ChinesePod

Choosing glasses is always a challenge, but throw in a system of glasses prescriptions completely different from any you're used to, and it's a recipe for confusion and frustration. But not to worry! ChinesePod is here to provide you with the tools to make your next trip to get eye glasses a success.

Being a parent means making tough decisions all the time. In today's podcast, we'll be learning about a very important parenting moment in an age-old debate: are righties smarter than lefties? Or vice versa? The parents in this dialog struggle with old Chinese stereotypes and try to respect the individuality of their toddler.

Once a year people across the world celebrate the women who brought them into the world. Join us today as we cover some of the essentials for wishing mom a wonderful Mother's Day!

One of the great things about restaurants in China is that they often bring out your food faster than you can order it. On the downside, sometimes the food isn't quite what you had in mind... Learn about a common dish today, and about how to describe something you might not have ordered!

The 2010 Shanghai World Expo's mascot has been a source of excitement, the butt of jokes and a topic of conversation since its unveiling a few years back. In today's lesson we're talking about Haibao and trying to figure out just what it is he is supposed to resemble.

Sometimes we take for granted the little things offered to us for free at many restaurants. In today's lesson, we'll be learning about a particularly useful item that many restaurants in China ask you to pay for.

It's April Fool's day and someone is about to get punk'd. Find out just what happens by tuning in to today's ChinesePod lesson all about practical jokes!

Someone's got a date tonight, and he's getting some important advice from a friend. The main question: do women dig the facial hair, or is it better to go for the clean shave? Find out how to talk about facial hair in today's lesson. We hope you'll add your two cents to this very personal debate after listening to the show!

Have you heard? The Expo is coming, the Expo is coming! You've read the signs, you've seen the countdown. The time has arrived to get your tickets to the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. Check out today's lesson to learn how (and where) to buy tickets.

KTV features prominently in the Chinese social scene. And everyone, everyone has their turn at the mic. Sometimes your friends surprise you with their ability to belt out pop standards. Other times, though, you find yourself suffering through butchered John Denver classics. If you're experiencing the latter of these two situations, check out today's lesson to find out how to get your friends off s...

In this increasingly connected world, it's important to maintain contact with friends and colleagues, even when you're outside the house or the office. Cafés all over the world cater to this by offering free or paid wifi. But how do you ask for the password in Chinese? Find out in today's super-useful lesson.

Ever been in a restaurant when the food just doesn't seem to be coming out fast enough? In today's lesson we'll be bugging the server to speed things up a bit!

We're at the airport today, and it's time to say our heartfelt goodbyes! Learn how to send a person off in Chinese in this elementary level lesson.

Today's show covers important language for anyone planning on visiting a friend in a doorman building. Learn the basics for interacting with security, 保安(bǎo'ān), in today's helpful ChinesePod lesson.

Often times in China when you're running out the door you notice the street cleaners have just washed down the streets and sidewalks. This can be especially dangerous in the winter when water freezes into ice. In today's lesson, learn how to tell someone to watch out if the ground is slippery. You'll also be learning how to verbally rebound from a not-so-graceful spill!

As you start busting out your Chinese and making Chinese friends, one of the topics that's going to come up is hobbies. (Spoiler alert: you're going to hear a lot of "listening to music" and "watching movies.") If one of your hobbies is playing basketball, this lesson is perfect. If you just like watching basketball, this lesson is still perfect. If you like hitting people, it's also pretty good.

So you're studying Chinese? Is it hard? As a student of Chinese, you better be prepared to answer these questions. And don't worry... Chinese people won't mind if you tell them you're finding it a tad bit difficult. They've wrestled with it their whole lives too.

You ever lose your passport? Or your wallet? Or your wallet and your passport? We hope not, but just in case, it's probably a good idea to know how to say these things. (At the very least, the Chinese people around you will understand why you're totally freaking out.) This lesson will help.

OK, so you can express that you're going to China, in Chinese. That's great! But if you're telling any Chinese person this, their immediate next question is always going to be: where in China?. With this lesson, learn how to face that question and stay just one step ahead. (OK, so it's only two steps total, but you're getting somewhere!)

Shanghai might not have a "Great Wall" or an army of "Terracotta Warriors," but it does have a few famous landmarks of its own. In this lesson, learn the Chinese names for the Bund and Nanjing Road, two must-see spots for any tourist in Shanghai.

You'll have many fantastic experiences on your trip to China, but, unfortunately, "squeezing into an elevator" or "waiting in line" are not going to be on that list. For most travelers, there's going to be a bit of "jostling." Arm yourself with a few phrases to help you push back (linguistically, at least).

So what do you like to do in the evening? If your answer is something that does not involve going online, then you're weird, and we're not going to help you. If, however, you like going online for your entertainment, we've got just the Chinese lesson for you!

If you're a newbie to China, then you've definitely got to make a trip to Beijing. This Chinese lesson for total beginners will help you to make sure you've got those train tickets... and maybe even help you be all bossy and make someone else go buy them.

You are about to experience the saga of Miss Wang and handsome John, and their fabulous lives in Nanjing. Don't worry; it's a short saga, composed of short, Newbie-level sentences. It's a saga for learning Chinese.

If you're planning on spending a night in a Chinese hotel, as a foreigner, you better have your passport ready. In this lesson, learn those magic Chinese phrases that will land you in a hotel room.