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The game

Path — speak your way home

A new eastbound line each run. Construct a sentence at every city. The clock only bites when you miss. Paris · Rome · Yerevan · Tashkent · Vientiane.

👁️ Visual Path

See It — learn Mandarin visually

See a word, hear it, then build a sentence from it. Colours, numbers, food, family and transport.

🔥 Good evening — your Mandarin path

0/39 lessons built

A ~5-minute daily loop that keeps Mandarin alive. Start anywhere.

Languages map

Click a country. Start the language.

A world map of courses we actually teach — not a booking map, and not Path.

🎯 Build Challenge

Build a sentence you've never seen

You already know two Mandarin words. Can you construct a brand-new sentence from them?

I want我要
coffee咖啡
So how would you say “I want coffee.”?
That's LanguagePath.
The LanguagePath Method™

Reason it out — don't cram it in

You won't memorize phrases. You'll construct real sentences, then listen and rebuild them. Every step reuses what you already built — so the language compounds.

1 · UNDERSTANDGet one piece of the language.
2 · CONSTRUCTBuild a sentence you've never seen.
3 · SAYSay it out loud before you reveal.
4 · HEARListen and compare with the target.
5 · REBUILDReuse those pieces in the next sentence.
Language Bridges™

You're not always starting from zero

Every language you already know hands you free bridges to a new one. Words stick on first contact when you spot the connection.

English — information
French — informations
Spanish — información
Portuguese — informação
Add the languages you already speak in the 🌐 Hub → Settings — then tap ✨ Bridge on any phrase to surface the real cognates and shared roots that make new words click.
☕ Loanwords: 咖啡 kāfēi ≈ coffee, 沙发 shāfā ≈ sofa.
🔢 Logic is your friend: numbers and grammar are simple and regular — your focus is tones and characters, both trained by the audio.

Real sentences you'll learn to build in Mandarin

39 interactive lessons and 6 real conversations, built to be said out loud Tap any phrase to hear it — then you'll build them yourself.

Explore the Learning Library

Short, interactive pages on specific skills and situations — each one teaches you something real, then hands you straight into a course.

Explore all learning topics →

Frequently asked questions

Is LanguagePath free?

Yes, every lesson, course and tool is free to use, with no account or sign-up. Two things are optional and paid: LanguagePath Pro ($4.99 a month or $29 a year), which removes ads and adds extra AI practice, and printable Travel Phrase Pack PDFs ($9 per city, or $19 for all 8). Advertising only loads after you consent — the site stays fully usable if you reject it.

Do I need an account?

No. Your progress is saved in your own browser's local storage. Nothing is uploaded to a server.

How is LanguagePath different?

You don't memorize phrases — you reason them out. The teacher gives you a piece, you build real sentences yourself, say them aloud, then reveal and check. Every step reuses what you already built.

Which languages can I learn?

Nine flagship courses (Mandarin, Arabic, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish, Telugu, Farsi) plus dozens more in the picker. Each Path rolls a new eastbound line of cities from languages you can practise here.

What is Path?

Path is LanguagePath’s race: construct a sentence at each city. Misses cost days; a clean build costs nothing. The eighty-day clock is the rule, not the title. Explore → Path, or tap Play Path above.

🧠 How this works

Mandarin — Mandarin is built the reason-it-out way: you learn the pieces, then construct real sentences yourself. It starts with Greetings, "I want" 我要, Numbers & prices, Food. That's 39 short interactive lessons and 6 real conversations — free, no account.

The 3 rules of the method

🗣️ Say everything out loud. Silent reading doesn't build speech. Speak before you reveal.
⏸️ Always pause and try first. When you hit a challenge, actually work it out — getting it slightly wrong is how it sticks. Then tap Reveal.
🔁 Don't fear forgetting. Everything comes back through use in later steps. Keep moving; understanding beats memorizing.

Your course (≈10 min each)

Do roughly one a day. They build in order — each lesson reuses the last.

