Popup Cantonese
73 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 11 years ago - ★★★★ - 34 ratingsThe most convenient way to learn Cantonese the way it is actually spoken and used. Start with our basic lessons, and in no time you'll be listening to music, watching films and television and engaging in the actual language. With free daily podcasts, a vibrant community, online study tools and much more, PopupCantonese is the most powerful and personal way to learn mandarin.
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Episodes
Beginner - Pushing a Car
June 24, 2013 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBAdmittedly, this lesson doesn't have much to do with life in Hong Kong, if only because none of us can remember the last time we've actually driven on the island. In our car that is, because while we definitely enjoy shuffling around in a cab every now and then, if said cab happened to break down there is absolutely zero chance we would get out and help the driver push given the near 100 percent humidity.
Elementary - Mrs. Robinson
April 17, 2013 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBMrs. Robinson had pushed her daughter to get involved with the university sports program. "You spend too much time in the library," she gestured dismissively at the concrete edifice. "Why don't you try to make different kinds of friends and broaden your experience here." And then had come the dinner parties, end-of-year gatherings and various minor sports celebrations: supportive parenting at its best. Note: this lesson is at the easier end of our Elementary level, it might even be reasona...
Elementary - iPad Acquisition Techniques
March 22, 2013 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBThere are a couple of ways to get an iPad. The most expensive is to walk into the IFC and just buy one. But why wait in line? Or risk falling down that glass staircase and breaking your neck? We have your interests in mind, which is why this week we're going to talk about safer, alternative methods of iPad procurement. Oh, and we'll be chatting about Nicole's crazy father as well. Learning Cantonese? Our elementary podcast for today covers an easy way to ask rhetorical questions. Rhetorica...
Advanced - Our Love-Hate Relationship with China
February 21, 2013 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBYou think you have a love-hate relationship with China? Ever since 1997 we've been privvy to nothing but complaints over the water cooler about those guys. And then they complain back at us. No wonder 2012 was such a rough year in the annals of Hong Kong - China relations. That said, we're progressive people and are sick of the constant moaning. Which is why for this advanced Cantonese podcast, we found a couple of Hong Kong locals and locked them together with some mainland Chinese citize...
Elementary - 30 Degrees
September 17, 2012 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBThe temperature in Kowloon Financial's head office had risen steadily through the day, from a comfortable twenty degrees at opening to its current sweat-inducing thirty degrees. James would have opened the window to create a draft, but with the temperature outside several degrees higher than this, and not even the least wind blowing in off the bay, it seemed that the only thing to do was suffer through this heatwave, or find whoever was responsible for fixing the air conditioner. Learning ...
Advanced - Life as a Running Dog
August 30, 2012 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBThis week we're happy to release an advanced show that's one hundred percent native Cantonese. In our studio this week are Aldo and Melody, who take to our studio to chat about relations between Hong Kong and China, and why we don't particularly mind being called running-dogs by certain members of the mainland political establishment. So if you're living in Hong Kong and working towards fluency, give a listen and let us know what you think. And feel free to leave your own thoughts in the co...
Intermediate - Nepotism in Action
July 25, 2012 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBThe internship program was one of the most prestigious in all Washington State. And while Susan had expected running it to be a challenge, she had not expected the largest hurdles to come from the company's own upper management, which soon began exerting pressure to find space for the sons and daughters of those connected to the board. And so much so that what used to be a program attracting the smartest and brightest in the country was rapidly descending into a day care center for a more p...
Beginner - The Four Flavors
July 10, 2012 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBOne of the best things about living in Hong Kong is the amazing culinary diversity in the city, and particularly the whole range of Asian cuisines. If you're planning on taking full advantage of life in the culinary metropolis that is Hong Kong, you'll need to know the Cantonese to talk about tastes and flavors. Which is where this podcast comes in, eager to cover all the bases from sweet to sour. Learning Cantonese? This Cantonese lesson is intended for beginners to the language. If you a...
Elementary - Drinks after Work
June 11, 2012 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBMary had expected the long hours and the occasionally soul-crushing minutiae of handling the international accounts. Carpenter & Wilkins was one of the leading law firms on the island and catered to a top-tier clientele of financial firms, which meant a constant inflow of new legal issues. But even though her work environment was challenging, Mary found her job a lot less social than she had expected. Perhaps it was memories of law school, but she had expected more camaraderie with her fell...
Intermediate - Dinner for One
May 14, 2012 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBWhat was it about the New York professional set when it came to punctuality and romance? This was Susan's third date in mid-town Manhattan and the third time she'd been kept waiting over half an hour. In most situations you try to be a little flexible, sure, but thirty minutes? On a first date? It was as if this section of the city existed in a private bubble where the normal rules of social courtesy simply didn't apply. She glared at her watch and resolved to wait another five minutes, no ...
