrases to keep you travelling safely and get more from your adventure. It is available in 23 languages including Hindi, Thai, Arabic, Russian, Japanese, French and Italian.

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Tags: language guides, language lesson, china, mandarin, chinese, learn mandarin, chinese language, podcast, ipod, iphone

Comments

1

The train from the Shanghai airport to Pudong is called the MagLev (not Megler). Stands for Magnetic Levitation. Perhaps you should visit?

Amy Aug 26, 2006 6:50 PM

2

People from Shanghai don't all speak mandarin... but they do all speak shanghainese, which is closer to japanese than mandarin...

Gareth Nov 24, 2006 1:10 PM

3

Very powerful photo - you can feel the motion

ביטוח רכב Dec 28, 2006 7:55 AM

4

Thanks for your little conversation but to tell you the truth am the only student trying t teach myself mandarin in makerere university and i find it a bit easy learning it in pinyin.Am trying to write the characters but they are hard to learn.anyway xiexie

CHRIS MUKAMA May 24, 2007 4:53 AM

5

Can't get the language lesson to download. Says "the resource cannot be found".

Debbie Oct 10, 2007 5:08 PM

6

Hi Debbie,

Thanks for letting us know about the broken link - I've fixed this up and you can now download the Mandarin Language Guide again.
cheers

language-guides Oct 11, 2007 9:20 AM

7

Contrary to message #3, virtually everyone speaks Mandarin, at least as a second language, in Shanghai. I was there with a Mandarin speaker who spoke no Shanghaiese, and we met only a few persons with whom she had difficulty communicating. On the other hand, contrary to the impression given by the lesson, it is virtually impossible to function exclusively in English in Shanghai. In particular, you will be unable to use a taxi unless you have the address you want to go to written out in Chinese characters. Even then you had better have a cellphone and the phone number as well, since Shanghai taxi drivers are remarkably ignorant about how to find locations in their own city, and it is often necessary to call someone at your destination and have them give your driver directions.

Shanghai traveller Jan 2, 2008 11:29 AM

8

In fact, one of the most useful Mandarin phrases you can learn is "please tell the taxi driver how to drive to your location" (Ching gaosu chew zoo cher siji zemma kai nide nali).

Shanghai traveller Jan 2, 2008 11:38 AM

9

Pronunciation is important, but so is getting the name of the train right! It is the Maglev, not Magler.

And if anyone's interested the fast train does only take 8 minutes from airport to terminal, alas the terminal is many many miles from the city centre. The bright lights of Nanjing Rd are another 40 minutes by taxi, or 20 minutes by metro.

300km/hr does sound very fast for a train I will admit, unless you've seen James May test drive a Bugatti Veyron to it's maximum speed of 407km/hr. He was recorded explaining that at this speed "the tires will only last for about fifteen minutes - but it's OK because the fuel runs out in twelve."

Had they put a Shanghai taxi driver in the Veryon it would have gone faster. But you would have to give the driver instructions in Mandarin or Shanghainese, English doesn't hold much currency once you leave the lobby of your hotel.

Ewen Mar 8, 2008 12:55 AM

10

I do thank WN for these useful language guides, but it's only fair to warn users to listen only to the Chinese man's pronunciation in this lesson. The visitor's Chinese is absolutely dreadful, to the point that there's no way you would be understood if you pronounced some of the phrases as he does. Some of this is understandable - Xiexie/Thanks has a sound we don't use in English - but others are a bit of a mystery (the pronunciation of two so that it sounds like "I'm hungry", when the standard chinese for "two" just sounds like the letter "r" in American English). Just a heads up.

cure Mar 27, 2008 12:22 PM

11

There is some mistakes in the download part"Mandarin Chinese iPod phrasebook (Text only)".

"I don't know" in Chinese is"war bu zhi dao".
it is a graet country,Welcome to China.

Bart Yu Jun 3, 2008 6:29 PM

12

Some English phrases are also accpeted by Chinese citizens, like "hello,bye,Taxi, etc." which you can just say in English.

Bart Yu Jun 3, 2008 6:50 PM

13

I was in Shanghai in September visiting friends and it is a great town. Really loved it.My experience was that very few people spoke any English and I can confirm that the taxi drivers have no idea how to get around Shanghai. That said, sign language, a sense of humour and good intentions always work in the end.

Chris Jun 15, 2008 12:03 PM

14

a couple very useful phrase to get rid of people who are trying to sell you stuff:
" bu yao, bu yao" (they're both 4th tone)

and the phrase for i heard you but i don't understand you is,

" ting(1st tone) bu(4) dong(3)

viv Nov 6, 2008 9:54 PM

15

hello, let me know what will be the price for that & how to pay !

vinod kumar Dec 29, 2008 3:20 PM

16

Does anyone know where I can find some resources for Shanghainese? Just came back after spending two weeks there. Wow, what a language! All the locals speak it and I didn't realize it completely different from Mandarin. Certainly my limited mandarin stills helped zilch in that department. IMO Shanghainese is a lot better sounding. I know it's not going to be as useful in general, but I would love to learn some. It's sounded like a cross between Chinese/Japanese and some kind of European language almost!

jake Jan 14, 2009 8:03 PM