Overview
Course summary
Whether you're taking your first steps to learn another language or are at an advanced level, our courses will help you to communicate confidently in your chosen language.
Our interactive online courses provide real-time lessons with an expert tutor to practise speaking and listening. You will also have the flexibility of an online course. Access to all multimedia learning resources is included.
Who is this class for?
This level of Cantonese is post-beginner, allowing you to extend your range of basic skills.
This course is made up of three parts. If you’ve studied Cantonese for around a year or 60 hours, you should start with Part 1. For those who’ve studied more than this, you may be able to join Part 2 or Part 3 directly – contact us if you're unsure of your level by using the details at the bottom of the page.
Discounts and offers
October start
You can book:
- Part 2 for £250 (£280 after 22 November)
- Parts 2 and 3 together for £440 (£500 after 22 November)
To book Parts 2 and 3 together please proceed with booking Part 2 and add Part 3 to your order when prompted during the checkout process.
The early bird discount prices for our October-start courses are available if booked by 22 November 2020*
Terms and conditions
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Course structure
Our elementary course is made up of three parts, Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3. Each part builds on what you've learnt previously.
At the elementary level:
- Part 1 is for you if you have studied Cantonese for around one year or 60 hours
- Part 2 is for you if you have completed Part 1, or if you have studied Cantonese for about 80 hours
- Part 3 is for you if you have completed Parts 1 and 2, or if you have studied Cantonese for about 100 hours
You can skip Part 1 and proceed straight to joining Part 2 or 3 if you have prior experience. If you’re not sure of your level, email us via the contact details at the bottom of this page.
If you can't see the part you need in the booking table, please check back, as we add more dates throughout the year.
Teaching
Our Cantonese lessons follow a communicative approach to language teaching, focusing on the language you need to communicate in authentic situations with an emphasis on speaking and listening. Our evening classes are taught by experienced language teachers who are native speakers of the language or equivalent.
Please note that the distribution of course content across terms may vary from year to year. This is due to the variable length of terms in different academic years. There may also be slight content variations at the discretion of the tutor. We may, for example, include additional content when general progress is good, or vary content according to students’ interests.
Learning resources
We will use Cantonese for Everyone throughout the course. However, please wait until the first session before buying your course book. We will also use the tutor's own materials.
You can join Part 1, 2 or 3 of the course depending on your prior experience.
In Part 1 of the Cantonese Elementary course, you'll cover the following topics and grammar:
Topics: Buying and Bargaining, Finding your Way, Public Transportation
In this term, we will cover:
- Buying something in a shop
- Asking for a discount
- Asking and telling the direction
- Describing a travelling route
- Naming and describing famous places in Hong Kong
Grammar
You will learn:
- To seek approval or permission using ‘dak1 m4 dak1 aa3?’
- To state the comparative degree with ‘di1’
- To express a higher degree than is expected with ‘taai3’
- The Cantonese phonetic system
Part 2 builds on what you learnt in Part 1, covering the following topics and grammar:
Topics: Employment and Property
In this term, we will cover:
- Talking about occupations and Job descriptions
- Job interview
- Looking for a property
- Describing a property
- Naming Furniture
Grammar
You will learn:
- Sentence structures of comparison ‘di1/ gwo3/taai3/bei2’
- Simple discussion and negotiation
- Talking about facts in details ‘zung6… tim1’
Part 3 is the final level of the Cantonese Elementary course, and covers the following topics and grammar:
Topics: Education and Health
In this term, we will cover:
- Discussing Hong Kong and British Education system
- Describing your school life
- Body parts and Organs
- Common symptoms and illnesses
Grammar
You will learn:
- Radicals of Chinese
- Formal and informal use of spoken language
- Describe common symptoms of illnesses and identify common medical assessments
- Using structural sentences to point out facts for differentiations
- Variation of question forms ‘aa3/gaa3/maa3/dim2gai2/mat1je5/bin1go3/dim2joeng2’
- Usage of various conjunctions to form a valid sentence. ‘dan5hai6/ but1 gwo3/ji4ce2/zung6 jau5’
Booking
Please note, bookings will close on Sunday 10 January 2021 so book early to make sure you don’t miss out.
If you have any questions about the course, please get in touch with us via the details at the bottom of this page.
The early bird discount price is available if the course is booked by 22 November 2020*
Part 1 of this course is now closed, but will be running again in autumn 2021.
Jan
2021
Part
2
Day and time
Thursdays
6.30pm
Duration
10 weeks
Price
£280 (£250*)
Apr
2021
Part
3
Day and time
Thursdays
6.30pm
Duration
10 weeks
Price
£280
Coming soon
How we're delivering courses
This course is delivered in an online, virtual classroom, where you'll benefit from live, face-to-face engagement with experienced language teachers.
Wherever you are in the world, you'll become part of the University of Westminster's global community. You can be assured of a warm welcome here, where your wellbeing, the quality of our teaching and your learning experience are our priorities.
We're arranging online Meet the Teacher sessions in early January where you can discuss your language level, meet our teachers and find out more about our courses. If you're interested, please register via this form and we'll contact you with further information.
Discover our virtual learning environment with a tour of Blackboard.
Take a look around our virtual classrooms.
Course dates
October intake
- Part 1: 05 October – 11 December 2020
- Part 2: 18 January – 26 March 2021
- Part 3: 12 April – 28 June 2021*
- Part 3: 12 April – 18 June 2021 **
* For courses running on Mondays only (No classes on Bank Holiday Monday 3 May 2021 and Monday 31 May 2021)
**For courses running on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays only
January intake
Part 1: 18 January – 26 March 2021
Part 2: 12 April – 18 June 2021
Part 3: 21 June – 23 July 2021*
*Classes in Part 3 run twice a week
January start is for selected languages only.