Elementary - Our Morning Workout Routine
April 23, 2012 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBIt's not that we don't like the gym. It's that our enthusiasm for thirty minutes on the treadmill is highly contingent on the time of day, and what you're suggesting means getting out of bed at six in the morning and biking downtown before the subway even opens for the day. That might interest other people. But not us. Because if the sun isn't up then neither are we. Learning Cantonese? If you're a total beginner to the language you'll want to start from our series on high-frequency phrase...
Elementary - You're a bad, bad boy....
April 04, 2012 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBUp until he turned five, Henry had never known the darker side of life, and his existence passed as a series of pleasures which ran one into the next. As he grew the boy discovered in turn the joy of self-locomotion, the power of speech, and the pleasure of socializing with a group of well-adjusted peers. And yet these happy times were not to last, as events beyond the young boy's control conspired to draw storm clouds over this idyllic period and introduce a dangerous and uncontrollable el...
Elementary - Cat in the Fridge
March 21, 2012 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBThe thought was too horrible to bear: could the household be passing through wartime rationing? The mid-afternoon milkings which had once satiated them as kittens had become at first irregular before disappearing completely. Debating this crisis from the comfort of the third floor sundeck, Edmund and Lucy decided the time had come for action. If they were not to live their lives at the mercy of others for basic food security, it would be necessary to find their own reserves, however challen...
Intermediate - The Investigation
March 05, 2012 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBThe moon had been hidden behind a layer of clouds blown in off the ocean, lending some credence to the claims of the parking lot staff not to have seen the actual killing. But while the evidence against the main suspect was admittedly circumstantial, the political pressure to secure his conviction was more intense than in any similar case, as it was clear to those in power that the murder of Andrei Prodan had not only been uncommonly vicious, but an affront to Hong Kong's fundamental instit...
Beginner - Book Smarts
February 20, 2012 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBIt's hard to pull off being passive aggressive in a Cantonese. It isn't just that you need to keep your words in the right order, master those tones, and avoid flubbing the grammar, but you also have to perfect a certain je ne said quoi, a sort of supercilious attitude that never lets the other person be sure if you're really playing with them. Want to learn the ropes? Then consider yourself lucky then that we have plenty of passive aggressive voice actors. And you have us.
Beginner - Working Out
February 14, 2012 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBNormally, Allan spent thirty minutes on the treadmill and then another half hour lifting weights, or at least hovering in the vicinity of the weight-lifting equipment soaking in the general vibes of the health equipment. As he woke up this morning with a slight headache from last night's business dinner, he wondered if perhaps it would be better to drop the cardio completely today and focus one hundred percent on the weightlifting? Learning Cantonese? Even if you're as generally slothful a...
Intermediate - The Boy Wizard
January 13, 2012 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBMelody was halfway through chapter five by Tuesday morning. As is traditional with children's stories, her novel had started with the somewhat cliched passage of the children heading off to school. But it was now thickening with hints of the titanic struggle between good and evil to come, a clash that would test the extremes of both friendship and magic. As she finished another paragraph, the author couldn't help but glow at the thought of the Pulitzer that would almost certainly be hers. ...
Beginner - This and That
December 26, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBLearning Cantonese? Trust us that no matter how fluent you get, at some point your language skills will fail and you'll find yourself resorting to pointing and grunting. Which is where this podcast comes in. In this Cantonese lesson for relative newbies, we teach you how point to things and express your opinion about them. Useful for everything from ordering room service at the Peninsula to buying electronics in Shenzhen. So listen in and let us know what you think!
Elementary - Shopping for Clothes
December 01, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBPlanning to spend the next few years walking around Hong Kong buck naked? Both we and the local police are guessing not, which means that at some point you'll have to head out and purchase clothing from a local shop in Hong Kong. And while the good news is that Hong Kong is considered a mecca for exactly this activity, the bad news is that if you don't speak Cantonese you're at a bit of a disadvantage when it comes to finding the best that the city has to offer. We can help you fix this. L...
Beginner - The Apology
November 15, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBGrovelling isn't exactly our forte, but sometimes you need to put that dignity behind you to salvage whatever you can from your marriage. Like the time one of us arrived home at one o'clock in the morning after a grueling karaoke session only to find that it might not have been the best day in the year to miss dinner with the family for beers with the boss. Learning Cantonese? In this lesson we'll talk about what happens when you're late, as well as a few ways to apologize on those occasio...
