Mandarin Chinese Course: Beginners Level 1

Begin your journey into the Mandarin Chinese language and culture with our Mandarin Chinese courses online!

This beginner-friendly course offers a clear and supportive introduction to Mandarin Chinese — no prior experience required. From your very first class, you’ll start learning practical, everyday Mandarin, building confidence step by step.

Mandarin Chinese is often more logical than people expect. There are no verb conjugations, no plurals, and no grammatical gender, making it accessible for beginners. You’ll learn how the language works through Pinyin (the phonetic system used to represent sounds), while gradually being introduced to commonly used Chinese characters.

As a tonal language, Mandarin places strong emphasis on listening and pronunciation. With guidance from an experienced tutor, you’ll learn to recognise and use tones accurately, communicate using simple sentence structures, and understand how spoken and written Mandarin work together.

Alongside language skills, you’ll also gain insight into Chinese culture and everyday communication, helping you use the language more naturally and confidently.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this Mandarin Chinese: Beginners Level 1 course, participants will have developed practical skills and knowledge in areas such as:

• Understanding the relationship between Pinyin and Chinese characters
• Recognising and accurately pronouncing Mandarin tones
• Greeting people and introducing yourself and others
• Asking and answering simple questions about personal information
• Using basic sentence structures and negative forms
• Expressing possession and belonging
• Using common measure words in context
• Saying numbers, including phone numbers and age
• Talking about time, days, and dates
• Recognising and using basic Chinese characters and vocabulary
• Demonstrating introductory understanding of Chinese culture and communication

Course content

What will be covered in this Mandarin Chinese: Beginners Level 1 course?

During the course, participants will be guided through key concepts, techniques and approaches that typically include:

Topics

• Greetings and introductions
• Names, countries, and nationalities
• Pinyin and pronunciation
• Numbers, dates, and time
• Family and everyday vocabulary
• Introduction to Chinese culture

Language skills

• Listening and pronunciation practice, including tones
• Speaking through guided conversations
• Reading and recognising basic characters

Grammar

• Basic sentence structures
• Asking simple questions
• Forming negative sentences
• Introduction to measure words

Content may vary slightly depending on class pace, participant interests, and instructor approach.

Intended audience

Who is this Mandarin Chinese: Beginners Level 1 course for?

This course is suitable for:

• Complete beginners with no prior Mandarin experience
• Learners interested in Chinese language and culture
• Travellers or those with personal connections to Chinese-speaking regions
• Anyone curious about learning a tonal language
• Learners looking to build practical communication skills for everyday or workplace interactions

Course venue

Online via Zoom

Zoom details will be provided with your enrolment confirmation.

Requirement: A device with a stable internet connection

Course materials

What to bring to class

• Notebook and pen
• Course textbook (see below)

Textbook

Students are required to purchase one of the following textbooks (please check which is required for your class):

• Integrated Chinese Level 1, Part 1 (4th Edition)
  ISBN: 9781622911356

or

• Easy Peasy Chinese: Mandarin Chinese for Beginners
  ISBN: 9780241513279

We recommend purchasing your textbook once your course has been confirmed (usually within three working days of the proposed start date). The textbook is not included in the enrolment fee.

Please check to see which textbook is required for your class

We recommend purchasing your textbook after the confirmation of your course (usually within three working days of the proposed start). The enrolment fee does not include the textbook.

Certificate of completion

Achievement Recognition

Students who attend at least 80% of the course will receive a Certificate of Attendance from Sydney Community College.

This certificate recognises your commitment to learning Mandarin Chinese and can support your personal or professional development.

Additional information

Mandarin Chinese bundle

• Enrol in three Mandarin Chinese language courses and receive an automatic 15% discount

What's next?

What other Mandarin Chinese classes do we offer?

After completing this course, you can continue your learning with our Mandarin Chinese: Beginners Level 2 course, where you’ll expand your vocabulary, sentence structures, and confidence using Mandarin in everyday situations.

Enrol in both Mandarin Chinese Course: Beginners Level 1 and Beginners Level 2 and save 10% using the promo code GROUP10 at checkout. Please visit our discounts page for full details. Please visit our discounts page for full details.