ChineseClass101.com Blog

Hi there listener,

You’re regularly exposed to Chinese speakers and conversations in ChineseClass101 lessons. But do you actively practice pronunciation and the proper accent?

If not, now’s the time to start. How would you do it?

Simply listening and repeating Chinese speakers isn’t enough. You need to hear how you actually sound as opposed to how you think you sound .

So, naturally, recording and comparing yourself is one of the best ways of knowing how close your Chinese is to native Chinese.

In fact, you can start doing this with your Chinese lessons at ChineseClass101.

We’ve upgraded & re-added the Voice Recording Tool into your lesson pages. If you’re a Premium member, you’ll find the Voice Recorder in the Line-by-Line Audio under “Lesson Materials.”

For each and every ChineseClass101 lesson, you can use the Voice Recording Tool in conjunction with the Line-by-Line Audio to…

(sample screenshot taken from JapanesePod101.com)

To Access The Voice Recorder, visit any lesson and click on (2) Lesson Materials. In the Line-by-Line Audio Tab, you’ll see a microphone by each individual line of the conversation.

(sample screenshot taken from JapanesePod101.com))

Click on the microphone icon to load the Voice Recorder for that specific line to hear the native speaker. Then, press the record button to record yourself. Once you’re done, you can either listen to the Chinese version, then your version to compare, OR play both simultaneously to see just how close you are to the native speaker.

So, listeners, test this feature out and let us know what you think! For all bugs, errors and suggestions, please shoot us an email at contactus@chineseclass101.com

For iOS Users: Please note that the Voice Recording Tool requires Flash to work. However, we are working on a non-flash (HTML5) version of the Voice Recording Tool. Stay tuned for future updates.

Note: You’ll need to be a Premium member to access the entire ChineseClass101 learning system as well as features like the Line by Line and Voice recorder.

Click here to upgrade to Premium at ChineseClass101.com at 15% OFF!

To your fluency,
Team ChineseClass101

Hello Listener,

All 30 languages are yours inside one app! Yes, Chinese too!

So anywhere you go in the world, we have you covered. And anytime you’re ready to start the next language, you have 30 languages and over 16,500 words instantly available on your iPhone or iPad.

And no, you can’t have this app yet. It’s coming soon.

Visual Dictionary Pro – Learn 30 languages, presented by InnovativeLanguage.com, comes with 30 languages, including Chinese, that you can easily download with an internet connection.

Master Chinese and 29 other languages with real-life scenarios!

Visual Dictionary Pro – Learn 30 languages is coming soon to iTunes! Master over 550 must-know words in 30 languages by exploring 26 scenarios, one-by-one. Just swipe through each scenario on your iPad or iPhone and tap on objects and places to get their meanings.

You’re not reading words off of a list. You’re mastering words in their real-life context along with audio pronunciations and sample sentences.

What’s new with this app? With Visual Dictionary Pro – Learn 30 Languages, you can:

And with 30 languages, Visual Dictionary Pro gets you mastering a total of 16,500+ words.

Want to try it out for FREE? The Free Visual Dictionary is coming soon!

Visual Dictionary (Free) also comes with the same 30 languages with limited access so you can try before you buy. For each language, you explore the 3 sample scenarios – Earth, City and Supermarket and master 104 words along the way. For more scenarios and words, simply unlock the language with an in-app upgrade.

Visual Dictionary Pro Comes with the following languages:

· American English · British English · Bulgarian · Cantonese
· Chinese · Croatian · Dutch · Filipino · French · German
· Hebrew · Hindi · Hungarian · Indonesian · Italian
· Japanese · Mongolian · Nepali · Korean · Polish
· Brazilian Portuguese · Russian · Spanish · Mexican Spanish
· Peruvian Spanish · Swahili · Thai · Turkish · Ukrainian · Vietnamese

Visual Dictionary Pro – Learn 30 Languages is perfect for travelers and language lovers alike. You master just the practical, real-life vocabulary of the world around you. This app will walk you through 26 everyday scenarios like stores, homes, classrooms, airports, hospitals, subway stations and more in 30 languages!