Lessons 1–10 0/10
Lessons 11–20 0/10
Lessons 21–30 0/10
Lessons 31–39 0/9

Planning a trip to Beijing?

Mandarin phrases for Beijing →

You've practised the airport, taxi and hotel talks for Beijing. Sort the rest of the trip: flights, a place to stay, things to do, mobile data for when you land, and cover in case plans change.

✈️ Find flights🏨 Find a hotel🎟️ Tours & tickets📶 Travel eSIM🛡️ Travel insurance

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📄 Printable phrase packs for Shanghai and Beijing: $9 each, all 8 cities $19. Get the PDF →

🎧 Lessons

Tap to begin. Speak each answer aloud before revealing.

🔁 Spaced recall

Your daily warm-up. Sentences you've built come back at growing gaps — but don't recall them from memory. Rebuild each one from its pieces, every time; that's what makes them permanent. Read the English, work it out aloud, then reveal.

🧩 Build

The real test of the method: brand-new sentences you've never seen, made only from words and structures you've already learned. You can't recall these — you have to construct them. That's fluency in miniature.

👂 Listening drills

Real conversations hit your ear with no subtitles. Here you only hear the language — work out the meaning, then reveal. This trains the skill you'll actually use in real conversations.

🗣️ Shadowing

A powerful way to develop more natural rhythm and pronunciation: hear a line and repeat it immediately, copying the rhythm and melody — not translating. 10–15 focused minutes beats an hour of tired mimicry.

✚ Chunk builder

Heard a useful phrase out in the world? Capture it here. Every chunk you save joins your Recall, Listen, Shadow and Quiz automatically — so it actually sticks.

📺 Resources & daily plan

Free listening you can understand and enjoy — the comprehensible-input piece. Mix these with your lessons.

💬 Real conversations

Full exchanges you'll actually have, start to finish. Tap 🔊 on any line, or play the whole conversation. Try covering the English and reading the other language aloud.

🎯 Quiz

Test yourself across everything you've learned. Multiple-choice both ways, plus a typing challenge. You need 80% to call a set solid.

🤖 Conversation partner

The practice no drill gives you: a real back-and-forth. Chat with an AI partner that stays at a beginner level and gently corrects you — a powerful way to turn what you've learned into speech.

🌍 Culture & etiquette

Speaking well is half of it — these unwritten rules will make locals warm to you instantly.

🗂️ Pocket phrases

Grab-and-go reference for real situations — greetings, numbers, emergencies that you just need ready. Search or filter, tap 🔊.

🔊 Sounds

Quick grammar

🌐 Hub

Your command centre — progress across every language, one daily plan, a single review that spans them all, and a phrase explorer that shows how your languages connect.

Learning Mandarin: a practical guide

This is a written companion to the free Mandarin course on LanguagePath: what the language is like, how it sounds, the phrases you will use first, how the course is structured, and what to watch out for. Everything here comes from the same lessons you can practise interactively above.

What Mandarin is like

Mandarin has no tenses, plurals or genders — context carries them. Word order is Subject-Verb-Object, like English. The real work is tones: the same syllable at a different pitch is a different word, so copy the melody from the audio every time.

Words you may already know

☕ Loanwords: 咖啡 kāfēi ≈ coffee, 沙发 shāfā ≈ sofa. 🔢 Logic is your friend: numbers and grammar are simple and regular — your focus is tones and characters, both trained by the audio.

Pronunciation notes

Pinyin spells the sound; tones carry the meaning. Tap each and copy the melody.

First phrases

The pocket phrases below are the ones learners reach for most often. Say each one out loud a few times before moving on.

