Mandarin and Cantonese Online Classes
CHINESE USING ACCELERATED LEARNING

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• Is Chinese really that difficult to learn?
  Chinese is often perceived as a 'difficult' language to learn. This is probably due to the tonal nature of spoken Chinese and that the Chinese written script is based on pictographs or characters. However, learning Chinese is actually easier in some respects than learning English - with Chinese, there are no conjugations, no declensions, no different suffixes or prefixes according to singular or plural numbers, gender, tenses as in past, present or future etc. Therefore, grammar is a lot easier with Chinese.
  Chinese is different from other languages, but not necessarily more difficult. What is easy for one person may be quite challenging for another.
  At ACCS, we use Accelerated Learning techniques and we have made learning Chinese easier and more fun through the use of story-telling, role-plays, positive suggestions and relaxation techniques to aid better retention and recall.
• What happens if I miss a class?
  Some of our Levels have concurrent classes running each week at different times and at different locations. If you think you are going to miss a class or you have already missed a class then you are advised to go to another class of the same level running that week at some other time. You may even attend the same level class more than once a week, if you like, at no extra charge. For the Beginners (Levels 1 and 2) classes, we have Youtube videos and e-learning tools of the lessons which you can watch if you miss a class or two.
  Alternatively, you may arrange a private catch-up session with us at a mutually convenient time - a charge for this private class will be applicable. Finally if you decide to defer to another Term, you only need to pay a nominal fee to repeat the course.
• Your Term has started, is it too late to join up?
  It is never too late to join up. If you are a complete beginner, you can still join up but depending on how late you are, it might be advisable to take some private lessons with us to catch up or use our e-learning tools for the first few lessons.
  If you are not a beginner, then it makes sense to join up with us at a mutually agreed level and go on from there. You may not have to pay for the full term fee. If the level you have joined up is too challenging, then it is always possible to drop a level or two to get to the right level or if the level you have joined up is too easy, then, you may advance a level or two to be at the right level. In any case, call us or email us to discuss your specific requirements.
  You do not have to wait till the start of each calendar year to start classes with us. All of our classes commences at the start of each Term including Beginners classes and there are 4 Terms per year. You can start a Beginners class at any Term.
• I have learnt Chinese before, which class should I join up for?
  ACCS is unique in the sense that we have over 20 different Levels of Chinese Mandarin for you. We be happy to discuss the most appropriate level for you to join up at since we do not have assessment tests since these tests are not necessarily accurate. Contact us by email, we be delighted to discuss your specific requirements. We can also email you our course structure and syllabus.
  In any case, once enrolled with us, we are pretty flexible in terms of which class you end up going to. You can always change to a lower or higher level if a class is not suitable after the first lesson. There is no additional fee charged. In the event that you still could not find a class that is suitable for you, we will then refund your term fees less a small administration fee.
• Should I learn Chinese without learning how to read or write?
  It is possible to learn spoken Chinese without learning how to read and write. We do provide a short course called ‘Chinese for Travellers’ which does this. However, it does become essential if you want to achieve a certain grade of proficiency with this language, beyond saying ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’. At ACCS, we teach writing Chinese characters as a way to memorise the characters and thus be able to read them fluently. Learning to read characters is important as it helps our students gain a better grounding of the Mandarin language and be able to converse beyond the very basic level.
  Chinese has a large number of homophones as a language. Every second spoken word you say would almost sound the same, even when they have a different meaning. It then becomes pretty difficult to get past a Beginner’s Level, as you will find your progress of learning to stagnate after a while, without learning characters.
  Thus, for example, without knowing how to read Chinese characters, you will not be able to read a character on a signboard or a menu. Furthermore, you might not be able to use an Electronic dictionary to get the English meaning or pronunciation of it without knowing how to write the strokes.
• Can I get a refund on term fees?
  Term fees are not refundable after the first week of lessons within that Term. Therefore, you can get a refund of your Term fees less a small administration charge before you have attended the second lesson of the Term. In addition, if you are unable to complete a Term for whatever reason, you can defer or repeat a Term with us for a nominal fee also.