Practical Mandarin

Looking for a structured course? Tired of traditional Chinese textbooks? Still can’t speak Chinese confidently? Our new series of Mandarin learning books are designed with a strong focus on fluency and getting students to use the language. Only available to PM teachers and students for now.

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Newly Designed

Beginner and Elementary Total Fluency Textbooks

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4 Ways to Learn Mandarin with PM

Effective Training Programmes designed for Professionals and Companies

Group Classes

Best affordable small group classes on weekday evenings and weekends, to learn progressively towards Total Fluency.

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Private Tutoring

Available 24/7 with flexible scheduling service, learn intensively and effectively towards your goal, starting from £45 per hour.

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Online Lessons

Available 24/7 for students to learn remotely, to top up in speaking practise or to make up lessons, starting from £30 per hour.

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Corporate Training

Choose the Mandarin Specialists to train your staff in Mandarin language and culture awareness, starting from £150 per hour.

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Why Choose Practical Mandarin?

We are the Mandarin Specialists in London dedicated to be the best school for you

Small Group Class

Each PM class offers limited seats to 4-10 students, this is to guarantee each student gets an optimal amount of speaking time and personal training, at the same time the group is also dynamic enough to have great interactions and fun learning together.

Fluency Focused Training

Over 10+ years of teaching practise and a strong academic team enables us to create our original coursebooks and programs, our lessons are mix of language function learning and fluency skill training, we want you to speak Mandarin confidently from day one!

Full Learning Support

PM is the only language school that offers make-up lessons, and pre-booked holiday absence discount. We don’t want to stop at offering you great Chinese lessons and events, our full time learning support is the guaranteed benefit for you.

What the Students Say about PM

From the happy learners who enjoy the challenge and the whole experience of learning Mandarin with us

Excellent

Practical Mandarin - Top London Chinese School4.9

Based on 238 reviews

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Will Hanneman

10 months ago

Would definitely recommend. Good size classes (4-8 ppl), well structured, and excellent teachers - Jasmine is very patient, personable, explains things clearly, and makes the classes enjoyable too.

fabio crispino

2 years ago

I’ve joined this courses almost 1 year ago and I found it super. Teacher Eva is very patient on teaching us mandarin. Can’t wait for the next course starts. Highly recommend it.

Response from the owner:That's amazing Fabio! Thank you so much for your kind words. We are happy you have enjoyed our Mandarin course and made good progress. See you soon!

JC Sar

2 years ago

Lovely to study with Eva in small groups following an easy course structure and format.

Response from the owner:Thank you so much for your 5 stars review Jean! We are thrilled to hear you found our mandarin course useful and easy to follow. See you soon!

Ross Wareing

2 years ago

I’ve just completed my first course and have been using my new language skills in China. The class sizes are perfect and the venue also very pleasant and easily accessed. My teacher, Sia, is very personable and patient. I can honestly say I look forward to my lessons and to starting my next course. Great job Practical Mandarin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Response from the owner:That's impressive Ross! We are glad you are making good use of your new found mandarin skills in China. Keep it up. See you soon!

Lewis Fogden

2 years ago

I have now been attending evening classes with Practical Mandarin for around 14 months, and have been high impressed with each of my teacher's enthusiasm and dedication to teach their students. The classes are located in a modern, spacious, and conveniently located building just by Aldgate East station, and class sizes are small enough to get everyone involved but large enough to feel like you are learning as a group and to motivate one another.

Response from the owner:Thank you so much for such a positive review. We always make sure to provide the best learning environment and mandarin course to our students. See you soon!

Alex Rees

2 years ago

I have been learning at Practical Mandarin for several years now. The classes are good value for money, with responsive and supportive teachers and a convivial atmosphere. At higher levels there is also the opportunity to shape the direction of the classes in a way that suits your needs, something that's not always common in other providers but is good for the adult professional learner.

Response from the owner:Thank you so much for your long term support Alex. We are grateful to have many students like you learning with us for years from beginner levels. See you in your next course.

