Singapore is a special place. Everyone speaks English, yet in many situations, Singaporeans choose speak Mandarin to each other. If you’ve come to work or study in Singapore, you can’t help but feel awkward around local colleagues, classmates and friends at times. And while Singaporean Chinese tend to be really considerate and will speak English whenever you’re part of the conversation, you’d wish they didn’t to always need make all that effort for you. It makes you feel like an outsider.

That’s exactly what our conversational Mandarin course is designed to help you do.

Focus of the Course

We start from scratch; not with tons of grammar patterns and all kinds of tedious theory, but with skills you can actually use from day 1. Our Chinese conversation course brings you what you need to start speaking Chinese as soon as humanly possible.

Pronunciation

When you see a Chinese word written in normal letters, how do you pronounce it? With this skill you can use a travel dictionary and make yourself understood.

We prioritize those situations that are likely to happen very frequently, so that you can start putting your newly acquired conversation skills to the test immediately. You likely order food a couple of times a day. And food is a great conversation starter. This is just one example of regularly recurring situations, whether in Singapore or in China.

Etiquette and Culture

Even if you know how to say things in Chinese, it can be tricky to know what to say. A straight translation from English to Mandarin is often not going to be very helpful without understanding the cultural context. That is why our Chinese conversation course adds context whenever a topic is covered.

Basic Group Class - PRE A1, A1, A2

It sets you with a solid foundation of Mandarin, so that your future Mandarin study will be easier and more effective, either with us, or self-learn. At the end of this program, you can say that:

• I can express and describe my feelings, wishes and encounters in simple ways
• I can handle most situations during short trips in China
• I can take part in conversations about my interests and daily life, such as family, hobbies, work and current affairs

Independent Group Class - B1, B2

At the end of this program, you can say that:

• I can exchange thoughts on my daily life easily, be it about work, leisure or travel
• I can state my opinions about topics which I am familiar with, supported with pros and cons arguments
• I can easily understand Mandarin with moderate speed and standard accent, such as movies, news and speeches

Proficient Group Class - C1, C2

At the end of this program, you can say that:

• I can understand most TV news, current affairs programs and movies of standard accents
• I can read articles and reports about current topics, whose writers have specific views and standpoints
• I can understand contemporary literature such as short stories and novels
• I can elaborate on my interested topics in a clear and detailed manner
• I can discuss with native Chinese and clearly express my points of view and state the pros and cons of various options