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This course is intended for learners with minimal or no knowledge of Mandarin Chinese. The aim of the course is to help students acquire and develop basic Mandarin language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). Students will learn the Chinese sound system (the four tones) and character components in written Chinese. Each session will involve a variety of interactive practice activities. Teaching is communicative with regular opportunities for pair and group-work. Class work emphasises listening, speaking and the practice of sentence structures; self-study consists of reviewing work done in class and practising language skills as advised by the tutor.

Some of the topics covered are:

• Introductions – including name, where you are from, polite requests
• Family
• Numbers
• Colours
• Time – hours, days, months
• Likes and dislikes
• Jobs
• Eating & drinking
• Places: shops, important buildings
• Simple Directions
• Daily routine

On completion of the full 20 weeks students will be able to:

• Communicate in Mandarin in a range of simple everyday situations such as introducing oneself or shopping
• Understand a simple dialogue or narrative in Mandarin such as greeting each other
• Understand Chinese character writing
• Read and write up to 150 simple Chinese characters
• Have a general understanding of Chinese culture, people and their way of life