Review of Lesson 4 Casual Greetings in Chinese from Popup Chinese
What is this podcast about?
This podcast from Popup Chinese introduces how to make casual greetings 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 Chinese dialogues in Popup Chinese are read out in a normal speed as well as in a slow speed.
How many times are the dialogues repeated?
The dialogue and the example sentences are repeated for several times.
What languages are spoken in the studio?
English is the teaching medium. The English used is plain and without linguistic jargon 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.
What is the structure of this podcast?
The lesson consists of two parts: first, it starts with authentic Chinese conversations. The conversation is very short and is set in a funny scene: a man and a woman got caught when they were gossiping a third person. The conversation is repeated for several times.
In the second part, the presenters introduce how to make greetings in Chinese with clear explanations.
Why is this episode of Popup Chinese a good choice of podcast?
The dialogue is short, clearly and authentic. After hearing it for several times, the learners will naturally pick it up.
What are the drawbacks of this podcast?
Its main drawback is that it does not introduce any grammar at all. A little grammar will enable the learners to go further in learning Chinese in the future. Secondly, the explanation does not go into finer detail. Sentences are presented to learners as chunks. This is good for beginners to improve their speaking and listening but for more advanced learners, individual words would be useful.
Summary
In general, this lesson is very suitable for Mandarin total beginners, especially for those who want to improve their Chinese listening and speaking skills. They will find the authentic and interesting conversation easily to follow.
The podcast can be listened to at Popup Chinese.