To your fluency,

Team ChineseClass101

P.S. Stay tuned! Visual Dictionary Pro – Learn 30 languages for the iPhone and iPad is coming soon!

Hi listener,

Improving Chinese is on every learner’s summer to-do list.

That is… if you even have one!

Oh, you don’t!? How’d you know what you’ve accomplished so far? Do you want to speak Chinese without thinking? Want to understand real life conversation? And have Chinese native speakers teach and guide you step by step?

Write these goals and tasks down!

Then, start learning Chinese with ChineseClass101 this summer!

Summer Survival Sale! Get 30% OFF Basic & Premium Subscriptions ‘til July 26th, 2013! Learn more Chinese for less this summer! All ChineseClass101 Basic & Premium subscriptions are 30% OFF. Get 24-month Premium for as low as $7/month!

Click here to learn Chinese with the 30% DISCOUNT!

And start learning with these Chinese lessons:

You unlock over 800+ Chinese Audio and Video lessons – The ChineseClass101 Lesson Library – from Absolute Beginner to Advanced. Plus, new lessons are published every week.

But there’s more.

• Learning Guidance: We help you start learning Chinese. Set your learning level, begin a lesson that’s perfect for you, and the ChineseClass101 Dashboard tells you what to study next.
• PDF Lesson Notes For Every Lesson: Read along as you listen with these detailed explanations.
• Progress Tracking Track your Chinese progress, lesson by lesson, and continue where you’ve left off.
• Mobile Web App: Access all lessons and lesson notes on any mobile device.

You’re Also Gain Access To Premium Tools

• 2,000 Must-Know Words List: All the Chinese words needed for conversational fluency. Use this with Flashcards and your WordBank.
• Smart Flashcards: Learn vocabulary fast and create your own study decks.
• Your Personal Word Bank: Save new words here to review later.
• Line-By-Line Pronunciation: Perfect your accent with dialogue breakdown.
• 1-Click Lesson Downloads: Download any series with the Premium iTunes Feed
• Review Quizzes: Review what you’ve learned after every lesson with quizzes.

With Premium, the ENTIRE ChineseClass101 learning system is yours. This is the fastest track to fluency and and you get the premium study tools in addition to the lessons and lesson notes. 24-month Premium is as low as $7/month!

Go Basic, you just get the Basics of our system. Just the lessons and the lesson notes.

Summer Survival Sale: Click here to learn Chinese this summer at 30% OFF!

Click the link above, and choose Basic or Premium. On the check-out page, choose the length of your subscription (1, 3, 6, 12, 24 months) and fill out your info. Then press COMPLETE!

P.S. Hurry! The ChineseClass101 Summer Survival Sale ends July 26th, 2013!

Want to learn more about Basic or Premium Subscriptions? Click here!

Hi listeners!

Looking for new language to study?

Aside from ChineseClass101, there are 26 other languages that you can learn the fast, fun and easy way! And now that we’re done updating our lesson layouts, we’re adding even more languages!

There are 2 new language sites and a whole lot of new content on EnglishClass101 coming July 1st and we’re revealing it here first!

What are they? Based on user requests, we’re introducing British English, Persian, and Swahili. These new additions will bring the Innovative Language family to a total of 29 sites!

British English? That’s right. We have EnglishClass101.com just for our English learners.

British English itself has over 58 million speakers in the UK and opens you to over 780 million English speakers worldwide. It’s the world’s lingua franca! This July, you’ll find British English lessons on EnglishClass101.com as an alternative to the current American English lessons. However, if you’re a native speaker and want to brush up on your British accent, feel free to stop by as well!

British English Lessons start July 1st. Click here to visit EnglishClass101!

Persian is also known as Farsi. The good news? It has no articles, no cases, and nouns have no gender. In short, grammar will be easy and breezy. It also opens you up to over 110 million speakers in Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. And since it’s part of the Indo-European language family, it’ll help you get a head start on Arabic (ArabicPod101.com) and Hindi (HindiPod101.com) as well! The bad news? You need to wait ‘til the site is launched!

PersianPod101.com Coming Soon! Click here to sign up for the wait-list!

