Chinese Tutor, Language School, Conversation Group — What Are My Options For Learning Chinese? Teachers open the door; you enter by yourself. ~ Chinese proverb ~ Approximately 1.3 billion people speak Chinese; that's 16% of the world's population, making Chinese the most commonly spoken language in the world. There are at least 10 varieties of […]
10 February 2022∙7 minutes reading time
Different Styles of Chinese Language Lessons for Kids "If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart." - Nelson Mandela This quote is a beautiful way to consider language learning, not only as an […]
2 September 2021∙6 minutes reading time
Confucius, Ancient History, Deep Culture - Learning With Mandarin Courses Can Offer You All Of This! For native English language students, it is becoming more and more common to acknowledge that courses in Mandarin Chinese language will help you achieve the best in your studies and your career. For this reason, Mandarin Chinese is becoming one of the […]
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The Enchanting Mythology of China For all that China is thought to be irreligious, the people have religious figures aplenty to pray to. Not just the Buddha or the practice of Taoism - or, for that matter, praying at a Confucian temple, either! The Chinese God in Heaven is an enduring folk tale. Nuwa, the […]
28 February 2021∙7 minutes reading time
Are You Considering Learning Mandarin or Cantonese? The Chinese language, specifically Mandarin, is known to be the hardest language for English native speakers to master. Not only does it have multiple tones but the writing system, with its thousands of characters, is something speakers of English may not have come across before. Despite the tricky […]
27 February 2021∙7 minutes reading time
A Guide for Those Learning How to Speak Cantonese. There are probably few things in the world to learn that have such an intimidating reputation as the Chinese languages. From the immediately completely unintelligible Chinese characters to the tonal elements of the spoken language, there are few other languages which are so notoriously different from […]
30 September 2019∙7 minutes reading time
How Do You Organise a Trip to China? “To Travel is to Live” - Hans Christian Andersen China’s much bigger than the UK and it attracts millions of tourists every year. Even though 60% of the country is mountains, there are huge modern cities, the Yangtze River (which is nearly 4,000 miles long), and something […]
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Our Mini Guide to Visiting the Republic of China “Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” - Gustave Flaubert Are you heading to the South China Sea, between the Philippines and Japan? Yes, we’re talking about Taiwan, its countryside, cuisine, and historical and cultural heritage. Taiwan, for many […]
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The Tourist’s Guide to Shanghai in China Whether you’re travelling the world or just to China, Shanghai is an essential destination. The city of skyscrapers is home to 26 million people and is representative of China today: a mix of temples and traditional streets with modern buildings and business districts. Shanghai, much like Beijing, Nanjing, […]
29 July 2019∙6 minutes reading time
How Can You Get Ready for a Trip to China? Our Guide to Visiting Beijing “Adventure may hurt you but monotony will kill you.” - Anonymous Whether you want to visit the Great Wall of China, Buddhist Temples, the Forbidden City in Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China is a great place […]
29 July 2019∙7 minutes reading time
Master All The Grammatical Rules Of The Chinese Language When you decide to learn Chinese, you are normally thinking about the Mandarin language. Although we will refer to Mandarin and Chinese interchangeably within this article. There are actually 299 living Chinese languages in China, which is why Mandarin is called mandarin and not just Chinese. […]
28 November 2018∙9 minutes reading time
Getting Ready for Chinese Exams “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” - Nelson Mandela There are over 800 million native speakers of Chinese. Learning to speak Chinese is, therefore, an excellent way […]
19 November 2018∙7 minutes reading time
How can you Recognise the Different Types of Chinese? “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” - Nelson Mandela If there’s a language that makes you want to travel, makes you want to […]
11 October 2018∙7 minutes reading time
Ways to Learn Chinese Learning Chinese is an ambitious process. While some people might be shocked by your decision, you should definitely go for it! Stay motivated and do everything in your power to ensure that your language learning is as effective as possible. Mandarin Chinese, after all, isn’t a simple language to learn. Although […]
5 March 2018∙7 minutes reading time
Learn Mandarin with our Chinese Lesson Blogs More than 30,000 people in the UK are learning Chinese. Mandarin Chinese was the first native language spoken in the world, no wonder it arouses so much interest! Are you the next one to start Chinese lessons? Superprof gives advice to all beginners in Chinese to succeed in […]
5 March 2018∙11 minutes reading time
Become a Master of Writing Chinese Characters For those who use the Latin Alphabet on a daily basis, learning to write Chinese characters can be really complicated. While China has made efforts to make the language more accessible to those in the West, it still remains a challenge for anyone wanting to travel to China, participate […]
20 February 2018∙7 minutes reading time
Apps, Sites, and Books for Learning Standard Mandarin Chinese. The digital age has completely changed the way we learn foreign languages and learning to speak Chinese is no exception. There are now plenty of people who are now using their computer, smartphone, tablet or television to learn more about the Middle Kingdom’s most popular language and […]
17 November 2017∙9 minutes reading time
Get to Grips with the Complex Linguistic History of China and Learning Mandarin 1.3 billion inhabitants and one sixth of the world’s population. 8 urban areas with over 10 million inhabitants and around 30 with over 2 million. 10 million kilometres squared... China is the third largest country in the world, one of the world’s […]
17 November 2017∙8 minutes reading time
Is Chinese A Difficult Language to Learn?
Mandarin Chinese is said to be one of the most difficult languages to learn.
First of all, you will need to go through an initial learning phase: memorise the Chinese Pinyin alphabet, in other words, the phonetic alphabet. This will allow you to begin to familiarise yourself with the sounds of the Chinese language (including the four tones).
You can then start by saying short phrases to introduce yourself in Chinese from the very first lesson.
You will also need to learn Chinese calligraphy to write your first Chinese characters. With well made cards, it will be easier. You can then see the Chinese character, its pronunciation and the translation.
Good news for the learner: there is no conjugation, gender or plurals in Chinese. Only the subject changes in a Chinese sentence.
On the other hand, as mentioned above, Chinese is a tonal language. The pronunciation and the tone used influences the meaning of the words.
So this is where you will need help!
Taking private lessons in Chinese with a native teacher will help perfect your Chinese speaking skills. A native tutor will teach you all the subtleties of the language and share with you their knowledge of the Chinese culture including traditions, lifestyle, and art.
Language and culture are inseparable and will help you in your language learning.
Reasons to Take Chinese Lessons
Do you want to learn Chinese quickly?
Are you thinking of visiting China, working in China, or doing a language study trip?
You will need patience and perseverance. Group lessons, evening classes, intensive courses, language school, conversation classes… The introduction to Chinese can take different forms, but Chinese lessons will not be enough if you do not use your new knowledge and practise daily.
How to Boost Your Chinese Learning?
With beginner level lessons, your teacher can tailor the lessons to suit you and your needs.
Personalised courses allow you to concentrate on your specific difficulties personal progression, saving valuable time.
To accompany your Chinese lessons on a daily basis, diversify your tools!
Chinese online courses, Chinese dictionaries, audio files and mobile apps will help you to develop your language skills in their entirety (expression and listening as well as writing).
When visiting China, you will need to immerse yourself in the heart of the country, rub shoulders with natives, make friends, and even take cultural trips like walking the Great Wall of China.
You can quickly enrich your Chinese vocabulary, but also discover other dialects on your travels. China has many languages including Cantonese, Mandarin and the lesser known, Wu and Min, for example. Travelling is also an opportunity to take calligraphy courses and learn all about Chinese ancestral art.