MandarinPronunciationMeaning
你可以帮我吗？nǐ kěyǐ bāng wǒ macan you help me?
我生病了wǒ shēngbìng leI'm sick
药店yàodiànpharmacy
疼téngit hurts
报警bàojǐngcall the police

How the Mandarin course is structured

The course has 39 short lessons that build on each other. Each one introduces a few new pieces and then asks you to construct sentences you have never seen, before revealing the answer:

  1. Greetings — 你好 · 谢谢 · 你好吗
  2. I want" 我要 — 我要 · 咖啡 · 多少钱
  3. Numbers & prices — 一 to 十 · 块
  4. Food — 菜单 · 我不吃肉 · 买单
  5. Getting around — 在哪里 · 左/右 · 去
  6. I have / is there" 有 — 有 · 没有 · …吗
  7. Talking about the past 了 — 了 · 过 · 没
  8. Mine & yours 的 — 我的 · 你的
  9. Time & when — 今天 · 现在 · 几点
  10. The question words — 什么 · 哪里 · 谁 · 为什么
  11. Where things are — 在 — 在 · 这里 · 附近
  12. Want, can & may — 想 · 会 · 可以 · 需要
  13. Shopping & bargaining — 买 · 太贵了 · 便宜一点
  14. Help & emergencies — 帮忙 · 医院 · 疼 · 报警
  15. Measure words — 个 · 杯 · 瓶 · 张 · 本
  16. Joining ideas — 和 · 也 · 但是 · 很/太/非常
  17. Family & people — 家人 · 妈妈 · 孩子
  18. Colours & describing — 颜色 · 红/蓝 · 大/小
  19. At the restaurant — 点菜 · 不要辣 · 我吃素
  20. Days, dates & months — 星期 · 号 · 月
  21. Weather & small talk — 天气 · 热/冷 · 下雨
  22. Transport & tickets — 地铁 · 怎么去 · 多远
  23. Money & prices — 百 · 千 · 块
  24. Hotel & booking — 预订 · 房间 · 钥匙
  25. Phone & internet — 手机 · 微信 · 扫码
  26. How I feel — 累 · 饿 · 渴 · 高兴
  27. Everyday verbs — 喜欢 · 喝 · 住 · 来/去
  28. Feeling ill — 头疼 · 发烧 · 感冒 · 药
  29. Countries & languages — 中国 · 印度 · 中文/英文
  30. Politeness & survival — 没关系 · 慢一点 · 再说一遍
  31. Bonus: The word machine — 电 — 电脑 · 电话 · 电影
  32. Fire-vehicles — 车 — 火车 · 汽车 · 火车站
  33. Good-to-eat, good-to-look-at — 好 — 好看 · 好听 · 开心
  34. The Middle Kingdom — countries & people — 中国 · 中国人 · 外国人
  35. The learning machine — 学 — 学生 · 大学 · 学校
  36. Cracking the characters — 日+月=明 · 女+马=妈
  37. The body machine — 手 — 手机 · 洗手间 · 小心
  38. Weather — 天气 — 下雨 · 空调 · 雨伞
  39. Meals & shops — 饭 · 店 — 饭店 · 书店 · 早饭 · 晚安

Inside the lessons

Here is how a few of the lessons explain the language, with worked examples and the word-by-word breakdown the course uses.

I have / is there" 有

Key pieces: 有 · 没有 · …吗

One verb covers 'to have' and 'there is': 有 yǒu. Its negative is 没有 méiyǒu (don't have / there isn't).

To say “I have a question (问题)” in Mandarin: 我有问题 (wǒ yǒu wèntí). Built from 我 = I; 有 = have; 问题 wèntí = question.

Add 吗 ma to ask. 'Is there tea?' = 有茶吗？

To say “Is there tea?” in Mandarin: 有茶吗？ (yǒu chá ma). Built from 有 = there is; 茶 = tea; 吗 = ?.

To say “Is there wifi?” in Mandarin: 有wifi吗？ (yǒu wifi ma). Built from 有 = is there; 吗 = ?.

To say “I don't have money (钱)” in Mandarin: 我没有钱 (wǒ méiyǒu qián). Built from 没有 = don't have; 钱 qián = money.

Talking about the past 了

Key pieces: 了 · 过 · 没

Good news: Mandarin verbs never conjugate. To mark a finished action, just add 了 le after the verb. 我去 (I go) → 我去了 (I went).