Swahili is the easiest African language to learn for English and Arabic speakers. There are no lexical tones and it’s spoken just as it’s written. With over 140 million speakers, Swahili is the official language of Tanzania, Kenya and is the lingua franca of East Africa. We’re happy to have it as our first African language at InnovativeLanguage.com. And if you know what Hakuna Matata means (it means no worries), you’ve already started learning!

SwahiliPod101.com Coming Soon! Click here to sign up for the wait-list!

P.S. July 1st is the day! Stay tuned for PersianPod101, SwahiliPod101 and new British English lessons!

Hi Listener,

Want to speak more Chinese? You need exposure to native Chinese conversation. And you need a Chinese speaker to explain it all – the words, the grammar, and cultural nuances.

That’s every ChineseClass101 lesson. And there’s more on the way!

Starting July 8th, 2013, we’ll be publishing brand new seasons and lessons to get you mastering Chinese the fast, fun and easy way! Want to know what you can expect?

Here’s a sneak peek at what you can look forward to:

Remember, ChineseClass101’s newest lessons are free for the first three weeks! You have three weeks worth of lessons at any given time. Oh, and the first 3 lessons of every series are free too! Sign up for a Free Lifetime Account to learn Chinese with newest lessons!

Click here to sign up for a Free Lifetime Account!

Hi listeners,

Last week we made the switch to cleaner, friendlier lesson-page layout! If you’ve completely missed the big news, click here to take a lesson and see for yourself!

In the meantime, we’d like to thank you for all of the fantastic feedback. We took your suggestions to heart and over the past week, we’ve rolled out three updates with more on the way.

• View Comments
• Report A Problem
• All Languages Tab for Line-by-Line Dialogue

View Comments & Report A Problem

Some of our listeners pointed out that comments disappear when you’re in the Lesson Materials section or the Review Section. We’ve went and added a way to easily access lesson comments from any section on the lesson page.

And of course, every language learning site needs a way for users to report bugs quickly. Alongside the “View Comment” link, you can now use “Report a Problem” to report all technical or language related issues directly to us.

You’ll find these additions at the bottom of each lesson page.

(sample screenshot taken from JapanesePod101.com)

All Versions Tab for Line-by-Line Dialogue

We’ve also added an “All” tab to the Premium “Line-By-Line Audio” section.

Here you can see all versions of the lesson dialogue – in English & in Chinese. This is in addition to the English only, Chinese only, and Romanization only (where applicable) tabs.

(sample screenshot taken from ChineseClass101.com)

Once again, thank you for your support and stay tuned for more improvements coming soon!

Click Here to Visit ChineseClass101 & Test Drive the New Lesson Pages!

To your fluency,

Team ChineseClass101

Hi listener,

Where will you be in 6 months? And your Chinese? Successful students plan ahead. They don’t leave learning Chinese to luck.

So, when 2014 comes around and most people are just starting their Chinese resolutions, you’ll be 6 months ahead (if not more!)

Forget the 2014 Resolution, start Chinese now!
Grab 6 months of ChineseClass101 Premium for $66 – that’s 45% OFF! With Premium, you unlock 800+ Chinese lessons (new lessons published weekly), PDF lesson notes, Premium Tools and Exclusive Inner Circle Access!
Click Here To Start Right Now!

You Speak Chinese From Day One. Want to speak quickly and confidently? You need to be exposed to conversation right now. In every ChineseClass101 lesson, you instantly jump into everyday Chinese conversation. We guide you through and teach you how to respond.

You Read Along. Here’s Why It WORKS: Imagine getting a transcript to every conversation you hear. You’ll know every word. You’ll keep up with fast, natural conversation. And best of all, you’ll master Chinese in half the time. With PDF Lesson notes, you get the lesson in writing – the transcripts, translations, word lists and grammar explanations.

And You Cut Learning Time In Half With Premium Study Tools. Serious about mastering Chinese? With Premium you unlock the Tools – the word lists, spaced repetition flashcards, word bank, and more – that with consistent use will massively improve your vocabulary, pronunciation and speaking skills.

So EXACTLY What Am I Getting With My 6-Month Premium Account?

