Learn Chinese in Melbourne

Chinese class with Ruolan

Nĭ Hăo!

Australia’s economy is becoming increasingly more global, requiring close co-operation with our Asian neighbours. Lyceum’s Mandarin Chinese courses are often requested by professionals who need a working knowledge of the language. Other students are drawn to Chinese because it has the largest number of speakers of any language in the world.

At Lyceum, Chinese is taught using the communicative method, meaning that there is a very strong focus on the spoken language as it is used in practical everyday situations. The characters used in written Chinese are explained, and teachers discuss the most essential ones however, the majority of class time is aimed towards achieving fluency in speaking.

After 60 hours of tuition (levels 1-4), our students can manage in most common everyday situations encountered in China. The beginner levels focus on the following broad areas:

Social interaction
Planning outings
Getting about town
Shopping and other transactions, such as the bank and post office
Booking accommodation and talking about the home

This level is recommended to people who wish to travel to a Chinese-speaking country, and also for those who plan to use Chinese with their family and friends here in Melbourne.

As part of your course, our teachers will encourage you to seek out the Chinese speaking community in Melbourne, in order to help you practice your speaking and listening skills. Melbourne has a large population of Chinese speakers, which affords you great opportunities to practice the language and learn about the culture.
Teachers will give you information about the Chinese radio and television programmes, and newspapers available in Melbourne, and also about Chinese festivals & events in Melbourne.

As a group you will pool information about the best Melbourne Chinese restaurants, Chinese food stores, bookshops and Chinese clubs to help you further immerse yourself in the culture. With Lyceum's help, groups often plan outings together.

The simplicity of Chinese grammar means that the language can quickly be learnt once pronunciation has been mastered. Our small class sizes, combined with native speaking teachers, ensure that the potential of each student can be achieved.

Each level of study at Lyceum corresponds to 15 hours of adult tuition, or twelve to eighteen months at high school. Check our course guide to see which level would suit you best, then call us to discuss and confirm.

Practice your Chinese here in Melbourne

Shenxing, one of our teachers

Chinese Language Course - Level 1 + 2

Learn Chinese (Lessons from Ni Hao 1, chapters 1-8)

Content of Classes:

A look at China, its history, and minority peoples
Brief overview of traditional Chinese characters
The Pinyin alphabet (Chinese words written in our alphabet)
Pronunciation of Chinese sounds - only four different tones to learn
Greetings such as 'hello', 'good morning' 'how are you?' and 'good bye'.
Introducing yourself and other people, giving name and profession
The numbers up to 100. Putting them into practice by asking each other for:
Telephone numbers, Addresses, Age
Cultural aspects: Some special meanings for certain numbers, and superstitions
Expressing possession using 'mine', 'yours', 'his'
Vocabulary: The extended family
Introducing friends and describing their personal characteristics
Cultural discussion: The animals of the Chinese Zodiac
Vocabulary: Nationalities and languages
Discussing preferences: to like/want/want to while eating Chinese food

See timetable for courses at:

Kew, Fitzroy, Malvern, Melbourne City (Flinders Lane)

Chinese Language Course - Level 3 + 4

Learn Chinese (Lessons from Ni Hao 1, chapter 9-12; Ni Hao 2, chapters 1-2)

Content of Classes:

Describing a person
Vocabulary: Sports and leisure activities
Expressing hunger or thirst, asking what someone would like to eat or drink
Writing a letter to a friend
Revision of Book One
Being polite - saying please and thank you, apologizing and asking for help
Days of the week, months
Expressing the year someone was born in
Inside the house: rooms, gardens, objects

See timetable for courses at:

Kew, Fitzroy, Malvern, Melbourne City (Flinders Lane)

Chinese Language Course - Level 5 + 6

Learn Chinese (Lessons from Ni Hao 2, chapters 3-8)

Content of Classes:

Role play topic: At a travel agency
Vocabulary: Clothing, colours, adjectives for describing clothing
Asking what someone is wearing, describing how clothes fit, asking for an opinion
Role play topic: Shopping at the market
Traditional Chinese foods
Role play: Ordering in a restaurant
The past tense: 'How was your weekend?'
Polite expressions used when visiting
Role play topic: Inviting someone over to your house
Talking on the telephone:
Common expressions used on the phone
Telephone manners
Expressing the adverbs 'usually' and 'often'
Offering a choice
How to talk about something that will happen
Discussing plans for the weekend

See timetable for courses at:

Kew, Fitzroy, Malvern, Melbourne City (Flinders Lane)

Chinese Language Course - Lower Intermediate

Learn Chinese (Lessons from Ni Hao 2, chapter9-10, Ni Hao 3, chapters 1-4)

Content of Classes:

Vocabulary: Weather, seasons
Listening to weather forecasts
Role play: At a job interview
Common expressions to use in business situations
Revision of previous level: shopping, making a phone call, dining at restaurant
Sharing experiences of school life: how did you go in the exam? Borrowing
and lending, building up characters
Topics related to transport: asking for directions, visiting friends,
where did everyone go? How far away do you live?
Learning to talk or write about leisure life including TV programs, movies, music, plays and sports; this will include learning to express your broad opinions within the topic
Telling a story
Role play scenarios incorporated into the above topics

See timetable for courses at:

Kew, Fitzroy, Malvern, Melbourne City (Flinders Lane)

Chinese Language Course - Intermediate

Learn Chinese (Lessons from Ni Hao 3, chapters 4-8)

Content of Classes:

Revision of previous level: Role play scenarios (My first day in the college, Thomas' sick day) incorporated into the various topics that students have covered in class.
Communication on approaching birthday celebrations which include invitations
and replies, buying and receiving gifts and attending parties.
Topics related to Chinese festival food, overseas traveling experiences.
Comparing two objects which assists in:
- making comparisons
- asking someone's opinion about two things
Learning to talk about illness, read medical instructions and write notes of absence
Topics on discussing travel plans, reading travel brochures and flight timetable, judging photographs, holding a conversation on the preparation for a trip and on seeing someone off.
Role play: a tourist trip
Revision of previous chapters by writing a diary, a note for the notice board and a letter to a friend.

See timetable for courses at:

Kew, Fitzroy, Malvern, Melbourne City (Flinders Lane)