Four tones
mā, má, mǎ, mà are four different words (mother, hemp, horse, scold). Lina writes pinyin with tone marks so you see the tone of every word.
Learn Mandarin Chinese · 2Lingua
Learn Mandarin Chinese by speaking it. 🇨🇳
Don't just memorize words. Have real conversations with Lina — order jianbing at a Beijing street stall, bargain at the night market, toast with family at dinner. Like a tutor, but for $7 a month.
30 min/day voice • Report card after every chat • No download
See Lina in action
Lina plays a jianbing seller in Beijing
Lina你好！要点什么？Nǐ hǎo! Yào diǎn shénme?Hi! What would you like?
You我要一个煎饼，不要辣的。Wǒ yào yí gè jiānbing, bú yào là de.I'd like one jianbing, not spicy.
Lina好的！加个鸡蛋吗？Hǎo de! Jiā gè jīdàn ma?OK! Add an egg?
✅ “我要一个…” = perfect - you used the measure word 个 correctly
💡 Tip: Many Mandarin questions just add 吗 (ma) at the end. Answer by repeating the verb: 加 (add) or 不加 (don't add).
Why Mandarin Chinese is different
Polite “you”
您 (nín) is the respectful “you” for elders and customers; 你 (nǐ) for everyone else. Lina tells you when 您 fits.
Real life, not textbook
Night markets, mobile payment, high-speed trains, family dinners — not just "the cat is on the table."
What you'll learn
- Week 1Greetings + introductions - 你好, 我叫…
- Week 2Food + shopping - ordering, measure words, prices, bargaining
- Week 3Family + respect - family titles, 您, toasts at dinner
- Week 4Daily life - taxis, trains, directions, phone calls
5 phrases you'll speak today
A free preview. Press ▶ to hear each one, then say it out loud.
- 1你好Nǐ hǎoHello
- 2你好吗？Nǐ hǎo ma?How are you?
- 3谢谢XièxieThank you
- 4我叫…Wǒ jiào...My name is...
- 5多少钱？Duōshao qián?How much is it?
Conversations with Lina work in Mandarin Chinese today. The phrasebook, stories and podcasts are in Spanish and German so far; more languages are coming.
Free vs paid for Mandarin Chinese
FREE
- Read this page
- The 5 phrases above
- 1 free text demo with Lina (3 min)
PAID · $7/mo
- 30 min/day voice with Lina in Mandarin Chinese
- Unlimited text chat
- Full report cards
- Full phrasebook
- Unlimited vocabulary garden
Mandarin Chinese questions
Is Mandarin hard?
Grammar is simple — no verb conjugations. Tones and characters take practice; Lina can show pinyin with tone marks on every line.
Do I need to learn characters?
Not to start. Ask Lina to add pinyin and you can speak from day one.
Which Mandarin?
Standard Mandarin (Putonghua) in simplified characters, as used in mainland China.
Does Lina know Taiwanese Mandarin?
Lina can switch to traditional characters and Taiwan vocabulary when you ask.