ChineseClass101.com Blog

Welcome Back Listener!

It’s been a while! Last time we saw you, it was still 2012… Christmas trees were up, and you were still making your 2013 resolutions.

Now that the New Year has begun, the #1 question everyone’s asking is…

“How do I fulfill my resolution and make serious Chinese progress?”

One: Stop thinking and start doing. Take on the challenge and jump in. Your progress starts NOW.

Two: Create a measurable and attainable Chinese goal. (Master new 100 words in 2 weeks, listen to 5 Chinese lessons a week, hold Chinese a conversation for 5 minutes, etc.)

Three: Challenge yourself more each month. (Go for 10 minute conversations, move on to 200 words, etc.)

It’s as easy as that!

So this 2013, take the ChineseClass101
12-Month Challenge!

Your progress starts now! Jump in and get 1 whole year of Premium Access for only $99 (that’s just $8.25/a month and 45% OFF the regular price) until January 18th, 2013!

Got your Chinese goal ready? Good! With a 1-Year Premium Subscription, you’ll dive right into fun and effective Chinese conversation lessons while our Dashboard tracks and measures your progress throughout the year. Seeing how far you’ve progressed will keep you motivated to keep on learning!

Reached your first goal? Congratulations! Now, challenge yourself even further! Move on to more advanced lessons and bigger word lists! With Premium, you get all lessons from Beginner level to Advanced and Premium tools including the 2000 core words list! Our giant library of lessons will keep you busy from January 1 to December 31st.

Need More Motivation? Get insider tips and tricks on how to master your Chinese resolution this year. The Insider’s Circle Newsletter is an exclusive bonus gift when you use coupon code CHALLENGE to save 45% on 12-Month Premium!

Take The Challenge – Click To Get The Most Effective Chinese Course For 1 Year!

What’s A Premium Subscription?
It’s the most popular plan among our users. Why? All the Chinese lessons we’ve ever made (and will make), and all the handy lesson notes and Premium study tools are yours. Plus, you get to track your progress every step of the way.

Here’s how it works!
You learn real-life Chinese directly from native speakers in every lesson. Our lesson hosts explain and simplify the language for you: conversation, grammar, vocabulary, culture – you learn it all and are ready to speak ASAP.

You also get printable lesson notes to help review and master everything presented in the lesson. And with exclusive Premium tools, you get Chinese word lists, pronunciation practice and the study tools to master ‘em all fast.

Click Here To Get Unlimited ChineseClass101 Access for 45% OFF!

Oh, and that’s not all!

Here’s what you get in more detail:

Ready to crush your 2013 Resolution? Take the ChineseClass101 Challenge and get one whole year of non-stop Chinese lessons, lesson notes and more! Hurry, the ChineseClass101 challenge ends January 18th, 2013!

1-Year Premium is just $8.25 a month. Click Here To Start Learning Chinese!

Rise and shine, listener!

You’re in a new year and you’ve made your Chinese resolution!

Just one last thing left to do: start speaking some Chinese with ChineseClass101.

Whether you’re just starting out light with the basics, or going heavy…you’re about to add some serious Chinese muscle this year. You’ll go from simple phrases to dominating conversations in Chinese. Why? We’re guiding you every step of the way, that’s why!

And we’ve made it our New Year’s resolution to go heavy too. We’re pushing out all new series – all new lessons to get you learning the Chinese language and culture inside-out with native speakers. Stay tuned because the first lessons start publishing on January 7, 2013!

Here’s a sneak peek of the ChineseClass101 2013 schedule

Monday: Lower Beginner
Thursday: Throwback Thursday
Friday: Chinese in 3 minutes

Remember! All newly published ChineseClass101 lessons are free for 3 weeks. With a Free Lifetime Account, you have 3 weeks worth of lessons at any given time and access to every new lesson published.

Click here to sign up for a Free Lifetime Account and get a head start on the Chinese language!

Welcome to 2013!

P.S. Make 2013 your year! Take the 12-month Challenge and see how far your Chinese goes!
Get a 1-Year Premium Subscription for only $99 until January 18th!

Click Here To Take The Challenge!

Hello Listener,

While people were out getting TVs and DVDs…
Our listeners were getting better, faster, stronger in Chinese instead.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday were prime time for language learning..

But if you missed out on Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals at ChineseClass101, then good news! The holiday season is fast approaching which means two things: one, wear a sweater and two…

The ChineseClass101 Holiday Countdown Begins December 10th.

Serious about mastering Chinese in 2013? Join the Holiday Countdown as we count down the holiday season with 10 days of the 10 BIGGEST deals on Chinese Apps, Audiobooks, Software Subscriptions, and much much more. How big? Try 53% OFF Premium! 55% OFF Basic! 50% OFF Apps and more!

