I started learning Chinese in 2018 to impress my girlfriend (now wife's) parents. They live in Singapore.
I spent a year or so learning a few phrases, perfecting my Singlish, only to discover her family barely speaks Mandarin at all. My wife's Mandarin is passable at best (womp womp).
But since then I've enjoyed watching years of Chinese dramas with my wife.
The result is that I have a really good ear for the language and can read decently too thanks to pandemic era character study. However, my speaking still sucks.
So in 2026, I'm working to fill in the gaps in my knowledge. Given where I live and through family connections, Mandarin is the most common language I hear outside of English. Plus with the rise of Chinese soft power in media and online, I feel like I'm hearing it more and more passively wherever I go. There's never been a better time to become more familiar with this ancient and fascinating language.
My tools (Feb 2026)
Here are the main tools I'm using to beef up my Mandarin.
Chinese dramas
Most nights I watch at least one episode of one with my wife. Great listening practice
Google Gemini
I use this for grammar explanations and context when reading.
Hack Chinese
A very powerful Spaced Repetition System (SRS) specifically designed for Mandarin. Great for reviewing and learning new vocab.
Clozemaster
I got the lifetime deal for this one in 2025. Really good for gamified vocab practice.
Pimsleur - Mandarin
Recently, I got back to using Pimsleur because it's just so damn good at getting you to produce the language fluently and on demand, a key skill in real time conversation.
Log
2026-02-13
Completed Pimsleur Chinese Lesson 1 (Two listens)