Chinese language courses

Chinese language courses

Enrolment is now open for our next block of classes!

The new block of Chinese language classes begins on the 30th of April and ends on the 22nd of June 2019.

Please see the enrolment form for class levels and times.

Costs
£130 for the general public 

£115 for Students, members of staff at the University of Glasgow and senior citizens.

Fees include the cost of the textbooks.

Classes are non-credit bearing and are not eligible for Individual Learning Account (ILA) funding. All classes need a minimum of 5 to a maximum of 15 delegates per course.

Places are allocated on a first come first served basis.

The classes fill up very quickly, particularly the Beginners 1 & 2 classes. Please do not leave it until the week before the classes to enrol, as we may have no spaces left. If you wish to attend a higher level class, please email us to discuss what level would be appropriate.‌

Enrolment Form April 2019

‌Please return the above enrolment form, completed, together with your payment (cheques can be made payable to 'The University of Glasgow') to: The Confucius Institute Ground Floor, Room 202, McIntyre Building, University of Glasgow, G12 8QQ.

Cash is accepted, but should be paid at the office directly. We do not accept credit/debit cards. Please note, cheques will be cashed at least two weeks after the class start date.

Please note that the office will only accept payment for language classes between 10am - 12pm and 2pm - 4pm, Monday - Friday.

Language Classes: In Brief

The Confucius Institute offers Chinese language classes at a variety of levels, catering for learners ranging from complete beginners to advanced speakers.

We run three sessions of Chinese classes each year. Each session runs for eight weeks, starting from January, April and September. We also convence intensive classes over the summer.  We also offer tailored private one-to-one classes to meet your learning requirements.

For more information, please check our website regularly or add your details to our 'keep in touch' list  on our Contact us page and we will send you information on Confucius Institute news, upcoming events and classes.

Alternatively you can 'like' our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/CIatGlasgowUni.

If you would like to discuss private classes please email us.

Beginners 1 course

Class 1: 6pm - 8.30pm, Tuesday 30 April 2019 and every Tuesday for 8 weeks 
Class 2: 6pm - 8.30pm, Thursday 2 May 2019 and every Thursday for 8 weeks 
Class 3: 10am - 12.30pm, Saturday 2 May 2019 and every Saturday for 8 weeks 

This Chinese beginners’ course is designed for those who have no previous knowledge of Chinese and who would like to have a feel of the language.  This course will provide students with a better language environment and allow them to be immersed more in the language. This course will build a good foundation for Beginner2 course.

This beginners’ course introduces students to the basic features of the Chinese language: pronunciation of the four tones and the key sounds in Chinese; the different components of Chinese characters; and the main sentence structures. By the end of this 20 hours beginners’ course, you will be able to: communicate in simple Chinese; read at least twenty characters; and write some simple characters. For those of you who want to continue to a higher level of Chinese, this course will give you the essential foundations. We aim to make classes enjoyable and stimulating. You will have plenty of opportunity to practice speaking, reading and writing in a friendly and informal atmosphere.

Please note that this is a preparatory class for learning the Chinese language. You will learn basic conversation skills but this is not the aim of the beginners class.

Course Content:

  • The correct use of four tones
  • The basic strokes of Chinese characters
  • Writing personal names in Chinese
  • Introduction, greetings and other courtesies
  • Personal information, family, interest, work
  • Numbers: dealing with dates, time, money
  • Enquiring information (The use of general questions with particle ma. And the special questions with the wh-word what, when, who etc.)
  • Asking for directions
  • Ordering food and drinks
  • Understanding simple directions

Beginners 2 course

Class 1: 6pm - 8.30pm, Tuesday 30 April 2019 and every Tuesday for 8 weeks 
Class 2: 10am - 12.30pm, Saturday 4 May 2019 and every Saturday for 8 weeks 

This course is designed for students who have studied Chinese for at least 20 hours. At the end of this course, students should have a command of 150 commonly used words and basic grammatical structures.

Course Content

  • Introduction (greetings and saying goodbye).
  • Personal information (such as name, age, places of living, family, interest and ability).
  • Expressions of thanks and apologies.
  • Expressions of quantity.
  • Expressions of time (such as minutes, hours, dates, weeks, day, month, year.  
  • Simple descriptions of weather, location, size, amount, etc.
  • Asking and answering simple questions (relating to shopping, transportation, etc.).
  • Expressing simple requests or demands.
  • Expressing emotions.

Intermediate 1 Course

Class 1: 6pm - 8.30pm, Thursday 2 May 2019 and every Thursday for 8 weeks 
Class 2: 10am - 12.30pm, Saturday 4 May 2019 and every Saturday for 8 weeks

This course is designed for students who have studied Chinese for at least 40 hours. At the end of this course, students should and have a command of 300 commonly used words and basic grammatical structures.

Course Content

  1. Greetings.
  2. Personal information (name, age, places of living, family, interest, ability, etc.).
  3. Expressions of thanks, apologies and hospitality.
  4. Numbers to indicate quantity and order.
  5. Expressions of time (minutes, hours, dates, weeks, day, month, year, past, present and future, etc.).  
  6. Simple descriptions of weather, location, size, amount, mood and colour, etc.
  7. Asking and answering simple questions (shopping, transportation, seeing the doctor, sports, amusement, etc.).
  8. Expressing and understanding simple requests or demands.
  9. Expressing emotions and opinions.
  10. Asking other’s opinions.
  11. Giving suggestions.
  12. Making comparisons.
  13. Explaining the reasons.

