{"product_id":"book-ckfr","title":"Pimsleur Chinese (Mandarin) Level 1","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe Easiest and Fastest Way to Learn Mandarin Chinese\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 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.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e 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.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eWhy Pimsleur?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e - Quick + Easy – Only 30 minutes a day.\u003cbr\u003e - Portable + Flexible – Core lessons can be done anytime, anywhere, and easily fit into your busy life.\u003cbr\u003e - Proven Method – Works when other methods fail.\u003cbr\u003e - Self-Paced – Go fast or go slow – it’s up to you.\u003cbr\u003e - Based in Science – Developed using proven research on memory and learning.\u003cbr\u003e - Cost-effective – Less expensive than classes or immersion, and features all native speakers.\u003cbr\u003e - Genius – Triggers your brain’s natural aptitude to learn.\u003cbr\u003e - Works for everyone – Recommended for ages 13 and above.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eWhat’s Included?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e - 30, 30-minute audio lessons\u003cbr\u003e - One hour and 15 minutes of reading instruction to provide you with an introduction to reading pinyin\u003cbr\u003e - In total, over 16 hours of audio, all featuring native speakers\u003cbr\u003e - a Reading Booklet\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eWhat You’ll Learn\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In the first 10 lessons, you’ll cover the basics: saying hello, asking for or giving information, scheduling a meal or a meeting, asking for or giving basic directions, and much more. You’ll be able to handle minimum courtesy requirements, understand some of what you hear, and be understood at a beginning level, but with near-native pronunciation skills.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e In the next 10 lessons, you’ll build on what you’ve learned. Expand your menu, increase your scheduling abilities from general to specific, start to deal with currency and exchanging money, refine your conversations and add over a hundred new vocabulary items. You’ll understand more of what you hear, and be able to participate with speech that is smoother and more confident.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e In the final 10 lessons, you’ll be speaking and understanding at an intermediate level. In this phase, more directions are given in Mandarin, which moves your learning to a whole new plane. Lessons include shopping, visiting friends, going to a restaurant, plans for the evening, car trips, and talking about family. You’ll be able to speak comfortably about things that happened in the past and make plans for the future.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e You’ll also learn to read Hanyu Pinyin (pinyin for short) the official phonetic system for transcribing pronunciations of Chinese characters into a Latin alphabet. Twenty reading lessons are included and will teach you to sound out written words with correct pronunciation and accent.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Learning the sound of each letter alone and in culturally distinct combinations allows your brain to process what you’re hearing in the audio lessons from a new and different perspective. It’s a powerful combination that makes Pimsleur different from every other method on the market.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eThe Pimsleur Method\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e We make no secret of what makes this powerful method work so well. Paul Pimsleur spent his career researching and perfecting the precise elements anyone can use to learn a language quickly and easily. Here are a few of his “secrets”:\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Principle of Anticipation\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In the nanosecond between a cue and your response, your brain has to work to come up with the right word. Having to do this boosts retention, and cements the word in your mind.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eCore Vocabulary\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Words, phrases, and sentences are selected for their usefulness in everyday conversation. We don’t overwhelm you with too much, but steadily increase your ability with every lesson.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eGraduated Interval Recall\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Reminders of new words and structures come up at the exact interval for maximum retention and storage into your long-term memory.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eOrganic Learning\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e You work on multiple aspects of the language simultaneously. We integrate grammar, vocabulary, rhythm, melody, and intonation into every lesson, which allows you to experience the language as a living, expressive form of human culture.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eLearning in Context\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Research has shown that learning new words in context dramatically accelerates your ability to remember. Every scene in every Pimsleur lesson is set inside a conversation between two people. There are no drills, and no memorization necessary for success.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eActive Participation\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The Pimsleur Method + active learner participation = success. This method works with every language and every learner who follows it. You gain the power to recall and use what you know, and to add new words easily, exactly as you do in English.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eThe Mandarin Chinese Language\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Over one billion people speak Chinese. The two most common dialects are Mandarin and Cantonese. They are not mutually intelligible. Mandarin is the official language in Mainland China, Taiwan, and Singapore. The Mandarin dialect is used in most Chinese schools, and in most TV programs, movies, and radio stations throughout the country, even in Guangzhou (formerly Canton), where people speak Cantonese in their daily lives. Mandarin is one of the six official languages of the United Nations.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eTech Talk\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e - CDs are formatted for playing in all CD players, including car players, and users can copy files for use in iTunes® or Windows Media Player®.","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster Audio","offers":[{"title":"Audio CD","offer_id":49348417519920,"sku":"71ckfr","price":345.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audio CD [70]","offer_id":49348417552688,"sku":"70ckfr","price":345.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/290473-ckfr-Square.jpg?v=1734223266","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-ckfr","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}