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Ian McGraw
In between my BA at Stanford University and my Ph.D. at MIT, I came to China to get a solid foundation in the Chinese language. I thought that I was capable of teaching myself Chinese as I had done with other subjects in the past. I even had the advantage of having quite a few bilingual friends who were willing to help me out. After two months of self-study, however, I realized my progress was depressingly slow. I needed help.
Thus, I contacted That's Mandarin. It was definitely the best decision. Their methods are truly innovative. I can still remember the first lesson when Guo-laoshi explained to me the beauty of the Chinese language by constructing a vocabulary list of interconnected words. For example, if I were given the word wai4guo2ren2 (meaning foreigner), he would also explain the meanings of wai4bian1 (outside), guo2jia1 (country), ren2 (person). They created a web of interrelated words to study, making memorization quicker and easier.
As my Chinese improved, That's Mandarin 's methods adapted. After four months my vocabulary was over three thousand words and I was able to improvise full stories during class. Outside of the classroom I found myself able to hold steady conversations and follow much of the rapid-fire dialog of a Chinese television show. I also began to break free of the canned-examples of the text books and started reading characters in the form of signs, subtitles, and even comic books.
From the very first day I met them, I knew they were the right teachers for me. Their energy matched my enthusiasm for learning, and their methods are created from the very core of what makes Chinese such a wonderful language. Thus, if you are a serious student of Chinese or would like to become one, I whole heartedly recommend you learn with That's MandarinRead more testimonials...
Determining your Chinese level
There’s no doubt that the best way to learn Chinese is to be immersed in the language as much as possible, which is why our Chinese language school only employs expert native speaking teachers to deliver one-on-one and small group Chinese classes.
It’s also crucial to ensure that you learn Chinese at a level that suits you, and whether you are an absolute beginner taking your first steps in Chinese, or a long term student looking to achieve a higher level of proficiency, we have a course that’s right for you.
We classify our students’ Chinese ability into 10 levels, ranging from absolute beginner to native level fluency. We will assess your Chinese level before you begin your classes with us, following both a discussion with our teachers and a short placement test.
Level 1 – Absolute Beginner
If you arrive at the airport in Beijing or Shanghai with nothing more than ‘Ni hao’ in your language locker, this is where your Chinese journey begins. We’ll begin by teaching you some essential Survival Chinese and everything you learn will be immediately applicable in your daily life in China. After a few classes with us, you will be able to put together some basic Chinese sentences about topics such as food, taking taxis and shopping.
Level 2 – Beginner
Having nailed down the very basics in Chinese, it’s time to push on and focus on sentence structure, retelling basic stories and some simple grammar. By this point you will be able to express yourself on a range of everyday topics including weather, family and your life in China.
Level 3 – Intermediate Beginner
By now you feel confident communicating about all the basics of everyday life in Chinese, and can use the words and phrases you have already learned correctly. You will be able to fully express your opinions on simple topics and explain the reasons behind these opinions.
Level 4 – Advanced Beginner
At this level you will feel comfortable commenting on, albeit often without precise vocabulary, a whole host of subjects and issues related to your life, studies and work. If you go traveling in China, you should be able to cope with almost any situation you will face. Students at this stage are able to communicate with native Chinese speakers without too much problem and all classes will be conducted entirely in Chinese.
Level 5 – Lower Intermediate
By this point, you will be able to have a relatively fluent conversation with a native speaker and even be starting to use quite idiomatic Chinese in your exchanges. As well as having a good level of spoken Chinese, students should now be able to read simple passages in Chinese and understand some of the content of Chinese films and TV shows.
Level 6 – Upper Intermediate
By this stage, you will be very strong conversationally and will be able to talk about almost any topic, particularly areas that you have chosen to specialize in, with only the occasional misunderstood word or confusion cropping up. You should now be able to understand a good amount of the language used in films and TV shows.
Level 7 – Lower Advanced
By this point, you should be able to understand almost everything you see and hear in Chinese. You will be able to retell complicated stories in your own words and debate a variety of more complicated issues. Students at this level should also be able to express their opinions in written Chinese.
Level 8 – Advanced
By level 8, you will be comfortable reading newspapers and magazines in Chinese, as well as most other written material you will meet in your everyday life, work and studies. You will now be able to understand almost everything you hear in films and TV shows and be able to speak about quite specialist subjects in Chinese.
Level 9 – To Fluency
By this point, you should be familiar with and able to use many Chinese idioms and sayings. You will be able to read whole books in Chinese and write fairly complicated essays in Chinese without too much trouble.
Level 10 – To Native
By this point your Chinese is as strong and confident as your mother tongue. You understand conversations between native speakers with no difficulties whatsoever and can write in Chinese with very few, if any, mistakes.