To say “I ate (吃)” in Mandarin: 我吃了 (wǒ chī le). Built from 我 = I; 吃 chī = eat; 了 le = (completed).

To say “I went to the hotel” in Mandarin: 我去了酒店 (wǒ qù le jiǔdiàn). Built from 去 qù = go; 了 = (completed); 酒店 = hotel.

A classic greeting literally asks 'have you eaten?' — 你吃了吗？

To say “Have you eaten?” in Mandarin: 你吃了吗？ (nǐ chī le ma). Built from 你 = you; 吃了 = ate; 吗 = ?.

For the negative past, use 没 méi (not 不): 我没去 = I didn't go.

To say “I didn't go” in Mandarin: 我没去 (wǒ méi qù). Built from 没 méi = didn't; 去 = go.

Mine & yours 的

Key pieces: 我的 · 你的

'My / your / his' is simply the pronoun + 的 de. 我的 = my, 你的 = your, 他的 = his.

To say “mine (my)” in Mandarin: 我的 (wǒ de). Built from 我 = I; 的 de = 's.

To say “This is my bag (包)” in Mandarin: 这是我的包 (zhè shì wǒ de bāo). Built from 这是 = this is; 我的 = my; 包 bāo = bag.

To say “my friend (朋友)” in Mandarin: 我的朋友 (wǒ de péngyou). Built from 我的 = my; 朋友 = friend.

With family the 的 is often dropped: 我妈妈 = my mum.

To say “What's your name?” in Mandarin: 你叫什么名字？ (nǐ jiào shénme míngzi). Built from 你叫 = you are called; 什么 = what; 名字 = name.

Where things are — 在

Key pieces: 在 · 这里 · 附近

在 zài = 'at / in / located'. 我在酒店 = I'm at the hotel.

To say “I'm at the hotel” in Mandarin: 我在酒店 (wǒ zài jiǔdiàn). Built from 我 = I; 在 = at; 酒店 = hotel.

To say “The toilet is here” in Mandarin: 厕所在这里 (cèsuǒ zài zhèlǐ). Built from 厕所 = toilet; 在 = is at; 这里 = here.

Combine with 有 (there is) for 'is there … nearby?'. 银行 = bank.

To say “Is there a bank nearby?” in Mandarin: 附近有银行吗？ (fùjìn yǒu yínháng ma). Built from 附近 = nearby; 有 = there is; 银行 = bank; 吗 = ?.

To say “Where is the station? (车站)” in Mandarin: 车站在哪里？ (chēzhàn zài nǎlǐ). Built from 车站 = station; 在哪里 = where.

Want, can & may

Key pieces: 想 · 会 · 可以 · 需要

Four handy helper-verbs: 想 xiǎng (would like to), 会 huì (can — a learned skill), 可以 kěyǐ (may — permission), 需要 xūyào (need).

To say “I'd like to go” in Mandarin: 我想去 (wǒ xiǎng qù). Built from 我 = I; 想 = would like to; 去 = go.

To say “I'd like to eat” in Mandarin: 我想吃 (wǒ xiǎng chī). Built from 想 = would like to; 吃 = eat.

会 is for skills: 我会说中文 = I can speak Chinese.

To say “I can speak a little Chinese” in Mandarin: 我会说一点中文 (wǒ huì shuō yìdiǎn zhōngwén). Built from 会 = can (skill); 说 = speak; 一点 = a little; 中文 = Chinese.

可以 asks permission — end with 吗？

To say “May I sit here?” in Mandarin: 我可以坐这里吗？ (wǒ kěyǐ zuò zhèlǐ ma). Built from 可以 = may; 坐 = sit; 这里 = here; 吗 = ?.

Help & emergencies

Key pieces: 帮忙 · 医院 · 疼 · 报警

'To help' is 帮 bāng / 帮忙 bāngmáng. 'Can you help me?' = 你可以帮我吗？

To say “Can you help me?” in Mandarin: 你可以帮我吗？ (nǐ kěyǐ bāng wǒ ma). Built from 可以 = can; 帮我 = help me; 吗 = ?.

