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Prior to 1979, a great look at the Great Wall was nothing more than a great dream. These days, you’re more than welcome to visit the P.R.C., but not without a proper visa. Thinking about coming? Love learning Mandarin? How ‘bout we combine the two in a podcast lesson on sorting out your travel documentation, using Mandarin Chinese. 领事馆 lǐngshìguǎn consulate 签证 qiānzhèng visa 咨询 zīxún advisory 申请 shēnqǐng to apply for 手续 shǒuxù procedure 附上 fùshàng attach 证件 zhèngjiàn valid ID 下载 xiàzài download 接受 jiēshòu to accept 支付 zhīfù to pay 递交 dìjiāo to hand in 办理 bànlǐ to handle

People learn Chinese for a number of different reasons. Some for work, some for play, some to finally convey to the nice lady downstairs that the smell of fish cooking at 8:00am isn’t the greatest thing to wake up to. The one thing we all do agree on is that the word “boss” and “is unsatisfied” are biggies, so needless to say, an elementary lesson on just that is the “podcast du jour”.

What could you use more than some more useful phrases in Mandarin Chinese? Well, even better than that, we’ve got some excellent high-frequency language you will wonder how you ever did without (i.e. Where is the washroom?). Listen in on this podcast, and learn some more important and useful questions and responses in Mandarin Chinese. Alas, who else could you count on to educate you in these sorts of “delicate” matters? 请问，洗手间在哪里？ qǐng wèn, xǐshǒujiān zài nǎli?  Excuse me, where is the bathroom? 麻烦你，卫生间在哪里？ máfan nǐ, wèishēngjiān zài nǎli?  I’m sorry to bother you, where is the bathroom? 我迟到了。不好意思。 wǒ chídào le. bùhǎoyìsi.  I’m late. Sorry. 我忘了你的名字。不好意思。 wǒ wàngle nǐde míngzi. bùhǎoyìsi.  I forgot your name. Apologies. 我没有钱，不好意思。 wǒ méiyǒu qián, bùhǎoyìsi.  I don’t have any money. Sorry.

With these basic sentences you’ll be able to sound like a pro even if you only started studying Chinese five minutes ago. In this lesson, learn some high-frequency sentences in Mandarin Chinese that you will find you can use every day in China or with your Chinese friends. Careful with “Wǒ lái fù qián” though – showing off could get you into trouble… A 你信教吗？ nǐ xìn jiào ma?  Do you believe in any religion? B 我不信。你呢？ wǒ bù xìn. nǐ ne?  No. Do you? A 我信基督教。 wǒ xìn Jīdūjiào.  I am a Christian. B 我的朋友也是。他每个星期天都去教堂。 wǒ de péngyou yě shì. tā měige xīngqītiān dōu qù jiàotáng.  My friend is too. He goes to church every Sunday.

