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We’re all so busy, busy, busy. Most of us find it hard to dedicate an hour each day to our Chinese-learning studies. Fortunately, ChinesePod makes easy-to-digest lessons that can follow you offline and on the go. Use the time waiting in line for the bank, on your commute, or pretending to listen to your boyfriend talk about football towards your Chinese-learning goals!

CHINESE LEARNING PRODUCT TYPE: AUDIO/VIDEO LESSONS

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF CHINESEPOD

ChinesePod focuses on daily spoken Chinese and emphasizes real-world experience over textbook learning. Their collection of thousands of videos covering 6 different learner levels is held together by the concept of ‘free form learning’, in which there is no set curriculum and their learners instead pick and choose which topics are relevant for their own purposes.

ChinesePod, as the name suggests, used to be focused on audio but in recent years they have shifted the focus on video. Learners can still download an audio version of each episode if they choose to learn on the go. The lessons are short enough to be easily digested but contain enough information to leave learners feeling confident about the learning material.

The Two White Chicks have used ChinesePod to help them study Chinese on the go. Here’s our honest review of this platform. Don’t have time to read the post? Skip ahead and sign up for ChinesePod’s free lesson library:

OUR FAVORITE FEATURES

• You get 100 free lessons to begin with so that you have a good chance to check out the platform before paying.

• Thousands of videos to learn from with current and engaging topics
• They are constantly uploading new and fresh content to keep you engaged and interested.

• 6 levels from newbie to advanced so you can learn at your exact level, as well as extra challenges for advanced learners
• Lessons are clear and vocabulary is repeated throughout the lesson to cement the learning

• You can download the dialogue of the lesson or listen to an MP3 of it on the go
• It’s easy to navigate and filter videos so that you can find what you’re looking for

• Includes interviews with learners asking them their methods for Chinese learning. This can be especially encouraging and useful for learners who are studying Chinese on their own.

COULD BE BETTER

• There is no set curriculum path, which might be ideal for some learners but other learners may need a little more structure
• On the dashboard, you can see videos from all different levels all at once. For some learners, this may be a bit overwhelming.
• As with most online learning, ChinesePod is not really a complete replacement for a Mandarin class or teacher for brand new learners. We recommend it as an excellent companion to taking a basic Mandarin course at a local school or university.

PRICING AND PRICE COMPARISON TO OTHER PRODUCTS

Find ChinesePod’s current pricing here.

Here’s a comparison of some other online video courses

DETAILS OF PRODUCT

Company: ChinesePod

Platform Type: Chinese audio/video lessons

Free Trial: Check out all of ChinesePod’s free lessons here

Cost: $14/per month to access the complete lesson library, printable lesson notes and HD video lesson.

$29/per month to access the complete lesson library, printable lesson notes, HD video lessons, lesson dialogue and audio review mp3’s, grammar and expansion sentence breakdown, custom vocabulary lists, full Android + iOS apps, and exclusive ‘Say It Right’ video course.

Still not sure? Here’s more info about what ChinesePod is all about: