Chinese Mandarin Beyond Beginners (full syllabus)

If you have studied the Mandarin language at beginners level and you are ready for the next step up, our online beyond beginners course will introduce you to new concepts and grammar structures while revising and consolidating topics covered at beginners level, preparing you for the lower intermediate course.

You’ll learn skills to navigate through a wide range of everyday situations – from shopping and bargaining with sellers, to taking public transport and hailing taxis. You’ll also learn how to make and receive phone calls and arrange accommodation.

You’ll improve your Chinese grammar through question words, emphatic words, discussing past actions and making negative sentences through weekly classes.

With the help of your native Mandarin tutor, you’ll learn more about Chinese culture and way of life. Over the year, you’ll develop confidence and skills to visit Chinese markets, communicate with Chinese relatives or socialise with business associates.

Who is it for?

Join us here if you have completed the full Chinese Mandarin Beginners syllabus or you have studied formally with another provider for around 60 hours. Check your level in the eligibility section.

Timetable

The course includes 60 hours of learning and is taught across three terms, starting in October and finishing in July.

October – December (Part 1)

One evening per week (two-hour lessons) for 10 consecutive weeks.

Christmas Break

January – March (Part 2)

One evening per week (two-hour lessons) for 10 consecutive weeks.

Easter break

April/May – July (Part 3)

One evening per week (two-hour lessons) for 10 consecutive weeks.

Benefits

• This is the cheapest way to study the full 30-week syllabus
• Make friends with classmates as you progress together over the year
• Taught online in a virtual classroom environment

By the end of this course, you will be able to

• understand basic rules of Chinese characters
• ask prices and make payment
• buy fruits and order food and drinks
• bargain with sellers
• discuss gift options
• compare style, colour and material of clothes
• talk about favourite food and drinks
• be able to recognise commonly used characters
• use public transport, buy tickets and hail a taxi
• discuss traffic and road conditions, and give suggestions about travel routes
• ask about hotel vacancies
• make and receive phone calls
• invite guests for a home visit
• write commonly used characters
• express the number of times for certain actions
• describe a past event in a sophisticated manner
• tell a story
• ask about and tell favourite travel destinations and holiday experiences
• write letters, postcards and envelopes using correct format
• exchange information on recent events
• make promises.

Grammatical structures

• question word duōshǎo and how it differs to jǐ
• common measure words
• comparison word bǐ
• use aspect marker guò to describe the past
• verbal complement de for result
• link verbs with adverbs using de
• make comparisons using adjective + complement
• ordinal numbers with measure words
• use de to link a verbal phrase with a noun
• shortening of noun phrases
• question words used in statements
• verbal complements wán and hǎo
• shì…de to express the time or manner of a past action
• wán…..le to indicate the completion of an action
• preposition géi
• emphatic word dōu
• le for indicating change of state
• negative sentences with yě
• emphatic word cái
• use of structure de shíhou.

You will be awarded an official City, University of London certificate on completion of the course if you attend over 70 per cent of the classes. The course is not formally accredited.

Your tutor will monitor your progress and give regular feedback, based on your homework and your involvement in class.

Teaching

We use a mixture of teaching styles – including tutor-led ‘drills’ of key words and phrases, where you listen and repeat. Games are also used, as is pair work and role-play. All methods are designed to build your skills and confidence to use Chinese Mandarin in real life.

You’ll have access to our digital learning platform, Moodle. This hosts lesson content and other learning materials, so you can continue learning outside of the classroom.

You should have studied Chinese Mandarin for 60 hours to join us here. It is the ideal step after you have completed the beginners syllabus.

You should already be able to:

• use Pinyin pronunciation
• introduce yourself and others
• talk about nationality and birthplace
• use time, date and days
• use basic sentence structures and word orders
• use three particles: ma, ne and ba
• use question words nǎli and shéi
• use zài as a preposition
• understand duōjiǔ for time and duration
• use háishì for alternatives.

English requirements

You will need a good level of spoken and written English to enrol on this course.