Chinese Learn Online review

Review of Lesson 04 Doing Business in China  from Chinese Learn Online

What is this podcast about?

This podcast from Chinese Learn Online introduces how to make statements and raise questions that are related to doing business in Chinese.

Which level does this podcast belong to?

This podcast is suitable for total beginners of Mandarin Chinese. Before learning the lesson, the learners are expected to know the four tones in Chinese.

How many presenters are in the studio?

A male and a female presenter are in the studio.

How clear are the dialogues?

The new Chinese vocabulary, example sentences and dialogues are read out in a very clear manner with a slow pace.

How many times are the dialogues repeated? 

Each new word and example sentences are repeated at least twice in the recording by the female presenter of CLO.

What languages are spoken in the studio?

English is the teaching medium. Plain English is used. Learners will find the lesson is easy to follow.

Does this podcast have a clear level?

Yes, the expressions introduced in the lesson are very basic and the Chinese speech is slow and clear. Learners should be familiarised with basic grammar vocabulary in order to maximize the learning output.

What is the structure of this podcast?

The lesson from Chinese Learn Online consists of two parts: The first part introduces how to make statements and raise questions that are related to doing business in Chinese. This part starts with introducing new words. The presenter emphasizes the tonal values of each character, which is very suitable for total beginner. The content is organised in a systematic way. For instance, the presenter firstly introduces the word 会 ‘be able to’, then the word说‘speak’. The learner will automatically come up with the expression 会说 ‘be able to speak’ and make sentences like ‘我会说英文’ or ‘我不会说中文’.

Secondly, it introduces the possessive marker ‘的’ and its usage. The grammatical explanation is simple and straightforward. The learners will be able to construct phrases like 我的中文 ‘my Chinese’ 你的英文’your English’.

Why is Chinese Learn Online a good choice of podcast?   

The lesson is grammar-oriented in terms of that the content is clearly organised according to grammar points. At this stage, the authentic Chinese conversation may be difficult for the speakers to digest. Therefore, to start with basic grammar points is an efficient way for learners to build up their competence of Chinese. However, to start with grammar does not mean that the lesson is boring and is full of grammar notes. The lesson carefully selects example sentences to illustrate each grammar point. After mastering the example sentences, the learners will be able to acquire the relevant grammar points demonstrated by the sentences.

What are the drawbacks of this podcast?

This particular podcast doesn’t have drawbacks in this lesson. The lesson unfolds in clear and systematic way.

Summary

In general, lesson 04 is very suitable for Mandarin total beginners, especially for those who want to have a solid foundation of Chinese learning. The content is systematically designed to illustrate basic grammar points.

The podcast can be listened to at Chinese Learn Online. Just for ChinesePodcasts.com visitors, we have a great offer of 20% off all programmes at Chinese Learn Online – Progressive Mandarin. When you get to the checkout page, you just need to add the code CC202017 to the coupon code page.