NinjaTurtle Posted June 17, 2018 at 05:14 PM Report Share Posted June 17, 2018 at 05:14 PM Hi everyone, For listening practice at the intermediate level, I like some of the videos by Mandarin Corner with Eileen. (Free free to give any feedback.) Here are some of her videos: My Life as a Factory Girl in China - Intermediate Chinese Conversation With Pinyin Subtitles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP_ihrfU6wQ My Life As a Clothing Shop Sales Girl - Intermediate Chinese Conversation With Pinyin Subtitles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKyP8KtSbB4 Talking About Time and Life - Intermediate Chinese Conversation With Pinyin & English Subtitles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FWLrN7BsH0 University Student Talks About Her Life and Future - Intermediate Chinese / Pinyin and English https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FWLrN7BsH0 Bicycle Ride to The Park - Intermediate Chinese Conversation With Pinyin Subtitles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15LshpvPq_E A Walk Through My Neighborhood - (1/2) - Intermediate Chinese Conversation With Pinyin Subtitles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmWSKeJOGGo A Walk Through My Neighborhood - (2/2) - Intermediate Chinese Conversation With Pinyin Subtitles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWEV9yDHUHM 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunnySideUp Posted June 17, 2018 at 05:39 PM Report Share Posted June 17, 2018 at 05:39 PM Thank you! I think I came across some of these videos before (like the one where she's exploring by bike), but it was too advanced/too fast for me at the time. They also have videos introducing HSK vocab with examples which I found helpful. Will definitely check out your links - maybe I just need to listen to them ten+ times to finally get it Thanks a lot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NinjaTurtle Posted June 17, 2018 at 05:44 PM Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2018 at 05:44 PM I am only too happy to help. For listening practice at an easier level, I like "Slow & Clear Chinese Listening Practice" Slow & Clear Chinese Listening Practice - Cinema https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSDFz1DafnE Slow & Clear Chinese Listening Practice - Coffee https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDQgKxuRJM4 Slow & Clear Chinese Listening Practice - Cooking https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wK59iuSKpE 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sekkar Posted June 17, 2018 at 05:45 PM Report Share Posted June 17, 2018 at 05:45 PM I'm also a fan of her videos. Most videos on Youtube for learning Chinese are those "speak 10 sentences in English to explain one word in Chinese". There are not much content for intermediate learners out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NinjaTurtle Posted June 17, 2018 at 05:48 PM Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2018 at 05:48 PM Sekkar, I agree. Like you are saying, I like Eileen's videos because she is actually speaking Chinese, rather than doing a lot of analyzing of it in English, which is what a lot of other videos on YouTube are doing. The lady in "Slow & Clear Chinese Listening Practice" does the same good job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunnySideUp Posted June 17, 2018 at 06:06 PM Report Share Posted June 17, 2018 at 06:06 PM This is great! I love that she first does a slowed down version (super helpful to also learn where to naturally break up sentences) and then a faster version that's still very clearly enunciated. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NinjaTurtle Posted June 17, 2018 at 10:33 PM Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2018 at 10:33 PM Sunny, I also want to share this online dictionary. When you encounter an unknown word in the videos, this website allows you to quickly pull the word up. You just have to type in the Pinyin. https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary I want to share one technique. If a sentence is too long or a video runs too long, use editing software and cut the video up into short one-phrase video chunks. (You can convert it to a sound file and edit the sound file if that is easier) Then, listen to each short chunk many times (until you have it down pat). Then, listen to combined chunks. Finally, listen to one whole sentence at one time. I figured out this technique while trying to learn a couple of Chinese songs that I had downloaded. I found this to be the best way to be able to eventually understand (and speak) longer sentences. