How to speak Chinese from your first minute
Xiaolu is Talkhao's speaking tutor. She talks with you in English and Chinese, listens to what you say, and teaches you the next thing you can say. You speak in the first minute, and your first 10-minute talk is free.
How the ten minutes go
A greeting for your time of day
She says hello and asks a few easy things, in English and Chinese.
Finding where you are
From your answers she places you on the HSK scale. No test, no level to pick.
A scene to talk about
She shows a picture, like a street with a shop and a bank, and asks about it. New phrases come with pinyin and English.
What you said today
At ten minutes you get today's phrases with audio, and where your level moved.
Your spoken level, on the HSK scale
HSK is the standard scale for Chinese, from 1 to 6. Xiaolu places your speaking on the same scale by talking with you. There's no test and no level to choose. After each answer the level moves a little, up or down, from what you actually said.
- Band 1Short answers about yourself, places and times
- Band 2Ask simple questions back; daily routines
- Band 3Describe, compare, say what happened
- Band 4Longer talk on familiar topics
- Band 5Give opinions and reasons
- Band 6Speak with ease on most topics
Questions
Is Talk free?
Your first 10-minute talk is free. Plus gives you 60 minutes a month, and Ultimate more.
Which devices?
Talkhao in your browser on a computer, phone or tablet, and the Android app. You need a microphone; headphones help.
Does it hear my tones?
Xiaolu hears what you said and says it back the natural way, tones included. She doesn't score your tones.
Is my voice kept?
No. Your audio is used to hear you, then thrown away. Talkhao keeps the words she heard, so your level and phrases carry over, and deletes them with your account.
Say your first Chinese sentence today.
Try TalkBeta · sign in with Apple or Google · in your browser and the Android app