Overall Course Structure
Our Beginner Conversational Chinese course is perfect for those just getting started learning Chinese, as well as those that have studied a bit before, but are looking for a refresher. The Beginner course consists of 6 levels, with a total of 208 lessons across 60 units, and can be finished in as little as 6 months!
Level 1 of the course mainly focuses on mastering pinyin, tones, and some basics in Chinese grammar, so that you can gain a strong foundation in the pronunciation of Mandarin Chinese.
From there, Levels 2-6 dive deeper into more complex Chinese grammar and sentence structures, as well as important words, phrases and sentences you need to know when first learning Chinese!
After taking this course, you’ll be able to:
- Greet people and introduce yourself
- Chat about daily life and your personal experiences
- Express your opinions and feelings on a range of subjects
- Make plans and arrange meetings
- Get around in China with ease
… and more! What’s more, the Beginner course goes beyond ‘textbook’ Mandarin, and is specially designed to prepare you for real world spoken Mandarin. Native speakers of a language often speak quickly, can slur their words, and may also have different regional accents, which often trips up beginner students when they first start trying to have conversations with native Chinese speakers. With this in mind, we have peppered in Chinese on the Street videos into the course, in the form of simple interviews with native Chinese speakers.
This way, after you learn key vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structures, you’ll hear real interviews with native speakers surrounding that core content! Not only does this reinforce the language you’ve just learned, but it also helps you to begin training your ears to the way native Chinese speakers really speak!
By the end of this course, you will have a strong foundation in Chinese and will achieve basic conversational fluency, with the ability to have basic conversations with native Chinese speakers! In addition, after completing the course, you should be around an HSK Level 1-2.
Learning Materials Included in the Course
The Beginner Conversational Chinese course includes a variety of study tools, including:
- Lesson Videos teaching key language concepts
- Lecture Notes PDFs for every lesson detailing the lesson content
- Audio Review MP3s in line with the Lecture Notes, to quiz yourself, practice speaking, and improve your listening skills as well
- Interactive Language Flashcards with normal and slow speed audio, to master what was covered in the lesson
- Interactive Dialogue Replay Flashcards with normal and slow speed audio for Chinese on the Street lessons, to master the sentences covered and further train your ear to the audio from native speakers
- Interactive 10-Question Quizzes with diverse question types, to thoroughly test your retention of what was covered in each lesson
- Study Schedule PDF to give you more structure when self-studying
- Interactive Pinyin Chart and Pinyin Chart PDF to use as a pronunciation guide
- Course Vocabulary Glossary PDF with the Chinese characters, pinyin and English for the key words and phrases covered throughout the course
- Searchable Course Index PDF to find key lessons on certain subjects in the course
Lesson-based tools resources be found on the individual lesson pages, and any downloadable resources can be found on our Download Center.
Sneak Peak of Your Chinese Level After Finishing the Course
Wondering what your Chinese will sound like and how much you'll know by the end of the course? Check out this video to see a Chinese conversation you should be able to follow after taking the course.
Sample Lessons
Wondering what the lessons are like? Get started with the first lesson here.
As always, if you have any additional questions about the course, feel free to message us using the chat widget and we’d be happy to answer any questions you may have!