Matthew Wu

2 years ago

我在这里学中文学了八个月，觉得非常好的中文课。Louise老师也好有耐心的老师！

Response from the owner:感谢您马修!我们很高兴看到您在普通话方面的进步。Thank you so much for your 5 stars review. See you in your next Mandarin class!

Stefan Heimersheim

2 years ago

I'm doing the Mandarin beginner lessons, just finished beginner 1.0. I enjoy the classes and the materials seem great!

Response from the owner:We're delighted to read your glowing review Stefan. It's been a pleasure having you as a student at our language school. We are happy you are making good progress in our Mandarin classes. See you!

Anna Hearn

3 years ago

I could not be happier with my experience learning Chinese with Practical Mandarin! The teachers are very friendly and professional, and the whole team is very helpful and responding very quickly to any queries! I am signing up for the third term and cannot wait to start the lessons! Highly recommend Practical Mandarin if you want to start learning or need to brush up your Chinese!

Response from the owner:That's amazing! Thank you so much for your 5 stars review Anna. It means a lot to us. See you in the new year term!

Lor

3 years ago

Loved the classes, the teachers and the methods and materials used, very engaging and supportive. Classes are well structured with plenty of practice and exercises for all students in the class with classes kept small (c. 8 people) for max engagement in each session. I feel I have made good progress already at level 1 and looking forward to continuing in the future. My classmates were really great too and we helped each other throughout the course making it a really fun experience.

Response from the owner:Thank you so much for your lovely feedback Lorenzo! It Our classes are well designed for beginner like you. Happy to know you are enjoying the class with your classmates. See you in new year term!

Thomas Corker

3 years ago

Good Mandarin classes! Small class sizes, friendly and knowledgeable teachers. Highly recommend!

Response from the owner:That's great to hear Thomas! Thank you so much for such lovely review.

monikaskirewska

3 years ago

Great school to learn Mandarin. The classes are very interactive, the book are great and the teachers are very enthusiastic and competent. The school provides books and additional teaching materials such as podcasts, and Hanzi and Pinyin coursebooks. I truly recommend it to everyone!

Response from the owner:Thank you so much for taking the time to write us. We try our best to make the class fun and engaging. See you in the new year term!

Robert Eagleton

3 years ago

Practical Mandarin is a fantastic learning centre. I have always struggled learning languages (e.g. French/German at high school) but Practical Mandarin has made learning Mandarin enjoyable and productive. The resources they provide (e.g. the textbooks and review podcasts) are amazing and the teachers are really well-qualified and patient. The class sizes are small - offering great value for money - and you really bond with the people you are studying with. Practical Mandarin 很最好 😇

Response from the owner:谢谢Robert! It's nice to hear you make good progress with us. See you soon in class!

Cora

3 years ago

I’ve taken the first course for Mandarin and absolutely loved it! The teachers are all so nice and knowledgeable, groups are small which makes the learning personalised, and the whole of PM is very accomodating if we miss lessons, we can follow online instead. I’m looking forward to the second course!

Response from the owner:谢谢Cora! It's great to hear you have such positive learning experience with us. See you soon.

Ciaran Walsh

3 years ago

Wonderful learning experience. The teaching has been second to none and the administration alongside has also been really efficient.

Response from the owner:Thank you so much for your encouraging feedback! It means a lot to us. 加油加油！

Ivan L

3 years ago

A good place for beginners to start the journey of learning Mandarin! Interactive classes, attentive teachers and quick progression.

Response from the owner:We are so happy to hear you have good progress! Thank you so much for taking the time to write us.

Christelle

3 years ago

I’m doing my third semester at this school. Love the classes, it’s very pedagogical and interactive. All in all it makes the process of learning very interesting and fun!

Response from the owner:Thank you very much for your review Christelle! We are glad you have fun learning with us.

Tim -

3 years ago

Just finished my third Mandarin course and would definitely recommend studying here. The classes are generally well organised and fun. I’m surprised how much we’ve all learnt over the past 6 months. Our teacher Jinfan is wonderful, she puts a lot of effort into making each class engaging, answering our questions etc. However, I do feel like the class sizes could be a little smaller - our class has ~10 people but I think limiting to 6-8 would be more optimal.

