What is the difference between Chinese and Mandarin?

Chinese is the language Chinese people speak which includes Mandarin, Cantonese, Shanghainese, etc. Mandarin is the language MOST Chinese people speak. People from mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore all speak Mandarin. People from Canton province and Hong Kong speak Cantonese.

What is the difference between Traditional Chinese and Simplied Chinese?

Simplified Chinese characters are used mainly by people from mainland China and Singapore. Traditional Characters are used by people from Hong Kong and Taiwan. The majority of the Chinese-speaking community use simplified characters.

What is Pinyin?

Hanyu Pinyin is the official romanization system used in China and in Western publications about China. It was developed in the Soviet Union in 1931 for use by Chinese immigrants living there. A slightly revised version was adopted in China in 1958.

In China pinyin is used for road signs, maps, brand names, computer input, Chinese Braille, telegrams, semaphore and for many other purposes. It also appears in books for children and foreign learners of Chinese. The United Nations and the International Standards Organization (ISO) both recognize pinyin as the standard romanization for Mandarin.

Do I have to learn Chinese characters to learn Chinese?

The answer is "no." You don’t have to learn Chinese characters to learn how to speak Chinese. We encourage students to focus on speaking and listening with the help of pinyin first, and they can always go back to learn Chinese characters later on if you decide to do so.

Why is Chinese hard to learn?

First, Chinese characters are hard to learn, which makes the reading and writing of the language difficult. However, as I said before, you don’t have to learn Chinese characters to learn this language.

Whilst grammar within Mandarin, compared to English, is relatively simple, the fact it is a tonal language can cause problems. Each character is pronounced with one of five different tones, the incorrect use of tone can result in characters having totally different meanings. So, getting the tones right is often the single most important thing for a new learner of Mandarin.

Why is Chinese easy to learn?

Mandarin Chinese is much easier to learn than European languages. Here are some features which make Mandarin easy:

• no subject/verb agreement
• no plurals
• no conjugations
• no tenses
• simple numbering system which is applied to dates and time expressions
• simple conditional sentences
• simple prepositions

What should I prepare for learning Mandarin?

Nothing! We provide all of the materials that you need and will also guide you through the best way to learn.

How many students in the class?

We offer small group class of minimum 4 students, maximum 10 students.

Do you offer private lessons?

Yes, we offer private or semi-private classes. Please contact us for further information.

Do I have to pay the full fees in advance? Is it refundable?

Yes. All registered classes need to be prepaid. Due to the limited size of the class, it is the student's responsibility to attend each class and complete the program registered. There will NOT be full make-up classes, credit notes, refund or partial refunds for any missed classes. Please notify the instructor if students are not able to attend the class.

What payment methods are accepted?

Cash, cheques, or interact email transfers (simply paying via your online bank account by email).

What's the class scheduling?

Please see the Programs for group class schedules.