Getting Started | Our teachers | Our Lessons | Learning Chinese | Technical Help | Pricing How can I assess my Chinese level?Don't worry if you are unsure about your level. Most students don't fit nicely into any single category anyway. Our teachers are all well-trained to help learners of any level. Because our focus is on spoken Chinese, it really doesn’t matter how many Chinese characters you know. Here are some guidelines our teachers use when thinking about levels: First Timer: First lesson ever! You have no prior knowledge of the Chinese language. Beginner: You know some basic vocabulary but still find expressing yourself in everyday situations a challenge. Because of your limited vocabulary, listening is very difficult. You can recite memorized phrases but don’t have a clear understanding of the grammar at work in them. Intermediate: You know enough words to express yourself in everyday situations. You are familiar with the sounds of Chinese and can differentiate the tones if spoken clearly. You can understand most of what you hear in a few situations you are familiar with. You have a basic working knowledge of Chinese grammar. Advanced: You can converse in Chinese easily in most everyday situations and you even know some specialized vocabulary in your professional field. Listening is easy for you in a variety of different situations. You have a solid foundation in Chinese grammar. How can I track my progress?Our unique tracking system saves everything from all past lessons. Simply login and all your past lessons, the name of the teachers, and all the notes you and your teachers made, including any vocabulary or sentences the teacher gave you during the lessons are saved for you to review any time. Can I improve my Chinese grammar?Yes. Our "Teachers" and "Senior Teachers" are all professional Chinese teachers who are qualified and experienced in teaching Chinese to foreign students. They will be able to help you learn all aspects of the Mandarin language including grammar. How soon can I expect to see real progress with my Chinese?Of course, everyone learns at different rates. However, we’ve noticed that our students achieve significant progress in speaking Chinese within only 3 months when they practice speaking Chinese for 15 minutes everyday with a Chinese teacher, and study with 3 to 5 different Chinese teachers. Your progress will depend a lot on your time commitment. How difficult is it to learn Chinese?Chinese is known to be difficult. And as a tonal language, it is particularly difficult for students to communicate in Chinese. However, experience shows that the earlier a student pay attention to the tones, and practice them, the faster their Chinese communication will improve. It is important to practice on a regular basis, ideally every day for at least 10 to 20 minutes, or one to two hours every week. Our eLearning platform has been designed to give you the convenience of learning that fits your lifestyle and allows such regular practice. Can I learn how to write Chinese Characters with your eLearning platform?Our focus is to help you improve your listening and speaking capabilities in Chinese. However, we do believe that it is helpful if you also learn how to write Chinese characters to acquire a different appreciation for the Chinese language. Our friends at Skritter have developed a fantastic site to help students learn how to write Chinese characters. We also highly recommend the great online Chinese dictionary Nciku - they just keep improving their services. |
