Some consider it cold and aloof, while others credit it with uncommon warmth. Whatever your own opinion of the fifth tone, if you're an absolute beginner to Chinese, join Brendan and Echo in today's Speaking Practice lesson as they review the basic rules of how and when to use the neutral tone. We then practice some simple, high-frequency vocabulary that has this unstressed tone, then give you a chance to call us and get feedback on your own Chinese pronunciation.

Yes, if you're a premium subscriber be sure to click through to our text page to grab our toll-free telephone number and your unique identification number. Once you've reviewed our sample sentences and vocabulary for this lesson, call us up and record yourself practicing them. Or share your own thoughts on something completely unrelated, and we'll get back to you in a day or two with one-on-one feedback on your level of spoken Chinese, and targeted tips on how to improve it.