Elementary Chinese Courses
We offer Elementary Chinese at three levels. Find out more about each level and how to apply.
Aim of the course
This course is for complete beginners.
You'll:
- learn some basic knowledge of Mandarin Chinese
- practice daily dialogues
We adopt an interactive practice focused on building your listening and speaking skills. You'll be introduced to reading and writing Chinese characters.
Elementary Chinese 1 also provides some cultural tips along with the teaching of linguistic knowledge and skills.
Learning outcomes
Practical skills
On completion of this course, you'll be able to:
- greet people and introduce yourself
- order food in restaurants
- conduct simple conversations in Chinese
- talk about your nationality, occupation, work and family
- talk about locations, addresses, weather and sports
- ask and answer simple questions about yourself and others where necessary, using a mix of Chinese and English
Linguistic knowledge
On completion of this course, you'll understand:
- Chinese phonetics, tones and rhythms
- how to read Pinyin
- some basic simplified Chinese characters
- Chinese word order
Cultural awareness
Your language learning experience will be complemented with an exploration of culture. You'll learn about basic Chinese culture and history, customs and social etiquettes.
How to register
- Complete the Confucius Institute Registration Form and return by email: sheng.peng@newcastle.ac.uk, or
- Book and pay online through the Newcastle University webstore
The course provides an opportunity to further your knowledge and understanding of Chinese after the completion of Elementary Chinese 1.
Elementary Chinese 2 is designed for those who have completed the Elementary Chinese Level 1 course or who have some knowledge of the Chinese language including:
- having completed more than 20 learning hours
- a command of some basic Chinese characters
The primary aim of this course is to provide a better understanding of, and familiarity with, basic Chinese language and culture.
This course will:
- provide a greater focus on simplified characters
- develop your Chinese vocabulary
- introduce sentence structure
- grow your confidence in everyday conversation
Learning outcomes
Practical skills
On completion of this course, you'll be able to conduct conversations in Chinese on a range of topics.
You'll be able to:
- talk about will and ability
- ask and talk about possibility and probability
- demonstrate confidence using basic Chinese vocabulary
- write a short passage about someone's personal information or hobbies
- shop in a market, ask directions, use public transport
- ask for permission, express wishes
- pass the HSK Level 1 test
Linguistic knowledge
On completion of this course, you'll:
- have an enhanced understanding of Chinese pinyin system
- understand some basic declarative sentences and question sentence structures
- understand more basic simplified Chinese characters up to 100 characters
- have learned the required vocabulary up to 200 words
- have learned the basic Chinese grammar to express present continuous tense
Cultural awareness
Your language learning experience will be complemented with an exploration of Chinese culture and history.
How to register
- Complete the Confucius Institute Registration Form and return by email: sheng.peng@newcastle.ac.uk, or
- Book and pay online through the Newcastle University webstore
Aim of the course
This course is an opportunity to further your knowledge and understanding of Chinese after learning some basic Chinese language.
Elementary Chinese 3 is designed for those who have completed the Elementary Chinese Level 2 course or who have some knowledge of the Chinese language.
This course is suitable if you:
- have completed more than 40 learning hours
- know about 100 basic Chinese characters, 200 basic Chinese words, or
- have passed HSK level 1
The primary aim of this course is to provide a better understanding of, and familiarity with, basic Chinese language and culture.
The course will:
- focus on simplified characters
- enrich your Chinese vocabulary
- introduce sentence structure
- grow your confidence in everyday conversation
Learning outcomes
Practical skills
On completion of this course, you'll be able to conduct conversations in Chinese on a range of topics.
You'll be able to:
- talk about will and ability
- express an unhealthy condition and see a doctor
- ask and talk about possibility and probability
- feel more comfortable using basic Chinese vocabulary
- write a short passage about someone’s personal information or hobbies
- write a short letter to a friend about your daily life
Linguistic knowledge
On completion of this course, you'll:
- have an enhanced understanding of Chinese Pinyin system
- understand the four basic sentence and six question sentence structures
- understand more basic simplified Chinese characters up to 250 characters
- have learned the required vocabulary up to 350 words
Cultural awareness
Your language learning experience will be complemented with an exploration of Chinese culture. You'll learn about:
- culture and history
- customs and social etiquette
- value systems and identities
- current affairs
Everyone interested in learning some Chinese language will be warmly welcomed to our course.
How to register
- Complete the Confucius Institute Registration Form and return by email: sheng.peng@newcastle.ac.uk, or
- Book and pay online through the Newcastle University webstore