Episode
My Child Understands Mandarin But Won’t Speak It
- Podcast
- Mandarin Monkey Podcast
- Published
- Feb 11, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2440
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://shows.acast.com/mandarin-monkey-podcast/episodes/my-child-understands-mandarin-but-wont-speak-it
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Summary
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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.