It's been a while since we've released a lesson for absolute beginners, but we're back in the saddle today with a sequel of sorts to our earlier podcast on how not to be confused for a Scientologist during your weekend trip to Xi'an. So if you've ever fancied yourself more a Brad Pitt (or Angelina Jolie) take a listen as we teach you how to introduce yourself to the locals in style. Maybe you'll get a free lunch out of it.

In addition to sharing some useful language for passing yourself off as a celebrity in China, in this lesson we also introduce a dead-easy sentence pattern you can use to indulge in unsubstantiated celebrity gossip or tell others how you feel. So if you're an absolute beginner give this lesson a listen. And if your Chinese is more advanced, swing by our lessons archive and look for something a bit more suited to your level of difficulty.
Absolute Beginners
 said on
February 8, 2010
Quick note: this is our first lesson with a standalone dialogue-only recording. Intended for those who want to dive into the Chinese quickly without the surrounding podcast. Or just for review.

We'll be adding it to the premium RSS feed shortly and going through the archive to add these to our older lessons. More to come....
lopez_lucho
 said on
February 11, 2010
Hello, there are some problems in downloading "generative audio review"
Absolute Beginners
 said on
February 11, 2010
@lopez_lucho,

Thanks for pointing that out. The Fix is up now. Let us know if you have any problems finding it.

Best,

--david

Fire69
 said on
October 1, 2010
There appears to be a problem with the audio-recording for shénme in the vocabulary-section and even in de generative audio review. Appears to be a "popup"-sound. ;-)
Absolute Beginners
 said on
October 1, 2010
@Fire69 - thanks for these corrections and sorry you ran into the problems. Have fixed the Australian vocab PDF, etc. and will get us to re-record the audio for 什么 in this lesson later tonight.

--david
丹尼
 said on
April 10, 2012
I love these podcasts. I'm not sure how much my Chinese is improving, but I'm definitely entertained.
amber
 said on
April 11, 2012
@Danny,

Then you definitely are progressing. Interest brings everything.;-)

--Amber
Franek
 said on
September 19, 2013
Hi Echo,

this is the appropriate podcast to ask a question, I also wondered about:

How does it come, people call you 'echo'? I suppose your parents did not give you this name. Is it only for us, 外人, or do you use this name also in your familiar surroundings?

Franek
Echo
 said on
September 23, 2013
@Franek,

I gave the name to myself, because we all needed an English name at school (for English class). Now only except for my parents (because they don't speak English), everyone else call me Echo, all my friends, colleagues etc. And when I introduce myself to other people, I say my name is Echo. It's funny that since I don't hear my Chinese name very often now, so I feel kind of strange when people call me Yao Wei.

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com