• Learning Guidance: We help you start learning Chinese. Set your learning level and begin a lesson that’s perfect for you.
• The ChineseClass101 Lesson Library: 800+ lessons and counting. Audio & Video lessons from Beginner to Advanced.
• PDF Lesson Notes For Every Lesson: Read along with these detailed explanations.
• Mobile Web App: Access lessons and lesson notes on any mobile device.
• Progress Tracking Dashboard: An easy way to track your study progress.
• 2000 Must-Know Words List: Enough for conversational fluency.
• Smart Online Flashcards: Learn vocabulary fast and create your own study decks.
• Your Personal Word Bank: Save new words here to review later.
• Line-By-Line Pronunciation: Perfect your accent with dialogue breakdown.
• 1-Click Lesson Downloads: Download any series with the Premium iTunes Feed.

And Exclusive Inner Circle Access for 6 Month Subscribers.

• For 6 Month Subscribers ONLY. The Inner Circle is a monthly, no-holds barred newsletter giving you insider tips and success strategies to mastering Chinese from the people who’ve been there. For dedicated learners only.

Click Here To Get 6 Months of Unlimited Chinese Learning For $66!

Where Will Your Chinese Be In 6 Months? Make the decision to master Chinese. Nobody’s ever gotten fluent by hoping to maybe, someday, possibly learn a language.

And get a 6-month Premium membership for $66. That’s a big 45% off and our biggest deal of the year so far. The 6-Month Premium Sale Ends Friday, June 28th, 2013.

Click Here To Get 6 Months of Unlimited Chinese Learning For $66!

Hello Listener,

When you’re out to learn Chinese… you want to get straight the point.
You want to jump directly into the lesson from day one.

Why wait? Now, you don’t have to.

These past few months, we’ve been busy redesigning the website and new lesson pages are coming June 12th! And you get straight to the point – you want to learn Chinese with the effective ChineseClass101 lessons you’ve come to love. With the new design, you jump right into our fun and effective audio and video lesson library and tools.

So, want a quick preview of the new designs? Of course you do! Here’s what’s coming soon!

On June 12th, you’ll be switching from this…
(Sample screenshot taken from ArabicPod101.com)

…to the new layout. Since our fun, fast, and easy Chinese lessons take up most of the site (you do get over 800+ Audio and Video lessons) this is our BIGGEST upgrade thus far.

Here’s What’s New!

(Sample screenshot taken from ArabicPod101.com)

Your Chinese Audio and Video Lessons now take center stage!
The Audio or Video Lesson is the first thing you’ll see when you open a lesson. Want to download the audio and lesson notes? All convenient quick-links are just below the player.

Take Control Of The Lessons Too! Want to skip the lesson jingle or slow down the Chinese conversation? We’ve upgraded the players to help you do just that!

And Access Them On Any Device. Pick a device, any device. The new lesson layout loads beautifully on all screens, so you’ll love learning whether it be at home or on the go!

But that’s not even the half of it! We’ll be unveiling the new lesson page design on ChineseClass101 on June 12th, 2013.

Until then you’ll just have to wait and see!

To Your Fluency,
Team ChineseClass101

Hello Listener,

Your Chinese progress depends on one thing. Your willingness to spring into action and go after it. Don’t have the confidence to speak Chinese?
Tune into a ChineseClass101 lesson and mimic the conversation ‘til you get it right.

Can’t talk about your favorite topics? You need more words.
Visit the 2,000 core word list and drill the words with flashcards.

Want to start mastering Chinese?

It’s all here at ChineseClass101, but you must go after it! Get 25% OFF ALL Basic and Premium subscriptions until May 31st, 2013! 24-month Premium is as low as $7.50/month and 24-month Basic is just $3.00/month!

Spring Into Action Sale! Click Here To Save 25% at ChineseClass101 !

How Does It Work?

Here’s the deal. You need exposure to real Chinese conversation first. You need Chinese natives to guide you along. That’s every ChineseClass101 lesson from Beginner to Advanced. You jump directly into the conversation but don’t worry, we translate and explain it all after – words, grammar, culture, and more! Just listen, repeat, and you’re ready to speak in minutes!

You also get the Lesson Notes with every Lesson!

