Chinese pre-A1>A1

Who is this course for?

This course is for beginners of Chinese at level pre-A1. During the course, we work towards CEFR level A1. The course is taught in Chinese as much as possible, with explanations provided in Dutch or English depending on the group participants. The teaching material is in English. It is therefore important that you have a good command of English in order to participate in the course.

If you are unsure whether this level is right for you, you can make an appointment for the online consultation to get personal advice from our teacher.

What will you learn in this course?

The course comprises 12 lessons. One lesson lasts 2 hours in a course on location and 1.5 hours in an online course. During the course, you will learn, among other things:

• Read and write the Chinese script
• HSK 2 grammar (HSK is an internationally recognized Chinese exam)
• Approximately 500 Chinese words

How many hours of independent study are required?

You should expect to spend a total of 40 hours on independent study in order to stay on track with the course. Independent study consists, for example, of learning the Chinese characters, their pronunciation (pinyin), and their meaning. You will also complete assignments from the course book. These consist of writing tasks and grammar and vocabulary exercises.

What will you be able to do after the course?

• Talk about Chinese eating habits
• Give information and ask questions about health
• Have a conversation about daily activities such as sports
• Talk about cultural habits in China and your own country

In addition, you will have gained insight into the Chinese language and culture and you will know more about daily life in different parts of China.

After successfully completing this course, you will be ready for the follow-up course Chinese A1>A2. You could also choose the Speak Up! Chinese elementary course, which focuses entirely on speaking.

Course material

During this course, we use the following materials. You will need to purchase these materials yourself:

• Boya Chinese Elementary Starter I, chapter 11–20
  ISBN 9787301344965 (Third edition)

Below you will find a handy additional option for independent study — you do not need to purchase this for the course.

• Pleco Chinese Dictionary: English - Chinese electronic dictionary and self-study app, the app uses spaced repetition to learn words and characters.

Practical information

• Registration and payment procedure
• Language levels
• Discount schemes
• Following a course and final assessment

€ 520

25% discount for UG and Hanze students
10% discount for UG, UMCG, and Hanze staff

Available dates