Chinese 2 lower: module 1
Learn Chinese either in an in-person course in Covent Garden or live online sessions.
Further improve your Chinese (Mandarin) and develop your speaking skills. Suitable if you have studied Mandarin Chinese for about 2 years.
Choose a starting date
Learning modes and locations may be different depending on the course start date. Please check the location of your chosen course and read our guide to learning modes and locations to help you choose the right course for you.
- Start Date: 06 Oct 2025End Date: 15 Dec 2025Mon (Evening): 18:00 - 19:30OnlineFull fee £229.00 Senior fee £229.00 Concession £149.00
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
This course aims to provide you with a good grasp of the fundamentals of Chinese, both spoken and written. It will also enable you to understand conversational Chinese, at natural speed, and give you the confidence to respond appropriately when spoken to in a wide range of situations.
What will we cover?
Topics: Colours, clothes, shopping for clothes, going to the cinema, dates and time, using Chinese numbers for time, dates, and prices, making requests, describing daily routines, planning activities, arranging appointments, shopping, and asking for directions. Daily conversational topics are also included.
Grammar: Chinese sentence order, verb+noun collocations, modal verbs, the difference between stative verbs and action verbs, the difference between adverbs and conjunctions, the use of the modifier “de”, time words in Chinese, and how to use “or” in Chinese.
Additional focus areas:
Pronunciation practice, character writing, and Chinese grammar.
Teaching content will be adjusted by the teacher according to students’ progress.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Talk about colours, clothes, and shopping for clothes
- Name public places
- Ask and give directions.
- Use public transport.
- Use Chinese numbers to express dates, time, and prices
- Make requests and describe daily routines
- Plan activities and arrange appointments
- Shop and ask for directions in Chinese
- Engage in daily conversational topics
- Practice pronunciation
- Write Chinese characters
- Understand and apply Chinese grammar
- Learn approximately 60-80 characters.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
Students should have completed Chinese beginners, or studied Chinese for approximately 1 year recently or have developed an equivalent competence in the language. For further details of the specific foreign language skills required for this level, please see the languages self-assessment chart at the start of the languages section of our course guide, or at http://www.citylit.ac.uk/self-assess-your-level. You will also need to be able to respond to simple instructions and explanations, as well as read course documents, in English. You will need to be at ease with the use of numbers for daily activities (e.g. using money, telling the time, using the 24 hour clock, reading timetables). It would also be helpful if you had some knowledge of basic grammar terminology such as: a verb, a noun and conjugation.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
Our courses are characterised by spoken interaction and communication. Typical activities include pair work, group work, role plays and games. A range of resources will be used to support your learning including presentations, hand-outs, and audio-visual material.
Homework is highly recommended to consolidate learning.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
Please check with your teacher if a book is needed. If your tutor does recommend a book, please note that not all activities from the book may be covered, as tutors often supplement the course with their own resources.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Chinese 2 lower: module 2.
I have been teaching Mandarin Chinese as a foreign language in the UK for over a decade. I found myself being attracted to languages and cultures while working as a journalist for the national broadcaster in Beijing China and later for the BBC in the UK. My teaching methodology is significantly influenced by Princeton University Mandarin Teaching Methods which makes classroom teaching a lot of fun whilst applying repetitive exercises. I take advantage of my journalistic background and produce a lot of audio-visual materials to assist my teaching and this has been widely welcomed by my students. As a consequence, my students’ pronunciation and intonation is always exceptionally good. My deep understanding between the languages also drives me to explore not only the subtleties between English and Chinese but also the cultural differences between the East and the West. I naturally impart a lot of Chinese culture into my language teaching and make the language learning process more interesting. Teaching language and culture is my passion and I would love to embark upon this interesting, exciting, and also challenging journey with you, and assist you with my expertise.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.