Elementary - Take-Out
November 01, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBIf you think the sheer population density of Hong Kong is impressive, wait until you experience the island's fast-food density. By our admittedly unscientific survey, conducted on the way to lunch one day, there are several hundred McDonalds prowling the Kowloon area alone, all beckoning to potential customers with free wifi, air conditioning, and sometimes even food.... Learning Cantonese? In this lesson our dialogue covers a lot of fast-food vocabulary, but our focus is really about lear...
Elementary - Hong Kong Medical Records
October 12, 2011 15:56 - 8 minutes - 229 KBLearning Cantonese? Our free Cantonese podcast today takes place in a hospital, where a doctor and patient are having an intimate discussion about treatment options. And so while we hope you won't have to visit a hospital while in Hong Kong, this lesson should be useful to you even if you're in perfect health. Since in addition to a lot of high frequency Cantonese vocabulary, we learn to talk about success and failure rates, and how to describe percentages in Cantonese. This is critical stu...
Elementary - Creative Driving Techniques
September 26, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBAssuming you've been watching the same Hong Kong films as the rest of us, you must be familiar with the scene: our protagonist is making a mad dash across Hong Kong in the middle of rush hour. Yet despite the standstill traffic, he makes considerable progress by embracing creative driving techniques: pushing his Lexus over sidewalks, taking hairpin turns down pedestrian walkways, and even crashing down the mid-levels escalator. Since we're sure this sounds familiar and may even have whette...
Elementary - Taking Time Off
September 16, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBJane stared at her production schedule with resigned disbelief. It was clear at first glance that the board's target would be difficult if not impossible to meet, but the deadline still meant it was crunchtime for everyone at the office, and especially her and her team. With only two weeks... she was just doing the math again when Jane realized Harold had stepped into her office. He was one of her most productive subordinates and she only hoped he was here to share good news. Learning Cant...
Elementary - The Lie Detector
September 08, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBLess than an hour after the salesperson had begun demonstrating the device, Sarah lugged her new lie detector onto the kitchen table with a sense of satisfaction. For the last few weeks she had become increasingly distraught over Philip's evasive answers at the dinner table. When pressed over the boy's time in school, or even asked simple questions about his English studies, her son would grow evasive and withdrawn. It was about time that changed.... Want to learn Cantonese? At Popup Canto...
Beginner - The Sleeping Beauty
August 30, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KB"This lesson has nothing to do with Sleeping Beauty," Nicole was feeling pedantic, probably because we'd just given her about fifteen hours of data entry work, and then added annotating this lesson on top. "I mean... what does this podcast even have to do with France." The lack of an answer from our side of the office failed to deter the complaints. "And honestly David, have you ever seen a castle in Hong Kong? There's a reason property prices are so high...." In retrospect, it may be true...
Beginner - Chocolate Ice Cream
August 22, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KB"You can have any flavor you want," the clerk made a vague waving gesture at the empty shelves, or perhaps the storeroom behind him. Jessica arched her head to gaze behind the counter, but even so only managed to catch a glimpse of a carton of half-melted chocolate ice cream. "Is that the only flavor you have," she blurted out in surprise, visibly relieved when the clerk shook his head and handed her a leaflet describing the store's thirty-one specialties. Want to learn Cantonese? First th...
Beginner - Love Triangle
July 21, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBThe three of them had spent the night crying, although for entirely different reasons. Ever since Sandra's affair with Michael had been exposed on national television, her relationship with Sam had been ripped apart. And Michael's friendship with Sam had been tested as well, as undercurrents of anger, jealousy and resentment shifted the ground beneath all three. If you're just starting to learn Cantonese, we think you'll like this lesson. Our dialogue is fairly simple, but it covers an abs...
Elementary - Our Sobering Thoughts on the Hong Kong Dairy Industry
July 18, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBEver heard of Hong Kong's famous Tuen Mun yoghurt or the blue cheese of Leung Shuen Wan? We're betting you haven't, if only because neither happens to exist. And sad as that may be to consider, it's hardly surprising given the appalling state of the Hong Kong dairy industry. There is probably not another place with a lower cow-to-human ratio outside the Maldives, which at least has nice beaches. So - yes - we know that you're busy studying Cantonese and enjoying the local nightlife and Hon...
Elementary - Panda Breeding Techniques
July 08, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBThe creaking gate stirred Tuan Tuan from his slumber. It was eleven o'clock, and Yuan Yuan, who had been sleeping peacefully in the thicket beside him, growled at the disruption. They were not the best of friends, but on this the two creatures could agree: what fools they had for keepers! Tuan Tuan briefly contemplated shifting slightly to express his displeasure at the interruption, but his natural lethargy and ongoing battle with the the previous evening's dinner won out. He remained pron...
