"The lessons are going very well thank you. Our Mandarin Chinese teacher is fantastic and very supporting."
Jemma Honey
Mandarin Chinese course in Plymouth.
Mandarin Chinese Lessons in Oxford
Did you know that Chinese is one of the most popular foreign languages in Oxford? In fact, according to the 2011 census, there are 2,040 native Chinese speakers living in the city, which makes it the second most commonly used non-official language after Polish. As a result, Oxford has many institutions, restaurants and events that celebrate the fascinating Chinese culture, their people and of course, their language, which makes it a perfect place for Mandarin or Cantonese learners who are eager to explore all things Chinese.
If you start learning Chinese, you’ll not only experience great advantages in the city, but you’ll join the community of approximately 141,052 people in the UK who can speak the language, which will open up amazing opportunities for you to expand your business, access new and exciting job positions and meet people from all over the world who love the Chinese language as much as you do. What’s more, speaking this ancient language will change the way you think and allow you to understand the Chinese worldview, customs and traditions more in-depth.
Why Study Mandarin Chinese in Oxford?
Learn Mandarin Chinese for Work and Travel
As you can imagine, learning Chinese will radically change the way you travel, especially if you visit China, as you’ll be able to connect with locals and build beautiful relationships with them that monolingual English speakers could never do because of the language and cultural barrier. However, you don’t need to travel to experience the benefits of speaking Chinese. Here in Oxford, you’ll find many amazing job openings that require you to be bilingual, such as Mandarin-speaking Logistics Specialist for Piscataway, Marketing Manager for Sherpa and Senior Research Fellow for The Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. What’s more, if you own a business in the city, you’ll be able to attract more Chinese-speaking clients who are part of the foreign-born local community or even access international markets by building professional relationships with Chinese businesspeople outside the UK. In short, no matter what you do, speaking Chinese is a wonderful tool that will allow you to advance your career, enjoy your travels more, and appreciate the Chinese culture in and outside the city.
Learn Mandarin Chinese for Social
Learning a language goes beyond memorizing words and studying basic grammar rules, it’s also essential to get to know the culture where your target language is spoken. A fun way to explore Chinese culture that foodies will love is to pay a visit to the many local restaurants that specialize in Chinese cuisine. A Taste of China, located at the local Covered Market on Market Street, is a small authentic noodle shop that offers mouth-watering Chinese street food you can enjoy there or take home, including pork hamburgers, biang biang dry noodles and all kinds of noodle soups you can enjoy with various toppings. This family-run business stands out due to the quality of its ingredients and the great service they provide, so if you happen to be near the market at lunchtime, don’t miss the chance to try some of these amazing dishes. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a bigger Chinese restaurant you can visit with family or friends, then you should check out Xi’An Oxford, at 197 Banbury Road. Here you’ll find dishes like wan ton soup, which is a Chinese dumpling soup, lor hon chai, delicious deep-fried tofu with Chinese vegetables that’s perfect for vegetarians and Yeung chow, a famous Cantonese dish made with fried rice and different kinds of meats.
Learn Mandarin Chinese for Culture
The best way to meet other Chinese learners and native speakers is to attend one of the local language exchanges around Oxford. One with the biggest turnout is the meetup organized by the Chinese Language & Culture Meetup - Reading & Oxford. This group is for anyone interested in learning any of the Chinese variants, especially Mandarin and Cantonese, while also immersing in Chinese Culture. As well as finding friendly language partners to whom to practice Chinese, you’ll be able to attend different kinds of events around Oxford that celebrate Chinese art, music, cuisine and even calligraphy, and enjoy outdoor plans with the group like picnics, sports, hiking and cycling. They also hold many different workshops and seminars you might find interesting, so if you want to find out more, check out their virtual group, as the location of the events is only available for members.
Where to learn Mandarin Chinese in and around Oxford?
