There are well over 1 billion Chinese Mandarin speakers in the world, making it the second-most spoken language on the planet. A form based on the Beijing dialect of the language is the national standard across China, as well as in Singapore and Taiwan. So, given its prevalence, learning Chinese Mandarin can be a worthwhile and rewarding process. Whether it’s for business or personal enjoyment, our online Chinese courses are the perfect place to get started.
As with any language, getting the basics down is the first step on your road to success. Yet for many native English speakers, learning Chinese Mandarin can seem like a daunting task. As well as a new set of characters to deal with, there are also different tones and grammatical structures to consider.
The best way to learn Chinese is to master the basics of the language. With our online Chinese Mandarin courses, you can get started with the fundamentals of Chinese vocabulary, grammar, conversation, pronunciation and tone. You’ll learn how to speak Mandarin, as well as how to have a basic conversation.
In our Introduction series from Shanghai International Studies University, for example, you’ll focus on laying the foundations for further Chinese language learning. You’ll learn from native speakers who are experts in teaching Mandarin.
The beauty of learning Chinese is that it’s so widely spoken. Along with Cantonese, it’s common in Mainland China, yet it’s also used in places such as Taiwan and Singapore. It’s also one of the major business languages of the world. So, no matter what your goals are, you’ll never be short of a conversation partner.
What’s more, this wide-reaching influence means that many different cultures speak Chinese Mandarin. Understanding this cultural context plays a central role in your learning journey, giving you an understanding of how and why the language is used in certain circumstances.
When you take an online Chinese course, you get the opportunity to add this cultural depth to your learning. Many of the available learning opportunities focus on providing a learning framework that goes beyond just the nuts and bolts of language.
No matter what your reasons are for starting to learn Chinese, you can master some of the basics here. Once you have the foundations down, you’ll be able to start expanding your knowledge and practising with other speakers of the language.