Chris’s Diary Month 7: Dialing in the Tones and Preparing for New Challenges

Chris Foley has set himself a challenge to improve his pronunciation and achieve a standard Mandarin accent in time for his Chinese wedding ceremony. To reach his goals, he’s enlisted I’m Learning Mandarin founder, Mischa, as his language coach. In this post, he reflects on month 7 of his journey.

(Read month one, month two, three, four/five and six of Chris’s diary.)

After last month’s milestone, recording and publishing my first Mandarin podcast interview with Mischa, I’ve spent the past few weeks shifting gears. The focus this month has been less about performance and more about precision: specifically, identifying and addressing lingering weaknesses in my tone pronunciation.

Listening Back: A Reality Check

While it felt like a real achievement to complete the podcast interview, I knew deep down that my pronunciation wasn’t always as sharp as it could be. Listening back to the recording with Mischa was both rewarding and revealing. On one hand, it was encouraging to hear how far I’ve come since the early months of this journey. On the other, it was clear there were certain tonal patterns I was still getting wrong, often without realising it in the moment.

Mischa and I sat down together to analyse the audio in detail. We pinpointed the phrases where tone errors crept in, and more importantly, began to identify the types of tones and tone combinations that were most prone to mistakes. It quickly became clear that this wasn’t just about learning more vocabulary or grammar. It was about retraining my ear and mouth to hear and produce tones more reliably, especially under the pressure of live conversation.

A New Approach: Precision Practice

Armed with these insights, we set about creating a plan. Mischa gave me a series of homework assignments, all tailored to help me improve the accuracy of my tones. These weren’t generic pronunciation drills. Each task was designed to target the specific tone errors I had made in the podcast. Some involved repeating particular syllables in isolation. Others focused on practising entire phrases, paying close attention to tone transitions between words.

We agreed that I’d submit recordings to him twice a week, giving him a chance to monitor my progress and provide regular feedback. I’ve come to really appreciate this system. Not only does it keep me honest, but it also gives me a sense of forward momentum, especially on days when I’m feeling tired or less motivated. Knowing there’s a deadline (and a review) coming up helps me stay on track.

The Podcast “Retake”: A Test of Progress

After a couple of weeks of intensive tone practice, we decided to record a second version of the podcast. This time, the goal wasn’t just to have a good conversation, but to demonstrate how much my pronunciation had improved since the first round.

I won’t lie, it was nerve-wracking. Focusing on meaning, grammar, flow, and pronunciation all at once is hard enough. But doing that while also zeroing in on tone accuracy in real time felt like walking a tightrope. That said, I noticed a difference. I was more conscious of my speech patterns and more deliberate with my delivery. And while there were still a few slip-ups, I was pleased with how much clearer and more controlled my tones sounded.

Looking Ahead: Bringing It All Together

With tone accuracy now a regular part of my daily study routine, the next step is to put it to the test in more varied conversations. Mischa and I have set a goal for the coming month: to explore new conversation topics that go beyond the themes we’ve covered so far. This means branching out into less familiar territory, discussing culture, work, travel, and other areas that will help me develop a wider range of vocabulary. We’ve also identified specific sentence structures that will be particularly useful to master ahead of my next trip to China.

We’ve set up a structured weekly plan to help with this. I’ll continue submitting assignments to Mischa twice per week, ensuring I stay focused and get the feedback I need to keep improving. Everything we’re working on ties into this broader goal of achieving clarity and fluency in everyday conversation.

Staying Motivated

Seven months into this journey, I’ve realised how important it is to find routines that keep you accountable. Mandarin is a long game. Some weeks feel full of breakthroughs, others feel slow and frustrating. But having a coach like Mischa, a clear plan of action, and regular feedback has made a huge difference. It means I’m never just drifting. I know exactly what I’m working on and why.

There’s still a long way to go, but with each month, I feel like I’m getting a little closer to speaking with confidence and clarity. The tones that once felt completely alien are gradually becoming second nature, and that’s a very encouraging feeling.

Until next month, thanks for following along.

chrisfoley017