Admittedly, 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.

Popup Cantonese

Beginner - Pushing a Car

Mrs. 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 reasonably called a beginner lesson, save for the speed of the dialogue and the fact that the sentences are somewhat complex. So don't be afraid to listen in if you're just getting started. And if not? We've got more advanced materials set for release later this month. So come back soon.

Elementary - Mrs. Robinson

There 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. Rhetorical questions like this one, you ask? No, not really. Although sort of like that. So if you're learning Cantonese or just want tips on how to get by in Hong Kong, check out our show and let us know what you think in the comments section below

Elementary - iPad Acquisition Techniques

You 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 citizens in our recording studio until they could either amicably settle their differences, or sort out the winner Thunderdome style. Three days later, we humbly submit this podcast to the Nobel prize committee, which we encourage to send the cash prize pronto. 

Advanced - Our Love-Hate Relationship with China

The 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 Cantonese? Our lesson today is based on a truism that anyone who has worked in a major office should recognize: that sometimes it isn't the heat that's bothering you so much as your co-workers.

Elementary - 30 Degrees

This 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 comment section below. We'd love to hear from you. 

Advanced - Life as a Running Dog

The 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 privileged elite. 

Intermediate - Nepotism in Action

One 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 are totally new to Cantonese, we recommend starting with our Basic Cantonese series, which introduces the absolute basics of the language in a progressive format that repeats and reinforces the simplest and most useful vocabulary in the language. Once you've passed through those lessons, you'll be ready for shows at - this - our Beginner level, which keeps the emphasis on basic sentence structures and high-frequency vocabulary while showcasing short, manageable dialogues in colloquial Cantonese.

Beginner - The Four Flavors

Mary 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 fellow lawyers. Perhaps she needed to take the initiative?Learning Cantonese? As it turns out, sometimes you can ask a question without really asking a question, and sometimes you can reduplicate a verb even if there isn't a verb anywhere in sight. If this sounds confusing don't worry about it, it's just conversational Cantonese as spoken in Hong Kong. Take a listen to today's lesson and if you have any questions, drop a note in our comment section anytime or email us anytime at service@popupcantonese.com.

Elementary - Drinks after Work

What 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 more....

Intermediate - Dinner for One

It'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 phrases. But if you already have a bit under your belt, why not try this lesson, which focuses on an adverb that you'll hear all the time in Hong Kong when people are giving orders or making suggestions, like "get out of bed and come to the gym with us tomorrow." 

Elementary - Our Morning Workout Routine

Up 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 element into his life.Learning Cantonese? Our Cantonese lesson for today is geared at anyone who already has the basics down but who is still working towards mastering more complex sentences and constructions. In this lesson we cover the everything you need to know to properly handle the disciplining of your and other people's children, as well as a simple construction delivered to best effect with a world-weary sigh.

Elementary - You're a bad, bad boy....

The 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 challenging that might be without opposable thumbs.Learning Cantonese? Our elementary podcast for today covers an easy way to refer to the past, present and future. In it, we learn how to say that we've done things in the past, mention that we're doing them right now, and tell people that we'll take care of them next time around. So if you're learning Cantonese or just want tips on how to get by in Hong Kong, check out our show and let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Elementary - Cat in the Fridge

The 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 institutions of public governance. 

Intermediate - The Investigation

It'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 - Book Smarts

The 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.