Intermediate 2 Course

6pm - 8.30pm, Tuesday 30 April 2019 and every Tuesday for 8 weeks

This course is designed for students who have studied Chinese for at least 60 hours. At the end of this course, students should and have a command of 600 commonly used words and related grammar patterns.

Course Content:

  • The weather, seasons, climate
  • Expressing comparisons
  • Expressing direction and location
  • Discussing rural and urban areas
  • Expressing time duration
  • Compliments and Criticisms
  • Learning another language
  • Expressing actions

Intermediate 3 Course

6pm - 8.30pm, Thursday 2 May 2019 and every Thursday for 8 weeks 

This course is designed for students who have studied Chinese for at least 80 hours. At the end of this course, students should and have a command of 1200 commonly used words and related grammar patterns.

Course Content:

  • Moving house
  • Contracts; expressing unhappiness
  • Expressing Actions and behaviours
  • Discussing recreational activities
  • Chinese Dramas
  • Describing stories
  • Losing objects
  • Describing bad experiences
  • Expressing sympathy

Upper Intermediate 1 Course

6pm - 8.30pm, Wednesday 1 May 2019 and every Wednesday for 8 weeks 

This course is designed for students who have studied Chinese for at least 100 hours. At the end of this course, students should and have a command of 2500 commonly used words and related grammar patterns.

Course Content:

  • Discussing seasons and nature
  • Chinese expressions of love
  • Discussion of parties and other social activities
  • Chinese Cultural understanding
  • Discussion of multicultural issues
  • Chinese dialects
  • Discussion of sports and hobbies

Upper Intermediate 2 Course

6pm - 8.30pm, Wednesday 1 May 2019 and every Wednesday for 8 weeks 

This course is designed for students who have studied Chinese for at least 120 hours. At the end of this course, students should and have a command of 5000 commonly used words and related grammar patterns.

Course Content:

  • Discussion of travel
  • Understanding of Chinese cities
  • Comparing country and city life
  • Writing a letter in Chinese
  • Chinese names and their meanings
  • Chinese legends
  • Chinese Customs

 


Advanced Classes

Our advanced classes 1 are for people who have completed Upper Intermediate 2, are working towards HSK level 6, or are simply seeking to improve their existing skills. In addition to textbook-based classes, we also offer classes in reading material from the Chinese-language media.

6pm - 8.30pm, Wednesday 1 May 2019 and every Wednesday for 8 weeks 


Other learning opportunities

Private one-to-one classes

If none of the above courses suit you (for example, your level is higher than we offer or the time is not convenient for you), we can offer you private one-to-one classes at mutually convenient times (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).

Rates:

£12.50 per hour if you take less than 10 hours in total, or £10 per hour if you take a total of 10 hours or more.

If you are a student, member of staff at the University of Glasgow, or OAPs, we offer a flat rate of £10 per hour.

Consultation:

We can offer a free half-hour consultation session for you to discuss your learning requirements with our language teacher and design a tailored teaching plan based on your needs.

Cancellation Policy

Please note that for our 1-2-1 classes we have a cancellation policy of at least 24 hours. Any classes cancelled with less than 24h notice will be charged for.

Booking

Please email us to book 1-2-1, the following information would be helpful:

  • A day and time each week that you can consistently make (eg Mondays from 3pm - 4pm.)
  • If you have learnt Chinese before, and to what level.
  • What you would like to focus on in your classes: eg basic understanding, improve characters. 

 


Advanced Class 2

Advanced Class 2

Advanced 2: Newspapers and Other Media

6pm - 8.30pm, Thursday 2 May 2019 and every Thursday for 8 weeks 

The Confucius Institute at the University of Glasgow host HSK Chinese Proficiency Tests throughout the year, the test dates in 2019 and deadline for registration can be found in this document: HSK/YCT test dates 20192018 HSK & HSKK test dates

To register, please return a complete‌ Chinese Proficiency Test Application Form, together with:

  • Appropriate payment as indicated on the form (various for different level). Please make sure the payment is paid to 'The University of Glasgow'
  • Photocopy of your passport
  • Photocopy of your student card (if you are a student)
  • 2 passport sized photographs, with your names on the back of the photographs

Fees: £10 enrolment fees + exam fees (£20 for Level 1, £30 for Level 2, £40 for Level 3). We offer £5 off to students, please bring your student ID to prove your student status.

TO: The Confucius Institute, Room 202, Ground Floor, John McIntyre Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ

Tel: 0141 330 7730, Email: confucius-enquiries@glasgow.ac.uk

Please note that test results take approximately 2 months to arrive and you will be notified by email when we have them.

Changing dates of tests: If you wish to defer your test date after registration, please note that there is an non-negotiable fee of 30% of your exam fee to do this. This must be done more than 10 working days before your test.

Cancelling a test: If you wish to defer your test date after registration, please note that there is an non-negotiable fee of 50% of your exam fee to do this. This must be done more than 10 working days before your test.