![\"chinese](\"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/chinesecourses.jpg\" "\\"chinese")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
%<\/span>10% discount with the coupon code SDC3952<\/strong><\/p>\n %<\/span>14 days free trial<\/strong><\/p>\n %<\/span>Premium subscription for 1 USD the first month<\/strong><\/p>\n %<\/span>Free ChinesePod Premium for 14 days<\/strong><\/p>\n %<\/span>10% discount using the coupon code SAPORE10<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Nowadays there is no shortage of free resources for learning a language<\/a>: websites, apps, forums, videos, podcasts, you name it. However, many people are still looking for a more professional Mandarin course, the type that is generally paid. However, why should you pay for a Chinese course?<\/p>\n There are two main reasons for that:<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n The problem is that there are so many different Chinese courses and finding the right one may be difficult.<\/strong> <\/p>\n Here you will find a listing of the main Chinese courses in the market and the differences among them<\/strong>.<\/p>\n However, FluentU is much more than a selection of videos with subtitles, as the platform offers a ton of additional tools to get the most out of your studying time, like flashcards, tests, and grammar lessons among others, all perfectly integrated.<\/p>\n $<\/span>A FluentU subscription costs 30 USD per month; however, if you pay for a year in advance, you will only pay 20 USD per month, i.e. 240 USD per year.<\/p>\n i<\/span>Do you want to learn more? Click here to read our full review of FluentU<\/a>.<\/p>\n At the moment, it offers approximately 4000 lessons, each of which is around 15-20 minutes, and publishes a new lesson every day. You can study on the portal or use the app to download the audio and video tracks in order to listen to them wherever and whenever you want.<\/p>\n There are six difficulty levels, which makes this product suitable for advanced students as well. Each level is divided into different components, such as exam preparation, pronunciation, conversation, grammar, and characters, among many others, in order to cover all of the skills for each level. Each specific lesson includes audio tracks, videos, transcriptions, exercises, vocabulary, and flashcards. In addition, if you have a premium subscription, you can access other advanced functionalities, such as apps, downloading audio tracks, and grammar blocks, among others.<\/p>\n $<\/span>ChinesePod costs 14 USD\/month for a Basic subscription and 29 USD\/month for a Premium subscription. <\/p>\n i<\/span>Click here to read my full review of the software<\/a>.<\/p>\n Yoyo Chinese focuses its program on learning Mandarin Chinese from a practical point of view in order to improve your real communication abilities (both written and oral), leaving more academic instruction on the language in the background. In other words, this is a course for people whose priority is to learn the Chinese used every day.<\/p>\n i<\/span>Here you find<\/a> our full review of the course. <\/p>\n Just like the two previous platforms, ChineseClass101’s podcasts are integrated into a platform that offers numerous additional tools to maximize learning and the concepts laid out. Among these tools, you’ll find flashcards, grammar lessons, and a voice recorder to improve your pronunciation. <\/p>\n $<\/span>A ChineseClass101 Premium subscription costs 15 USD a month for a year plan.<\/p>\n i<\/span>If you want to learn more about this platform, I recommend that you take a look at our complete review of it by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n As soon as you register, you can download a list of characters (there are a lot). Afterwards, you can start a study session. The software will show you a phrase with a character missing or the meaning of a word with its pronunciation. Your job is to reproduce the character with the right order of strokes by using the touch screen of your tablet or smartphone, a pen tablet<\/a> or your mouse. <\/p>\n If you make a mistake or don’t know how to write the character, the software will suggest to you the right stroke order. Thus the next time that you’ll see that specific character you’ll have more chances to remember it. <\/p>\n The interesting thing is that Skritter uses an SRS (Spaced Repetition Software) algorithm that shows you the characters with clever scheduling. In this way, you’ll remember a great ratio of the characters that you are studying (up to 90% of the characters according to Skritter’s website).<\/p>\n I believe that this new technology is going to supplant the traditional method to study Chinese characters (at least among those people that start to learn Mandarin after primary school) as to keep writing the same characters over and over again is boring and ineffective.<\/p>\n $<\/span>A monthly Skritter subscription costs 14.99 USD. You can pay every month so you can stop when you want. Moreover, you get a week’s free trial. <\/p>\n i<\/span>Here you find<\/a> my full review of the software.<\/p>\n Nonetheless, TCB offers much more than that and is turning into a complete platform for learning Chinese. Based on the articles, you will find extremely useful tools, such as an interactive dictionary for you to easily look up vocabulary that you don’t know, the possibility of listening to the audio track for the article, a customizable SRS flashcard system, a tool to practice writing characters and the possibility of choosing between traditional and simplified Chinese.<\/p>\n $<\/span>TCB costs 10 USD per month or 80 USD if you buy it for the whole year.<\/p>\n i<\/span>If you would like to know more about this platform, you can read our interview with Sean, one of its creators<\/a>.