Mandarin Monkey Podcast

Welcome back to the Mandarin Monkey Podcast episode 461. This week, we dive into a big idea: what if we hosted a Mandarin Monkey live immersion event in the UK? We talk through what that could look like — a full day of Chinese-speaking activities, games, food, and socialising — designed to feel fun, relaxed, and genuinely immersive, not like a traditional classroom. Along the way, we also chat abo...

Welcome back to the Mandarin Monkey Podcast episode 460. In this episode, we talk about the reaction to our “goodbye” joke and the unexpected wave of love that came from it. It was a warm reminder that even when content feels lonely to make, there are real people out there listening. We also get into: why long-form content still matters to us how short-form is changing attention spans ideas for fu...

We are finally saying goodbye to the podcast. We have been doing this since 2018! Made so many awesome friends along the way and had so much fun. But now its time we call it a day. We started with a microphone on a bedside table in our bedroom and ended up in a full studio, its been a long and arduous journey. We want to say thank you to everyone who made this possible. The community will continue...

So this is it. The final mailbag episode. It was fun while it lasted. If you have any interesting stories or emails, email them in to: chat@mandarinmonkey.com and we will read them out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We started planning a simple trip to Lapland… and somehow ended up booking reindeer rides, elf school, glass igloos, and possibly bankruptcy. In this episode, we talk (and argue) through planning a family trip to Lapland, what we actually want to do vs what we can afford, and how quickly “just a few activities” turns into chaos. Along the way, you’ll hear natural Mandarin and English conversation,...

Welcome back to Mandarin Monkey Podcast Episode 456. This one’s a proper listener mailbag episode. We read your emails and end up talking about all sorts: learning Mandarin on a tractor in rural Iowa, a workplace misunderstanding about saving face, the chaos of Taiwan Ghost Month, whether the third tone is designed to ruin lives, typing Chinese on a Mac, and one very wholesome story about using Ma...

This episode of the Mandarin Monkey Podcast takes a strange turn. We somehow ended up playing a “tiny acting” game we found online… which is great for YouTube and absolutely terrible for podcast listeners. Expect awkward silence, ridiculous acting challenges, and one very questionable scenario involving a dog in a waiting room. Along the way we also talk about: • why words start to feel strange wh...

Can you really learn Mandarin while doing the dishes? What about while running, driving, or just surviving family life on broken sleep? In this Mandarin Monkey mailbag episode, we dive into real listener stories and questions about learning Chinese in the middle of normal life. From passive listening and bilingual parenting to sleep deprivation, kids climbing into bed sideways, and the never-endin...

We just spent 36 hours in Zurich, Switzerland filming an event at the FIFA Museum… and somehow turned it into a mini travel adventure. In this episode we talk about: • flying to Switzerland with camera gear • our first taste of real Swiss chocolate • accidentally spending £50 on chocolate • riding electric scooters around Zurich • trying kangaroo steak in an Australian restaurant • discovering how...

We just recorded 40 minutes of podcast… and realised we never pressed record. So here we are doing it again. In this episode we talk about: • Our first corporate filming job in London • Why we're suddenly flying to Zurich next week • The launch of our new gaming channel Monkey Plays • Whether language exchange apps actually work • Why Pleco is amazing (but not perfect) • Why people in Taiwan don’t...

This week’s mailbag episode is… painful. • A freelance translator loses a business contract because he didn’t understand 面子 (miànzi). • Someone tries to compliment their manager… and accidentally calls him a bastard. • Another listener’s Chinese name sounds dangerously close to “horse sh*t.” We talk about cultural competence in business Mandarin, tone disasters, gaming as a language-learning met...

Episode 450 is here! 🎉 In this fun and chaotic bilingual episode, we chat about life getting back to normal after the holidays, the challenges of new projects, and a possible Mandarin retreat idea… before things take a very British turn 😅 We dive into one tiny English word — “piss” — and explore the MANY ways British people actually use it in real life. If you’ve ever been confused by British sl...

This week on the Mandarin Monkey Podcast, we read three powerful emails from listeners whose Mandarin journeys couldn’t be more different — yet share the same courage. From feeling fluent for the first time , to reconnecting with family and heritage, to quitting a job and moving to Taiwan for love and language… These are real stories from real learners navigating confidence, shame, identity, relat...

