Table of Contents

Introduction

A note from Benny vi

How to use this course viii

What you'll find inside viii

What you'll find online xi

The Language Hacker contract xii

Unit 1 Talking About Me

Conversation 1 The first words you'll use in every Conversation 2

You'll learn wéi and ni hao for greetings, wo shì … for introducing yourself

Conversation 2 Tell me … Where are you from? 9

You'll learn wo zhù zài … for saying where you live, wo shì … rén for saying where you're from, ni shì na guó rén? for asking where someone is from

#languagehack: learn how to use 'to be' and get a head start using basic sentences 12

Mission: say your name, where you're from, where you live.

Unit 2 Asking About You

Conversation 1 Words you need to ask questions 22

You'll learn qingwèn and shì bu shì for asking and answering questions, and nì ne? for turning the Conversation around

#languagehack: learn vocab faster with memory hooks 28

Conversation 2 How long have you been learning Chinese? 30

You'll learn … duojiu le? for asking 'how long' and numbers and time periods for answering, as well as shénme to ask 'what'

Mission: say which languages you speak and what languages you want to learn.

Unit 3 I Like Speaking Mandarin

Conversation 1 Having an online chat 44

You'll learn Wo jiào … for introducing yourself, Ni you shénme àihào? for discussing hobbies

Conversation 2 I don't understand 50

You'll learn wo xihuan / wo bù xihuan for saying what you like or don't like, wo bù mingbai and wo ting bú dào for getting clarification

#languagehack: get a head start with words you already know 53

Mission: use 'Tarzan Mandarin' to describe a person's nationality, hobbies and what he/she is famous for

Unit 4 Talking About Friends and Family

Conversation 1 Do you have any siblings? 66

You'll learn essential family vocabulary, gen … yìqi for describing things you plan to do with other people

Conversation 2 What do you have planned? 74

You'll learn to use rumen to refer to 'you (plural)', women for 'we' and tamen for 'they' to talk about friends and family, for describing what you'll do and with whom

#languagehack: use clues and context to understand much more than you think 79

Mission: talk about your favorite person, say why he/she is important to you, the things you do together, how long you've known each other, and describe his/her characteristics, family, and hobbies.

Unit 5 Describing Your Future Plans

Conversation 1 Excuse me, do you speak Mandarin? 88

You'll learn qián, xiànzài, ránhòu … for describing plans in sequence and learn how to break the ice with keyi ma?

#languagehack: memorize regularly used scripts 95

Conversation 2 Where are you going? 97

You'll learn wo yào … for talking about future travel plans, essential travel vocabulary

#languagehack: say exponentially more by memorizing regularly-used scripts 99

Mission: say where you plan to go, how you'll get there, what you'll see and do.

Unit 6 Have Some Food, Drink and Conversation

Conversation 1 I'll have … 108

You'll learn wo yào … for ordering in restaurants

Conversation 2 In my opinion … 114

You'll learn zài wo kànlái… and wo jué de … for explaining your point of view, gèng for comparing things

#languagehack: sound more fluent with Conversation connectors 118

Mission: give your opinions and recommendations; say which food and drinks you like.

Unit 7 Talking about Yesterday … Last Week … A Long Time ago

Conversation 1 What did you do last weekend? 130

You'll learn dào, wán, bao, jiàn for saying what you did, and qián for discussing how long ago something happened

Conversation 2 When did you begin learning Chinese? 136

You'll learn guò and le for describing past experiences

#languagehack: time travel - talk about the past and future using the present 141

Mission: tell a story about your past; say what you thought and where you went.

Unit 8 It's Been a While!

Conversation 1 It's been a while! 150

You'll learn Haojiu bú jiàn! / Zuìjìn hái hao ma? for catching up with someone

Conversation 2 Your daily routine 158

You'll learn xíguàn le … dà duoshù shíhou and bùtóng de shìqing for talking about your hobbies, routines, and daily life

#languagehack: the rephrasing technique for talking your way through complicated sentences 162

Mission: say how you spend your time, how you spend your day; make plans.

Unit 9 Describe It!

Conversation 1 Describing the city 172

You'll learn senlín, shan, shùmù, hú for describing your surroundings, tianqì hen … for describing the weather

Conversation 2 Describing personalities 180

You'll learn yonggan, go, ai, youqù for describing people you know

#languagehack: use your hidden moments to get Chinese immersion for the long term 187

Mission: say what's nearby, what something looks like; describe personalities.

Unit 10 Having Your First Conversation

#languagehack: develop a cheat sheet to go into 'autopilot' during your first Conversation 198

Mission: have a one-on-one Conversation with a native Chinese speaker

Answer Key 209

Acknowledgements 221