Learning a new language can be a daunting task. But when that language is Mandarin Chinese, it can seem downright impossible for many English natives, since the learning also involves a new alphabet. Although there are many ways to learn Mandarin online, not all of them are created equal. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at the top options for learning Mandarin online and how they stack up against each other. So whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been studying for years, read on to find the right method for you!
Mandarin has so many unique concepts like Wu Xin Gong Zuo（乌心工作) ( so concerned with the situation in ukraine that you cannot work), 反射孤绕地球两圈 fan3she4hu2 rao4 di4qiu2 liang3 quan1 When it takes you forever to get a comment or a joke someone just made. (Lit (your reaction nerve impulse (reflex arc) took two orbits around the earth)), or 反射弧绕地球两圈 (fan3 she4 gu1 rao4 di4 qiu2 liang3 quan1) When someone makes a comment and it takes you forever to get it. Literally (the nerve reflex impulse (reflex arc) took two orbits around the earth).
You can learn Mandarin online on Drops, Pimsleur, Rosetta Stone, Triplingo, italki, Awabe, LingQ, LuvLingua, Coursera, or Language Reactor.
After you install the extension and you visit Youtube or Netflix, it will ask you to choose your native language. Once you click on a video, it will show you: the subtitles in the origin language, and the subtitles in your native language. It will also add a side panel with the entire text of the video.
You can click on each word, and it will open up a dictionary. It will also pronounce this word for you. If you find that people in your destination language speak too quickly, this will definitely help you understand what they are saying.
Here is an image of what all of this looks like on Youtube for a video that's 100% in French:
Overall, Language Reactor is an efficient and easy way to a language - it's also free, which means you will have nothing to lose giving it a try.
The only drawback of Language Reactor is that it might be more suited for intermediate or advanced learners. If you are an absolute beginner, you might want to spend a few months learning the basics of the language first.
Take the video above as an example. Learning what "ravin" or "reculée" mean has little to no use for someone who doesn't know what the basic sentence structure is, what the basic verbs are, or simply how to say "My name is...".
In conclusion, if you are looking to complement your learning, Language Reactor is a great tool. But if you are an absolute beginner, you might want to start somewhere else first.
