Chinese 1 (Level 4)
Course dates: Friday 09 October 2026 - Friday 21 May 2027
Class timetable: 24 sessions (View class timetable for Friday 09 October 2026 to Friday 21 May 2027)
Timetable data for Friday 09 October 2026 to Friday 21 May 2027
| Day of class | Date of class | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday | 09-Oct-2026 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Friday | 16-Oct-2026 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Friday | 23-Oct-2026 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Friday | 30-Oct-2026 | 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Friday | 06-Nov-2026 | 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Friday | 20-Nov-2026 | 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Friday | 27-Nov-2026 | 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Friday | 04-Dec-2026 | 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Friday | 11-Dec-2026 | 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Friday | 18-Dec-2026 | 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Friday | 15-Jan-2027 | 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Friday | 22-Jan-2027 | 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Friday | 29-Jan-2027 | 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Friday | 05-Feb-2027 | 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Friday | 12-Feb-2027 | 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Friday | 19-Feb-2027 | 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Friday | 26-Feb-2027 | 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Friday | 05-Mar-2027 | 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Friday | 12-Mar-2027 | 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Friday | 19-Mar-2027 | 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Friday | 30-Apr-2027 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Friday | 07-May-2027 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Friday | 14-May-2027 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Friday | 21-May-2027 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
Location: Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Fees: £1615.00
RegisterCourse Overview
Please note that each weekly session will be two and a half hours in length and run from 6pm to 8.30pm (please disregard any other timings on this page).
Chinese 1 is ideal for students with little or no knowledge of Mandarin Chinese.
This short course provides you with the fundamental grammar, basic skills and conversation practice to be able to express yourself in a variety of social situations, including for travel in Sinophone areas. You will study present and past tenses and the meaning of simple requests, statements and questions in everyday situations. You will also learn Chinese characters and vocabulary and be introduced to the basic culture and society of China and other Sinophone contexts.
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
- express yourself in basic Mandarin Chinese in simple everyday social situations, which include standard greetings, asking about nationality/occupation, shopping, taking transportation, ordering a meal, talking about everyday routines, past holidays, inviting people for a meal/drink, expressing likes/dislikes, making reservations, asking for directions, making polite requests, asking for permission
- understand the meaning of simple statements and questions in predictable everyday situations in face-to-face situations or via electronic media, such as the phone
- understand the main points of simple texts written in Chinese characters, which include some basic written directions and instructions in everyday life
- formulate simple messages and texts connected with your own life using a limited range of specified structures
- read and write Chinese characters.
Classes are interactive and taught by native speakers.
The course is assessed via three in-class tests (15%, 20% and 20%), a three-hour examination including oral interview (40%) and class participation (5%).
This can be taken as a standalone short course or as part of:
Fees
Students are charged a tuition fee for each short course on registering. Please view details for this course, including dates, location and fees at the top of this page. Short course fees may be subject to annual inflationary increases. For more information, please see our Fees Policy.
Birkbeck's Lifelong Learning Guarantee
If you've studied at Birkbeck before and successfully completed an award with us, take advantage of our Lifelong Learning Guarantee to gain a reduction on the tuition fee of this course.
Entry Requirements
Most of our short courses have no formal entry requirements and are open to all students.
This short course has no prerequisites.
As part of the registration process, you may be required to submit a copy of a suitable form of ID.
International students who wish to come to the UK to study a short course can apply for a Visitor visa. Please note that it is not possible to obtain a Student visa to study a short course.
How to Register
You register directly onto the classes you would like to take. Classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis - so register early.
If you want to take more than one short course, you can select each one separately and then register onto them together via our online application portal. There is usually no formal selection process, although some modules may have prerequisites and/or other requirements, which will be specified where relevant.