Beginner - Passing Thoughts on Hong Kong Fashion
June 27, 2011 02:37 - 8 minutes - 229 KBWe'll admit that male grooming patterns in Hong Kong continue to mystify us even after several years of exposure. But while we aren't this mean in real life, it's inevitable that sometimes you might want to be, because it doesn't take a lot of getting quoted the foreign prices before you'll want to toss out a bit of fluent Cantonese to drag the prices down. And that's exactly where this Cantonese lesson comes into play.... Starting to learn Cantonese? This lesson is intended for students w...
Advanced - Top Five Horrible Restaurants in Hong Kong, Part I
June 17, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBNow that we're at the advanced level we can afford to be straight with you: Hong Kong is not as perfect as we have led you to believe. Sadly, the city still has the occasional faults. And while there aren't many of them, we'd be doing you a disservice to gloss over the worst this city has to offer. And that's why Nicole is joined today by two friends on a mission to expose the seamy underbelly of everyone's favorite Cantonese-speaking city. Yes... they're talking about bad restaurants toda...
Elementary - Adventures in Pet-Sitting
June 08, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBBeing in the global trade business meant frequent trips around Southern Asia strengthening connections with suppliers. At one time this had been a major benefit of working in the field, and one of the reasons Nancy entered the sourcing industry. Yet this time was different, because no matter how beautiful the scenery, Nancy couldn't help but think of the new puppy she had been forced to leave at home. It was true that she had only raised Brewster for a few months, but he was already part ...
Beginner - Listening Test #1
June 01, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBLearning Cantonese? One of the things you'll learn about us here at Popup Cantonese is that we move at a pretty fast pace. But we know some of you are struggling to keep up, which is why in today's lesson we take a step back and review some of the things we've learned at the Beginner level up to now. And if you've been following along you have no excuse not to know the answers to these questions. Or most of these questions. Because we'll just be honest and admit there's at least one tucked...
Elementary - A Romance For The Stars
May 26, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBWe've heard women complain that Hong Kong men can't be romantic, and then we've heard the same men complain about the same women that they just don't appreciate the finer things in life. So we don't really know where we stand, except that when it comes time for planning a romantic night out, you're probably best off avoiding our advice and steering by your own compass. Want to learn Cantonese? In today's elementary Cantonese lesson, we cover a lot of damn useful vocabulary for finding your...
Advanced - Dealing with the Family
May 17, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBWe meet the teary-eyed couple over drinks Lan Kwai Fong. Their story is pretty typical for Hong Kong and goes something like this: girl meets boy, they fall in love and maybe even move in together. He gets a raise and she gets a promotion and life is going well... right up until the family finds out. And then within days family relations hit a crisis point and rumours surface that a distant uncle has asked the Triads to get involved.... Learning Cantonese? Our advanced Cantonese podcasts a...
Elementary - Backstabbing Friends and Colleagues
May 10, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBLearning Cantonese? Let your other textbooks teach you office pleasantries. At Popup Cantonese we're all about the watercooler gossip: who is sleeping with whom, who was spotted drunk at Lan Kwai Fong last night, and the perfect angle of descent for really sticking it to the worst of your office chums. Or maybe you landed that job at HSBC and your office environment is amazingly good. In which case you can skip this lesson no harm done. On a separate note, since it's been a while since our...
Elementary - The Art of Comparison
May 02, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KB"I'm not sure if I should get the Aston Martin or the Jaguar XKR," Nicole stared at the glossy automotive magazine, her lunch lying untouched on the table. The growing stream of celebrity endorsements on everything from instant noodles to motor oil was taking its toll on everyone's favorite Cantonese podcaster. "I just wish it were easier to compare high-end performance cars," she sighed.... Learning Cantonese? In our first elementary Cantonese podcast, we take the chance to talk about com...
Beginner - Our Boundless Gratitude
April 25, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBWe'd been cornered outside a 7/11 and were getting a lecture on professional ethics. "It's a simple exchange," the professor said. "You contribute a little bit to the cause and we're endlessly grateful in return." Our thoughts on this gentleman's forwardness notwithstanding, the prospect of such a boundless return on investment did stimulate a little charity on our part. Learning Cantonese? You've probably noticed by now that most native Cantonese speakers have around a million ways of say...
Beginner - Bargaining and Money Matters
April 20, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBNow that you've lived in Hong Kong for a day or two, you might feel the need to venture out to buy some essentials like food, clothing and water. In other countries this would be a pretty routine affair. Go down to the corner store, flash that winning smile and walk out with your arms full of free goods. Sadly, in Hong Kong's relentlessly capitalist society, people expect you to pay. And that's where this lesson comes in. Regardless of whether you're haggling ten bucks off the price of tha...
