Session 1 · The four tones, the Hindi way

1. 0:00Welcome. They told you Mandarin is the hardest language in the world. I'm going to show you the easy way — and it starts with your own mother tongue.
2. 0:38Peel a mandarin. Four segments. Four tones. That's the whole first week.
3. 9:22妈🔊māFirst tone: high and flat. Hold it like the doctor's 'आ…'. Don't wobble. mā — mum.
4. 10:40麻🔊máSecond tone: rising. Like a surprised 'क्या?' — your voice climbs. má — hemp, numb.
5. 31:00马🔊mǎThird tone: the dip. The doubtful 'हम्म…' — drop, then lift a little. mǎ — horse.
6. 33:10骂🔊màFourth tone: falling. A firm 'बस!'. mà — to scold.
7. 58:00妈妈骂马。🔊Māma mà mǎ.Mum scolds the horse. Same syllable four times — tone IS meaning. Say it with me.
8. 60:00你好🔊nǐ hǎoTwo third tones side by side: the first becomes a rise. ní hǎo. That's tone sandhi — your first grammar rule, and it's about sound.
9. 84:00我是印度人。🔊Wǒ shì Yìndù rén.Your first sentence. 'I am Indian.' No verb changes, no gender, no plural. Mandarin grammar is embarrassingly tidy.
10. 90:00Homework: record yourself saying the four tones on 'ma'. I listen to every single one. See you Wednesday.

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