Award-Winning Mandarin Chinese Courses & Classes in Philadelphia, PA

If you are looking into learning a new language, taking a Philadelphia Chinese class through Varsity Tutors could be just what you are looking for. If you are a high school student at Upper Darby Senior High School, a college student at the University of Pennsylvania, or a working professional who wants to learn a new language, you could benefit from a Chinese class.

Chinese can be a very difficult language to grasp, even if you have had some experience with it. The key to thriving while learning a new language is to seek out plenty of opportunities to speak and write using your new skills. If you decide to take a Philadelphia Chinese course, you will get opportunities to practice with an instructor alongside classmates who are as focused on learning the language as you are.

As Chinese is the most popular language in the world, it is a great language to take up. With over one billion Chinese speakers, you'll be sure to make some connections. Chinese is a language with many different dialects. Some of the most common are Gan, Wu, Hakka, Mandarin, and Xiang. Mandarin is the most common dialect among Chinese speakers, and it is the official language of Taiwan and The People's Republic of China. A popular dialect among Chinese speakers in the United States is Cantonese.

All of these dialects share the same written system. There is evidence that the Chinese writing system dates back thousands of years to the Shang Dynasty. There are no alphabetical letters in the Chinese language. The language is only represented with characters and symbols. There are over 50,000 characters used in the Chinese language. Only 20,000 are common, and most of the language only uses about 2,500 of the characters. Chinese is the only modern form of a pictographic language. Several of the characters that were developed by early people are still used throughout the language today. Because characters and symbols are not letters, they give no evidence as to how they are supposed to be pronounced. Thus, they must all be memorized.

Chinese is considered to be a complex language because of the fact that the character system can be hard to grasp and it is very different than English. Even though it can be difficult, learning Chinese can open up many opportunities for you because of the number of people that speak the language. Chinese speakers can become connections for you, both personal and professional. By taking a Philadelphia Chinese course, we can help you make an investment in your language skills that will last a lifetime.

What might a Philadelphia Chinese course cover?

Chinese can be a tricky language to learn, so a Philadelphia Chinese course will go over ideas and rules very fully. Some consider the hardest Chinese rule to understand is that all Chinese words only take on one form. That means there are no plurals, verb inflections, or articles. This idea can be very challenging for English speakers to learn because English has many different forms of words. Once you understand this rule, however, Chinese is easier to follow. The Chinese language is also tonal. This means that a word's definition can mean different things based on the speaker's tone of voice. Mandarin has four different tones: rising then falling, falling, rising, and flat; however, other dialects have nine tones. Another concept that may be discussed is pronouns. The character of Chinese pronouns is based on gender. The characters are usually the same, but they are pronounced differently. Other topics that may be studied in your Chinese class are sentence structure and grammar, verbs, phrases, and reading Chinese. You may also discuss Chinese customs, traditions, and history. All of these topics of study can help you develop a better understanding of the language and of the culture.

How will a Philadelphia Chinese class help me learn?

When you take a Philadelphia Chinese class, you may be pleasantly surprised by how accommodating and interesting the classes are. Every single one of our classes is completely online and is held in a virtual classroom. This makes the class convenient because it eliminates the need for a commute. When you take a Chinese class, you will learn from a knowledgeable instructor along with peers that will join you in the classroom. This means that even though the class is online, you will still be able to have great discussions and be able to engage easily in the class. These Chinese classes take the best elements of a traditional class and put them online.

In class, you will have many opportunities to practice speaking and writing Chinese, which will allow your skills to grow. You can bounce ideas off your classmates and ask them for help when you are stuck on a concept. This is a great way for you to learn new information, and maybe even have a little fun. If you get too stuck, however, you can always ask your instructor for some help. In fact, you can even request one-on-one time with your instructor, where you can ask about concepts that you find particularly challenging.

Another reason why an online Chinese class is convenient is the many sessions that you can pick from. New classes begin monthly, and you can choose between four-week or two-week sessions. Since many people live busy lives, convenient hours give you the ability to learn a language on a tight schedule. Whether you are looking for a class that meets on the weekends or over your lunch break during the week, there's a class that meets your scheduling needs.

How can I sign up for a Philadelphia Chinese class?

If you want to learn more about what Chinese classes might offer, or if you're ready to enroll in a Philadelphia Chinese class, reach out to Varsity Tutors. You can get in touch with an Educational Consultant by calling us or going online. We look forward to speaking with you and getting you started on the road to Chinese proficiency!