View the full lesson here on ChinesePod.com for free: http://chinesepod.com/lessons/i-changed-my-mindThe scene is a young couple's bedroom. He's dressed and ready to go, while she's only just begun the long process of outfit deliberation. There will be ideas, questions, new ideas, reconsiderations, and changing of one's mind. If you gain nothing else from this Chinese lesson, at least learn the phrase "I changed my mind." A:   老公，我穿紫色的裙子怎么样？ lǎogōng, wǒ chuān zǐsè de qúnzi zěnmeyàng? Honey, what do you think about me wearing my purple skirt? B:   可以啊！ kěyǐ a! Sounds good! A:   你说，紫色会不会太老气了？ nǐ shuō, zǐsè huì bu huì tài lǎoqì le? Do you think purple makes me look too old? B:   啊？ á? Huh? A:   我在问你意见呢。你认真点儿。 wǒ zài wèn nǐ yìjiàn ne. nǐ rènzhēn diǎnr. I'm asking you for your opinion. Be serious. B:   哎呀，没关系，我那些哥们儿都穿得很随便。 āiyā, méiguānxi, wǒ nàxiē gēmenr dōu chuān de hěn suíbiàn. Aw geez, it doesn't matter. My buddies are all just wearing whatever. A:   要不穿毛衣吧，可爱一点。 yàobù chuān máoyī ba, kě'ài yīdiǎn. How about I wear a sweater? That'll be cuter. B:   行。你穿什么都好看。 xíng. nǐ chuān shénme dōu hǎokàn. OK. You look good in everything. A:   还是穿格子衬衫吧，比较休闲。 háishì chuān gézi chènshān ba, bǐjiào xiūxián. Or how about I wear a plaid shirt? That's quite casual. B:   行行行。你快点儿。我们要出发了。 xíng xíng xíng. nǐ kuài diǎnr. wǒmen yào chūfā le. Sure, sure, sure. Hurry up. We have to get going. A:   哎，我那件粉色的马甲在哪里？ ái, wǒ nà jiàn fěnsè de mǎjiǎ zài nǎli? Agh, where's my pink vest? B:   哎呀，你怎么又改变主意了？ āiyā, nǐ zěnme yòu gǎibiàn zhǔyi le? Oh come on, you changed your mind again? A:   别急嘛，一会儿就好！ bié jí ma, yīhuǐr jiù hǎo! Don't be so impatient! I'll be ready in a second!

View the full lesson on ChinesePod.com for free at: http://chinesepod.com/lessons/help-at-the-atmIn big cities in China, ATMs are everywhere, and many of them can even take foreign cards now. Of course, it's very useful to actually know how to use these things, and learning the appropriate Chinese terms is a huge step in the right direction. Today's lesson covers the ATM basics, including checking balances and making a withdrawal. A:   大爷，您好了吗？后面这么多人等着呢！ dàye, nín hǎo le ma? hòumian zhème duō rén děng zhe ne! Sir, are you finished yet? There are a lot of people waiting behind you. B:   我不会用自动取款机，你可以教我吗？ wǒ bùhuì yòng zìdòng qǔkuǎn jī, nǐ kěyǐ jiāo wǒ ma? I don’t know how to use the ATM. Could you show me how? A:   哦，好的。先插入银行卡。 ò, hǎo de. xiān chārù yínháng kǎ. Oh, OK. First, insert your ATM card. B:   插入银行卡。 chārù yínhángkǎ. Insert ATM card. A:   然后在这里输入密码。 ránhòu zài zhèlǐ shūrù mìmǎ. Then, enter your password here. B:   输好了。 shū hǎo le. I'm finished entering it. A:   好，按“确认”。 hǎo, àn" quèrèn”. OK. Press, “Confirm." B:   我想查一下卡里有多少钱。 wǒ xiǎng chá yīxià kǎ lǐ yǒu duōshao qián. I want to check how much money is on the card. A:   那按这个，“查询”。 nà àn zhè ge," cháxún”. Then press this, “Balance Inquiry.” B:   哦，那我想取钱怎么办呢？ ò, nà wǒ xiǎng qǔqián zěnme bàn ne? Oh. Then if I want to withdraw some money, what do I do? A:   那就按“继续”。 nà jiù àn" jìxù”. Then just press, “Continue." B:   然后按“取款”，对吧？ ránhòu àn" qǔkuǎn”, duì ba? After that press, “Withdraw,” right? A:   没错。您试试。 méicuò. nín shì shi. That’s right. Give it a try. B:   取好了。谢谢。你用吧，小伙子。 qǔ hǎo le. xièxie. nǐ yòng ba, xiǎohuǒzi. I got it, thanks. You go ahead and use it, young man. A:   哎，大爷，别忘了拿您的卡。 āi, dàye, bié wàng le ná nín de kǎ. Hey, Sir. Don’t forget to take your card.

