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If you think the sheer population density of Hong Kong is impressive, wait until you experience the island's fast-food density. By our admittedly unscientific survey, conducted on the way to lunch one day, there are several hundred McDonalds prowling the Kowloon area alone, all beckoning to potential customers with free wifi, air conditioning, and sometimes even food....Learning Cantonese? In this lesson our dialogue covers a lot of fast-food vocabulary, but our focus is really about learning how to offer people choices, and recognize when other people are offering us choices. So if you're learning Cantonese and already have the basics down, join us for a podcast that will help you push towards a higher level fluency in the language. And feel free to let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Learning Cantonese? Our free Cantonese podcast today takes place in a hospital, where a doctor and patient are having an intimate discussion about treatment options. And so while we hope you won't have to visit a hospital while in Hong Kong, this lesson should be useful to you even if you're in perfect health. Since in addition to a lot of high frequency Cantonese vocabulary, we learn to talk about success and failure rates, and how to describe percentages in Cantonese. This is critical stuff, so get listening!

Assuming you've been watching the same Hong Kong films as the rest of us, you must be familiar with the scene: our protagonist is making a mad dash across Hong Kong in the middle of rush hour. Yet despite the standstill traffic, he makes considerable progress by embracing creative driving techniques: pushing his Lexus over sidewalks, taking hairpin turns down pedestrian walkways, and even crashing down the mid-levels escalator.Since we're sure this sounds familiar and may even have whetted your appetite for some Hong Kong motoring, we will try to break the news softly. Despite what any sensible driver might conclude from years of exposure to these allegedly documentary works, this is not actually how people drive in Hong Kong. So trying to cut a bit of time off your commute may be frowned upon by the authorities. And no, we don't think it's fair either.

Jane stared at her production schedule with resigned disbelief. It was clear at first glance that the board's target would be difficult if not impossible to meet, but the deadline still meant it was crunchtime for everyone at the office, and especially her and her team. With only two weeks... she was just doing the math again when Jane realized Harold had stepped into her office. He was one of her most productive subordinates and she only hoped he was here to share good news.Learning Cantonese? Our Cantonese podcast for today is an elementary lesson, which means we assume you already know the absolute essentials of the language and focus instead of faster and longer dialogues featuring natural Cantonese the way it is actually spoken here in Hong Kong. So if you've spent a few months in Hong Kong and are trying to master the language, listen in and see how much you understand.

Less than an hour after the salesperson had begun demonstrating the device, Sarah lugged her new lie detector onto the kitchen table with a sense of satisfaction. For the last few weeks she had become increasingly distraught over Philip's evasive answers at the dinner table. When pressed over the boy's time in school, or even asked simple questions about his English studies, her son would grow evasive and withdrawn. It was about time that changed....Want to learn Cantonese? At Popup Cantonese we have a huge archive of fun and free Cantonese podcasts and other lesson materials. This lesson is designed for elementary students who already know a bit of the language and are comfortable hearing relatively easy Cantonese spoken at a native pace. So if you already know the basics, listen in and let us know what you think. And if you don't, why not start with our lesson series for absolute beginners to the language?

"This lesson has nothing to do with Sleeping Beauty," Nicole was feeling pedantic, probably because we'd just given her about fifteen hours of data entry work, and then added annotating this lesson on top. "I mean... what does this podcast even have to do with France." The lack of an answer from our side of the office failed to deter the complaints. "And honestly David, have you ever seen a castle in Hong Kong? There's a reason property prices are so high...."In retrospect, it may be true that this Cantonese podcast is only loosely based on the classic fairy tale by Charles Perrault. So loosely based that some of you might even say it isn't based at all on the fairy tale. But leaving that aside, this Cantonese lesson is still worth a listen if you're just getting started. Join us and in under ten minutes you'll have enough compliments under your belt to last at least one stop on the Hong Kong metro, which is all it really takes to get a phone number if you meet Mr. or Mrs. Right.

"You can have any flavor you want," the clerk made a vague waving gesture at the empty shelves, or perhaps the storeroom behind him. Jessica arched her head to gaze behind the counter, but even so only managed to catch a glimpse of a carton of half-melted chocolate ice cream. "Is that the only flavor you have," she blurted out in surprise, visibly relieved when the clerk shook his head and handed her a leaflet describing the store's thirty-one specialties.Want to learn Cantonese? First things first... we want to thank everyone who stuck with us during our roughly two week hiatus from active lesson publication. Today we're pleased to be back in the saddle with a Cantonese lesson that talks about "kinds" of things, and especially specifying which type of something you want. The language in this Cantonese podcast is fairly simple and covers some core essentials, so if you're just starting out take a listen, and let us know what you think!

