The Easiest and Fastest Way to Learn Mandarin Chinese Did you know that Mandarin Chinese is the world's most widely spoken language with over one billion native speakers? Once you get the basics down, you'll be surprised how quickly you're able to begin speaking it. And even knowing a little bit of the language will make travel to China far easier, and much more fun. Whether your goal is to travel, communicate with friends or colleagues, reconnect with family, or just understand more of what's going on in the world around you, learning to speak Mandarin Chinese will expand your horizons and immeasurably enrich your life. The best part is that it doesn't have to be difficult or take years to master. Thirty minutes a day is all it takes, and we get you speaking right from the first day. Pimsleur courses use a scientifically proven method that puts you in control of your learning. If you've tried other language learning methods but found they simply didn't stick, then you owe it to yourself to give Pimsleur a try. Why Pimsleur? - Quick + Easy - Only 30 minutes a day. - Portable + Flexible - Core lessons can be done anytime, anywhere, and easily fit into your busy life. - Proven Method - Works when other methods fail. - Self-Paced - Go fast or go slow - it's up to you. - Based in Science - Developed using proven research on memory and learning. - Cost-effective - Less expensive than classes or immersion, and features all native speakers. - Genius - Triggers your brain's natural aptitude to learn. - Works for everyone - Recommended for ages 13 and above. What's Included? - 30, 30-minute audio lessons - One hour and 40 minutes of reading lessons introduce you to reading select Chinese characters - In total, 16 hours of audio, all featuring native speakers - a Reading Booklet What You'll Learn Builds upon skills taught in Pimsleur's Mandarin Chinese Levels 1, 2, 3, and 4. The thirty 30-minute lessons, plus pinyin and select h nz characters reading practice, will enable you to speak and understand Mandarin with near fluency and with a broad range of conversational skills. In Level 5, the pace and conversation moves quite rapidly, accelerating exposure to new vocabulary and structures, approaching native speed and comprehension. You'll learn to speak more in-depth about your personal life and emotional state, and be able to create complex sentences using a mix of tenses and moods. Some of the topics covered in Level 5: - Travel: exploring the vast and richly varied country of China, discussing the various ethnic groups and cultures found from region to region, buying tickets to tourist attractions, taking family vacations, speaking with a travel agent. - Food and drink: restaurants, street vendors, favorite dishes, delicious drinks, discussing differences between Chinese and American diets. - History: learning about important people and places, uncovering famous popular locations, discovering China's ancient past. - The environment: weather, climate change, environmental protection, wetlands. - Communication: getting in touch, sending text messages. - Work: discussing meetings, modern jobs, attending conferences, giving speeches. - Family life and relationships: family traditions, children and grandchildren, extended family members, birthdays, retirement, pets, grandparents and family history. - Health and wellness: exercising, relaxing, visiting a Chinese medical doctor, taking Chinese medicine, paying attention to one's vitality. Twenty reading lessons introduce reading select h nz , the characters used in the Chinese writing system. These lessons are designed to deepen your memory and understanding of learned vocabulary, as well as to begin the work of connecting the words and phrases that you have learned to the h nz characters. The Pimsleur Method