Course · All ages · group or one-to-one
Spoken Chinese
Speaking first, everything else after — that has been this school's method since the day it opened. One sentence formula per lesson, four to six words you can swap into it, and dialogue drawn from the Beijing streets outside the classroom: after 60 hours you can handle daily life in Chinese.
- When
- Year-round · start any week
- Where
- Gaobeidian campus, Beijing · online
- Class size
- 4–8 in group · one-to-one available
- Ages
- Kids, teens & adults · grouped by age
- Price
- Ask for a quote
The method
Every lesson is built on a sentence formula: one pattern, four to six replaceable words, drilled until swapping them is automatic. Pinyin is taught through sounds you already know from English, so pronunciation comes fast and tones come honestly. Then the pattern goes into scenario practice — ordering, buying, asking directions — with dialogue that sounds like Beijing, because it is.
What to expect, hour by hour
The milestones our students actually hit:
- 1 hour — you form your first simple sentences
- 4–6 hours — your pronunciation is accurate enough to be understood
- 30 hours — basic sentence structures feel familiar
- 60 hours — you handle daily communication: taxis, restaurants, shops
- 120 hours — you can live independently in China, at HSK 2 level
Progress like this isn’t magic; it’s what happens when a course spends its hours on the spoken language you need this week, not the written language you might need next year.
Who it’s for
- Kids (6–12) — the kids’ track (口语) teaches through scenes, games, and role-play; small groups keep every child talking every lesson.
- Teens (13–17) — the same formula method at a teen pace, with topics from school life, travel, and whatever they’d actually say.
- Adults — the practical track (实用口语) goes straight at daily-life fluency: work, travel, neighbourhood. Complete beginners through intermediate speakers.
Groups are formed by age and level — four to eight students — with one-to-one available at every level, on campus or online.
Where it leads
Sixty hours of spoken Chinese is the best foundation for everything else we teach: add Chinese Characters to start reading what you can already say, or step onto the exam track with HSK preparation when a certificate becomes the goal.
Good to know
Your questions, answered
I've heard Chinese takes years — what can I really say after a month?
With about 20–30 hours of the formula method behind you, you can manage real exchanges: greetings, taxis, shopping, ordering. By 60 hours you handle daily communication comfortably. The trick isn't talent — it's a course that spends every hour on the spoken language you need first.
Aren't the tones impossible for foreigners?
They're unfamiliar, not impossible. We teach pinyin through sounds you already know from English and drill tones inside sentence patterns rather than in isolation — so your ear and mouth learn them where you'll actually use them. Being in Beijing, surrounded by the standard accent, does the rest.
Do I have to learn characters at the same time?
No — this course is deliberately speaking-first, and you can go a long way on pinyin alone. Most students add our Chinese Characters course once speaking has momentum, when the characters have sounds and meanings to attach to.
Can my kids and I take it at the same time?
Yes — the kids' track and the adult practical track run as separate groups, formed by age and level, so a family can study on the same schedule without sharing a classroom. One-to-one and online formats are available at every level.
Student voices
From someone who did it
The first time a taxi driver understood my directions without me repeating myself, I actually cried a little. That's Capital Mandarin.
Get in touch
Tell us who's learning
Ready when you are
One conversation is enough to check dates, fit, and the right level.