医院 yīyuàn hospital, 药店 yàodiàn pharmacy, 生病 shēngbìng to be sick, 疼 téng to hurt.

To say “I'm sick” in Mandarin: 我生病了 (wǒ shēngbìng le). Built from 生病 = get sick; 了 = (change of state).

To say “Where is the hospital?” in Mandarin: 医院在哪里？ (yīyuàn zài nǎlǐ). Built from 医院 = hospital; 在哪里 = where.

To say “My stomach hurts (肚子)” in Mandarin: 我肚子疼 (wǒ dùzi téng). Built from 肚子 = stomach; 疼 = hurts.

'Call the police' is 报警 bàojǐng; the emergency number is 110.

Measure words

Key pieces: 个 · 杯 · 瓶 · 张 · 本

Chinese puts a 'measure word' between a number and a noun. The all-purpose one is 个 gè: 一个人 = one person.

To say “three people” in Mandarin: 三个人 (sān gè rén). Built from 三 = 3; 个 = (measure); 人 = person.

Important: for 'two + measure word' use 两 liǎng, not 二. 'Two cups of coffee' = 两杯咖啡.

To say “two cups of coffee” in Mandarin: 两杯咖啡 (liǎng bēi kāfēi). Built from 两 = two (before measure); 杯 = cup; 咖啡 = coffee.

To say “a bottle of water” in Mandarin: 一瓶水 (yì píng shuǐ). Built from 一 = one; 瓶 = bottle; 水 = water.

To say “two tickets” in Mandarin: 两张票 (liǎng zhāng piào). Built from 两 = two; 张 = (flat); 票 = ticket.

Colours & describing

Key pieces: 颜色 · 红/蓝 · 大/小

颜色 yánsè = colour. 红色 red, 蓝色 blue, 白色 white, 黑色 black.

To say “I want the red one” in Mandarin: 我要红色的 (wǒ yào hóngsè de). Built from 要 = want; 红色 = red; 的 = the … one.

大 dà big, 小 xiǎo small, 漂亮 piàoliang pretty.

To say “too big” in Mandarin: 太大了 (tài dà le). Built from 太…了 = too …; 大 = big.

To say “very pretty” in Mandarin: 很漂亮 (hěn piàoliang). Built from 很 = very; 漂亮 = pretty.

To say “Do you have another colour?” in Mandarin: 有别的颜色吗？ (yǒu bié de yánsè ma). Built from 有 = have; 别的 = another; 颜色 = colour; 吗 = ?.

To compare: 更 gèng = more, 比 bǐ = compared to, 最 zuì = most. "A 比 B 更 [adj]" = A is more [adj] than B.

Phone & internet

Key pieces: 手机 · 微信 · 扫码

China runs on the phone: 手机 shǒujī phone, 微信 Wēixìn WeChat, 二维码 èrwéimǎ QR code, 扫码 sǎomǎ = scan the code.

To say “What's your phone number?” in Mandarin: 你的电话号码是多少？ (nǐ de diànhuà hàomǎ shì duōshao). Built from 电话号码 = phone number; 多少 = what/how much.

To say “Can I add you on WeChat?” in Mandarin: 可以加微信吗？ (kěyǐ jiā wēixìn ma). Built from 加 = add; 微信 = WeChat; 吗 = ?.

To say “Scan the code” in Mandarin: 扫码 (sǎomǎ). Built from 扫 = scan; 码 = code.

To say “What's the wifi password?” in Mandarin: wifi密码是什么？ (wifi mìmǎ shì shénme). Built from 密码 = password; 什么 = what.

How I feel

Key pieces: 累 · 饿 · 渴 · 高兴

State words take 很 in front (even for 'a bit'): 累 lèi tired, 饿 è hungry, 渴 kě thirsty, 高兴 gāoxìng happy.

