Mandarin Chinese for Beginners

About this course

Take your first steps in Mandarin Chinese. You will learn pinyin and the four tones, recognise your first characters and build simple sentences for greetings, numbers, shopping and getting around.

Over seven days of guided practice you will speak from the very first session, with plenty of listening, role-play and reading. The course runs on demand for individuals, groups and organisations, and you finish with an Alalamia certificate and a clear plan for your next level.

What you'll learn

• Pronounce Mandarin sounds accurately using pinyin and the four tones
• Greet people, introduce yourself and exchange basic personal information
• Recognise and write a core set of everyday Chinese characters
• Use numbers, dates and times in simple conversations
• Build simple sentences with correct word order, questions and negation
• Handle everyday situations such as shopping, ordering food and asking for directions

Curriculum

Who it's for

Adults starting Mandarin from scratch for work, study or travel.

Before you start

• No previous study of Chinese is required