Survival Chinese Crash Course
Immerse yourself in this essential language learning experience, designed for real-life situations.
Survival Chinese Crash Course
Why choose Survival Chinese?
- 🗣 Practical language skills: Learn key phrases for everyday conversations, including greetings, introductions, and expressing your needs.
- 🍜 Real-life scenarios: Master essential phrases for dining, shopping, bargaining, booking hotels, asking for directions, and more.
- 📍 Cultural insights: Gain confidence navigating Chinese culture with tips on etiquette and unique traditions.
- ✈️ Tailored for beginners: No prior knowledge of Mandarin is needed—this course focuses on practical, easy-to-apply skills.
Autumn 2025 Timetable
5-Day Course information:
Course Duration: The next Survival Chinese course will take pace on Monday 22 September 2025, totalling 10 contact hours.
Course materials: The course features a flavourful introduction to the Mandarin language, covering essential words and phrases for everyday encounters such as greetings, buying and bargaining, getting to places, finding accommodation, ordering food, and self-expression. The course uses materials developed by the teacher and paper handouts will be provided.
📅 Start date: Monday 22 September 2025
📅 End date: Friday 26 September 2025
🕒 Time: 6:30-8:30pm
🎓 Attendance: In-person and online
📚 Course length: 5 evenings
📈 Level: Suitable for complete Beginners - Beginners level.
📌 Course Fees:
- Early bird with 10% discount, ends on Friday 12 September 2025:
- £56 - Early bird General public
- £48 - Early bird Concessions (Over 60's or current staff and students at the University of Sheffield)
- Standard rates:
- £70 - General public
- £60 - Concessions (Over 60's or current staff and students at the University of Sheffield)
📍 Location: Room no. TBC, Bartolome House, University of Sheffield, S3 7ND
Please email confucius@sheffield.ac.uk, or call 07593502130 with any inquiries.
Survival Chinese 5-day Course - What You’ll Learn
Offered twice per year, held one week before the 12-week courses.
Upcoming session: Monday 22 September 2025
Day 1 – Introduction to Mandarin:
- Greetings and introductions: “Hello,” “Thank you,” and “What’s your name?”
- Pronouns, basic phrases, and forming simple sentences.
Day 2 – Directions and transportation:
- Asking for directions: “Where is…?”
- Essential travel phrases for taxis, buses, and trains, including “Go straight” and “Turn left.”
- Requesting receipts and handling payments on the go.
Day 3 – Hotel and numbers:
- Booking and checking in at a hotel: “I’ve reserved a room.”
- Learning numbers for payments, room numbers, and counting.
- Useful phrases for checking out and requesting a receipt.
Day 4 – Shopping and currency exchange:
- Bargaining with confidence: “Too expensive! A bit cheaper, please!”
- Understanding currency and exchanging money.
- Shopping phrases for asking prices, sizes, and preferences.
Day 5 – Dining out and health essentials:
- Ordering food and drinks: “I want two bottles of iced juice.”
- Expressing preferences: “I like it” or “It’s delicious!”
- Medical emergencies: “I don’t feel well,” or “Where is the hospital?”
Survival Chinese 1-day Course - What You’ll Learn
Upcoming session: Next session TBC
9:00-11:00 - Greetings, directions and transportation
11:30-13:30 - Hotel and numbers
13:30-14:15 - Lunch break
14:15-15:45 - Dining out and shopping
16:00-17:30 - Health essentials
17:30-18:00 - Revision
For more information, please contact the Sheffield Confucius Institute:
Email: confucius@sheffield.ac.uk
Mobile: 0114 222 8332