Are you looking for an Undergraduate Chinese Programme? If so, you’ll be glad to know that the University of Oxford has a China Centre where you can find a competitive BA course in Chinese that includes extensive training in Mandarin and Classical Chinese as well as the opportunity to study other Asian languages like Korean, Tibetan or Japanese. On the other hand, if you’re not interested in studying Chinese in an academic setting, you can check out the interesting language materials available at the Oxfordshire Country Library, located on Queen Street, where you can find great language courses that are perfect for those who enjoy learning on their own. If you’re a complete beginner, you could start with Understanding Chinese Characters: A Beginner's Guide to the Chinese Language, by Edoardo Fazzioli, which will make reading and writing in Chinese much easier. Alternatively, if you are an intermediate learner who wants to have a deeper understanding of Chinese grammar, Intermediate Chinese: a Grammar and Workbook by Po-ching Yip, is exactly what you need. But what if you are looking for a flexible, completely personalised Chinese course? Well, in that case, your best option is Listen & Learn. If you send us a quick enquiry, we’ll have one of our qualified native Chinese teachers create an entertaining course that will make learning Chinese a fun, fulfilling experience you’ll never forget. The best part is that our courses are completely tailored to our student's language goals and interests, so each of them is completely unique. So what are you waiting for? Get started now and make the first step to becoming a fluent Chinese speaker!
The type of courses we offer:
Face-to-Face 1-to-1 (Individual) General Mandarin Chinese
Mandarin Chinese lessons of this type are broader and are aimed towards students with a variety of requirements. While all beginner level students will cover survival Mandarin Chinese—needed for short visits to countries where English isn't widely spoken, or if you wish to 'go local'—those studying Mandarin Chinese usually go in different directions at this point, depending on what they need. Those who have benefited from these Mandarin Chinese classes have been those investing in or buying property overseas, those married to overseas nationals, people setting off on a round-the-world trip, enthusiasts for Mandarin Chinese culture and those hoping to pass a specific exam in Mandarin Chinese. Enquire now about our Mandarin Chinese Courses or Take A Free Mandarin Chinese Level Test
Face-to-Face 1-to-1 (Individual) Business Mandarin Chinese
These Mandarin Chinese lessons are driven towards people who have a requirement to learn Mandarin Chinese to bolster their work output. For novices, you will find it useful to learn basic greetings and business etiquette. Once you have become more proficient, then reading and writing will come to the fore. Typical students include those concerned with imports and exports, those seeking work in multinational companies, international negotiations and anyone working with international colleagues or administration. Even in our most rudimentary lesson for beginnners, students can expect to finish with decent telephone and e-mail Mandarin Chinese, as well as a good enough grip on the language for a short trip to the country where the language is spoken. Enquire now about our Mandarin Chinese Courses or Take A Free Mandarin Chinese Level Test
Face-to-Face Closed (Private) Group General or Business Mandarin Chinese
Two or more people can benefit from studying Mandarin Chinese together as these Mandarin Chinese lessons are also offered to groups (Two-to-One Mandarin Chinese Lessons or Small Group In-Company Mandarin Chinese Lessons). Every student must have the same degree of knowledge of the language, the same business or language needs and the ability to study at the same time and place as everybody else. The booking has to be made for all students at the same time. Listen & Learn does not advocate group sessions of more than 6-8 people, though Taster Mandarin Chinese Lessons can be experienced by up to 12 people. Enquire now about our Mandarin Chinese Courses or Take A Free Mandarin Chinese Level Test
Skype, Google Meet or Zoom Online 1-to-1 (Individual) General or Business Mandarin Chinese
You and your group can be trained by our native speaker qualified Mandarin Chinese teachers and can meet at your place of work or home at a time that works best for you. Tutorials can take place any day of the week, including weekends, and can be scheduled for the morning, afternoon or evening. If your home or office is not fitting for you, you can attend the lesson at the teacher's offices. You will be provided with all relevant lesson materials. Enquire now about our Mandarin Chinese Courses or Take A Free Mandarin Chinese Level Test
Skype, Google Meet or Zoom Online Group (Closed or Open) General or Business Mandarin Chinese
If there are two or more of you with the same level of Mandarin Chinese, the same targets within the language and are able to study at the same time and location, then you'll be happy to know that these Mandarin Chinese lessons can also be made available for Two-to-One Mandarin Chinese Lessons or Small Group In-Company Mandarin Chinese Lessons. Listen & Learn does not generally recommend classes of more than 6-8 people, though Taster lessons in Mandarin Chinese can run with up to 12 people. Bookings must be made for all participants at the same time. Enquire now about our Mandarin Chinese Courses or Take A Free Mandarin Chinese Level Test
Top Tips For…
mandarin-chinese Songs
The Drunken Beauty- Li Yu Gang
“The Drunken Beauty” is a great song to learn more about the Chinese language, but also about their culture and traditions, as it combines ancient Chinese music with modern rhythms. The song is about two young adults who meet and fall in love in a disco one Saturday night, so you’ll learn some words related to love and relationships. If you are a beginner looking to improve your skills in Mandarin Chinese, this is the track for you, as it includes simple nouns and tenses and some useful prepositions. Plus, its rhythmic pattern makes the song easy to memorize.