Chinese New Year is here… but we’re not just talking about red envelopes and dumplings. In this episode: Who should give red envelopes (and when it stops) The weird firework pranks from childhood Why we chose not to vlog our kids And… our idea for a 48-hour Mandarin-only retreat Could you survive two full days speaking only Chinese? No English. No safety net. Just immersion. Let us know if you’d a...

This week’s mailbag: a learner understands his mother-in-law at the worst moment, a tone mistake turns into a workplace disaster, and a four-year-old becomes the teacher. Plus: how to ask to camp in Taiwan without sounding like a tourist. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does real bilingual development actually look like? In this episode of Mandarin Monkey, we talk about one of the biggest concerns parents have when raising bilingual children: “My child understands Mandarin… but won’t speak it. Is that normal?” We explore: • What children usually understand first • Why mixing languages is a sign of competence • Whether silence means failure • How long it real...

This episode started as a simple idea: list 100 very specific things to do before you die. We didn’t get to 100. We talked about sharks, Lapland, Route 66, Disney parks, cherry blossoms, tequila in Mexico, collecting memories, and why “someday” is a dangerous word. Mandarin and English. Travel, goals, family, and that quiet feeling of wanting more life in your life. If this episode sparks an idea...

Learning Mandarin isn’t just about vocabulary or grammar. Sometimes it’s about confidence, fear, and not feeling “good enough”. In episode 444 of the Mandarin Monkey Podcast, we talk honestly about: – Why language “levels” can actually hurt learners – Speaking Mandarin without destroying your confidence – Trial lessons that start way too basic – Learning through conversation, not correction – Why...

This is a mailbag episode of the Mandarin Monkey Podcast. We answer listener questions about a deceptively common Mandarin mistake: why you can’t use “ask” the way you do in English. Ula explains why 問 is for asking questions, but doesn’t work when you’re asking someone to do you a favour, and why 請 is often the natural choice, even though it doesn’t translate cleanly into English. We also respo...

This episode is a fully bilingual English–Mandarin conversation. Tom speaks in English. Ula responds entirely in Mandarin. We talk about: Extreme risk and a climber scaling Taipei 101 Whether dangerous stunts should be streamed live Travel plans including Lapland, skiing holidays, the Maldives, and the US Fear, animals, parenting, and how perspective changes over time This is not a scripted lesson...

Why does Mandarin feel easy when you’re listening… but impossible the moment a real person speaks? In this mailbag episode, we answer real listener questions about learning Mandarin in the real world. Textbooks vs real speech. Tones. Confidence. Speaking to in-laws. And why your brain sometimes just shuts down. We talk about: Why textbooks teach words nobody actually says Whether tones really matt...

We’re back. We both got hit with a nasty illness for a few weeks and lost our voices, so this one is low-energy and coughy. We talk about why we disappeared, why this Christmas felt “off”, a New Year’s Eve living-room campout with the kids, and how fast sickness can wipe you out. Then we look back at some 2025 goals, set fresh 2026 goals, and Tom admits he’s convinced Premium Bonds will make him a...

It’s our Christmas Special Mailbag. We answer listener questions about real Chinese greetings, why “Ni Hao Ma” sounds unnatural, fear of flying explained by a pilot, and how to type pinyin with tone marks properly. We finish with a fun Christmas quiz full of strange traditions and surprising facts from around the world. If you’re learning Mandarin and want natural Chinese, not textbook Chinese, th...

Ula explains why some dictionary and app translations feel unnatural, and shares a new Mandarin dictionary app recommendation. Then we mess around with a sound-guessing game, chat about school plays, and end with Tom quizzing Ula on the Life in the UK test. 00:00 Intro, episode 438, Wednesday energy 01:35 What subject do we look like we teach? 07:10 Midweek fatigue and kid sleep chaos 09:20 Why “d...

Why doesn’t “How are you?” really exist in Chinese? In this episode, we talk about how Chinese people show care without asking about feelings. Food, warmth, sleep, and daily life matter more than emotional check-ins. We also talk about sleep, anxiety, bilingual kids, accents, affection across cultures, and then completely lose control playing a sound guessing game. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/p...