Award-Winning Mandarin Chinese Courses & Classes in Boston, MA

Studying Chinese can be difficult, but you can reach out to Varsity Tutors and enroll in a Boston Chinese course to make things easier. Many students who are studying Chinese in high school, such as those at Boston College High School, Boston Latin School, or another institution, may find their studies challenging. Chinese is very different than English, and it has a lot of components that have no equivalent in the English language. These students can benefit from Chinese lessons. The same goes for students in universities in the Boston area, such as Harvard, MIT, Boston College, or another of the fine postsecondary choices nearby. Regardless of your level or age, we can enroll you in a Chinese lesson that suits you.

Chinese is the most spoken language on the planet. There are over one billion native speakers. Consider that the entire world population is estimated to be around seven and a half billion. There are many different dialects of Chinese, but Mandarin Chinese is the most common. Mandarin Chinese is also the official language of the People's Republic of China and Taiwan. Chinese is also commonly spoken in other countries in Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. Other common dialects include Xiang, Wu, and Gan. Cantonese is also very common, and many Chinese speakers in the United States speak it.

While there are many different dialects of spoken Chinese, written Chinese is generally the same. Simplified written Chinese was developed by the Chinese government in the 1950s to improve literacy. While simplified written Chinese spread to Singapore, it is not used in Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, traditional written Chinese is still used, which is more complicated and more difficult to learn.

Written Chinese has over 50,000 characters. However, only 20,000 of them are used regularly, and only 2,500 of them make up the majority of written Chinese. There is a system known as Pinyin for translating Chinese characters to English based on their pronunciation.

What skills might I learn in a Boston Chinese course?

Chinese is a tonal language, which many students struggle to wrap their heads around. There are four tones of Mandarin Chinese. However, other dialects can have up to nine tones. The tone you pronounce your words with is important, as it will determine the meaning of the word. Without the tone, the word may have no meaning or may mean something else than what you intended it to mean, making your sentences jumbled. Your course instructor can help you understand what each of the four tones is and how to pronounce words correctly with the right tone.

Chinese grammar and sentence structure are vastly different than in English. Your Boston Chinese course instructor can help you understand the rules of Chinese. For example, Chinese does not have any articles, verb inflections, or plurals. All words have only one grammatical form. This means that when you refer to something in the plural, you use the same word as if you would be talking about the singular. This is one aspect of Chinese that makes it easier to learn once you understand it, as you won't have to learn plural versions of words like you would have to in English. Knowing this can also help you understand the difficulties native Chinese speakers face when they study English, and it can also help you overcome language barriers if you are communicating with a Chinese speaker who does not speak English fluently.

Your Boston Chinese class instructor can also focus on other aspects of the Chinese language, such as pronouns, grammar, and sentence structure. Pronunciation is an area where a group class can help. Many English speakers find it difficult to get the pronunciation of Chinese words correct. Many also do not get an opportunity to hear Chinese being spoken around them or to practice the language themselves, which is important for improving fluency. Being able to interact with other students in a class is a great solution.

How can I attend a Boston Chinese class?

You can take a Boston Chinese course over the internet. You can attend class in our virtual classroom, where you will be able to interact with and see the other students as well as the instructor. The other students and the instructor will be able to see and hear you as well. Since this takes place over the internet, you can do this from your own home, or even from your library, school, or workplace, though a quiet room is ideal.

Some students prefer to take these classes after they finish their daily studies at school. Other students find that their lunch break or mornings are better times. If you are an adult learner who is studying Chinese, you may only have the weekends to attend class. Regardless of your schedule, our educational consultants can help you find a Boston Chinese class that fits your needs.

During class, you will be able to ask questions and discuss topics that you do not fully understand. For example, you can work with the other students and the instructor to improve your pronunciation of each tone. In addition, if you feel as if you need some private time with your instructor, you can request that as well. We designed these courses to give you as many avenues as possible for your Chinese education.

What is the best way to get started with a Boston Chinese course?

If you are interested in learning more information about taking a Boston Chinese course, reach out to Varsity Tutors. Our educational consultants can work with you to help you find the right class that is best for your needs and your current level of Chinese proficiency. Regardless of whether you want to start out learning Chinese or you have already studied it but want an opportunity to review what you learned and practice it in real life, our educational consultants can help you out. Give us a call today and we can help you get started as early as this month.