Mandarin

MANDARIN (GROUP AND PRIVATE) BEGINNER OUTLINE

Our adult classes will follow the curriculum necessary to pass the HSK. We offer all levels of Mandaring learning, please enquire about higher level courses. For those endeavouring to do so, please be aware that to get to just the first level, a minimum of 40 hours is required (excluding your own study time). The pay off will be well worth it though!

MANDARIN CHINESE BEGINNER LESSON OUTLINE

Within the basic 10 lessons a student will be able to have brief simple conversations, introduce themselves, talk about their family and carry out basic questions required to obtain information or ask further questions. They will be able to talk about daily routines and things that they can do, count and tell the time. Some characters will be taught throughout the 10 lessons but the focus will mainly be on speaking by following a conversational approach. Ideal for travelers or beginners wanting a taste of the language.​

  • INTRODUCTION TO THE LANGUAGE PINYIN/TONES/SOUNDS
  • BASIC GREETINGS AND USEFUL WORDS
  • REVISE SOUNDS/TONES AND GREETINGS
  • PRACTICE OF GREETINGS, PINYIN AND SOUNDS
  • NUMBERS 1-20
  • FAMILY MEMBERS AND BASIC OCCUPATIONS
  • PRONOUNS AND BASIC VERBS
  • DAYS AND MONTHS
  • NUMBERS 1-100
  • USEFUL PHRASES
  • QUESTION WORDS, COLOUR
  • FOCUS ON CREATING QUESTIONS, ANSWERING QUESTIONS.
  • BASIC ADJECTIVES AND DESCRIBING PEOPLE OR THINGS
  • REVISE TIME AND BASIC ADJECTIVES
  • DIRECTION WORDS AND POSITIONS
  • TRANSPORT AND GETTING AROUND
  • EVERYDAY OBJECTS AND FOOD
  • VERBS AND PARTICLES
  • DAILY ROUTINES AND TALKING ABOUT DAILY ACTIVIES USING ADVERBS OF FREQUENCY: ALWAYS, SOMETIMES, OFTEN
  • VITAL VERBS AND QUESTION FORMS
  • ASKING AND ANSWERING

KIDS CLASSES

We offer kids classes which will naturally be less intense than adults. Kids will learn how to read, write, learn simple sentences and extensive everyday vocabulary.

While the Mandarin Chinese Kids lessons are focused on learning Chinese in a fun and carefree way, parents are often interested in what students will ultimately be able to do with the language. Depending on the age and initial language level of the child, reaching and A1 level in Chinese may take between 30-50 contact teaching hours.

To reach a level A1 in Chinese, kids need to:

  • Be able to use greetings and basic introductions, provide personal details
  • Talk about likes, dislikes and feelings/emotions
  • Have a knowledge of basic question forms and be able to respond to simple questions and requests. Have brief conversations in situations where the speaker speaks slowly.
  • Have a knowledge of about 150 Chinese words (recognising sound and pinyin)
  • Know all the pronouns, some basic verbs (in present tense) and some every day items and activities.
  • Recognise some characters and be able to write a few very basic characters.

The Mandarin Chinese level proficiency test or HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) is administered around the world. While it is mainly used to test Chinese language proficiency for job applications and study opportunities it can also be for individuals who want to know their Chinese level.

There are currently 6 levels which can be written at all of the Confucius institutes in South Africa as well as abroad. The test is rigorous and requires a lot of preparation and knowledge of not only pinyin but also Chinese characters.

In this preparation course students will acquire all the grammar topics, as well as listening and reading skills needed to pass the first HSK test. There are currently no character writing requirements contained in the test and it is 35mins long. In addition students can opt to take the HSKK which is a test of the communicative abilities in Chinese.

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