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Intermediate Chinese Courses

We offer Intermediate Chinese at three levels. Find out more about each level and how to apply.

Learn Chinese with us

Intermediate Chinese 1

Aim of the course

This course aims to develop to intermediate-level integrated skills in:

  • reading
  • writing
  • listening
  • speaking

Intermediate Chinese 1 is suitable if you have completed the Elementary Chinese 2 or 3 course or you have:

  • completed more than 40 learning hours
  • a good command of about 100 basic Chinese characters and 200 basic Chinese words
  • passed HSK level 1 test

Learning outcomes

Practical skills

On completion of this course, you'll be able:

  • to conduct basic conversations in Chinese on a range of topics
  • express your emotions and opinions
  • rent a house, see a doctor, hang out with your friends
  • explain reasons, consult others' opinions and make suggestions
  • write a short passage or letter to describe your life and hobbies

Linguistic knowledge

On completion of this course, you'll:

  • understand and enhance the usage of sentence tones and the stress in phrase/sentence
  • further understand Chinese grammar (including the use of complements, special sentences structures)
  • have the ability to read expositive and narrative articles written in commonly used vocabulary
  • learnt approximately 150 new vocabulary items and phrases

Cultural awareness

Your language learning experience will be complemented with an exploration of Chinese culture. You'll understand more Chinese social etiquettes, especially on how to conduct daily conversations with Chinese people.

How to register

Intermediate Chinese 2

Aim of the course

This course aims to develop to intermediate-level integrated skills in:

  • reading
  • writing
  • listening
  • speaking

It focuses on:

  • vocabulary
  • Chinese characters
  • passage reading
  • practical writing in daily and business life

Intermediate Chinese 2 is designed for those who have completed the Intermediate Chinese 1 course or who have:

  • completed more than 60 learning hours
  • a good command of 200 basic Chinese characters and 400 basic Chinese words

A placement interview is required unless you have approval from the previous class.

Learning outcomes

Practical skills

On completion of this course, you'll be able to:

  • conduct conversations on business topics
  • introduce your hometown or other cities
  • take an interview and talk about a past experience
  • make purchases in Chinese
  • pass the HSK level 2 test with some additional touches on HSK Level 3 contents

Linguistic knowledge

On completion of this course, you'll:

  • have mastered the pronunciation of Chinese sentences at common speed
  • be able to use different tones to express your emotion
  • further understand Chinese grammar (including the use of compliments, special sentence structures)
  • have learned approximately 200 new vocabulary items and phrases
  • have learned the basic methods of constructing Chinese characters

Cultural awareness

Your language learning experience will be complemented with an exploration of culture. You'll be introduced to conversation skills in business and other specific topics.

How to register

Intermediate Chinese 3

Aims of the course

This course provides an opportunity to further your comprehensive knowledge and understanding of Chinese.

The course is designed for those who have completed the Intermediate Chinese 2 course or who have:

  • completed more than 90 learning hours
  • a good command of about 400 basic Chinese characters, 600 basic Chinese words
  • passed the HSK level 2

Learning outcomes

This course aims to develop to intermediate-level integrated skills in:

  • reading
  • writing
  • listening
  • speaking

It focuses on:

  • vocabulary
  • Chinese characters
  • passage reading
  • practical writing in daily and business life

Practical skills

On completion of this course, you'll:

  • be able to compare, present and appreciate a gift
  • be able to describe something, emphasise an affirmation, express modesty
  • be able to indicate a change, make a summary
  • pass HSK level 3

Linguistic knowledge

On completion of this course, you'll:

  • further understand Chinese grammar (including the usage of “把”sentence, the adverb “更”and “最” used to express comparisons, separable verb, using the verb “有没有”to express comparisons etc)
  • be able to read argumentative articles and some newspaper and business reports written in commonly used vocabulary
  • have learned approximately 300 new vocabulary items and phrases

Cultural awareness

Your language learning experience will be complemented with an exploration of culture. You'll learn about:

  • Chinese culture and history
  • customs and social etiquette
  • value systems and identities
  • current affairs

How to register