Get Talking Chinese

Customer Reviews

• Fun and educational!!  Jul 14, 2007 (9 of 11 found this helpful)

  I bought this for my 8 year old son for his birthday. While he loves it, I think my oldest son(16) and myself like it just as much if not more! Lots of information in such a little book. A great introduction into Chinese and Chinese culture. Lots of tidbits of not only educational information, but fun items too, like the Chinese Zodiac and more!

• A Book for Adults in the Children's Section  Feb 9, 2008 (8 of 9 found this helpful)

  If you want to learn Mandarin Chinese and you must do it on your own, Get Talking Chinese is the best way to start.
  
  The book covers the language in its spoken and written forms; that is, it uses the Pinyin system as the pronunciation guide and includes a CD with audio of the lessons, and it includes the Chinese characters for its vocabulary set as well as guidelines for drawing the characters. Some Chinese language instruction books focus either on the spoken language or the written language; the former using a pronunciation guide, such as Pinyin, almost exclusively with little or no reference to Chinese characters, and the latter focusing on the characters themselves with little support for the vocabulary needs of the beginning student. Get Talking Chinese is a great improvement over those books because it covers both the spoken and written forms. It has what a beginner needs.
  
  The best part of Get Talking Chinese is its format and design--its use of pictures, drawings, and color, especially color. It is so visually appealing that it draws you in. Once you're in, you discover interesting tidbits about Chinese culture. Every page is a delight--and you want to learn.
  
  I found Get Talking Chinese by accident in the children's section of a book store. That is so unfair to adults. Mastering the contents of this little book will provide a solid foundation for Mandarin Chinese no matter how old you are.

• Could be better  Aug 19, 2008 (4 of 4 found this helpful)

  This book is okay and I'm planning on using it in the future after I have studied more characters. It's not systematic...just a random sampling of various common topics in Chinese (like where's the bathroom?, happy birthday party!, etc.) The CD lessons are extremely short with no repetition and it seems like there's more to each subject than the material presents. Like a previous reviewer said, this isn't for beginners, but could be really useful for somebody who's been studying Chinese characters and pronunciation for a short time.

• good book  Mar 20, 2008 (3 of 4 found this helpful)

  I am a native Chinese speaker,I recommend you read and learn from this book if you are intrested in learning Chinese and a little bit of Chinese culture.

• a good book for experienced learners  Aug 7, 2008 (1 of 1 found this helpful)

  This is a good book for experienced learners. I have learned Chinese for 3 years. Learn to speak Chinese by only listening to CDs is not practical for a beginner. A beginner really needs face-to-face tutoring by a good teacher as a start for several hours at least.