Any other suggestions for learning Chinese (apps websites software)

I just stared learning Chinese and using rocket and was wondering about other programs etc that might help with learning. I already have the lifetime membership with rocket.

I watch a lot of costume period Chinese shows and would love it if they had pinyin. I don't know enough characters to go without subs. I recognize words throughout show but that's about it.

I could use a great Chinese English dictionary and maybe an app that focuses on character order etc.

Any suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks in advance.
 

Hi Denise,

Welcome to the infinite world of Chinese learning, and what a great way to train both your eyes & ears with TV shows!

One idea we have is to use Google Translate lens to scan the subs, which renders pinyin when you click into each sentence. When you try to input a Chinese sentence into Google Translate, it shows you how it's spelled out via pinyin, and you can also listen to it. From our experience, the English translations aren't always perfect in terms of sentences, but when chopped into smaller words or phrases, Google Translate does a pretty decent job. 

Must say you've chosen a very good genre to start with, because period dramas are often based in ancient times, where characters would most likely speak very traditional Beijing dialect, which is the Mandarin that we teach in our programs. Also, they tend to speak slower than in real life, so it might also be a good listening exercise.

With that, please do try to figure out as many characters as you can along the episodes, as there are a lot of Hanzi to learn, and the more fun you have in the process, the less intimidating they will appear. 

As for character order, we're assuming you're referring to sentence structure? If so, check out our Language & Culture lessons where we try to build up phrases and sentence formation rules with lots of useful conversations. 

Keep up the good work, and best of luck! 


Cheers,
Eleanor