To say “I'm tired” in Mandarin: 我很累 (wǒ hěn lèi). Built from 我 = I; 很 = (very); 累 = tired.

To say “I'm hungry” in Mandarin: 我很饿 (wǒ hěn è). Built from 很 = (very); 饿 = hungry.

To say “I'm thirsty” in Mandarin: 我很渴 (wǒ hěn kě). Built from 很 = (very); 渴 = thirsty.

To say “I'm very happy” in Mandarin: 我很高兴 (wǒ hěn gāoxìng). Built from 很 = very; 高兴 = happy.

Bonus: The word machine — 电

Key pieces: 电脑 · 电话 · 电影

Here's the secret that makes Mandarin the most logical major language on earth: big words are built from small words — and the logic is usually visible. From this lesson on, you won't memorize vocabulary. You'll derive it.

One more piece: 影 yǐng = shadow. Think about what plays on a cinema screen…

Now use them. 看 kàn = watch/look, and you know 我想 (I'd like to) from Lesson 12.

To say “I'd like to watch a movie” in Mandarin: 我想看电影 (wǒ xiǎng kàn diànyǐng). Built from 我想 = I'd like to; 看 kàn = watch; 电影 = movie.

To say “my computer” in Mandarin: 我的电脑 (wǒ de diànnǎo). Built from 我的 = my; 电脑 = computer.

Fire-vehicles — 车

Key pieces: 火车 · 汽车 · 火车站

Round two of the word machine. Three pieces:

站 zhàn = station (literally 'to stand'). So what's a 火车站?

To say “I want to go to the train station” in Mandarin: 我要去火车站 (wǒ yào qù huǒchēzhàn). Built from 我要 = I want; 去 qù = go; 火车站 = train station.

To say “Where is the taxi?” in Mandarin: 出租车在哪里？ (chūzūchē zài nǎlǐ). Built from 出租车 = taxi; 在哪里 = where.

The learning machine — 学

Key pieces: 学生 · 大学 · 学校

校 xiào = school building. So the everyday word for school:

To say “I am a student” in Mandarin: 我是学生 (wǒ shì xuésheng). Built from 我 = I; 是 = am; 学生 = student.

To say “He is at school” in Mandarin: 他在学校 (tā zài xuéxiào). Built from 他 = he; 在 = at; 学校 = school.

Cracking the characters

Key pieces: 日+月=明 · 女+马=妈

Last discovery, the biggest one: the characters themselves are built from parts too. They're not 10,000 arbitrary drawings — they're a system you can decode.

Now the real secret of most characters: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the sound. 女 nǚ = woman, 马 mǎ = horse. What could woman + horse possibly mean…?

To say “See you tomorrow” in Mandarin: 明天见 (míngtiān jiàn). Built from 明 = bright (sun+moon!); 天 = day; 见 = see.

The body machine — 手

Key pieces: 手机 · 洗手间 · 小心

Body words are some of the most productive pieces in the language. Start with 手 shǒu = hand — and 机 jī = machine.

洗 xǐ = wash, 间 jiān = room. You already know 厕所 for toilet — but this is the politer word you'll see on signs.

Now one you'll see written on stairs, wet floors and train doors all over China. 小 xiǎo = small, and you met 心 xīn = heart in 开心 (happy).

To say “my phone” in Mandarin: 我的手机 (wǒ de shǒujī). Built from 我的 = my; 手机 = mobile phone.

To say “Where is the toilet?” in Mandarin: 洗手间在哪里？ (xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ). Built from 洗手间 = restroom; 在哪里 = where.

To say “I have a headache” in Mandarin: 我头疼 (wǒ tóuténg). Built from 我 = I; 头疼 = headache.

Common mistakes and things to watch out for

Written by the LanguagePath editorial team from our own course material. Pronunciation guides are approximate English respellings; tap any phrase in the app above to hear it. Native-speaker review of every course is ongoing — tell us if you spot an error.