Response from the owner:Thank you very much for your feedback. It's amazing to hear you have learnt so much in a short period of time. We have set our class limit to 10 people or less which we believe is the good size based on years of experiences. You will have more chances to interact and practise with different students. See you soon in class!

Megan Crane

3 years ago

I have been learning Chinese at Practical Mandarin for 2 years now. I really enjoy the classes - not only have I learnt a lot (both language and culture!) but I also enjoy socialising with other such interesting and friendly students/teachers. I studied online during the pandemic which was also great, but I prefer the in-person classes as the atmosphere and sense of fun is great! Would recommend to everyone wanting to learn Chinese

Response from the owner:Hi Megan, thank you very much for this lovely review. Happy to know you have made some new friends while learning with us. We always encourage people to study in person classes as it is more interactive and fun. See you soon!

Sadaat Cheema

3 years ago

Fun, immersive and very effective learning environment and approach in small size group classes

Response from the owner:Thank you for taking the time to write us a 5 stars review. Happy to hear you have a great time learning with us. See you!

Ilyas

3 years ago

Just finished Beginner 3.0 course. Jinfang 老师 is very nice and creates a pleasant learning environment in class. On top of the class, Jinfang is always happy to answer any questions in our class group chat. Looking forward to Elementary 1.0. Just wish there was no 2 week break between courses :((

Response from the owner:How nice to hear your lovely Ilyas! Thank you so much. It means a lot to us and the teacher. Glad to know how much you love learning with us.

KK Yeung

3 years ago

I started learning mandarin as a complete beginner in January and I love coming to the classes every week. Jinfang is a great teacher and my classmates are all so lovely too!

Response from the owner:Hi Kay thank you very much for joining us from beginner level. We are here to help and support you in your learning journey.

Gavin Duffy

3 years ago

Loving the HSK5 classes, Jiaqi is a great teacher. Lots of fun activities and my chinese improved a lot. I like that the teachers rarely use english as there really is no need at this level

Response from the owner:Thank you so much for such great feedback! We are really happy you learn a lot and have fun in the class too.

Nick

3 years ago

I've been studying here for 2 classes now and have improved my Chinese so much! The teachers are great and the content is really relevant and fun. I'll be continuing on with PM!

Response from the owner:That's nice to hear your Chinese has improved a lot Nick! We really appreciate your 5 stars review.

Prashant Lonikar

3 years ago

Loved the entry beginner 1.0 sessions with Joy. Classes are very interactive and the quizzes at the end of class really help. Looking forward to the next ones!

Response from the owner:Amazing Prashant! Our classes are well-designed for complete beginner like you. We try to make each class as engaging as possible. See you at beginner 2 class!

How the Students are Learning Mandarin?

Here are some insightful stories from our students and learning tips for beginners to independant speakers

Eva

Eva speaks 4 languages already before taking up Mandarin, which has remained her favorite ever since. With good efforts from university, she's achieved HSK Level 5 with good fluency. Right now like many of our higher level students, she's [...]

James

James had a goal since age 16 to learn Mandarin to connect with Chinese culture. He took up some self study but with no success. The knowledge he learnt from youtube or apps cannot be pieced together to build [...]

Deanna

Deanna represents a good number of our students whose family background links with China. Being able to speak some Cantonese already, Deanna makes it a mission to acquire Mandarin fluency alongside her university studies. She started from Entry Beginner [...]

Alex

Alex has been learning with PM from Level 4, which is a level where our training is focused on building fluency around topics, and expanding students' vocabularies. Accordingly to him, it's the level that he benefited the most, since [...]

Join our Culture Club Events

As well as our Mandarin language classes, enjoy Chinese food and drinks to playing mahjong or Kungfu, PM is the place to experience Chinese culture and meet new friends

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Follow us on Instagram: @practicalmandarin

Find out tips for learning the Chinese language, our latest stories, events and exciting giveaways and lucky draws for £50 vouchers!

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The Mandarin Specialist in London for you & your business

Access our Mandarin language courses online and in person

CALL US 020 36372335