Mandarin listening practice, with the tones in the ear
A Thai learner reads pinyin and hears a teacher. Between lessons the teacher is a recording that does not exist yet. 2 Mandarin voices read any lesson text, and the sheet below shows what a line looks like beside what it sounds like.
Mandarin is taught across Thailand, in schools, at universities, and in evening classes for staff who serve Chinese-speaking customers. The textbook has audio for its own dialogues. The teacher's own material, written for this class, has none.
A Thai speaker already hears tone. The four Mandarin contours are different ones, and the sheet's job is to put each one in the ear next to its mark on the page. Every line below is Hanzi, pinyin with tone marks, and the meaning, read by one Mandarin voice.
The sheet, four lines#
Four lines a first-year learner meets, in Simplified script with pinyin. One voice reads each.
- Greeting你好，很高兴认识你。Pinyin Nǐ hǎo, hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.
- Hello, glad to meet you.
- Asking the way请问，洗手间在哪里？Pinyin Qǐngwèn, xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ?
- Excuse me, where is the restroom?
- At the market这个多少钱？可以便宜一点吗？Pinyin Zhège duōshao qián? Kěyǐ piányi yìdiǎn ma?
- How much is this? Can it be a little cheaper?
- Making a plan我们明天下午三点在饭店见面。Pinyin Wǒmen míngtiān xiàwǔ sān diǎn zài fàndiàn jiànmiàn.
- We meet tomorrow at three in the afternoon, at the hotel.
Simplified
Every line, one voice
- Greeting0:01
- Asking the way0:02
- At the market0:02
- Making a plan0:03
One voice reads all four lines from the Simplified text. Pinyin is printed for the reader, and the request carries the Hanzi alone.
What a class can generate#
Four kinds of listening material, all from text the teacher already has.
Classroom dialogues
The dialogue written for this week's lesson, read by two voices, one per speaker. The script is the transcript, and the students already have it.
Vocabulary and tone drills
A word list read one item at a time, with a pause the player adds. Each word carries its tone the way the pinyin on the page marks it.
Exam-style listening
Short passages and questions in the shape a proficiency test uses. A new set each week is a new file.
Service phrases for staff
A hotel, a shop, or a clinic training staff on the lines their Chinese-speaking customers hear. The same catalog carries the voices those customers will hear from the business itself.
2 Mandarin voices#
One female, one male, both reading Simplified script. The one used above is the drama lead.
Questions#
- Is the script Simplified or Traditional?
- Simplified. The lines on this page are Simplified, and Traditional script is outside what this page claims.
- Does it read pinyin?
- Send the Hanzi. Pinyin is a reading aid for the learner, and the sheet prints it for that reason. The request carries the Chinese characters.
- Can it read slower for beginners?
- Yes. A request takes a rate on the voice's own speed, and the charge does not change with it.
- Can I mix Thai and Mandarin in one lesson file?
- Put each language on its own voice, in its own request. A Mandarin voice reads Thai with an accent, and a Thai voice reads Mandarin the same way.
- Can I use the audio in a paid course?
- Output made on free credits is for personal use and evaluation. Once you buy a plan or credits, generated output becomes yours for any use, including a paid course, and that covers output generated before the purchase.
Free credits, and no card
Sign in and the free grant covers this week's dialogue, the vocabulary list, and the test passage.