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Chinese Speaking Practice: Four Essential Steps to Practice Chinese Speaking

Last updated: December 5, 2025

Chinese Speaking Practice: Read out Loud, Shadowing, Media Consuming, Real Life Conversation

We all have the moment of swallowing the word back in... It just feels kind of intimidating to speak to a native.😶‍🌫️ But don't stress yourself out, because speaking mastery comes last in your Chinese learning journey. Like speaking any other language, your fluency depends on how well you internalize the language rules, your vocabulary, and how many embarrassing moments you have endured... This four-step plan will guide you from the safety of your textbook to the thrilling experience of real conversation, transforming you from a passive learner into an active speaker.

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Step 1: practice Chinese speaking by reading everything out loud

Before you can converse, you must befriend the sounds of Chinese. The first and most accessible practice is also the most underrated: read absolutely everything aloud. As you are reading the Chinese words and grammar points out loud, you are also training your ear to get used to the right sound, and your mouth to familiarize with the correct movement.

  1. Start with the raw materials: your vocabulary list. Note down the correct pinyin first as a beginner. Pronounce each word clearly, paying meticulous attention to its tone. For example, say (Thanks) ten times. Feel the “x” sound and the falling, then the neutral tone.
  2. Move to sample sentences from your Mandarin Chinese textbook or app. Here, you practice the flow. Read out both sample sentences for vocabulary and grammar points. How does the third tone change when followed by another word? How does the sentence rhythm feel? How are different sections combined into a meaningful sentence?
  3. Graduate to longer texts: dialogue transcripts, news articles simplified for learners, or short stories. The goal here is not comprehension alone, but consistent, correct sound production. For these materials, you are exposed to more characters, more complex Chinese grammar, and more practical settings.
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Step 2: speak Chinese along with videos of Chinese conversations in different scenarios

Language exists in contexts, not vacuums. To move beyond isolated sentences, you need to practice complete, realistic exchanges. This is where scenario-connected dialogues become your best drill before you start any real-life exchanges with native Chinese speakers.

  1. Seek out short video or audio resources focused on everyday situations, such as checking into a hotel, ordering bubble tea, asking for directions, making a phone call, or having a simple chat with a friend. The key is to find materials that come with a transcript or subtitles; for example, YouTube can auto-generate subtitles.
  2. First, mark down the new words and unfamiliar expressions. Then, listen to the native speakers. Note the natural speed, the linking of words, and the emotional inflection—is it polite, excited, or frustrated?
  3. Speak along with the video. Don't just mumble; project your voice as if you are the character. Pause after each line and repeat it. Your aim is to mimic the entire delivery—the pronunciation, the pacing, and the intonation.

This practice does two critical things: it teaches you ready-to-use phrases for specific real-life tasks, and it trains you for occasions that are highly likely to occur if you travel to a city in China, like Beijing or Shanghai.

You can follow this video sample to practice speaking at a bubble tea shop:

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Step 3: actively repeat and shadow after native speakers from reliable media

Shadowing and repeating after are very common practices to learn Chinese speaking. Shadowing involves consuming native media and repeating what you hear in real-time, with as little delay as possible. Repeating after is the preparation stage for shadowing.

  1. Choose engaging content that matches your level and interest: a slow-paced documentary narration, a clear drama scene, or an animated movie clip. Crucially, use Chinese subtitles with your native language subtitles to assist your understanding.
  2. Watch through the whole clip to understand the gist and search up any new terms or expressions.
  3. Then, play it again and try to repeat after the speaker.
  4. Finally, speak simultaneously with the speaker. Don't overthink the meaning; focus on being an echo. Match their pace, their tone shifts, their pauses, and even their emotional vibe.
  5. If you'd like to, you can add the exercise of reading the subtitles out loud directly.

Shadowing the Chinese language is a rather intensive practice, but you can adjust its difficulty level based on the materials you are choosing. It forces you to process sounds and produce them almost simultaneously, breaking the habit of mentally translating. You'll start to absorb natural contractions, filler words like (That), and the authentic flow that textbooks rarely capture.

You have made it this far, so why not practice repeating after and shadowing the bubble tea ordering video from the previous section?

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Step 4: learn to speak Chinese with a native speaker

All your practice converges on this final, crucial step: using Chinese in real life. This is where fluency is forged through a mix of adrenaline, embarrassment, and triumph.

  1. Create or seize opportunities for low-stakes, real-world interaction. Go to a Chinese restaurant and order entirely in Mandarin, asking a question about the menu.
  2. If you travel, navigate a train station or market without the help of a translation app.
  3. Can't travel? Book an online tutor on a language platform and spend 30 minutes talking only about your day, a photo, or a simple topic.

You will stumble. You might forget a word and need to describe it. Yet, this is not failure; it is the core of active communication. These experiences are invaluable because they teach you to think proactively, repair conversations, and understand accents. The positive feedback loop of being understood—getting your order right, finding your platform—provides a motivation boost that no app can match.

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Use this app to help you get ready to speak Chinese fluently

Remember the repeat-after and shadowing practice? Migaku app can help you with this practice and generate Chinese subtitles even when the video does not feature any. This tool can greatly expand your pool for speaking practice. For example, Migaku app can generate subtitles for this cut from Nothing but Thirty with the English translation. You can also click the words or sentences to add them to your flashcard collections and review them later. It is your best assistant for intensive Chinese shadowing practice.

  1. Switch on YouTube and search for Chinese videos with the app
  2. Click "Watch with Migaku", and the magic wand at the lower right corner to generate Chinese subtitles
  3. Click on the new words or sentences in each subtitle and generate flashcards!
Improve Chinese speaking with Migaku App
Learn Chinese with Migaku
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FAQs

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Perfecting your Chinese-speaking skills is a life-long process

You might have learned all the essential 3000 words in three months; You might know all the grammar at heart in one year; and you might be able to watch videos without subtitles in 3 years. But speaking a language takes a much longer process. It's usually that mastering a language by 80% allows you to speak 50% of your knowledge. So don't give up, and keep consuming media!

If you consume media in Chinese, and you understand at least some of the messages and sentences within that media, you will make progress. Period.

If you have a Chinese partner, trust yourself that you can win the fight one day!