Chinese Mandarin Fast-Track Short Courses
"The Fast-Track Beginners Mandarin Chinese Course is an introduction to the Chinese language and culture for the purpose of practical communication. This intensive course is designed for complete beginners who want to progress quickly in learning Mandarin Chinese, one of the most spoken languages in the world. It focuses on daily communication and uses Pinyin to develop speaking and listening skills. Students will learn the principles behind Chinese script formation and be introduced to some basic Chinese characters. A systematic learning method is used to lay solid foundations in Chinese grammar and sentence structures. Hands-on tasks and role play exercises are carried out to create realistic situations and distinctive cultural aspects are explored. Whether learning Mandarin Chinese for for work, travel or leisure, the Fast-Track Beginners Mandarin Chinese course will enable students to communicate confidently on a basic level in a range of everyday situations, have an understanding of the basic structures of Chinese grammar, recognise and write some simple Chinese characters and gain insights into the fascinating Chinese culture.
Students are expect to study between classes to be able to keep up with the course pace, as this course covers the syllabus normally covered in Terms 1 and 2 of Mandarin Beginners - Year 1, with lessons occurring twice a week. Students wishing to continue their studies can join Mandarin Beginners - Year 1 in Term 3. If you have missed the January enrolment, you can join the Mandarin Beginners Summer Intensive (Year 1) in May. You will cover the course materials of Term 1, Term 2 and Term 3 within one term."
Why choose the Mandarin Fast Track short course?
Delivered by native speakers, our Chinese Mandarin Fast-Track short course is taught over just ten weeks and is an intensive course for anyone looking to quickly gain language knowledge and communication skills.
Course Information
| Start Date | Start Time | Duration | Cost | Course Code | Apply |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday 15 January 2018 | 18:30 - 20:30 | 20 classes over 1 term (Mondays & Wednesdays) | £410.00 | CS1024 | Apply Now |
Tutor Info
Jingya Huang qualified as a Mandarin Chinese Teacher after postgraduate studies in the UK. She has taught in UK schools and worked for the Open University. She has worked as a translator and interpreter, and taught Mandarin Chinese at all levels and business Chinese to professionals.
Eligibility
No prior knowledge required. This is a course for complete Beginners.
English Requirements
You will need to respond to instructions and read course documents in English.
What will I learn?
Topics covered
Greetings; countries and nationalities; occupations; family members; description of people's appearances; numbers, time; days and dates; clothes; shopping
Grammatical structures
Pinyin pronunciation; basic sentence structures; question words "ma", "ne" "na"; interrogative pronoun "shéi"; negative adverb 'bu' ; adverbs 'ye'; 'dou'; question word 'duo shao'; adverbial expressions of time, expressing future tense with "yao"; measure words, past tense particle "le"
Learning objectives
By the end of the Course you will be able to
-Exchange greetings
-Introduce oneself and others
-Ask and give information about nationalities and where people are from.
-Ask and answer questions about occupations
*Ask and answer question about family members
-Describe people's appearances
-Ask and give information about contact numbers and addresses
-Ask for and say days and dates
-Make invocations
-Ask and tell the time
-Make appointments
-Talk about clothes
-Ask for items and prices
Teaching and Assessment
The emphasis in this course is on listening and speaking. The lessons focus on language that is required in authentic situations.
Classroom activities will include: role-playing, class room discussion, pair and group work, work on pronunciation and intonation as well as grammar in context. Listening to audio clips and watching videos are an important element in our lessons. More comprehensive grammar exercises and reading texts are generally set as homework.
Your progress will be assessed on an on-going basis through homework and performance in class. You will receive verbal feedback from your lecturer when appropriate and written feedback with your homework. All evaluation will take place in a relaxed and informal setting.
Recommended Reading
Discover China Student Book One (Discover China Chinese Language Learning Series) Paperback – 30 Aug 2010
Discover China Workbook One (Discover China Chinese Language Learning Series) Paperback – 27 Sep 2010
Students are advised to purchase their own copy of the book
Leads To...
After completing this course which covers Term1 and Term 2 of Chinese Mandarin Beginners (Year 1), you can progress to join Term 3 of Chinese Mandarin Beginners (Year 1) in April and Chinese Mandarin Beginners Refreshers (Year 1) in October.
The following year you can go on to study the Chinese Mandarin Lower Intermediate (Year 2) course.
Career Outcome
At the end of the evening course programme, students are expected to be able to understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases to aim at the satisfaction of basic communication needs.
They should be able to introduce themselves, to people they know and things they have.
They are able to interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.