- 我要一杯咖啡，谢谢。Wǒ yào yì bēi kāfēi, xièxie.I will have a coffee, thanks.
- 打包带走，麻烦了。Dǎbāo dàizǒu, máfan le.To take away, please.
- 好的，谢谢。再见！Hǎo de, xièxie. Zàijiàn!OK, thanks. Goodbye!
Live AI speaking coach · 3 minutes free every day
Practise speaking Chinesewith Prima.
Talk, and Prima answers out loud in real time, in Mainland or Taiwan Mandarin: she corrects you gently, at your level, and plays the other person in real-life situations. Every phrase you practise comes with its pinyin. No class to book, no card.
Real-time voice2 accentsNothing to install
Your first lesson
Order a coffee, in Chinese.
This is the first lesson of the Chinese course, as the app plays it. Prima is the barista; you have 3 things to say, and she scores you out of 100 at the end.
Prima opens您好，需要点什么？
She corrects in the flow. Say “一个咖啡” and she answers “一杯咖啡，好的。还要别的吗？”, with the right form, and you say it again. "杯" (bēi) is the measure word for a cup or a glass: 一杯咖啡. "个" is the all-purpose one, but Chinese counts these with their own word, so learn each noun with its measure word.
Stuck? Ask in your own language: “How do you say ‘to take away’?” She tells you (“打包带走”) and carries on in Chinese.
TipGreeting"您好" (nín hǎo) is the polite hello at any counter; friends say "嗨" (hāi) or just your name.
TipAsking"我要___" (wǒ yào ___) is the short, everyday way to order: 我要一杯咖啡 (wǒ yào yì bēi kāfēi).
TipLeaving"谢谢，再见" (xièxie, zàijiàn) closes anything; the second 谢 is said lightly, in the neutral tone.
Each lesson’s preview carries one short tip like these.Try this lesson →
How it works
Three steps. No placement test.
Prima Speak runs in your browser, on your phone or your computer. Allow the microphone and talk.
01Choose your Chinese and your levelMainland Mandarin or Taiwan Mandarin: pick the Chinese you want to speak, and your level from Beginner to Fluent. Prima adjusts as you talk, so there is no test to sit first.
02Talk. Prima answers out loud.Pick a lesson, like ordering a coffee or checking into a hotel, or just chat about your day. Prima plays the other person, corrects you in the flow and, when you are stuck, answers a question in your own language.
03A short report, then tomorrow’s minutesEvery session ends with the two or three things to work on next. The words you missed come back for review, and your 3 free minutes refill every day.
Your Chinese
Two kinds of Chinese. Pick yours.
Prima keeps the accent and the everyday words of the Chinese you choose. Change it any time in Settings.
What you practise
Real situations, in Chinese.
Every lesson is a real conversation with a goal: Prima plays the other person and scores you out of 100 at the end. 445 lessons, from Beginner 1 to Intermediate 2, all on the free plan.
Ask for directions
A street corner. Beginner goal: ask the way to the station and repeat it back.
You say___在哪儿？___ zài nǎr?Where is ___?
Check into a hotel
A small hotel lobby. Beginner goal: say your name, confirm one night, ask for the key.
You say我需要一个房间，谢谢。Wǒ xūyào yí ge fángjiān, xièxie.I need a room, thanks.
At the pharmacy
A pharmacy counter. Beginner goal: say what hurts and ask for something for it.
You say我要治头痛的药，谢谢。Wǒ yào zhì tóutòng de yào, xièxie.I will have something for a headache, thanks.
The project kick-off
A meeting room. Beginner goal: introduce the team and the plan in five sentences.
You say明天十点可以吗？Míngtiān shí diǎn kěyǐ ma?Does tomorrow at ten work?
And 440 more, from the market and the doctor to the first day at work.How the course is built →
Free and Pro
3 minutes free every day. No card.
Your first day has 10 free minutes, and every day after it 3. Go Pro when 3 minutes a day stops being enough.
Free
$0forever
3 min of live speaking a day
About one short lesson a day
- Every language, every lesson
- Results after every lesson, with words to practise
- Word review, transcripts and 50 text messages a day
- No card needed
Pro
$9.99per month, or $79.99 a year
10 min of speaking a day, on every device you use
A lesson and a real conversation, every day
- The first 3 days free
- Everything in Free
- Unlimited text chat with Prima
- Cancel any time in Settings
Card needed for Pro. Nothing is charged for 3 days; cancel before then and you pay nothing. Full refund within 14 days of your first payment. Everything about pricing
Questions
Can I practise Chinese with Prima if I am a complete beginner?
Yes. Choose Beginner and Prima speaks slowly, in short sentences with everyday words, and asks easy questions you can answer in a word or two. Every lesson starts with a short preview of what to say, and you can tap Slower or Say it again, or ask “how do you say…?” in your own language, whenever you are stuck.
Which Chinese does Prima speak?
Two: Mainland Mandarin and Taiwan Mandarin. Pick one when you start, or change it any time in Settings, and Prima keeps to the one you chose.
Do I need to read Chinese characters before I start?
No. In every lesson’s preview each phrase is shown in Chinese characters with its pinyin and its meaning, so you can speak from the first day. It is still worth learning to read as you go, because the conversation on screen is written in Chinese characters.
How does Prima correct my Chinese?
In the flow: when something comes out wrong, she says it the right way in her next sentence and you say it again. An example from the first lesson: say “一个咖啡” and she answers with “一杯咖啡”. "杯" (bēi) is the measure word for a cup or a glass: 一杯咖啡. "个" is the all-purpose one, but Chinese counts these with their own word, so learn each noun with its measure word.
How long does it take to learn to speak Chinese?
The US Foreign Service Institute, which trains diplomats, puts Mandarin Chinese at about 88 weeks of full-time class, around 2,200 hours, for an English speaker to reach a professional working level. Nobody needs that much to order a coffee or to hold a first conversation: speaking grows by speaking, a few minutes out loud every day.
How much does it cost to practise Chinese with Prima?
Free: 10 minutes of live speaking on your first day and 3 minutes a day after that, the whole course and 50 text messages a day, with no card needed. Pro: $9.99 a month or $79.99 a year for 10 minutes a day and unlimited text chat, and a first subscription starts with 3 days free. Cancel Pro any time.
Do I need to install an app?
No. Prima Speak runs in your browser: open primaspeak.com in Safari on iPhone (iOS 15 or later), in Chrome on Android or on any computer, allow the microphone, and talk. You can add it to your home screen like an app.
More
Other languages.
Say your first Chinese sentence today.
10 free minutes on your first day, 3 every day after. No card, no class to book.