<\/p>\n The introduction of the book starts with the following sentence:<\/p>\n “The aim of this course is to help you teach yourself, as quickly and efficiently as possible, the meaning and writing of the 3,000 most commonly used Chinese characters.<\/em>”<\/p>\n And the book does deliver what promised. However the method is quite controversial and, after I talked to several people that tried it (I did it myself), I believe that you should really understand what you want before starting using it. <\/p>\n The main issue is that the focus of this book is learning single characters while speaking Chinese requires – besides reading characters – a whole set of different skills.<\/p>\n $<\/span>Remember the Hanzi costs 28.28 USD. <\/p>\n i<\/span>Click here to read my full review of the book.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n The course is offered through the study platform Coursera, and you can choose from courses dedicated to HSK levels 1, 2, or 3<\/a>, and a course for HSK level 4<\/a>. <\/p>\n The length of the course varies from 6 weeks (for the first level) to 10 weeks (for the fourth). At the end of the course, you can also get a certificate from Peking University (note that this is not the HSK certificate, for which you\u2019ll have to pass the official exam run by the Confucius Institute).<\/p>\n $<\/span>The course costs 49 USD a month, and there\u2019s a seven-day trial period.<\/p>\n i<\/span>If you\u2019re already learning Chinese but aren\u2019t sure what your current level is, you can always take our free test for evaluating your HSK level<\/a>. <\/p>\n This book is divided into two sections. The first part is dedicated to traditional grammar items such as phrase order, nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs while the second part covers more general notions such as communication strategies, giving and seeking information, or expressing feelings.<\/p>\n $<\/span>Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar costs 36.45 USD. <\/p>\n i<\/span>Click here to learn more abut this book<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n Their approach is quite different as it’s based on the concept of “immersion.” At Rosetta Stone, they believe that the most natural way to study a foreign language is to learn it without any external help (such as an English translation). <\/p>\n Therefore, for teaching you how to say “cup” in Mandarin they may show you the word \u676f\u5b50 (which means “cup”), let you listen to the correct pronunciation (“b\u0113izi” in this case), and show you the photo of a guy who is drinking a cup of wine in a bar. <\/p>\n The basic idea is that you should learn the language the same way kids do, that is through the context and a trial and error process.<\/p>\n $<\/span>Rosetta Stone’s first level course costs 161.10 USD while the whole course (five levels) costs 374 USD.<\/p>\n i<\/span>Click here to learn more about it.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n This method consists of a set of an audio CD or mp3 files. There is no written material as Dr. Pimsleur believed that when you look at one text in a foreign language you tend to read using the rules of your mother tongue.<\/p>\n So if you are American you’ll read the Chinese word “pain” as the English verb “to pay,” even if in theory you know that in Chinese you should pronounce it differently.<\/p>\n Even if this philosophy sounds right to me, the downside is that if you are like me – I mainly learn through my visual memory instead of also exploiting my auditory and sensorial memory – you’ll feel limited by the Pimsleur method as there is nothing to “see,” only audios.<\/p>\n The majority of people learn using a balanced combination of visual, auditory, and sensorial memory. However, there are a few people (like me, for instance) that mainly exploit a particular physical channel during their learning process. <\/p>\n Hence I can only recommend this course to the people that have a predominant auditory memory. However, before opting for this method, I recommend that you take a look at the podcast and videos section, as in my opinion, they are more complete platforms for a better price, and are specially designed for learning Mandarin.<\/p>\n $<\/span> The Pimsleur program (30 lessons) costs 203.23 USD, which is a lot of money. However, you can get the conversational course for as little as 29.83 USD. <\/p>\n i<\/span>Click here to learn more about the complete course<\/strong><\/a> and here to learn more about the conversational lessons.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Currently, there are many Chinese schools that also offer their courses through their online platforms or via videoconference.<\/p>\n LTL has been teaching its students online for years. Their courses include several areas such as preparation (before coming to China), continuation (after leaving China), or completely standalone (no plan to come to China); also they are all tailored to the specific student’s needs. If you wish to learn about business Chinese, you can. Or, if you want to study a comic or newspaper, this can also be taught, allowing for 100% flexibility.<\/p>\n i<\/span>Click here to read more about LTL Flexiclass<\/a><\/p>\n i<\/span>Click here to read more about eChineseLearning<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Skritter\"](\"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/logo\/skritter.png\")
Skritter<\/a><\/strong>: One of the best tools for learning to write Chinese.<\/p>\n![\"FluentU\"](\"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/logo\/fluentu.png\")
FluentU<\/a><\/strong>: One of the best platforms to learn Chinese with videos.<\/p>\n![\"ChineseClass101\"](\"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/logo\/chineseclass101.png\")
ChineseClass101<\/a><\/strong>: One of the most comprehensive online courses<\/p>\n![\"ChinesePod\"](\"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/logo\/chinesepod.png\")
