The Chinese language course of the University of Groningen Language Centre will introduce students to the standard Chinese language ('Mandarin') or build on knowledge and skills already present. The emphasis will be on communication in everyday situations in relation to cultural customs in China. In addition, attention will be paid to grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and writing skills.

In the course, we study the Chinese language and culture. We practice with everyday conversation situations, such as in a restaurant, on the street or a conversation with an acquaintance.

Language of Instruction
The target language is the language of instruction as much as possible. When necessary, the course is taught in Dutch and/or English.

Study load
12 lessons of 2 hours, in addition a total of around 40 hours of self-study. You learn the grammar of HSK3 (HSK is an internationally recognised Chinese exam) and you learn about 600 Chinese words.

Office hour
If you want to register and you have not previously taken a Chinese course at the Language Centre, we advise you to visit the office hour to discuss with a teacher which course would suit you best, but this is not mandatory. Please note that you can already register for the course you are interested in. Office hours only take place in the period before the start of the course. If office hours are scheduled, you can make your appointment here.

Course material
The course material is not included in the course fee and is not available at the Language Centre.

• Boya Chinese Elementary Starter II (ISBN 9787301215395), from lesson 11

Possibilities for self-study:

• Pleco Chinese Dictionary: English - Chinese electronic dictionary and self-study app, the app uses spaced repetition to learn words and characters.

Attendance certificate
At the end of a course, every participant will receive an attendance certificate on condition that they have attended 75% of the lessons.

Using a Rosetta Stone account besides a language course
It is possible to use a Rosetta Stone account for online independent study besides one of our language courses, with the advantage that the account can be used after the course to keep working on your language skills. Please note that a Rosetta Stone account is not compulsory for our language courses and will not be used by the teacher.