Award-Winning Mandarin Chinese Lessons in Portland, OR

Varsity Tutors can help students of all levels enroll in Portland Chinese lessons, whether you're a freshman at David Douglas High School, an undergraduate at Reed College, or are seeking language skills for professional or personal reasons. Learning a new language can be a challenging and exciting adventure. Many schools require foreign language classes to fulfill a general education requirement, and Chinese is a popular choice. Students who decide to take foreign language classes often have the option to study abroad in the country where their chosen language is spoken. Supplementing your classroom studies at the University of Portland or Lewis and Clark College with Chinese lessons can provide you an opportunity to practice your skills in preparation for your next journey or exam. While it is important to learn the grammatical components of a language, it is also essential to practice your verbal skills to build your understanding of pronunciation and tempo.

With over one billion native speakers, Chinese is the most popular language in the world. While Mandarin is the most common dialect, the Chinese language is composed of several dialects, including Cantonese, the most frequently used dialect in the United States. The modern age of globalization has wrought a new era of communication, helping to foster intercontinental exchange between businesses and citizens of disparate countries. Along with this, the diffusion of different cultures from around the world has helped to create unique opportunities for travel and intercultural exchange. Learning Chinese can not only help you in your travels, but it might even help you communicate with neighbors in your community, opening doors to new friendships and experiences.

Whether you're having trouble keeping up with the basics in Chinese I at Central Catholic High School or you want to challenge yourself by working ahead, Varsity Tutors can set you up with two different types of Chinese lessons: courses and private language instruction. Each option provides unique benefits, and you will always learn from patient, knowledgeable instructors.

What material will Portland Chinese lessons cover?

If you're struggling to learn Chinese, you are not alone. Chinese is widely considered to be one of the most challenging languages to learn and shares very little in common with English. From the very beginning, students are faced with a multitude of unfamiliar concepts. In English, tone is utilized to express emotion, but in Chinese, the meaning of a word changes according to its tone. Mandarin Chinese utilizes four tones, while other dialects feature up to nine different tones. Also, Chinese has no articles, verb inflections, or plurals, meaning that all words have only one grammatical form. Learning how to isolate and identify the unique qualities of the Chinese language requires consistent practice. Seeking out an immersive learning experience is crucial to the learning process.

Enrolling in Chinese lessons can also help you review and develop proficiency in the written language. Unlike English, there is no Chinese alphabet. Instead, it is a pictographic language. Over 50,000 characters exist in the Chinese language, though the overwhelming majority of the written language is communicated using about 2,500 characters. The symbols used offer no clues to the pronunciation of words and must be learned individually. If you are interested in learning the written language, Chinese lessons cover Pinyin, a system used to translate Chinese characters to letters in the English alphabet based on their pronunciation.

Whether your language learning goals are purely verbal, written, or a combination of both, Varsity Tutors has you covered. You will be led by an expert instructor capable of addressing your needs and language goals. Chinese lessons also give you access to a plethora of resources geared towards helping you learn the language in a structured, deliberate manner.

How do the two types of Portland Chinese lessons work?

The effort it takes to study Chinese on your own might seem intimidating, especially when you factor in your other commitments, such as work and school. When you do find time in your busy schedule to practice, it's important that you are maximizing your time by utilizing a study plan catered around your areas of need. Enrolling in Portland Chinese lessons is a great way to streamline your language learning and lend structure to your review. In an online Chinese course, you will attend live classes with your instructor and other students in a virtual classroom. During your sessions, you will have the opportunity to practice speaking with other classmates. This type of real-life practice can help your pronunciation skills as well as your ability to identify words in context. If you are struggling with some aspects of the language, you can schedule one-on-one time with your instructor to increase your understanding and comprehension skills. These courses are flexible and intended to provide you with many avenues to success in your pursuit of Chinese proficiency.

If you prefer a more intimate approach to learning, working with a Portland Chinese tutor might be a better option for you. For maximum flexibility, your instructor can work with you either online or in-person. The ability to meet online with your instructor in our Live Learning Platform means that you can arrange and attend sessions from your favorite coffee shop or in the library in between classes. If you choose to meet with your Portland Chinese tutor in-person, you could take a stroll through a park or shopping mall to focus on conversational elements of the language. Working one-on-one with an instructor gives them the ability to learn your strengths, goals, and learning style. This knowledge can help them cater lessons to your needs.

How can I get started with Portland Chinese lessons?

Whether you're seeking to supplement your current Chinese studies or dream of hiking the Wudang Mountains, chatting colloquially with locals along the way, Varsity Tutors can enroll you in qualified Portland Chinese lessons to help accelerate your fluency by immersing you in a dynamic learning experience. Our online courses offer you a collaborative environment to hone your skills in a group setting. If you prefer a more personalized approach to language learning, getting matched with a Portland Chinese tutor offers you the ability to tailor a study plan to your areas of opportunity. Our educational consultants are standing by, ready to answer your questions and help determine which option is best for you.