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-ending mystery of 了, this one goes everywhere.

In this episode:

• learning Mandarin while doing the dishes
• why some people understand more while running than studying
• a 58-year-old dad starting Mandarin in retirement
• raising bilingual children outside Taiwan and China
• whether natural input is enough for kids

why 了 still confuses everyone

sleep, parenting, and recovering from Switzerland

If you're learning Mandarin and trying to make it fit around work, family, or everyday chaos, this episode is for you.

Tell us in the comments:

Where do you listen to Mandarin Monkey?

Doing the dishes? Driving? Walking? Hiding from your children for five minutes?

Mandarin Monkey is a bilingual Mandarin Chinese and English podcast designed to help you improve your listening through real conversation, humour, and everyday life.

#LearnMandarin #MandarinChinese #ChineseListeningPractice #BilingualPodcast #LanguageLearning #MandarinMonkey

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 expensive Switzerland really is

• meeting our Uber driver with a powerful story about Iran

• exploring Lake Zurich early in the morning

It was a very short trip, but Zurich turned out to be one of the most beautiful and peaceful cities we've visited.

This episode is also great for Mandarin learners, as Ula shares thoughts and stories in Mandarin while we talk about the experience in English.

If you've ever been to Switzerland, tell us your favourite place!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 really say 你好吗

• And how to actually use podcasts to improve your Mandarin

Plus we answer your emails about:

• Using Mandarin podcasts for learning
• Cantonese vs Mandarin situations
• Language exchange apps like Tandem
• Study methods and common mistakes learners make

If you want to send us a question for a future mailbag episode, email us!

[email protected]

Our new gaming channel where you can learn Mandarin while watching games:

Raft

Overcooked 2

Peak

(and more coming)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxuNENWdUdcvRMuMiADUFmQ

Full playthroughs and interactive vocab games are available on Patreon.

patreon.com/monkeyplaysgames

Podcast: https://mandarinmonkey.com

Lessons: https://mandarinmonkey.com/lessons

Patreon: https://patreon.com/mandarinmonkey

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 method, and why choosing a Chinese name is more serious than you think.

If you’ve ever made a language mistake that keeps you awake at night, this one’s for you.

Don’t lose confidence. Just don’t translate “losing face” word for word.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 slang, this episode is for you.

This podcast is spoken in both Mandarin and English, making it perfect for learners who want natural, real-world listening practice.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Real couple conversation in Mandarin + English
• British slang explained in context
• Cultural differences in language use
• Relaxed, natural listening practice
• 
  

Whether you're a beginner or advanced learner, come hang out and improve your Mandarin the natural way.

📩 Got a story to share? Email us: [email protected]

🎓 Want to learn with us? Try a free trial lesson!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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, relationships, and bold life decisions — all through Mandarin.

Whether you’re:

• A beginner starting from scratch
• A heritage learner feeling pressure
• Dating someone Taiwanese
• Or dreaming of living in Taiwan

This episode is for you.

We speak naturally in both Mandarin and English throughout the episode, so learners of all levels can follow along and build real-world listening skills.

💛 Mandarin isn’t just grammar and vocab lists. It’s connection, risk, community, and growth.

加油 — we’re in this together.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 actually come.

🎧 Listen on Spotify

📩 Join our community

🧧 Happy New Year

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 realistically takes to become conversational

• Why input matters more than early output

Ula shares personal stories of growing up with Taiwanese and Mandarin, and we reflect on our own children’s bilingual journey.

If you’re raising a child in a mixed-language household, this conversation will reassure you.

Mandarin Monkey is a bilingual podcast where Mandarin and English are used naturally, just like in real families.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 for you, tell us what you’d add to the list.

Mandarin Monkey is a bilingual podcast in Mandarin and English.

We speak naturally. No scripts. No lessons. Just real conversation.

Support the show or join the hangouts:

mandarinmonkey.com

patreon.com/mandarinmonkey

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.