The three of them had spent the night crying, although for entirely different reasons. Ever since Sandra's affair with Michael had been exposed on national television, her relationship with Sam had been ripped apart. And Michael's friendship with Sam had been tested as well, as undercurrents of anger, jealousy and resentment shifted the ground beneath all three.If you're just starting to learn Cantonese, we think you'll like this lesson. Our dialogue is fairly simple, but it covers an absolutely essential topic: how to tell people you like them, and perhaps even love them. And we also teach you how to answer. So listen in and when someone asks "do you love me", you'll be ready to answer either way.

Ever heard of Hong Kong's famous Tuen Mun yoghurt or the blue cheese of Leung Shuen Wan? We're betting you haven't, if only because neither happens to exist. And sad as that may be to consider, it's hardly surprising given the appalling state of the Hong Kong dairy industry. There is probably not another place with a lower cow-to-human ratio outside the Maldives, which at least has nice beaches.So - yes - we know that you're busy studying Cantonese and enjoying the local nightlife and Hong Kong's amazing cuisine, but consider this elementary Cantonese lesson a critical reminder: there is more to life than dim sum and more than three basic food groups in the health pyramid. Useful to bear in mind if you don't want to end up like the poor soul in our dialogue for today....

The creaking gate stirred Tuan Tuan from his slumber. It was eleven o'clock, and Yuan Yuan, who had been sleeping peacefully in the thicket beside him, growled at the disruption. They were not the best of friends, but on this the two creatures could agree: what fools they had for keepers! Tuan Tuan briefly contemplated shifting slightly to express his displeasure at the interruption, but his natural lethargy and ongoing battle with the the previous evening's dinner won out. He remained prone.And yet the giant beast nonetheless kept a groggy eye on the sole figure which had emerged into his dwelling, huffing in a white overcoat while wheeling in what appeared to be a giant black box. Disappointment settled in his heart at seeing this most unimaginative of gifts. And then it occurred to the creature that perhaps this too would be filled with bamboo. And who could ever complain about bamboo?

We'll admit that male grooming patterns in Hong Kong continue to mystify us even after several years of exposure. But while we aren't this mean in real life, it's inevitable that sometimes you might want to be, because it doesn't take a lot of getting quoted the foreign prices before you'll want to toss out a bit of fluent Cantonese to drag the prices down. And that's exactly where this Cantonese lesson comes into play....Starting to learn Cantonese? This lesson is intended for students with a bit of background in the Cantonese language, so if you're an absolute beginner this one is going to be too difficult for you. Instead, navigate to our first Critical Phrases lesson in our series of Basic Cantonese lessons. You'll be back up here in no time ready to tackle our more difficult material.

Now that we're at the advanced level we can afford to be straight with you: Hong Kong is not as perfect as we have led you to believe. Sadly, the city still has the occasional faults. And while there aren't many of them, we'd be doing you a disservice to gloss over the worst this city has to offer. And that's why Nicole is joined today by two friends on a mission to expose the seamy underbelly of everyone's favorite Cantonese-speaking city.Yes... they're talking about bad restaurants today. If you're in Hong Kong, there's no reason to settle for second best when it comes to dining, and absolutely no reason to lose two days to chronic stomach pain thanks to food poisoning from grotty dim-sum. So join us today for our quick review of what we consider the top restaurants to avoid during your stay in Hong Kong. And if you aren't fluent yet, let the threat of missing this essential knowledge be powerful motivation to keep studying....

Being in the global trade business meant frequent trips around Southern Asia strengthening connections with suppliers. At one time this had been a major benefit of working in the field, and one of the reasons Nancy entered the sourcing industry. Yet this time was different, because no matter how beautiful the scenery, Nancy couldn't help but think of the new puppy she had been forced to leave at home. It was true that she had only raised Brewster for a few months, but he was already part of the family and completely dependent on her, and God only knows how the poor creature would deal with her week-long absence. So while she'd asked a friend to drop by and take care of him while she was gone, Nancy couldn't help feel that this - her entire lifestyle - was a betrayal of sorts. And she resolved to make it up to him when she returned.

