David Speaks Chinese teaches Hebrew speakers colloquial and conversational Chinese. It includes over 400 expressions and over 600 words from the daily vocabulary of the Chinese language, as it is spoken in contemporary China. The book emphasizes practical use of the language and includes a large number of examples and exercise questions. These clarify how to use the words and expressions learnt in the book in context – within situations from Israeli daily life as well as the life of foreigners in China. The book is designed for use by students who have already acquired a basic understanding of the Chinese language, and wish to expand their vocabulary and enhance their conversational skills.

The reader consists of 40 stories written in simple Chinese. The majority of the stories revolve around the life of David, an Israeli student taking his first steps in learning the Chinese language. Other stories are based on well known stories and anecdotes adapted from the Chinese tradition to match the level of the Israeli student. The stories are marked by usage of a variety of words and expressions used in everyday situations in China. Each story has alongside the Chinese its Hebrew translation, and above each Chinese character is its phonetic reading written in Pin-Yin, the official phonetic system used in the People’s Republic of China. The reader is designed for use by beginner level students and is focused on improving the student’s ability in reading and comprehending short texts.