SayMei

Speaking · Complete beginner · 33 pages

Your First 14 Days of Spoken Mandarin

Follow a calm, 10–15 minute daily path from greetings to a complete mini-conversation, with useful words, one reusable sentence frame, shadowing, and personal prompts.

Download the free PDF

No signup. No email form. Version 1.1, updated 2026-08-11.

What’s inside

  • 14 sequenced, 10–15 minute speaking sessions across paired learn-and-speak pages
  • Six useful words per day
  • One reusable sentence frame and one real-life situation per day
  • Listen, repeat, shadow, and make-it-yours prompts
  • Light phrase retrieval and progress checks
  • A cumulative role-play and final can-do check

What you’ll practice

  • Introduce yourself and keep a simple exchange moving
  • Ask for food, prices, times, places, and directions
  • Talk briefly about preferences, family, routines, and plans
  • Combine familiar frames into a short original conversation

Workbook preview

  • 我叫…… · Wǒ jiào… · My name is… (Day 1 · Introduce yourself)
  • 我想要…… · Wǒ xiǎng yào… · I’d like… (Day 4 · Ask for something)
  • 我们……吧。 · Wǒmen… ba. · Let’s… (Day 12 · Make a plan)

Frequently asked questions

Can a complete beginner use this Mandarin workbook?

Yes. Every model includes simplified Chinese, tone-marked pinyin, and a concise English meaning. The days are sequenced so you reuse earlier words and sentence frames.

Will I be fluent after 14 days?

No workbook can promise fluency in two weeks. This pack is designed to give you a reliable starting routine and a small set of phrases you can understand, say, and personalize.

Do I need a SayMei account?

No. The PDF and audio samples on this page are public. Optional links to other SayMei practice tools are clearly labeled and never block the workbook download.

Keep practicing

Make a custom practice worksheet · Browse all free downloads

This is a practical starter path, not a fluency promise. The workbook distinguishes literal sentence building from more natural full expressions and keeps grammar explanations deliberately narrow.

Work through it online

Each day runs the workbook's own loop — listen, repeat, shadow, make it yours, then recall — and every step shows the workbook page it comes from, so the page numbers stay in sync.

Day 1: Meet someone

Say your name and ask the question back.

Workbook pages 3–4

Day 2: Say where you are from

Say where you are from and that you speak a little Chinese.

Workbook pages 5–6

Day 3: Talk about what you like

Name two things you like in one sentence.

Workbook pages 7–8

Day 4: Ask for a drink

Order the drink you actually want.

Workbook pages 9–10

Day 5: Order simple food

Order food politely with a quantity, 请, and 谢谢.

Workbook pages 11–12

Day 6: Set a meeting time

Suggest a meeting time and confirm the plan.

Workbook pages 13–14

Day 7: Describe your family

Say how many people are in your family.

Workbook pages 15–16

Day 8: Describe a daily routine

Say what time you do two things every day.

Workbook pages 17–18

Day 9: Ask where something is

Ask where a place is and follow the answer.

Workbook pages 19–20

Day 10: Understand a direction

Give a simple two-step direction: straight, then turn.

Workbook pages 21–22

Day 11: Ask the price

Ask a price and react to the answer.

Workbook pages 23–24

Day 12: Make a plan

Invite someone to do something tomorrow and pick a time.

Workbook pages 25–26

Day 13: Say what you did

Say one thing you did yesterday with 了.

Workbook pages 27–28

Day 14: Keep the conversation moving

Hold a complete first exchange from hello to goodbye.

Workbook pages 29–30

Final review: Two role-plays and your can-do check

Hold two six-turn conversations on your own and back each can-do with one line of evidence.

Workbook pages 31–33

This audio-supported practice is free in your browser — no account, no install, and the printable PDF stays available either way.

Model audio on this page is synthetic Mandarin — a listening aid, not a pronunciation assessment.