Spoken Mandarin Days 61–75: Daily Speaking Practice with Audio

By the end you can

• Catch up with a friend after time apart. Answer 最近怎么样 with 挺…的 and add one small problem with 就是…, then ask about the gap with 这 + time + 去哪儿了？
  挺好的，就是有点儿累。你呢？ · Tǐng hǎo de, jiùshì yǒudiǎnr lèi. Nǐ ne? · Pretty good, just a bit tired. And you?
• Tell the story of a trip with 就 and 才. Say where you went and how you got there, then use 就 for sooner than expected and 才 for later than expected, with one good thing and one not-so-good thing.
  路上堵车，我九点半才到公司。 · Lùshang dǔchē, wǒ jiǔ diǎn bàn cái dào gōngsī. · The traffic was bad, so I didn't get to the office until half past nine.
• Give gentle advice and make a plan by voice message. Give advice with 最好 and 最好别, set a time and place ending in 行吗？, and use 了 after a verb for "once that happens".
  你最好晚上别喝咖啡了。 · Nǐ zuìhǎo wǎnshang bié hē kāfēi le. · You'd better stop drinking coffee in the evening.
• Complain politely and exchange or return something. Point out a wrong dish softly with 好像, then ask a shop to swap something with 换 or give your money back with 退.
  这个可以换吗？ · Zhège kěyǐ huàn ma? · Can I exchange this?
• Explain how something works and describe your job. Explain steps with 先, 然后 and 把 + thing + 放在 + place, and describe your work with 主要 for the main part and 有时候也 for the rest.
  我主要做网站，有时候也要跟客人开会。 · Wǒ zhǔyào zuò wǎngzhàn, yǒu shíhou yě yào gēn kèrén kāihuì. · I mainly build websites, and sometimes I also have meetings with clients.
• Talk about your childhood, how life has changed and saving money. Tell past habits with 小时候 and 常常 and no 了, say things keep changing with 越来越, and tell 又 (again, already) from 再 (again, later).
  越来越习惯了。我现在能吃辣了！ · Yuè lái yuè xíguàn le. Wǒ xiànzài néng chī là le! · More and more. I can eat spicy food now!
• Ask a favour, host dinner and react to news. Ask for help with 帮 + person + verb, offer food and react with 看起来, and answer bad news with 真糟糕 and good news with 恭喜你.
  真糟糕！别着急，我陪你回去找找。 · Zhēn zāogāo! Bié zháojí, wǒ péi nǐ huíqu zhǎozhao. · Oh no! Don't worry, I'll go back with you and look.

What’s inside

• Day 61: Catch Up After Time Apart
• Day 62: Describe a Trip You Took
• Day 63: Ask For and Give Advice
• Day 64: Make Plans by Voice Message
• Day 65: Complain Politely
• Day 66: Return or Exchange Something
• Day 67: Explain How to Do Something
• Day 68: Talk About Your Work in Detail
• Day 69: Talk About Your Childhood
• Day 70: Describe How Your Life Has Changed
• Day 71: Talk About Money and Saving
• Day 72: Ask Someone for a Favour
• Day 73: Host Friends for Dinner
• Day 74: React to Good and Bad News
• Day 75: A Day Out with Friends

How to use this book

One page a day, about ten minutes. Play the day's audio, say each line in the pause, then read the note on the one point to remember. Learn the day's first line by heart and use it with a real person the same day.

1. Days 61–64: Catching up and making plans. Greet a friend after time apart, tell a trip with 就 and 才, give advice with 最好 and set a plan by voice message.
2. Days 65–68: Problems, how-tos and work. Complain politely with 好像, swap or return with 换 and 退, explain steps with 把, and describe your job with 主要.
3. Days 69–72: Your own story. Your childhood, how life has changed with 越来越, saving money with 又 and 再, and asking a friend for a favour.
4. Days 73–74: Friends at your table. Host a dinner and react to the food with 看起来, then respond kindly to bad news and share good news.
5. Day 75: A day out in the hills. Read the dialogue on page 17 as Lin Hao and Chen Xiaoyu, fill the gaps with 就, 才, 又 or 再, then act out the roleplay.
6. Every day: Say the first line three times. Say the day's first line aloud three times, then use it with a real person the same day.

Who it’s for

Learners who finished Days 31–60, or anyone who can already chat about work, travel, shopping and plans in Mandarin and wants fifteen more days of everyday speaking: advice, complaints, favours, stories and news.

Before you start: About 60 days of spoken basics. Every line is printed in characters, pinyin and English, and the free audio reads each one with a pause for you to say it back.

Frequently asked questions

What do the fifteen days cover?

One page a day, each with one exchange and a note on the one point to remember: advice with 最好, a polite complaint with 好像, swapping or returning with 换 and 退, your job, your childhood, saving money and hosting dinner. Day 75 is a day out in the hills on page 17, where you fill gaps with 就, 才, 又 or 再 and act it out.

Where does this book fit in the 90-day course?

It is the fourth of five books: Your First 14 Days, Days 15–30, Days 31–60, this book, then Days 76–90. If you can already talk about work, shopping and travel, you can start here.

How long does each day take?

About ten minutes. Play the day's audio, say each line in the pause, then read the note. Say the first line aloud three times, learn it by heart and use it with a real person the same day.

Is there audio?

Yes, free on the book's page on saymei.app: one track for each day, with every Chinese line read once and a pause to say it back. The QR code on page 2 opens it.

Who are Lin Hao and Chen Xiaoyu?

Lin Hao has lived in Chengdu for two months, and his colleague Chen Xiaoyu is now a good friend. The days follow them through a trip to Chongqing, a dinner Lin Hao hosts and a lost wallet, ending with a day out in the hills on Day 75.

What comes after Day 75?

Spoken Mandarin Days 76–90 is the last book of the course: bargaining, a call to the landlord, a toast and a fifteen-minute conversation on Day 90.

Do I need a SayMei account?

Yes, to download the PDF, and the account is free: sign up with Google, Apple or your email address. With it we email you a copy of the workbook, keep every workbook you download on your account on all your devices, save your place in the free online practice, and you can practise speaking with Mei Lin, SayMei's AI tutor.

How do I print it?

The PDF is US Letter size. On A4 paper, choose "Fit to page" (or "Scale to fit") in the print dialog so nothing is cut off. Print the whole workbook or only the pages you need; colour looks best, and black and white works too.

Keep going

Keep a Mandarin Conversation Going · Talk About Your Day: Mandarin Daily Routines Workbook · Hobbies in Chinese: Sports, Free Time and Invitations · Spoken Mandarin Days 15–30: Your Next Two Weeks of Speaking · Browse all 294 workbooks