Starting December 10th until December 23rd – not including the weekend – the 24 hour daily deals begin. At midnight one expires and a new one takes its place! But the catch is… you won’t know what the next deal is until it arrives.

So… do you take it?
Do you wait for a better Chinese deal?
What if you miss one?
What if Santa just decides to fly past your house altogether?

No worries! There’s something better coming up. From subscriptions on the fast, fun, and easy Chinese lessons to mobile apps and audiobooks, you have 10 days to get in on the biggest deals of the year and start mastering Chinese!

Act fast! Deals this big come around only once and last for 24 hours each.

Want to get notified when the best deals come?
Click here to sign up for a free lifetime account.

Hi everyone, Peter Galante, founder of Innovative Language Learning here. With 2012 winding down, it’s time to check in and see just how far your Chinese has progressed with ChineseClass101! Around this time of year, our inboxes start filling up with success stories from users all around the world. (You can share your story here.)

This year, I’d like to share my 2012 Chinese language success story with you. On January 1st, 2012 I made a resolution to learn Chinese. What was different from past years?

1. I wrote out the resolution and left it on my desk, where I looked at it each day;
2. I listened to ChineseClass101 lessons or vocabulary lists each day during commutes on my mobile phone;
3. I used my ChineseClass101 lessons as study material with my tutor;
4. I set smaller goals: weekly and monthly;
5. And a few more tactics and tricks I’d be more than happy to share if you’re interested.

The results? As of the last week in November, my two weekly 30-minute Chinese lessons are 99.9% in Chinese. And we’ve progressed to the point where I can talk about personal interests such as personal finance, taxes and online life with my tutor.

How did I do it? Basic and Premium members simply mail me, and I’ll share ALL the secrets. Not a member? Become one now and find out how to master any language, fast:

Sign up here

My rapid language progress is not unique. Over the years, we’ve helped thousands of students just like you ace exams, travel with ease and open doors to new, life changing opportunities. We even helped a young man propose to his girlfriend in her native language! (She said “Yes!”)

Motivation is the Key to Success
These stories keep our team motivated to continue working hard to deliver the freshest and most effective learning tools online. So we want to hear from you!

Click here to tell us your story!

How have our lessons and learning tools helped your Chinese? Did you reach any major milestones with your language studies? What are your language goals for 2013? Click on the link below and let us know!

We want to hear your Chinese learning story!

The Power of Community
Not only do your stories keep us motivated, they help to encourage other students in our ChineseClass101 community! By sharing your progress, you’re helping to pay it forward – just in time for the Holidays!

Share your progress and love of Chinese!

Thanks again for being a part of our learning community!

Peter Galante
Founder, ChineseClass101

P.S. We want to hear from you! Share your success story with us! >> Click here to share!

Hi Listener,

It’s about to get really busy. The holidays are coming up which means…
Gifts for moms, gifts for dads, gifts for friends. Everyone but yourself.

And your Chinese?

If you’re not careful, your Chinese language will take a backseat. So this Thanksgiving, you come first. Thank yourself with something that gets you speaking better Chinese in minutes.

We owe you a thank you too!

Thank you for learning Chinese with ChineseClass101 and for being part of the Innovative Language family. To show our gratitude, get a head start on 27 languages in under 2 minutes by learning one of the most important phrases, “Thank You.”

Learn how to say “Thank You” in 27 languages with this free video lesson!

And thank yourself with the Chinese learning gift you deserve.

Save 30% on all Basic and Premium Subscriptions at ChineseClass101 until November 23rd, 2012. Premium is our most popular plan and 1-Year Premium is as low as $7 a month.

Want to speak and understand Chinese? You will. You learn real life Chinese conversation, slang and cultural tips in each ChineseClass101 lesson. Our lesson hosts break down and translate all Chinese conversation, grammar, and vocabulary so you can use it in minutes.

Audio and video lessons are what users love most and you unlock the entire lesson archive. That’s thousands of lessons and lesson notes, with new lessons published weekly.

No Experience? ChineseClass101 Takes You By The Hand and guides you from Absolute Beginner to Advanced. Set your learning level and start with a personalized lesson appropriate for your level. Our lesson hosts do the rest.

Lesson Personalization: One Of Many New Features. You can also track your progress, see how much Chinese you’ve learned, and where to go next. Personalization, progress tracking and guidance can all be done with the new ChineseClass101 Dashboard.

New! Take Your Chinese Lessons On Any Mobile Screen. No downloading. No zooming. No iPhone? No problem. ChineseClass101 Mobile gives you instant access to all lessons and lesson notes on any mobile device. Note: For 12- and 24-month Premium users only.

