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Foreign Languages · Mandarin Chinese

Mandarin Foundations: From the Training Hall to Daily Life

Beginner Chinese: writing and speaking

Level
Beginner
Lessons
16 lessons in 4 modules
Estimated study
About 8 hours
Format
Online, self-paced
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Before you start

Review the lesson outline and any lesson-specific preparation before you practise.

Keep paper available for the handwriting practice.

Mandarin is one starting option. Japanese, Spanish, Russian, German, Italian and Greek have separate foundation courses.

Full study requires active Academy access. This course can be audited independently of optional assessed programs.

About this course

Learn Standard Mandarin with simplified Chinese characters and Hanyu Pinyin. Four modules alternate writing and speaking lessons: animated strokes, tracing, independent and paper handwriting practice, listening, recorded speech, tone practice and everyday conversation. Begin with respectful martial arts classroom language, then use Chinese in daily life.

Course outline

Hear the four tones, write your first characters and follow the basic commands used in class.

  1. Enter the training hall: greetings and Mandarin tones30 minFree preview
  2. First strokes: count in the training hall30 min
  3. People and hands: falling strokes and hooks30 min
  4. Understand class commands: begin, stop and repeat30 min

Write and say left, right, hello and your name, and build your first subject-verb-object sentences.

  1. Directions: up, down, left and right30 min
  2. Directions and body words: understand the instruction30 min
  3. Write a greeting: you, I and good30 min
  4. Meet someone: greetings, names and basic sentence structure30 min

Count, tell the time, write "martial arts" and ask someone to slow down or repeat.

  1. Complete your numbers: enclosure and balance30 min
  2. Numbers and time: count and tell the hour30 min
  3. Write martial arts: characters form words30 min
  4. Ask for help: repeat, explain and be polite30 min

Order water or tea, ask where a place is, and finish with a handwritten and spoken review.

  1. Everyday words: Chinese, learning, water and tea30 min
  2. Daily life: ask for water, tea and directions30 min
  3. Writing review: from tracing to a paper assessment30 min
  4. Conversation review: from class to society30 min