Overview
Duration
12 weeks
Group Size
4-10 students
Tuition
Under $14/hour
Level
Beginner
Class Time
2.5 hours/week
Location
ILC, Carmel
Prerequisites
None
What You’ll Learn
By the end of this Mandarin A1 course, students will be able to…
Pronounce Mandarin accurately using Pinyin, tones, and correct syllable structure.
Recognize and write basic characters using proper stroke order and common radicals.
Build simple sentences using core structures (S+V, S+V+O, linking verbs, modifiers).
Ask and answer essential questions using 吗, 呢, and basic interrogatives (谁、什么、几).
Introduce themselves and others, including names, roles, family info, and basic identity details.
Use foundational grammar such as 是、不、也、的、有/没有、这/那 + 个, and measure words.
Participate in short beginner-level dialogues about names, identities, family, and everyday topics.
Details
Dates:
1/5/26-3/23/26
Time:
Mondays, 6:30pm-9:00pm
Cost:
$430.00
(Does not include text books and optional tuition insurance)
Itinerary
Each week includes speaking practice, games, cultural context, and real-world role-plays. You’ll use everything you learn — right away.
Weekly Focus & Goals (12 Weeks, 150-minute Classes)
Week 1: Pinyin foundations — initials, simple finals, syllable structure, and basic pronunciation.
Week 2: Compound finals & tones — tone accuracy, finals + tones, full-syllable pronunciation.
Week 3: Character basics — stroke order, radicals, component structure, pictophonetic types.
Week 4: Parts of speech & sentence building — nouns/verbs/adjectives + basic sentence constituents.
Week 5: Simple sentences — S+V, S+V+O, linking verb patterns, and basic statement formation.
Week 6: Review & consolidation — pronunciation drills, stroke order, sentence structure practice.
Week 7: Question forms — 谁, interrogatives, particle 吗, elliptical 呢, and question structure.
Week 8: Names & introductions — verbs 姓/叫, “What’s your name?”, attribution, and self-intros.
Week 9: Identity statements — using 是 / 不 / 也 for nationality, profession, roles, and yes/no questions.
Week 10: Review — integrated practice with dialogues, listening, writing, and all six sentence types.
Week 11: Possession & demonstratives — 的 for modifiers, 这/那 + 个, 有/没有, and 谁 questions.
Week 12: Measuring people & family — 几, 两 vs 二, MW 口, 都 (all/not all), and family descriptions.
Meet Your Instructor
Nuona Chen
Instructor: Mandarin
Meet Nuona!
Nuona is a native Mandarin speaker with a strong academic background and a passion for precision and clear communication. She earned dual bachelor’s degrees in Computer Science and Public Health–Epidemiology at Indiana University, followed by a Master’s in Biostatistics from the University of Michigan. Her professional experience in data analysis and AI annotation has honed her dedication to details, structure, and accuracy—qualities she brings into every Mandarin lesson.
As a Chinese teacher, Nuona is dedicated to making language learning engaging and meaningful. She weaves culture, stories, and real-life practice into her lessons, helping students grow their confidence and truly enjoy expressing themselves in Mandarin.