Advanced - The Power of the Cup Noodles
April 14, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBFearful of being forced into marriage against your will? Concerned your prospective husband may be murderous scum and your family putting political allegiances above your health and longevity? Our advanced Cantonese lesson today is a listening test offering practical advice to the modern woman. If you've already been learning Cantonese for a while listen in and see how much you understand. Note: our Cantonese lesson for today is an advanced listening test. This means we have a relatively l...
Beginner - Borrowing a pen
April 08, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBThis podcast is dedicated to a certain ex-coworker of ours known widely throughout Hong Kong for his uncanny abilities in the art of pen theft. No matter how many we'd buy or where we'd hide them, by the end of the week every single writing instrument in the office would have magically gravitated to his desk. And he was always on the hunt for more. If you're just getting started learning Cantonese, this podcast will be a bit advanced for you; get started by listening to our Critical Phrase...
Beginner - The Art of Denial
April 04, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBLearning Cantonese? This lesson is about the art of the denial. Which is highly-critical language you may just find yourself using the next time you sweep through Hong Kong on business, or just want to disavow any knowledge once again of that little incident it would be best if everyone just forgot. Because it was years ago. And who is really keeping track, anyway? Also... do you remember that earlier lesson in which we learned that Cantonese speakers are particularly fond of turning odd e...
KTV Wednesday - Eagle Shooting Heroes
March 30, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutesOur selection for today isn't your typical KTV Wednesday song, but seeing as April 1 marks the eighth anniversary of Leslie Cheung's death, perhaps it's a suitable one. Because our selection today comes right out of the film "Eagle Shooting Heroes", a 1993 Hong Kong parody of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" and other Wuxia films. In addition to starring both Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung, of extra note is that this film was directed by Wang Kar-wei of 2046 fame. In the clip shown, Tony Le...
Beginner - Where is my wallet?
March 28, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBIn our introduction series, we taught you the most simple way to ask where things are in Cantonese. In this lesson, we introduce another way to find out who has taken your stuff. This is the difference between asking "where is my wallet" and "where's my wallet gone". The first is emotionally neutral, while the second is more colloquial and signals your frustration with the fact that you clearly placed the damn thing on the desk last night and it doesn't have legs so where on earth could it ...
Beginner - Internal Fortitude
March 23, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBOne of the most impressive things about Hong Kong is the absolutely incredible bladder control you will find on display throughout the city. Forget about the Chinese acrobatic acts featuring intense young Buddhists smashing their forearms through concrete cinderblocks. Considering the amount of bottled water locals go through ever day, the Hong Kong ability to stay focused under pressure is nothing short of performance art. We wondered about this for a long time, especially considering the...
Advanced - Hong Kong Women Never Pay?
March 17, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBLearning Cantonese? In our advanced show for today we unleash Nicole and the rest of our team in a podcast filled-to-the-brim with our non-expert and possibly-dangerous opinions about your relationship problems. Don't have relationship problems you say? Then prepare to pass judgment on others' problems, because in this episode we delve into the perennial question of who should pay for what in a Hong Kong relationship. Have a problem and looking for unvarnished advice from people who aren't...
Basic Cantonese - Critical Verbs #4
March 13, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBIf you've listened to our previous Critical Verb lessons, our fourth installment won't contain anything terribly surprising. Rather than a surprise appearance by David Bowie and impromptu studio versions of China Girl (working on it...), we just review the verbs "to eat", "to want" and "to give". So there is a lot to review here, but also some new stuff as well. In particular, we'll teach you how to put verbs into the past tense, and negate them once they're there. Learning Cantonese? We'v...
Basic Cantonese - Listening Test #4
March 08, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBLearning Cantonese? We're almost finished our Critical Verb series and are onto more dialogue-based lessons. And we've covered a lot of ground, which means our listening test for today is actually pretty difficult. If you've just started to learn Cantonese and stumbled across us, we encourage you to go back and start with our first Critical Phrases lesson. You'll be up to this level in no time. For those of you who've been here here a while, join us for a test that starts by reviewing the ...
Basic Cantonese - Critical Verbs #3
March 03, 2011 01:00 - 8 minutes - 229 KBMeh? In any other language it would be an expression of boredom or contempt. Which goes to show what living on an island will get you, because in Cantonese people have elevated this sound to a critical part of everyday language. And we guarantee that it doesn't mean what you think.... Learning Cantonese? Our third critical verbs lesson introduces verbs you can use to express your emotions and desires. By the time this lesson is over you'll be able to tell others what you like, what you wan...