About this subject
Do you want to speak to family and friends in another language? Perhaps you are going on holiday and want to be able to order in a restaurant? Or maybe you just fancy a new challenge?
Mandarin Chinese is spoken by 14% of the world's population. It is the world's second business language after English, so what are you waiting for?
Unlock your earning potential, learn more about one of the world's oldest civilizations. Challenge yourself to learn something new with one of our Mandarin Chinese courses.
Our courses run over a period of weeks for a term. We have three terms in the year from September to July plus short courses at the start of summer.
Enrolments open every term in March, July and November. If courses have already started you may still be able to join so please contact us.
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Course levels
We offer Mandarin Chinese courses for beginners. We will respond to demand for higher levels as required. Your tutor will teach you practical language skills to help you handle real-life situations. They will ensure you are working at the right level for you.
There are six modules in the course, each one building on the last. You will cover topics such as:
- greetings
- giving personal information
- ordering food and drink
- numbers and prices
All our language courses are mapped against the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for languages. For 2023 to 2024, we changed how we name our courses. The new names better show the CEFR levels and help learners understand where they are in their language learning journey.
Each course spans two to three years and is arranged into termly modules. If you are unsure which level is right for you, please refer to the table here or complete our online self-assessment form below.
| Our course levels | CEFR Level | Number of hours of prior learning you should have had to join the first module of this level |
|---|---|---|
| Beginners (Modules 1 to 3) | A1 Beginner | 0 |
| Beginners (Modules 4 to 6) | A1 Beginner | 50 |
Self assessment
Complete our language self assessment form. It will help you choose the right language level.
Fees and discounts
We have many discounts and fee support options. These include money off your first course if you are a library member, Surrey Heritage user, or over 66.
Your tutor will also advise you of any required course books, which typically cost £15 to £30. They can also recommend other optional resources. You may find them useful for learning.