Your ChineseClass101 Membership Gives You:

Thank You For Learning With Us! Grab your gift from us and learn how to say “Thank You” in 27 languages! And make sure to thank yourself this Thanksgiving – Save 30% on Basic and Premium on the most effective Chinese course!

Happy Thanksgiving,
Team ChineseClass101

Hello Listener,

Mothers don’t choose favorites. But we do!

When it comes to apps, WordPower Chinese v4.0 has a special place in our hearts. And for good reason.

WordPower Version 4.0: Not Just an Update, It’s Like a Brand New App

WordPower for iPhone and iPad has been rebuilt from top to bottom and the reviews are coming in.

This latest update turns WordPower into your complete Chinese language and culture course. We’ve changed the look and added the Chinese Local List to the current list of 2,000 words.

The Chinese Local List contains words and phrases specifically related to Chinese daily life and culture.

Ever wonder what the most popular beverages are in China? Need to know the name of famous landmarks? You’ll learn all that and everything else you need if you’re traveling or living in China.

For even more insight, we’ve even included links to the each topic’s Wikipedia page. Trust us, you’re never putting this app away.

“2,000 words? That’s a lot! Where do I start?”

Great question. With WordPower 4.0, you can 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.

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.

You gotta see it to believe it. And to see it, you gotta download it.

Click Here To Get Word Power Chinese for Free!
Click Here To Word Power Chinese Full with 2000 Words!

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

Let’s play a game of Would You Rather?

Would you rather have this…
Over 300 Chinese learning CDs (yeah, CDs…remember those?) piled to the ceiling in your bedroom next to stacks upon stacks of expensive, outdated textbooks that teach you dry, humorless Chinese conversation.

…or this?
The same amount of content, shrunken down to fit onto your smartphone or tablet. And all those lessons? They’ve been updated to teach you vocabulary, grammar and culture so that learning Chinese is actually fun!

The answer is clear. You’d rather have the ChineseClass101 Mobile!

The biggest Chinese course.
All on your tiny mobile device.

Introducing ChineseClass101 Mobile Beta!
Take all of your favorite Chinese lessons and lesson notes on the go, anywhere you have a WiFi or 3G/4G connection, anytime and on any device. That’s hundreds of Chinese lessons from Absolute Beginner to Advanced, available at the touch of a finger. Optimized for any screen, you’ll navigate through our rich collection of lessons and resources easily and intuitively.

No more zooming. No more squinting. This is language learning on-the-go!

Exclusive New Feature for 12-month and 24-month Premium Subscribers!
Whether you’re an iOS or Android user, Beginner or Advanced speaker, you can swipe your way to Chinese fluency as you go from lesson to lesson. Accessed through your device’s browser, once you log in and your 12-month or 24-month Premium membership has been authenticated, you’ll gain access to our entire lesson library including audio, video, lesson notes, line-by-line transcripts and vocabulary with audio.

Loading that many lessons onto your Phone would take up 20GB at least! With ChineseClass101 Mobile, you get all the content without giving up all that storage space. Save that extra space for more Instagram photos of your delicious Chinese lunch!

Log On to Tune In
Using any WiFi-enabled device, log in at mobile.ChineseClass101.com and tap on “Browse” to scroll through all seasons and lessons by difficulty. If you’d like to continue where you’ve left off, tap on “History.”

Most Lessons come with 3 Audio Tracks:

Plus, you get Lesson Notes and Supplementary Resources:

ChineseClass101 Mobile is currently available to 12-month and 24-month Premium and Premium Plus subscribers only. To access ChineseClass101 Mobile as well as the unlimited ChineseClass101.com access that comes with Premium and Premium+, click here to subscribe.

ChineseClass101 Mobile Launch Special: Save 20% on any 12-month or 24-month Premium Subscription until November 15th, 2012. Use coupon code MOBILE

If you have questions or feedback for us, send us a message here.

Another Fall has come and gone and just like that, another iPhone model has hit the market, along with iOS updates for all. If you’ve updated your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad to iOS 6 already and tried looking for your favorite InnovativeLanguage.com podcast, you may be scratching your head wondering if we’ve packed our bags and closed up shop.

We haven’t. In fact, we continue to release new lessons every single week in over 25 languages!

Here are some tips on where to find us and listen on-the-go!*

Using the Podcast App

To find these apps using iOS 6, you’ll need to download Apple’s Podcast app. (Here’s a quick link to the free download.) Once you have the Podcast app installed, you’ll be able to find us under Education or by searching for us. With one tap of a finger, you can download our latest lessons and subscribe to our feed. Once you’re subscribed, these podcast feeds will be added to your library in the Podcast App.