Learning Cantonese? One of the things you'll learn about us here at Popup Cantonese is that we move at a pretty fast pace. But we know some of you are struggling to keep up, which is why in today's lesson we take a step back and review some of the things we've learned at the Beginner level up to now. And if you've been following along you have no excuse not to know the answers to these questions.Or most of these questions. Because we'll just be honest and admit there's at least one tucked away here that's entirely subjective. Nicole is polite and calls it a bonus question, but don't let that fool you. The rest of us in the office consider it the single most important question on the test, and are willing to issue pass/fail credit on it alone. So see how you do, and please don't fail. At least not the one that really matters.

We've heard women complain that Hong Kong men can't be romantic, and then we've heard the same men complain about the same women that they just don't appreciate the finer things in life. So we don't really know where we stand, except that when it comes time for planning a romantic night out, you're probably best off avoiding our advice and steering by your own compass.Want to learn Cantonese? In today's elementary Cantonese lesson, we cover a lot of damn useful vocabulary for finding your way through the rocky shoals of dating, and if you're learning Cantonese this lesson is pretty much a must hear. But if you need more motivation, we've got it too in the form of an easy way to turn perfectly innocuous statements into emotional accusations that you've been deceived. We look forward to hearing how you put it into practice!

We meet the teary-eyed couple over drinks Lan Kwai Fong. Their story is pretty typical for Hong Kong and goes something like this: girl meets boy, they fall in love and maybe even move in together. He gets a raise and she gets a promotion and life is going well... right up until the family finds out. And then within days family relations hit a crisis point and rumours surface that a distant uncle has asked the Triads to get involved....Learning Cantonese? Our advanced Cantonese podcasts at Popup Cantonese are a no-mercy plunge into full-speed, native-level Cantonese. We're also willing to call things as we see them and pass judgment on everything from Hong Kong Disney to your office gossip. So take a listen, and if you've got a story you'd like to share write us at service@popupcantonese.com.

Learning Cantonese? Let your other textbooks teach you office pleasantries. At Popup Cantonese we're all about the watercooler gossip: who is sleeping with whom, who was spotted drunk at Lan Kwai Fong last night, and the perfect angle of descent for really sticking it to the worst of your office chums. Or maybe you landed that job at HSBC and your office environment is amazingly good. In which case you can skip this lesson no harm done.On a separate note, since it's been a while since our last lesson we wanted to share meta-news about the reason why. For those of you who haven't noticed, we've just upgraded the whole backend behind our platform for learning mandarin and are preparing to upgrade this site in a few weeks. This all takes a bit of work, so if you have any suggestions on things you would love or hate to see here as we move forward, please get them in to us at suggestions@popupcantonese.com. We'd love to hear from you.

"I'm not sure if I should get the Aston Martin or the Jaguar XKR," Nicole stared at the glossy automotive magazine, her lunch lying untouched on the table. The growing stream of celebrity endorsements on everything from instant noodles to motor oil was taking its toll on everyone's favorite Cantonese podcaster. "I just wish it were easier to compare high-end performance cars," she sighed....Learning Cantonese? In our first elementary Cantonese podcast, we take the chance to talk about comparisons. So if you already have a bit of Cantonese under your belt listen in and in less than ten minutes we'll cover the basics of how to make comparisons in the Cantonese language. And if you have any questions or comments? Feel free to leave a note in our discussion section below, or contact us by email. We'd love to hear from you.

We'd been cornered outside a 7/11 and were getting a lecture on professional ethics. "It's a simple exchange," the professor said. "You contribute a little bit to the cause and we're endlessly grateful in return." Our thoughts on this gentleman's forwardness notwithstanding, the prospect of such a boundless return on investment did stimulate a little charity on our part.Learning Cantonese? You've probably noticed by now that most native Cantonese speakers have around a million ways of saying thanks. We strongly suspect that some are even paid professionally to dream up more each day in order to confuse tourists, mainlanders and everyone else passing through the city. But fortunately, there are only a few dozen variants in common usage, and in this podcast we'll set you right so you know how and when to use them.

Now that you've lived in Hong Kong for a day or two, you might feel the need to venture out to buy some essentials like food, clothing and water. In other countries this would be a pretty routine affair. Go down to the corner store, flash that winning smile and walk out with your arms full of free goods. Sadly, in Hong Kong's relentlessly capitalist society, people expect you to pay.And that's where this lesson comes in. Regardless of whether you're haggling ten bucks off the price of that Dongguan shirt or trying to save twenty cents on your next purchase of life-giving mango juice, you'll need to know how to talk about money in Cantonese. Which is why we spend our lesson today covering the money, learning how to talk about prices, and then demanding lower prices repeatedly and insistently, although we leave the yelling and screaming up to you.