Listen to this track here!mandarin-chinese Songs
WeChat- The Higher Brothers
Do you enjoy listening to rap and would like to take advantage to improve your Mandarin Chinese skills and learn new vocabulary in a meaningful manner? Then, you should definitely follow The Higher Brothers’ music. “WeChat”, for example, is a great song that mixes Mandarin with English, so it’s a good starting point for Beginner students who want to improve their listening skills. The song is about all the things that are prohibited in China (from free access to the internet to fashion or food), so you’ll also learn more about the culture, at the same time!
Listen to this track here!Bao Bei Dui Bu Qi (Baby, I’m Sorry)- Shazam
If you are a Beginner-level student of Mandarin, it may be hard for you to find suitable materials to improve your skills. Listening, in particular, is one of the most challenging. But you can always resort to catchy, easy-to-remember songs, like “Baby, I’m sorry”, to develop your ear quickly. As the name suggests, this is a romantic song that talks about a man who apologizes to his wife for his mistakes. It uses simple structures and vocabulary, and the whole song is in the present perfect tense, so you will find it easy to understand (even as a beginner), especially if you have the written lyrics to hand!
Listen to this track here!mandarin-chinese Apps
Pleco
Pleco is one of the best Mandarin Chinese offline dictionaries you will find. It has a free version and a more complete premium option you can download for Android and iOS. Pleco will not only give you the definition of each word but it also includes a handwriting recognizer (so you can check the quality of your Chinese symbols), and an audio recording of each word, so you learn how to pronounce them correctly. If you decide to pay for the premium version, it also includes a flashcard maker, so you can prepare your own flashcards with pictures, words and sounds.
Click here to download the app.mandarin-chinese Apps
Duolingo
If you are an eager language learner, you have surely heard of Duolingo. This app offers 5-minute lessons on more than 20 languages, including Mandarin Chinese. Their lessons are organised into different vocabulary areas, such as food, family, directions, and more! The first thing you will learn are the Mandarin characters, so the app is good for beginners, as well as intermediate-level students. Additionally, you can practise grammar, as many of the activities involve creating or re-ordering sentences, translating phrases, etc. You can use Duolingo on your computer or download it onto your smartphone, if you prefer.
Click here to download the app.Hello Talk
If you are an advanced learner of Mandarin Chinese and now you are looking for partners with whom you can put your skills into practice, you should download Hello Talk. The app helps you connect with people from different parts of the world (native and non-native) who are looking to make new friends while chatting in Chinese. It’s similar to WhatsApp, but here you can find people you don’t know but who are, nonetheless, as eager to learn Mandarin. Just download it onto your phone, choose the language you want to practise and you will see a list of people who want to chat and participate in an enriching language exchange!
Click here to download the app.Testimonials
From our clients all over the world
Client case studies
Have a look at successful and satisfied clients.
Philip Jarman
Mandarin Chinese in Swansea
Listen & Learn was right for me with their tailored home tuition, flexible learning, good prices and good reputation
Our Clients Include
From our clients all over the world
Bluelizard Consulting Ltd
Language learned: Hebrew in London.
Merck Chemicals Ltd.
Language learned: English in Nottingham.
