Welcome!
We offer language teaching for individuals and organisations. We teach Mandarin and Cantonese in one-to-one or group lessons given in English, Italian, Spanish or French, for complete beginners and those who already speak some Chinese. For companies and professionals, we also run workshops and training for working with Chinese-speaking clients and partners.
About Speak Chinese.
We started Speak Chinese. because we kept meeting learners who had been offered only one way into the language. Most courses are taught through English, which leaves anyone whose first language is not English learning Chinese through a second foreign language. Most also treat one form of Chinese as the whole picture: Mandarin with a Beijing-standard accent, written in simplified characters. Cantonese is hard to find a teacher for at all, let alone one who can teach it in a language other than English.
The standard form of Mandarin is useful, and we teach it. But Chinese is spoken and written in many ways, and learners deserve a choice. With us, you can learn in a language you already know well, choose between Mandarin and Cantonese, between accents, and between simplified and traditional characters, depending on where and how you plan to use what you learn.
What We Offer
We teach Mandarin and Cantonese to individual learners and work with companies whose staff deal with Chinese-speaking clients and partners. Whether you are learning for yourself or preparing a team, everything we offer is built around your goals and taught in a language you know well.
For learners
Our courses run from first words to advanced conversation, for adults and teenagers, in one-to-one lessons or small groups. Lessons are taught in English, Italian, Spanish or French, and we also teach Cantonese to Mandarin speakers and Mandarin to Cantonese speakers. You choose the form of Chinese that suits you: Mandarin with a standard or southern and Taiwanese accent, and simplified or traditional characters. Each course follows a clear progression using materials we have written ourselves, with the pace and emphasis set by you, whether that means more conversation practice, more reading and writing, or preparation for the HSK or the TOCFL (Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language).
For business
For companies and professionals who need a head start rather than a full course, we run workshops and language training tailored to your sector and clients. Sessions cover the key phrases and vocabulary for your situation, along with the business customs and etiquette that help build rapport from the first meeting. We work with individuals and teams, schedule sessions around your working hours, and can deliver them in English, Italian, Spanish or French.
What Our Clients Say
Learners and clients describe what they wanted from their lessons and workshops, and what they have gained since.
Emily Chen
''The tailored Cantonese lessons helped me communicate with my family in no time!''
Michael Johnson
''Learning Mandarin with Speak Chinese has been an exciting journey; I love the interactive lessons!''
Sofia Garcia
''The cultural insights incorporated in the lessons have deepened my appreciation for the language and its heritage.''
Why Learn With Us?
Most Chinese courses are taught in English. With us, you can also learn in Italian, Spanish or French, or study Cantonese through Mandarin and Mandarin through Cantonese, with a teacher who knows which parts of the language learners from your background find hardest.
Professional.
Years of Experience
Multilingual.
Learn in Your Language
Between us, we have taught Chinese for more than a decade, to individual learners and companies, and to students in many countries. We know where learners tend to struggle, which approaches suit beginners and which suit advanced speakers, and how to fit lessons around a busy working life. For businesses, we have provided language training for international companies, including Banco Santander. Our workshops combine practical language for meetings, calls and correspondence with the business customs and etiquette that help build trust, and each is designed around the company’s sector and the people its staff will be working with.
We teach Mandarin and Cantonese in English, Italian, Spanish and French, and each language through the other. Lessons are taught by Daniel Chan, a native Italian speaker fluent in Spanish, French, and English, who grew up between Hong Kong and Florence. Grammar points, corrections and questions are handled in the language you know best, by a teacher who understands which parts of Chinese learners from your background find hardest.
Original.
Built for learners
Our courses are designed by Daniel and Ryan Choi together, combining established textbooks with materials we write ourselves. Textbooks give each level a clear structure, while our own materials fill the gaps: explanations, vocabulary lists and grammar notes in the language you learn in, and practice on the colloquial speech, accents and scripts that textbooks often leave out. They cover Mandarin and Cantonese from beginner to advanced level, adapted to each student’s goals.
Diverse.
Accents and Scripts
“Chinese” is not a single language. Most courses teach the Mandarin of Beijing with simplified characters, yet the language is spoken and written in many different ways around the world. We teach both Mandarin and Cantonese, with a choice of accents and of simplified or traditional characters, depending on your interests, your background and where you plan to use what you learn.
Get in Touch
If you have a question about our courses or would like to book a free trial lesson, send us a message. For workshops and training for your organization, tell us a little about your team and what you have in mind, and we will put together a proposal. We will reply as soon as we can.