Branch out your learning beyond podcasts and books. If you have the opportunity, listen to music, such as the ones available in our music section. You can also rent Chinese DVDs of movies or soap operas or try listening to online Chinese radio stations. If you find the material too difficult, you can try listening to children’s shows which tend to use simpler language. Even if you don’t understand all the material, you will subconsciously be learning what “sounds right.” As well, by learning from these sources, not only are you branching out the contexts of your learning, you are also getting some entertainment while learning about Chinese culture at the same time.

While learning from television and other media is a great way to supplement your learning, keep in mind that actual colloquial speech tends to be quite different from what you hear in the media. Accents in the media tend to be more standard, which can differ somewhat from what you might hear in different regions. At the end of the day, finding real people to speak with should always be your first choice in practice.