README: How to use this recording

You'll hear the dialogue from Lesson 10 twice.

The first time, there will be a short pause after each line. During the pause, try to repeat aloud exactly what you hear.

Repeating aloud is important, partly because you'll be training your speech muscles to make the sounds of Mandarin, and partly because you'll be getting feedback about how you sound (if you're listening with earbuds, I recommend practicing with one earbud out and one in, or else with both partially in, so that you can hear yourself better).

The second time, there won't be any pauses -- try to "shadow" the sounds simultaneously as they are spoken, again aloud.

This will help you practice stringing the sounds together and further reinforce the muscle memory speech patterns of Mandarin. If it feels way too fast, you can try shadowing only one of the characters each time you listen. However, even then, don't expect to be able to keep up with everything at first. It takes regular daily practice to start training your ears to have a more nuanced perception of the sounds, and to train your speech muscles to speak at natural speed.

About the transcript:
The transcript of the dialogue will be available once the next lesson is published. For now, just focus on the sounds, and try to see what new words, meanings, or sounds you notice with each new listen.