Have you ever lost something in the laundromat? Most people have, but we seldom notice until we get home. Here is a quick Mandarin lesson, just in case it happens to you. Interesting Grammar Pattern “Zhǎo bù dào” means “to search without success” In English we have two words: “search” means to look for something...

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At Effective Chinese we focus on the big picture. Most people know that the key to success with any language is practice: practice in class and practice between classes. But what, and how, to practice? Read on and find out how our online materials make it possible to improve between classes. Anatomy of a Class Our Mandarin classes have three parts. We s...

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If you live in Portland, sooner or later you are likely to encounter the “Unipiper”. This post will help you explain this guy to your Chinese friends. Also, the post has a bonus part 2 for more advanced students. The tables below are wired for audio. Click on the first column, in any row, to hear the pronunciation. Conversation PinyinCh...

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The Chinese holiday “Duānwǔ Jié” is often called the Dragon Boat Festival, but the name means “Festival of the 5th day of the 5th month”. You can read a little about the history and customs this festival on this website. The two most popular activities on Duānwǔ Jié are: watching dragon boat races and eating zongzi. Zongzi i...

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Effective Chinese has been continuously innovating our web technology to give you the most effective learning experience possible. We start with slides that are visually appealing and easy to understand. This way we engage your visual cortex and improve retention. In addition to our visuals, the classroom experience involves: Makin...

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