The app itself is made with podcast users in mind. Jump forward and backwards by 10 and 30 second intervals (great for when you want to jump right to the grammar or go back to review the vocabulary) and share your favorite lessons through Twitter, Message and email. The recent update of the Podcast app also allows you to keep your podcast library up-to-date across devices using iCloud.

Using iTunes to Sync

If you prefer using the built-in Music app on your iPhone or iPad, you can still access your podcasts by syncing with iTunes on your computer. Just be sure to delete or not download the Podcast App and know that you won’t be able to download new lessons from your device. (Unfortunately, that’s only possible through the Podcast app.) Using the Music app, you can still tap to view our lesson dialogue and create your own playlists.

No matter how you choose to listen to our lessons, be sure to sign up for a Free Lifetime Account at ChineseClass101.com to access 7 days of free Premium access and free tools like the Chinese Word of the Day, Core 100 Words List and more!

Click here for your free account now!

*These tips are up to date as of October 10th, 2012

Dear Reader,

“You’ll Never Master a Language!”

That’s what my foreign language teacher, Mr. Barry, told me many years ago. “I’m sorry, you just don’t have an aptitude for languages” is what he added.

Well, he was wrong, and I knew it.

I went on to master Japanese, a much harder language than the one Mr. Barry taught, obtaining a master’s degree from a top Japanese university and founding a Japanese company headquartered in Tokyo.

My name is Peter Galante, founder of Innovative Language Learning, and I’m here to tell you the story of how I proved them wrong.

So how did I go from language class failure, to founder of a language learning company with over 200 million language lessons delivered?

The secret lies in my story below. Most people will spot it the first time through. So read slow and carefully.

First, learning a language – what does it take? Brains? Genes? Memory?

Sure, they help. But as my teacher had honestly pointed out, I couldn’t do it.

Learning Japanese as it’s spoken in real life was my goal. I wanted to use Japanese I heard in real life, in movies, songs, online, in letters from friends.

I didn’t want to learn boring grammar out of a book…I wanted to speak to people, watch movies and learn about Japanese culture.

But this was frowned upon. Using fun and interesting phrases outside the textbook was frowned upon. We were studying to pass some silly tests.

My passion for learning languages was deep; however, and I stuck with learning languages on my own. When I learned Japanese, I learned from Japanese speakers who give you what you need to know – authentic, real life Japanese.

It’s no different for you and Chinese.

With lessons that guide you through conversation and translations that break it all down, word by word, grammar point by grammar point.

After all, if you had all this, you’d be ready to speak Chinese right away, right?

Well, this is the fun, fast, and easy method I learned with.

And this is the same exact way the very first lesson was created. And the method works. How do I know? Because these lessons have reached over 200 million downloads worldwide and that number grows hourly.

“You’ll Never Master A Language?”

Wrong. You’ll start speaking Chinese minutes into the first lesson at . All with 700+ Audio and Video lessons, from Beginner to Advanced. Plus, our system includes lesson notes, personalized learning, progress tracking and more to make sure you master Chinese. As a BONUS, you’ll get our 7-day Fluency Fast Course where time-tested language learning secrets and strategies are revealed.

Click Here To MASTER Chinese at 20% OFF and Get a BONUS Fluency Fast Course!

Joining is Risk-Free! Click on any link to grab this 20% off discount until Friday only. If you’re not speaking Chinese as fast as you like, contact us for a full refund. No questions asked.

Peter Galante,
InnovativeLanguage.com, Founder

P.S. Are you ready to master Chinese and prove everyone wrong? Save 20% on all Basic and Premium subscriptions ‘til Friday, October 12th.

P.P.S. Hope you’re reading this, Mr. Barry!

Hi there Listener,

Your first Chinese phrase.

It’s the first step to speaking Chinese

Basic phrases like “How are you,” “Thank you,” and “Where’s the bathroom!?” are what beginners learn first. And since you’ll use them daily in China, mastering these phrases is a must.

Learn the Essential Phrases with the Chinese Key Phrases List!

The Chinese Key Phrase List is free and the newest addition to the Chinese Resources Corner. You learn the most commonly used phrases of the Chinese language with this list. Each phrase comes with the native audio pronunciation, English translation, transliteration, and an illustration to make it memorable.

Mastering these basic phrases takes minutes!

Just browse through the list, play and repeat to rapidly improve your listening and speaking skills. That’s it! Premium members can add these phrases to the WordBank, Spaced Repetition Flashcards, and review with AutoPlay.

Access the Chinese Key Phrase List in the Chinese Resources of the main menu at ChineseClass101 or by clicking on the link below!

Click Here To Learn The Most Common Chinese Phrases!