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My Child Understands Mandarin But Won’t Speak It

My Child Understands Mandarin But Won’t Speak It

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What does real bilingual development actually look like?


In this episode of Mandarin Monkey, we talk about one of the biggest concerns parents have when raising bilingual children:


“My child understands Mandarin… but won’t speak it. Is that normal?”


We explore:


• What children usually understand first

• Why mixing languages is a sign of competence

• Whether silence means failure

• How long it realistically takes to become conversational

• Why input matters more than early output


Ula shares personal stories of growing up with Taiwanese and Mandarin, and we reflect on our own children’s bilingual journey.


If you’re raising a child in a mixed-language household, this conversation will reassure you.


Mandarin Monkey is a bilingual podcast where Mandarin and English are used naturally, just like in real families.

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