Coming back to Mandarin after a hiatus, I needed something to bridge the gap before jumping back into tutoring sessions. HSKcourse.com came at the right moment, and it feels less like an online course and more like having a tutor actually walk you through the material. After almost a month with it, here’s my honest take on whether it’s worth it for self-learners.
Category: Languages
HSK 1-3 Character progress sheet
I needed to do a bit of review on the Hanzi from HSK 1-3 and used Claude to help me create a list that I could track my own practice. Feel free to try it out.
Getting into Claude
I’ve been experimenting with a bunch of AI tools lately – ChatGPT, Grok, Copilot, Gemini, and most recently Claude – and I have to say, I’m genuinely impressed. What I enjoy most is that even without being a coder, you can still create surprisingly polished “artifacts” like this one. I’ve been generating a few comprehension…
When life was put on hold
It has been quite a while since my last post. The past few months unfolded quickly — exams for an accountancy certification, long evenings of studying, workplace projects, a promotion, a new team. Life did not stop. It accelerated. Somewhere in that acceleration, I pressed pause on Mandarin lessons. What started as “just for a…
My Du Chinese Experience: Two Years and Counting!
I’ve been using Du Chinese for the past two years, and it’s been an incredible journey! I initially took advantage of the Black Friday sale and snagged a subscription at 50% off, which was an amazing deal. I’m seriously considering getting the lifetime subscription with one time payment. They usually offer this during the Mid-autumn…
Ai generated lessons for learning mandarin.
I am rather new to Ai. But hey, it’s better late than never. 🙂 I’ve been studying Mandarin Chinese a while now, so I thought why not integrate my learning a language with Ai. And I want to share with you how I used AI to create stories for learning Mandarin. As you may know,…
Navigating mandarin with Preply – A year in review
Alright, so around July 2022, I decided to switch things up in my Mandarin learning routine and gave Preply a shot – the online tutoring gig. After flying solo in the world of Chinese characters for years, I figured it was time to bring in a real pro to help me out. Fast forward a…
Uncovering a Mandarin Learning Gem: MandarinBean
Embarking on a journey to learn Mandarin can be both thrilling and daunting, especially when faced with the myriad of resources available. Having relied on DuChinese for the past year, the recent price hikes left me in search of a more budget-friendly alternative that still delivered quality content. Enter MandarinBean—a hidden gem that has not…
Preply or iTalki
I have used both the learning platforms for learning 2 different languages for some months now. Preply for Mandarin and iTalki for Hungarian. They are both online platforms for finding a personal tutor who can help you in your language learning journey. Both similar in a way that you can choose when you want to…
Up my Mandarin learning game
Today I took the first Mandarin lesson on preply. I have been learning for years but my speaking ability is not even up to par. Simply because I have no one whom I am brave enough to speak mandarin to. My first experience was good. The teacher seems kind and sympathetic to me. She helped…