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Tom Philips
I'm a working professional who's been trying to learn Mandarin for ages, but finds the language difficult to grasp and use – especially in spoken form. So most of all, I wanted a program that will allow me to apply what I learned in the classroom to everyday situations.
I found the approach used by That's Mandarin to be fun, refreshing, but most importantly, effective. Having had experience with different Mandarin courses and teachers over the years, I would highly recommend That's Mandarin's course.
Their unique approach to teaching Mandarin focuses on vocabulary and sentence structures that are frequently used and applicable to every life situations. The result is a higher retention rate for new words for his course as compared to that for the university course that I attended at the same time. In fact, as things progressed, I reduced the number of courses at the university. I chose instead to focus my effort and remaining time in Beijing on attending my classes at That's Mandarin.Read more testimonials...
Survival Chinese Classes
If you’ve just moved to China and your Mandarin extends little beyond ‘ni hao’, then fear not! Our Survival Chinese classes could be just what you need to make your life in China that bit easier! We have designed our Survival Chinese course especially for total beginners, guiding you through many different situations you will face every day in China, including ordering in restaurants, bargaining, taking taxis and much more…
That’s Mandarin’s Survival Chinese classes will give you the vocabulary, and, more importantly, the confidence, to speak with the locals, allowing you to really make the most of your time studying Chinese in China. After just a few classes with us, you’ll be well equipped to deal with all sorts of everyday situations and make that important step towards integrating into Chinese society. If you have any particular interests or topics which you would like to cover first, then just let us know and we will arrange a program to suit your needs.
We will mainly use Pinyin to teach this course and will focus heavily on pronunciation and tones, helping you to nail down the basics of Chinese conversation before moving on to reading and writing. However, if you do want to start learning characters, just let us know and we can incorporate some basic character learning into your program. We will also use our Linkword method to help you to quickly accumulate a wide- ranging vocabulary. Our one-on-one and small group class structure will make sure that you have plenty of chance to put your new Chinese speaking skills into action!
Key vocabulary includes: self introduction, asking directions, exchanging money, ordering food, making appointments, making phone calls, shopping and simple bargaining exercises, expressing likes and dislikes, visiting hospitals, etc.