View the full lesson here on ChinesePod.com:  http://chinesepod.com/lessons/breakupWith this lesson, we did our best to distill the most cliché Chinese breakup lines into one simple dialog. This way, should you ever have the misfortune of needing to understand these words and phrases, you focus on being brokenhearted rather than puzzling over vocabulary and grammar. (You can thank us later.) A:   李强，我们分手吧。 Lǐ Qiáng, wǒmen fēnshǒu ba. Li Qiang, let's break up. B:   为什么？我哪里不好？ wèishénme? wǒ nǎli bù hǎo? Why? What am I doing wrong? A:   不是你不好。是我不好。 bùshì nǐ bù hǎo. shì wǒ bù hǎo. It's not you, it's me. B:   什么意思？ shénme yìsi? What does that mean? A:   跟你在一起，我觉得很累。 gēn nǐ zài yīqǐ, wǒ juéde hěn lèi. Being with you, I feel so tired.

View the full lesson for free here:https://chinesepod.com/lessons/where-do-you-live Your place is a mess? Didn't make your bed this morning? Get those dirty clothes off the floor and stack those dishes you were leaving for the Ayi... Guess what? We're finding out where you call home and we're coming over! In this podcast, get ready to reveal all and open your door to someone other than your nosy neighbors! Learn how to say where you live, in Mandarin. A:   你住在哪里？ nǐ zhù zài nǎli? Where do you live? B:   上海。你呢？ Shànghǎi. nǐ ne? Shanghai. How about you? A:   我住在苏州。 wǒ zhù zài Sūzhōu. I live in Suzhou. B:   哦，苏州不错。 ō, Sūzhōu bùcuò. Oh, Suzhou is quite nice.

Get the full lesson here for free: http://chinesepod.com/lessons/long-time-no-seeCliché as it may be, a good “long time no see” does wonders for reconnecting with old friends. In this podcast, we’re going to make you sound more like a local by sharing these tidbits, as well as a cooler way of saying “how are you." And how are you? In this Chinese lesson, you'll learn that in Shanghai there's only one correct answer... A:   嗨，好久不见！ hāi, hǎojiǔbùjiàn! Hi! Long time no see! B:   好久不见！你怎么样？ hǎojiǔbùjiàn! nǐ zěnmeyàng? Yeah! How are you? A:   我很忙。你呢？ wǒ hěn máng. nǐ ne? Really busy. You? B:   我也很忙。 wǒ yě hěn máng. Me too.

View the full lesson and 1000's more just like it here: https://chinesepod.com/lessons/going-on-a-diet In the Tang Dynasty, to be fat was to be beautiful. Nowadays, as the Bling Dynasty sweeps the nation, oh how the tables have turned. China is a land of magical weight-loss remedies. Whether it's braving the acupuncture needles, downing little "herbal" pills, or, for the more traditional, training on the humble hula hoop, weight-loss methods abound. Listen to this podcast to learn how some Chinese friends plan to lose that "spare tire." A 哎，今天真没劲。逛了一天，什么也没买到。 āi, jīntiān zhēn méijìn. guàng le yī tiān, shénme yě méi mǎidào. (Sigh.) Today was really tedious. Shopping all day, and haven't bought a thing. B 是呀，好看的衣服那么多，可惜一件都穿不下。 shì yā, hǎokàn de yīfu nàme duō, kěxī yī jiàn dōu chuānbuxià. Yeah. There are so many nice clothes. It's such a shame that nothing fits me. A 我也是。现在天热了，我突然发现原来自己这么胖。 wǒ yě shì. xiànzài tiān rè le, wǒ tūrán fāxiàn yuánlái zìjǐ zhème pàng. Same goes for me. Now that the weather is hot, I've suddenly discovered that I've gotten really fat. B 是啊，真得要减肥了。我至少要瘦10斤。 shì a, zhēn děi yào jiǎnféi le. wǒ zhìshǎo yào shòu shí jīn. Yeah, I really need to lose weight. I want to lose at least 5 kilograms. A 我也是。特别是腰，你看，我现在都有救生圈了！ wǒ yě shì. tèbié shì yāo, nǐ kàn, wǒ xiànzài dōu yǒu jiùshēngquān le! Me too. Especially around my waist. Look, I have a spare tire now! B 要不我们今天就开始节食吧！光吃蔬菜水果，肯定很快就能瘦下去。 yàobu wǒmen jīntiān jiù kāishǐ jiéshí ba! guāng chī shūcài shuǐguǒ, kěndìng hěn kuài jiù néng shòu xiàqu. Why don't we go on a diet starting today then? If we only eat vegetables and fruit, we will definitely be able to get thinner very quickly. A 啊？我可忍不住。好吃的东西太多了！ á? wǒ kě rěnbuzhù. hǎochī de dōngxi tài duō le! Huh? I definitely won't be able to stand it. There are just too many delicious things to eat! B 那你说怎么办？ nà nǐ shuō zěnme bàn? So, what do you think we should do? A 哎，如果能回到唐朝就好了。 āi, rúguǒ néng huídào Tángcháo jiù hǎo le.