ChinesePod<\/a><\/strong>: One of the most popular Chinese learning podcasts<\/p>\n![\"Yoyo](\"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/logo\/yoyochinese.png\")
Yoyo Chinese<\/a><\/strong>: Very complete platform to learn Chinese interactively<\/p>\n\n
Podcasts and Videos<\/h2>\n
FluentU<\/h3>\n
![\"FluentU\"](\"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/FluentU.jpg\")
FluentU<\/a><\/strong> is an innovative platform that uses a broad selection of videos as its learning materials. The videos include both videos especially designed for them as well as a selection of ads, music videos and documentaries, among others, with subtitles in Chinese and English.<\/p>\n%<\/span>You can try FluentU<\/a> 14 days for free<\/div>\nChinesePod<\/h3>\n
![\"chinesepod\"](\"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/chinesepod.jpg\" "\\"chinesepod\\"")
ChinesePod<\/a><\/strong> is one of the most popular podcasts to study Chinese,<\/p>\n%<\/span>Get a 14-day free trial of ChinesePod Premium now!<\/a><\/strong><\/div>\nYoyo Chinese<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/yoyochinese.jpg\")
Yoyo Chinese<\/a><\/strong> is an online platform that offers a complete course for learning Chinese that covers all aspects of the language (vocabulary, writing, grammar and written and oral comprehension). The course is based on video lessons both from teachers as well as on real situations in China.<\/p>\n%<\/span>Try Yoyo Chinese now!<\/a> The first 20 lessons are free! Also, use the coupon code \u201cSAPORE10\u201d to get a 10% discount for any course<\/div>\nChineseClass101<\/h3>\n
![\"chinsesclass101\"](\"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/chinsesclass101.jpg\")
ChineseClass101<\/a><\/strong> is another complete platform based on podcasts. The platform offers hundreds of podcasts of around 15 minutes that are perfectly organized according to the subject and level of competency. Each of them is structured in the same way, starting with a dialogue from an everyday situation followed by a complete analysis regarding vocabulary, grammar and culture. <\/p>\n%<\/span>Limited offer for new subscribers of ChineseClass101<\/a>: The first month you only pay 1 USD for the Premium subscription.<\/div>\nWriting and reading Chinese characters<\/h2>\n
Skritter<\/h3>\n
![\"skritter\"](\"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/skritter.jpg\" "\\"skritter\\"")
Skritter<\/strong><\/a> is a software designed to teach you how to write Chinese characters and remember them.<\/p>\n%<\/span>If you sign up to Skritter<\/a> using one of the links on this page with the coupon “SDC3952” you will get a 10% off in all plans (only new users).<\/div>\nThe Chairman’s Bao<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/thechairmansbao.jpg\")
The Chairman’s Bao (TCB)<\/strong><\/a> is an online newspaper in Chinese whose articles have been simplified to be appropriate for people learning Mandarin. The newspaper publishes news on diverse subjects written by native Chinese professors using HSK vocabulary lists.<\/p>\n%<\/span>If you buy a subscription to The Chairman’s Bao<\/a> through the link on this page and you use the coupon “sdctcb1523” you will get a 15% discount on all plans.<\/div>\nRemember the Hanzi<\/h3>\n
![\"Remember](\"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/rememberhanzi.jpg\")
Remember the Hanzi<\/strong><\/a> is the method invented by James Heisig, the master of Kanji (the alphabet that Japanese people borrowed from China) and Hanzi, that is the typical Chinese characters.<\/p>\nHSK Courses<\/h2>\n
HSK Test Preparation by Peking University<\/h3>\n
![\"HSK](\"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/hsk-exam.jpg\")
Among the many courses dedicated to the HSK exam, we\u2019ve chosen the one offered by Peking University (Beida)<\/a><\/strong>, since it seems to us to be one of the best when it comes to the matter of quality\/price. <\/p>\nGrammar Books<\/h2>\n
Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar<\/h3>\n
![\"chinese](\"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/chinesegrammar.jpg\" "\\"chinese")
Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide<\/strong><\/a> is one of the best rated Chinese grammar books in Amazon.com<\/em>. It’s also one of the most recent (it was released in 2006).<\/p>\nMultimedia Chinese Courses<\/h2>\n
Rosetta Stone<\/h3>\n
![\"rosetta](\"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/rosettastone.jpg\" "\\"rosetta")
Rosetta Stone<\/strong><\/a> is one of the biggest companies that offer multimedia courses for learning languages. <\/p>\nPimsleur<\/h3>\n
![\"pimsleur](\"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/pimsleur.jpg\" "\\"pimsleur")
The Pimsleur language method<\/strong><\/a> takes its name from Dr. Paul Pimsleur, who devoted his life to the study of language.<\/p>\nChinese lessons via video conference<\/h2>\n
Here you find the chinese schools with online courses that we recommend<\/a><\/div>\nLTL Mandarin School<\/h3>\n
![\"LTL](\"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/LTL-school.jpg\")
LTL Mandarin School<\/a> is one of the most renowned private institutions in China with several schools in China and other countries.<\/p>\n%<\/span>Click here to try LTL Online Courses and use the coupon code SDC25 to get a 25% discount for the first month<\/a><\/div>\neChineseLearning<\/h3>\n
![\"echineselearning\"](\"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/echineselearning.jpg\")
eChineseLearning<\/strong><\/a> is one of the oldest online Chinese class platforms, with more than 14 years of experience. While its prices are somewhat high compared to other types of courses, it\u2019s a good option for people looking for a somewhat more personalized course, as it has a large number of study programs. <\/p>\n%<\/span>You can click here to try eChineseLearning<\/a> for free.<\/div>\n