Experiencing Chinese

This course introduces students to the basic knowledge of Chinese language which they will use in everyday situations. It is designed to meet the basic requirements for daily social communication, and focuses on the training of listening and speaking skills. Topics taught include the following:

Daily greetings; talking about yourself (name, nationality, career, family, hobbies, etc.); how to express days, months, years and time; asking directions; ordering food and drinks in the restaurant and pub; shopping; travelling and how to book hotels and tickets; making a complaint; visiting a doctor; entertaining in China, etc.

By the end of the course, students will be introduced to 500 daily used words. They will be able to communicate within a limited range of daily life situations. This course also includes instruction on the use of a Chinese dictionary and on basic word processing in Chinese.