View the full lesson notes here: https://chinesepod.com/lessons/complaining-to-the-waiterOnce again, we shed our “puppy dogs and ice cream” demeanour with a lesson on being peeved. In this lesson, Ken (gets furious when we call him Sharon) and Jenny (don’t let that great head of hair throw ya, she’ll scratch your eyes out) take a deep breath, count to ten and lead you in a podcast on getting upset. In this podcast, learn to talk in Mandarin Chinese about being upset, and what you’re going to do about it A 我很讨厌有人在饭店的非吸烟区抽烟。昨天，我和我的女朋友在饭店吃饭，旁边桌的男人开始抽烟。 wǒ hěn tǎoyàn yǒurén zài fàndiàn de fēixīyānqū chōuyān. zuótiān, wǒ hé wǒ de nǚpéngyou zài fàndiàn chīfàn, pángbiān zhuō de nánrén kāishǐ chōuyān. I really hate it when someone smokes in the non-smoking area of a restaurant. Yesterday I was having dinner with my girlfriend when the guy next to our table started to smoke. B 你为什么不叫他别抽了？ nǐ wèishénme bù jiào tā bié chōu le? Why didn’t you ask him to stop smoking? A 我说了。但是他不理我。他一边抽烟，一边大声地打手机。我非常生气。所以我向服务员投诉。 wǒ shuō le. dànshì tā bùlǐ wǒ. tā yībiān chōuyān, yībiān dàshēng de dǎshǒujī. wǒ fēicháng shēngqì. suǒyǐ wǒ xiàng fúwùyuán tóusù. I did and he just ignored me. He was smoking and talking loudly on his mobile. I was so pissed off. So I complained to the waiter. B 服务员说什么？他怎么处理？ fúwùyuán shuō shénme? tā zěnme chǔlǐ? What did the waiter say? How did he handle it? A 服务员很尴尬，他说那个男人是饭店的老板。他没办法。 fúwùyuán hěn gāngà, tā shuō nàge nánrén shì fàndiàn de lǎobǎn. tā méi bànfǎ. The waiter was really embarrassed and told me that the guy was the boss of the restaurant. There was nothing he could do. B 接下来怎么了？ jiēxiàlái zěnme le? What happened next? A 我们没有给小费。 wǒmen méiyǒu gěi xiǎofèi. We didn’t leave a tip.

Visit https://chinesepod.com/lessons/superman for the full lesson notes, expansion exercises, and thousands more episodes.Your wonder-twin powers won't activate and the kryptonite is sapping the Mandarin from your very brain. The frustration is making you feel like kicking some bad-guy booty? Or perhaps you feel like withdrawing to your lair... wrapped up in your cape, crying for mommy. You need the man of steel. Listen to this podcast and let Chinese Superman save the day. A:   你看，好大的鸟！ nǐ kàn, hǎo dà de niǎo! Look, a big bird! B:   不是，是飞机。 bù shì, shì fēijī. No, it's a plane. A:   不对，是超人！ bù duì, shì chāorén! Wrong, it's Superman! B:   真的是啊。超人实在是太酷了！他飞得真快！ zhēnde shì a. chāorén shízài shì tài kù le! tā fēi de zhēn kuài! It really is. Superman is just too cool! He flies so fast! A:   没错。他真是个英雄。 méicuò. tā zhēn shì ge yīngxióng. That's right. He really is a hero. B:   而且超级帅！你看，他对我笑了！ érqiě chāojí shuài! nǐ kàn, tā duì wǒ xiào le! Plus he's super handsome! Look, he smiled at me!

