Expanding Horizons
Chinese Mandarin Courses
Key Information
Duration
2 classes per week | 6 weeks
Attendance mode
In-person classes
Course Overview
This course is designed for students ranging from those with no prior knowledge of Mandarin to having advanced proficiency. You’ll quickly learn how to greet people, introduce yourself, order food, ask questions, and more—all through real-life scenarios, role-play, and cultural immersion.
The focus is on speaking and listening, with reading and writing introduced gradually for foundational literacy.
By the end of the course, you’ll be able to:
Hold basic conversations in Mandarin
Understand and use tones clearly
Read and write simple characters and phrases
Navigate everyday situations with confidence
Appreciate the cultural context behind what you say
How You’ll Learn
Classes meet twice per week for 2 hours, over 6 weeks. Our method blends:
Role-play & real-life simulations (ordering at a dumpling shop, meeting a friend, making a hotel reservation)
- Interactive listening labs with real-world audio from Chinese speakers
- Conversation circles for fast, fluent speaking practice
- Culture-first lessons on etiquette, gestures, festivals, and social norms
- Writing workshops for stroke order, characters, and personal messages
Classes are taught in a mix of Mandarin and English, with more Mandarin used as your skills develop.
Course Structure
Beginner (Levels 1–3)
Build essential communication skills and get comfortable with tones and characters.
Key Topics:
Pinyin & Pronunciation: Tones, initials/finals, spelling sounds
Greetings & Introductions: Name, nationality, polite expressions
Numbers & Time: Telling the time, dates, days of the week
Daily Life: Talking about routines and schedules
Ordering Food & Shopping: Menus, preferences, prices
Family & Relationships: Describing people and roles
Getting Around: Asking for directions, transport vocabulary
Basic Grammar: Word order, measure words, question forms
Character Introduction: Writing strokes, radicals, and basic words
Intermediate (Levels 4–6)
Speak in longer sentences, manage everyday conversations, and build literacy.
Key Topics:
Past & Future Tenses: Describing events, talking about plans
Hobbies & Free Time: Sports, music, watching shows
Work & School: Talking about professions, subjects, responsibilities
Health & Wellness: Describing symptoms, talking to a doctor
Making Appointments & Plans: Inviting, agreeing, scheduling
Cultural Traditions: Chinese New Year, Mid-Autumn Festival
Grammar Focus: Adverbs, comparisons, result complements
Reading Practice: Menus, short stories, personal messages
Character Development: Expanding vocabulary with compound characters
Advanced (Levels 7–9)
Speak fluently, understand nuanced meaning, and explore modern China.
Key Topics:
Narration & Storytelling: Describing events, retelling experiences
Media & Society: Discussing news, social issues, entertainment
Idioms & Colloquialisms: Everyday sayings and expressions
Workplace Communication: Business etiquette, writing emails
Debates & Opinions: Expressing viewpoints, agreeing/disagreeing
Literature & History: Exploring famous poems, legends, figures
Grammar Expansion: Complex sentences, aspect markers, conditionals
Reading Fluency: Articles, blogs, signs, short essays
Cultural Exploration: Modern Chinese culture, etiquette, trends