Understand the lesson completely! The lesson notes give you the lesson in writing so you don’t miss a word. Read along as you listen or review! Lesson notes come with every lesson and give you the transcript, translations, vocabulary lists, grammar notes and more!

Want To Know More? Here’s What You Unlock At ChineseClass101!

• Learning Guidance: We help you start learning Chinese. Set your learning level and begin a lesson that’s perfect for you.
• The ChineseClass101 Lesson Library: 800+ lessons and counting. Audio & Video lessons from Beginner to Advanced.
• Lesson Notes For Every Lesson: Read along with these detailed explanations.
• Mobile Web App: Access lessons and lesson notes on any mobile device.
• Progress Tracking Dashboard: An easy way to track your study progress.
• 2000 Must-Know Words List: Enough for conversational fluency.
• Smart Online Flashcards: Learn vocabulary fast and create your own study decks.
• Your Personal Word Bank: Save new words here to later review.
• Line-By-Line Pronunciation: Perfect your accent with dialogue breakdown
• Voice Recorder: Record yourself and compare with the correct Chinese pronunciation
• 1-Click Lesson Downloads: Download any series with the Premium iTunes Feed.

Spring Into Action & Learn Chinese At 25% OFF ‘til 5/31/2013!

Speaking better Chinese is as easy as jumping into a ChineseClass101 lesson. It just requires that extra spring. While most learners wish and wonder about how to be better… you’re already listening to practical conversation and improving. All you did was start! And through May 31st, start speaking better Chinese with 25% savings!

Spring Into Action Sale! Click Here To Learn Chinese At 25% OFF!

Hi Listener,

Users ask this all time. “What’s one Chinese Mac app of yours I should try?”

To which we say… “Uh… We have a lot!”

But if you’re saying… “My goal’s to speak more Chinese. I need to boost my vocabulary and track my progress. What do you have for me?”

Get WordPower Chinese for the Mac.

It’s our single most downloaded Chinese Mac App. And it’s just been updated.

WordPower Version 4.0: Not Just an Update, It’s a Brand New App
New! Click Here To See WordPower Chinese in the Mac App Store!

WordPower is your complete Chinese vocabulary and culture course. It’s fully redesigned and rebuilt based on years of helpful user feedback.

You get double the amount of Chinese words with the Chinese local list, thousands of extra sample sentences, and 10 easy study courses to learn them all.

What’s the Chinese local list? It’s a list of words and phrases specifically related to Chinese daily life and culture. Wonder what the most popular drinks are in China? Need to know the name of famous landmarks? You learn all that and everything else you need if you’re traveling or living in China. Want more insight? We’ve included links to the each topic’s Wikipedia page.

“2,000 Words Is A LOT! Where do I start?”
It is a lot! It’s 2,000 on your Mac instead 4,000 flashcards scattered all over your room.

Start in one of two easy ways: Study on your own and browse our expansive list by category. Or, for more guidance, we’ve organized words into Study Courses. Start off with the Top 100 Chinese words every Chinese learner must know. Once you’re done, dive into 10 course levels from Basic to Upper Intermediate and track your progress along the way.

Here’s What’s New in WordPower Chinese version 4.0!

Not Just a Vocab App, Learn How to Use the Vocab Too!
Brand new to WordPower is instant ChineseClass101 audio lesson access. Sign up for a Free Lifetime Account and access our latest lessons, week after week. From beginner to advanced, you’ll find lessons that meet your needs. WordPower arms you with the tools to transform you from a timid speaker with a big vocabulary into an unstoppable Chinese speaking machine!

Core Words? Check. China-Specific Words and Phrases? Check. Culture? Check.

Conversational Audio Courses? Yes, you get this too.

WordPower Chinese for the Mac is your complete Chinese vocabulary and culture course. Speak more Chinese and get a dose of culture. You master 2,000 Chinese words through 10 easy course levels or 13 categories and track your progress along the way.

Click Here To Get WordPower Chinese for the Mac

Android, iPhone or iPad User? Get this same app and learn Chinese on the go! Learn 200+ words with the FREE version and upgrade to unlock all 2,000 words!
Free! Click Here To Get WordPower For The Android, iPhone or iPad!