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Mailbag time. Phoebe’s moving to China in a week, Jasmine’s torn between Simplified and Traditional, Mark nails his first all-Mandarin order, Anna shares tonal research, and Katie reminds us to slow down. We talk avoiding the foreigner bubble, finding a “language parent,” sleep habits, and why progress feels slow, until it doesn’t.
Send your story: chat@mandarinmonkey.com
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Practice Mandarin listening with a native Taiwanese Mandarin speaker and English support. We cover cold-weather camping at 3°C, off-grid power, food, health, and planning a sensible motorbike tour through Europe. Great for beginners to intermediate, HSK prep, and heritage Chinese/Taiwanese learners keeping both languages fresh.
You’ll learn: camping and travel vocab, opinion phrases, modal verbs for suggestions, health/food terms, and natural Taiwanese rhythm.
Resources
• Free transcripts/clips on our YouTube (search “Mandarin Monkey listening practice”)
• Book a lesson with a Taiwanese teacher (all levels)
• Mailbag: send a short story (Mandarin or English) to chat@mandarinmonkey.com
for feedback
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Today’s Listener Mailbag is stacked: Mandarin at the bus stop, writing a sky-lantern wish in Pingxi, ordering dinner in Kunming with zero English, the strange peace of visa lines with a podcast in your ears, and a market auntie gifting a spring onion for luck. Plus: dogs, Edinburgh place names, and whether American English secretly makes more sense. Perfect for immersive Mandarin listening practice - Ula in Mandarin, Tom in English - so you can follow along and pick up real phrases in context.
Send your story for a future episode: chat@mandarinmonkey.com
Book lessons / join the community: mandarinmonkey.com
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Hump day chat with bilingual Mandarin + English listening practice baked in. We tackle a parenting standoff over toys at school, how “Thrill of the Fight” in VR turned into a 12-round sweat fest, whether gua sha helps or just hurts, Halloween safety (and trunk-or-treat), British politeness vs Taiwanese directness, and a surprisingly decent side hustle: cleaning garages for cash.
Send us a story for Friday’s Listener Mailbag: chat@mandarinmonkey.com
Lessons, hangouts, intensives: mandarinmonkey.com
Topics: Mandarin listening practice, VR boxing, gua sha scraping, UK vs Taiwan culture, Halloween UK, trunk or treat, side hustles, bilingual conversation.
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Ever tried to learn Mandarin while you sleep?
One listener did — and his girlfriend woke up to him whispering “māma” all night.
In this episode, we read your wildest Mandarin stories:
🧠 Sleep-learning experiments gone wrong
🐟 The “train station” that turned into a pet shop
💔 The couple arguing about the third tone
🙊 Why Chinese speakers don’t say “bless you”
and much more from our Listener Mailbag.
This is real Mandarin listening practice — with jokes, accents, and stories from actual learners.
📬 Send us your story: chat@mandarinmonkey.com
🎧 Listen anywhere: mandarinmonkey.com/podcast
🗣️ Book lessons: mandarinmonkey.com/lessons
🎥 Shorts & clips: @MandarinMonkey
#LearnMandarin #MandarinPodcast #MandarinListening #ChineseTones #LanguageLearning #MandarinMonkey
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This one’s part London adventure, part Mandarin listening practice.
Tom celebrated his birthday and 10-year anniversary with Ula — a surprise visit from Auntie Kara, a Studio Ghibli stage show (“My Neighbour Totoro”), London’s best steak at Steak & Company, and an escape-room fail that turned into a win… with only 18 seconds left on the clock.
It’s a bilingual Chinese–English episode, so you’ll get real, natural Chinese with clear English context — perfect for learners who want genuine Mandarin conversation, not classroom scripts.
🎧 What’s inside:
📍 Chapters:
0:00 – Hump Day & intro chaos
2:45 – Birthday surprise & planning
6:40 – London trip + Totoro show
12:30 – Japanese restaurant adventure
17:40 – Theatre review
22:00 – Covent Garden wander + 5G rant
25:10 – Best steak in London: Steak & Company
30:20 – Underground games & escape-room fail
39:00 – Alice in Puzzleland redemption
43:50 – Westfield, mystery board game & wrap-up
Want to learn Mandarin with us?