View the full lesson here: https://chinesepod.com/lessons/dropping-marriage-hintsYou know how your girlfriend has been mercilessly dropping marriage hints, and you've been equally heartlessly pretending not to notice? Well, it's actually kind of bumming her out, so you can bet she's going to have a heart-to-heart with her Chinese girlfriends about this critical issue. In this lesson, you get to eavesdrop on the ladies' take on your behaviour. A:   咱们几个很久没聚了。 zánmen jǐ ge hěnjiǔ méi jù le. We haven't gotten together in ages. B:   是啊。我天天围着儿子转，一点儿自由时间都没有。还是婷婷好，恋爱的人最甜蜜。 shì a. wǒ tiāntiān wéi zhe érzi zhuàn, yīdiǎnr zìyóu shíjiān dōu méiyǒu. háishì Tíngting hǎo, liàn'ài de rén zuì tiánmì. Yeah. My daily life revolves around my son; I don't have any time for myself. Ting Ting is better off. People dating are the happiest. C:   恋爱都一样，能结婚才幸福。 liàn'ài dōu yīyàng, néng jiéhūn cái xìngfú. Dating is all the same. You're only actually happy once you're married. A:   哎，对了，你跟你们那位也好了三四年了吧？什么时候喝你们的喜酒？ āi, duìle, nǐ gēn nǐmen nèi wèi yě hǎo le sān sì nián le ba? shénme shíhou hē nǐmen de xǐjiǔ? Hey, that's right. Haven't you been with that guy for three or four years? When are you guys gonna tie the knot? B:   就是就是。 jiùshì jiùshì. Yeah, when? C:   别提了。我都郁闷死了。 bié tí le. wǒ dōu yùmèn sǐ le. Don't bring it up. I'm really depressed about it. A:   怎么了？ zěnmele? What's wrong? C:   Pete迟迟不肯求婚，我都二十七了，再拖就变成没人要的老姑娘了。 Pete chíchí bù kěn qiúhūn, wǒ dōu èrshí qī le, zài tuō jiù biànchéng méi rén yào de lǎo gūniang le. Pete seems reluctant to propose. I'm already 27. If I wait any longer I'll be an old maid that nobody wants. B:   你暗示过他吗？ nǐ ànshì guo tā ma? Have you dropped hints? C:   有过几次吧。不过我不想表现得太明显。 yǒu guo jǐ cì ba. bùguò wǒ bù xiǎng biǎoxiàn de tài míngxiǎn. I have multiple times, but I didn't want to make it too obvious. A:   他也三十岁了吧，难不成有别的心思？ tā yě sānshí suì le ba, nánbùchéng yǒu bié de xīnsi?

To view the full lesson notes, as well as thousands of more visit https://chinesepod.com/lessons/mild-swearingZen might be of Asian design, but it takes a back-seat when someone cuts in line. In this podcast, Ken and Jenny lower their professional integrity by teaching some mild ways of insulting someone in Mandarin Chinese and the importance of never, ever wearing a green hat…ever. 神经病！ shénjīngbìng! You're crazy! 脑子坏了。 nǎozi huài le. Your brain is busted! 傻冒 shǎmào Fool! 白痴 báichī Idiot! 没长眼睛 méi zhǎng yǎnjing You don't have eyes. 你没长眼睛。 nǐ méi zhǎng yǎnjing. You have no eyes. 戴绿帽子 dài lǜmàozi To be cuckolded 你老婆给你戴绿帽子。 nǐ lǎopó gěi nǐ dài lǜmàozi. Your wife is cheating on you. 奶油 nǎiyóu Girly 你很奶油！ nǐ hěn nǎiyóu! You're very effeminate! 奶油蛋糕 nǎiyóu dàngāo Cream cake