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mungouk Posted June 18, 2018 at 12:43 AM Report Share Posted June 18, 2018 at 12:43 AM 7 hours ago, SunnySideUp said: it was too advanced/too fast for me at the time. Hint: Under the Settings (cog) icon Youtube has a speed control, so you can slow down playback. I like the Mandarin Corner videos, but don't understand the thinking behind covering the screen in vocabulary while she's talking, which is very distracting. I guess this was maybe developed to be audio material initially. Also if they could put the transcript in the description section, we could look up words using browser plugins (e.g. Zhongwen, which can link to MDBG as well) without having to type anything, which is much faster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emuboy Posted June 18, 2018 at 03:03 AM Report Share Posted June 18, 2018 at 03:03 AM I came across this channel the other day and it's super good, would second the recommendation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NinjaTurtle Posted June 18, 2018 at 12:23 PM Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2018 at 12:23 PM Here is more on how to use small sound-byte files. Convert the file to a sound-only file. Use sound-editing software to cut the file into short, one-phrase files. You should come up with files that are less than one second in length. Set your sound-playing software to play the file in endless loop. You will be able to hear the file maybe 50 times in one minute. If you listen to it 5 or 6 times, even the most difficult short phrase will begin to sink in. I found this to be very effective for even very difficult phrases. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mungouk Posted June 18, 2018 at 12:30 PM Report Share Posted June 18, 2018 at 12:30 PM @NinjaTurtle someone needs to make an app for this. If I get some time I might even do it myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imron Posted June 18, 2018 at 02:38 PM Report Share Posted June 18, 2018 at 02:38 PM 2 hours ago, mungouk said: someone needs to make an app for this. See Work Audio Book 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mungouk Posted June 18, 2018 at 02:40 PM Report Share Posted June 18, 2018 at 02:40 PM 1 minute ago, imron said: See Work Audio Book Yeah, seen it. Mac user Also looks like it's old and not been updated in a while? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlo Posted June 23, 2018 at 05:06 PM Report Share Posted June 23, 2018 at 05:06 PM On 6/18/2018 at 2:30 PM, mungouk said: someone needs to make an app for this. Recently I've been using Aegisub for Mac for exactly this and it's fantastic. Although meant to be an editor for subtitle files, it lets you break down audio or video files into an unlimited number of chunks (called subtitles), add your notes (eg vocabulary), nest one chunk inside another in any order you wish (who says subtitles have to be in sequence?), and play each snippet back at will. I haven't found an iOS app that is quite as powerful, but in my experience subtitle editors are often the way to go (once upon a time in Beijing I was using KMPlayer to learn Mandarin by watching 我愛我家 and 大宅门 again and again). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mungouk Posted June 24, 2018 at 05:49 AM Report Share Posted June 24, 2018 at 05:49 AM Thanks @carlo — looks useful! Both Windows and Mac too. I found a youtube video that demonstrates a quick way of adding the subs. When I get some time I'll have a go at using this with some dialogues for which I already have the transcripts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luxi Posted February 18, 2019 at 10:44 AM Report Share Posted February 18, 2019 at 10:44 AM Going back to the topic: Mandarin Corner has evolved, and it looks brilliant: https://mandarincorner.org/ Registration is free. A lot of the material seems to be available free, but there is more plus special benefits for supporters. Right now a US $10 donation buys life membership, which sounds like good value though I haven't tried it yet. The You Tube channel (linked above) is still on and all the links work. Looks like the main site should work in China, if not they will have a specific url for China. ETA: https://mandarincorner.org/casual-conversation-videos-for-china-residents/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremyj99 Posted February 26, 2019 at 03:03 PM Report Share Posted February 26, 2019 at 03:03 PM @Luxi It's such an incredible resource, and they ask for so little. Eileen and Joe are the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flickserve Posted February 26, 2019 at 03:52 PM Report Share Posted February 26, 2019 at 03:52 PM I think the content is good. A lot of work has gone into it. For me personally, I don’t like some of the accents. For instance, the discussion with her friend on mummy’s boy, the friend has a terrible accent. On one hand it’s good practice for listening skills, but on the other hand there’s no north Chinese accent. Well , it’s going to be a bit difficult in Shenzhen anyway. I have to stress that this is just personal opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Publius Posted February 26, 2019 at 05:06 PM Report Share Posted February 26, 2019 at 05:06 PM Eileen has a distinct southern accent. I first placed her accent as Jiangzhe. Then I learned she's from Jiangxi and it all began to make sense. The seemingly random -ng -> -n merger, for example, turns out to be highly predictable. Gan Chinese does not have -ing or -eng, but does have -ang, -ong, and -ung. Therefore her 歡迎 huan1yin2, 經歷 jin1li4, 更加 gen4jia1, etc. are either wrong or unnatural, but her 想法 xiang3fa3, 常用 chang2yong4, 方式 fang1shi4, etc. are good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flickserve Posted February 27, 2019 at 04:48 AM Report Share Posted February 27, 2019 at 04:48 AM @Publius Quite interesting that you can note these details. Can you place her friend's accent? In my limited experience, it doesn't really sound guangdong style Mandarin. https://youtu.be/DAiB5GxScH4 Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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