New to a term? Tap it on the Speak tab. Two of these days must be real feedback sessions.
Daily speaking
Your AI tutor prompt
You are my Mandarin language parent. Speak only in simple Mandarin at my level (about A2). Have a real conversation. After each of my turns, gently restate my sentence the correct way, then keep going. At the end, list my five biggest errors. Don't lecture grammar.
What each thing means · tap to open
Open the ChatGPT app, voice mode, paste the prompt above, and just talk in Mandarin. It plays a patient native: keeps it simple, fixes your sentences, lists your errors at the end. Zero judgment, anytime.
A real teacher on iTalki, twice a week, 30 minutes, recorded. This is where your tones get corrected, which the AI can't do well. Tell them: strong listening, weak speaking, max talk-time, a short error list at the end.
Pick a familiar topic. Talk about it out loud for 4 minutes, then the same thing in 3, then in 2. You speed up because you're repeating, not inventing. Record it, then listen to the 2-minute one and pull one fix. This is your top drill for getting words out faster.
Play a clip you mostly understand and talk along about a second behind, copying the speaker's sounds, rhythm, and tones like an echo. You're mimicking, not making sentences. 10 minutes. Trains your accent and ear.
Just hit record on your phone's voice memo app while you drill or talk to a tutor. Listen back later. You catch tone slips and fumbles you can't hear in the moment. Saturday is "replay the week, fix three things."
A handful of short talks about your own life (your job, Karen, the Japan trip, your weekend), rehearsed until smooth. When you freeze in a real conversation, you steer to an island and sound fluent. Build 8 to 12 over time.
Filler phrases that buy thinking time and sound natural: 我觉得 (I think), 老实说 (honestly), 反正 (anyway), 这么说吧 (let me put it this way). Drill a handful until they come out automatically.
The target
A 15-minute conversation in 90 days.
Not fluency. Record yourself at each mark. The tape is the proof you can't feel. Then set the next one.
Day 0
30
60
90
1Never miss twice. Anything beats zero.
2Feedback or it doesn't count.
3Tones get fixed by correction, not winging it.
4Mistakes are reps.
How to use this
Thirty seconds. You won't need it for long.
Each day
Open Now. Do the one thing it shows. That's the whole job.
Less time
Tap a minute pill (5 / 15 / 30 / 60) for a shorter version.
Speak
Copy the prompt, paste it into your AI voice tutor, talk. New to a technique? Tap it there to learn it.
Week
The rhythm. Two days are real tutor or family sessions, recorded.
Goal
The 90-day target and the four rules.
Log
Tap Log today after you practice. Watch the streak, not the clock.
Always
Underneath it all: a podcast in the car and on cardio, cards after coffee.
The breakdown
What you're actually learning, in four buckets.
Listen
Understand them. Podcasts and shows, mostly people talking. The engine, about 40%.
Speak
Talk back. AI tutor, human tutor, and the drills. Your goal, about 30%.
Cards
Flashcards in an app (Hack Chinese or Anki). It shows a word, you recall it. "Clear your cards" = today's batch. About 15%.
Read
Light. Short graded dialogues. Lowest priority for a talking goal. About 15%.
The idea: speak from week one, listening stays the engine, tones get feedback. Full reasoning is in PLAN.md.