Book a free trial lesson: https://mandarinmonkey.com
Say hi: chat@mandarinmonkey.com
#ChinesePodcast #MandarinListening #LearnChinese #BilingualPodcast #LondonTravel #StudioGhibli #EscapeRoom
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Listener Mailbag is back. This week your stories cover first Mandarin wins, night market fails, and everything in between. We read your emails about dreaming in tones, KTV redemption songs, taxi mistakes, and the joy of ordering food without pointing. You’ll hear how small slips turn into lasting lessons, why confidence matters more than beer bravery, and how to keep learning when tests and tones trip you up.
Send your story: chat@mandarinmonkey.com
Lessons, hangouts, and intensives: mandarinmonkey.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Learn Mandarin through real conversations. Episode 422 covers wild camping, from rain and wind in the UK to snakes and bears in Taiwan. Pick up camping words in Chinese, hear how to talk about fishing and food, and enjoy bilingual chat in English and Mandarin.
Key Mandarin words from this episode:
野营 (yě yíng) – wild camping
帐篷 (zhàng péng) – tent
篝火 (gōu huǒ) – campfire
蚊子 (wén zi) – mosquito
獾 (huān) – badger
蛇 (shé) – snake
熊 (xióng) – bear
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Your emails, your questions, your Mandarin struggles.
In this first Listener Mailbag, we tackle:
• Tone panic ordering 牛肉麵
• How to pronounce 出去 without tripping
• ü vs u, and why “iu” sounds like “yo”
• Zhuyin vs Pinyin — which works in Taiwan
• Why HSK tests don’t prepare you for street speed
• Training your ears to real Mandarin
• Karaoke learning, flashcard guilt, and more
Email your questions to chat@mandarinmonkey.com and we might answer them next time.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Is Mandarin really that hard to learn? How long does it take? Should you learn simplified or traditional characters? In this episode, we answer the most-searched questions about learning Mandarin and share real tips from our own experience.
You’ll learn:
How to start learning Mandarin
Whether tones really matter
The fastest way to get conversational
Free and paid tools that work
How to stay motivated and avoid the plateau
Grab your free Mandarin lesson at MandarinMonkey.com and join a global community of learners.
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Most Chinese learners start with “nǐ hǎo” — but no one actually says that. We break down how native speakers really greet each other, and why using the right phrases makes you sound less like a tourist.
We also go deeper on:
• Why we might flip our podcast intro to help beginners stay engaged
• Life priorities — health, family, work, rest — and how they keep changing
• When to push kids into learning skills (like piano, languages, or acting)
• Confidence, stage fright, and how to stay brave even when you’re scared
This episode mixes Mandarin and English, perfect if you’re learning Chinese and want natural conversation plus real-life topics that make you think.
Listen, learn, and share your thoughts with us at mandarinmonkey.com.
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Learn Mandarin while you live your life. Bilingual Mandarin-English. Easy listening. Real topics.
Today you get 10 positive stories, quick takes, and daily Mandarin input.
What you hear
• How to use this podcast while commuting, working out, or doing chores
• UK vs Taiwan buses, commuting, and remote work social energy
• Good news stories with simple Chinese and English context
Good news highlights
• The Red Dress Project, 14 years, 51 countries, Guinness record embroidery
• A free compliment stand by a 9-year-old in Illinois
• A nurse revives a drunk raccoon that ate fermented fruit
• Saving Somerset’s eels with community action
• A casque-headed iguana’s rare virgin birth
• Australia’s new marine reserve to protect sea life
• Viral road-sign cleaning
• Saturn’s 128 newly confirmed moons, total now 206
Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Practice with our teachers or join Hangouts at mandarinmonkey.com.
Leave a review. It helps others find the show.
mandarin monkey, mandarin chinese podcast, learn mandarin, chinese listening practice, bilingual mandarin english, taiwan culture, uk vs taiwan buses, positive news stories, red dress project, compliment stand, raccoon cpr, eel conservation, iguana parthenogenesis, australia marine reserve, saturn 128 moons, easy chinese podcast, chinese for beginners, intermediate chinese listening, chinese vocabulary in context
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In this episode of the Mandarin Monkey Podcast, we chat in Mandarin and English about the safest countries to move to in 2025. Iceland, New Zealand, Singapore, Canada, Taiwan, which one would you choose?
This is a bilingual Mandarin and English conversation. You’ll hear natural Mandarin phrases mixed with English, perfect for learners who want to practice listening, pick up everyday vocabulary, and get a feel for real spoken Chinese.
What we cover in this episode:
If you want to learn Mandarin in a fun, real way through English and Chinese conversation, this podcast is for you.
