These fifteen lessons offer a semi-progressive course covering the absolute basics of mandarin. They are designed for those with no previous exposure to the language.

To study this course simply download the podcasts associated with each lesson and listen to them at your convenience. Follow along with the recordings using our transcripts and practice your spoken Chinese by comparing your pronunciation against the recordings on our site. By the time you have finished this course, you will have a grasp on the four basic tones and recognize 100 of the most common words in the world's most popular language.

Once you have finished this course, you can continue to study our lessons designed for absolute beginners, or can push ahead to the Elementary level for a challenge.