Speak Mandarin from Day One
Like Duolingo, but for Speak Mandarin from Day One. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
For the part of you with thirty open tabs that never became anything.
A short one: 24 levels across 3 sections, about 48 minutes end to end, roughly 10 days at five minutes a day. It moves through Survive Your First Conversation, Navigate the Real World, and Connect and Understand. It starts from scratch.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in Speak Mandarin from Day One
- Nín hǎo is the respectful form used for elders or superiors
- Nǐ hǎo is used for peers and friends
- Choosing the correct form of 'you' based on the social status of the listener
- Zǎo means early/morning and Wǎn means late/night
- Time-specific greetings build rapport more effectively than a generic hello
- Matching specific greetings to the appropriate time of day
- Identifying natural ways to conclude a conversation in Chinese culture
- Tones are phonemic, meaning they change the fundamental definition of a word
- The physical 'shape' of the pitch corresponds to specific meanings
- Changing the pitch is equivalent to changing a letter in English
- Visualizing the pitch movement helps in consistent production
- Incorrect tones create entirely different words, leading to total breakdown in communication
- Tones are not optional 'accents' but core components of the language
- The impact of tone on word meaning
- Physical shortcuts and pitch shapes for the four tones
- Introductions move from general connection to specific identity
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives Speak Mandarin from Day One the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
You are meeting your new boss for the first time. Which greeting shows the proper level of respect?
Get it right to open this lesson and 23 more in the app.
Where Speak Mandarin from Day One takes you
Skip the boring grammar drills and start having real conversations immediately. Master the essential phrases and tones you need to navigate daily life in China with confidence.
- 1
Survive Your First Conversation
- Saying Hello and Goodbye
- The Secret to Tones
- Introducing Yourself Simply
- Asking for Help When You're Lost
- Numbers for Shopping and Prices
- 2
Navigate the Real World
- Ordering Your Favorite Food
- Telling Time and Making Plans
- Taking Taxis and Subways
- 3
Connect and Understand
- Talking About Your Family
- Describing Your Hobbies
- How Characters Actually Work
- Common Slang and Modern Phrases
3 sections · 12 units · 24 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
You pick the voice
Speak Mandarin from Day One is taught in the The Bestie style: your friend who just gets it. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start Speak Mandarin from Day One today.
Download Tomo, search Speak Mandarin from Day One, and play your first lesson in under a minute.