Try a free Mandarin lesson and more at: www.mandarinmonkey.com
Subscribe for more episodes and tell your friends if you enjoy the show.
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Learn upper-beginner Mandarin with real stories from UK life. We talk about meeting Hong Kong neighbors, Cantonese vs Mandarin, Center Parcs, bikes, bowling, mini golf, and family costs. You get natural conversation, clear vocab, and usable phrases.
What you learn today
• Meeting neighbors in Chinese
• Cantonese vs Mandarin basics, Traditional vs Simplified
• Family, school, and community vocabulary
• Activities vocab: bikes, boats, bowling, mini golf, swimming
• Money talk: prices, renting, mortgages, daily costs
• Travel talk: Center Parcs pros, cons, and tips
Who this helps
• Upper-beginner to intermediate learners
• HSK 2–4
• Learners who want comprehensible input and real topics
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This is a bonus Tuesday episode of the Mandarin Monkey Podcast. We talk about summer holidays in the UK, why we want our kids to spend time in Taiwan, and what happened when a glamping hot tub got way too hot.
If you’re learning Mandarin, this podcast gives you real conversations in English and Chinese. You’ll hear everyday Mandarin in context, with natural back-and-forth between a native speaker and a learner.
In this episode:
Mandarin Monkey is a bilingual podcast for Mandarin learners who want practice, culture, and fun without textbooks.
Listen in, laugh with us, and pick up useful Mandarin along the way.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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We left the kids with Grandpa and went camping in the Cotswolds.
In this episode, we talk about:
Ula speaks Mandarin. Tom speaks English. You get natural Mandarin input with built-in context. No textbook. No boring repetition. Just real talk, in two languages.
Perfect for learners who want to:
Want more? Join lessons, hangouts, or get bonus content:
👉 https://www.mandarinmonkey.com
💬 Email: chat@mandarinmonkey.com
🎧 Join us on Patreon:
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Think learning Mandarin is all flashcards and peaceful study sessions? Try doing it with three kids, zero time, and a brain that forgets half the vocab by lunch. In this episode, we talk about the real side of language learning—messy, inconsistent, and occasionally shouted across the room.
We cover how we keep (some of) our Mandarin skills alive, why casual conversations aren’t enough, and how learning a language with your partner can be… character-building. There’s also some talk about camping, future dreams, and why structured study is like flossing—everyone says they do it, but come on.
www.mandarinmonkey.com
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Dive into another lively episode of the Mandarin Monkey podcast, where we celebrate the power of life's small victories and recount some unforgettable weekend adventures. From the thrill and challenges of landing a new job (hello, creative video applications!) to the quirky misadventures of a family boating trip overtaken by spiders, this episode covers it all with humor and heartfelt reflections. All in Mandarin and English.
Join us as we explore how appreciating "little wins" can significantly boost happiness and why balancing work, family, and play is essential for a fulfilling life. Plus, we'd love to hear from you, share Tom's top 10 favorite films in the comments, and you might get a shoutout in our next episode!
Get involved: Drop your favorite films below—we'll spotlight your picks in the upcoming episode!
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In this episode, we dive into the joys and chaos of family travel, focusing on our experiences in Taiwan. From navigating holidays with kids to finding moments of peace in the middle of it all, we reflect on what makes a trip truly memorable. We chat about Taiwan’s rich cultural moments like Children's Day, the importance of good food, and why nostalgia plays such a big role in where we go next.
0:00 Intro & Banter
1:00 Planning Holidays with Kids
3:30 Jet Lag Struggles
4:30 Family Holidays in Taiwan
6:00 Taiwan’s Children’s Day
9:00 Mixing Fun & Peace in Holidays
12:00 The Joy of Having Nowhere to Be
15:00 Feeling Safe Abroad
18:30 What Makes Travel Peaceful?
23:00 How to Recreate That Feeling
26:30 10 Years of Chaos & Reflection
29:00 Planning Without Overplanning
32:00 Japan Adventures & Spontaneity
35:00 Time Pressure & Wanting More
36:00 Tandems & European Dreams
37:30 Travel Safety & Tourist Bubbles
39:30 Safari Dreams & Travel Timing
40:30 Christmas in Taiwan?
44:00 Back to Taiwan: Where & Why
47:00 Cities vs Countryside
49:00 Mountains & Memories
52:00 Revisiting Old Places
53:30 Wrapping Up
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