Chinese for Beginners (Coursera)

Offered by Peking University,
Chinese for Beginners (Coursera)

Nowadays, there is an increasing number of people who are interested in Chinese culture and language. And it is useful to know about the language when coming to China for travel or business. This is an ABC Chinese course for beginners, including introduction of phonetics and daily expressions. After taking this class, learners can have a basic understanding of Chinese Mandarin and make basic conversations of daily living such as exchanging personal information, talking about daily arrangements and food, asking about price, introducing the city and the weather, telling your hobbies etc.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Selected topics and situations come from real life scenarios and can be used for everyday communications. In addition to the dialogues, the selection of reading materials and practice activities will make the content as rich and varied as possible, in order to stimulate the learners’ interests. This is an elementary course on Chinese speaking. The learners don’t need to study Chinese characters, so it is easier to follow and complete this course.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Who Are You?
When we first meet someone, we need to learn about each other. In this module, we are going to learn some ways to introduce yourself, including name, nationality, identity, and discussing your family. We are also going to study Chinese Mandarin phonetics.

WEEK 2
When Do You Go To School?
How do you plan your daily life? In this module, we are going to learn how to describe our daily schedule, including numbers, time, periods, and some corresponding actions.

WEEK 3
What Do You Like to Eat?
Food is our most important need. In this module, we are going to talk about Chinese main courses, fruits, vegetables and meat, as well as drinks. Have you seen or tried any of these Chinese dishes? Maybe you have already learned to say them in Chinese!

WEEK 4
I Like Shopping!
Shopping! Shopping! Some people love to go shopping, while others feel it is a headache. Still, shopping is an essential part of our life. In this module, we are going to learn how to express our color and size preference, how to ask about price, and how to bargain. Do you know what the most popular color is in your country? How about in China?

WEEK 5
Do You Live in a Big City?
Do you live in a big city or a small town? How do you get to work or school every day? In this module, we are going to learn how to give directions and how to speak about transportation. This module is valuable in case you need to talk about directions with a Chinese friend or you need to go somewhere when you are in China.

WEEK 6
How About the Weather?
Weather can influence our daily life and personal health. In this module, we are going to talk about temperature, seasons, and personal health. China is a very big country and the weather can be quite different across regions and seasons; we will learn to talk about all sorts of weather.

WEEK 7
What is Your Hobby?
What do you like to do in your spare time? We have so many choices nowadays and lead such colorful lives. In this module, we are going to talk about weekday pastimes, sports, TV programs, and some other activities related to the internet, reading, music, and travel!

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Introduction to Comparative Indo-European Linguistics (Coursera) Coursera
Leiden University

Introduction to Comparative Indo-European Linguistics (Coursera)

Build your knowledge of Indo-European languages, how they changed through time, and how to reconstruct ancient languages. Every language belongs to a language family; a group of languages that are genetically related to each other. Indo-European is the name of the language family to which English belongs, along with many sub-families such as Germanic languages and Romance languages.

Sep 28th 2026
5-12 Weeks
The amazing world of the ethnic groups of Yunnan Province (Coursera) Coursera
Shanghai Jiao Tong University

The amazing world of the ethnic groups of Yunnan Province (Coursera)

Yunnan, abbreviated as Yun and called Dian for short, is a multi-ethnic province which has historically been situated in the southwest frontier of China. Over time, the ethnic minorities evolved into splendid cultures, each with their own unique social life, religious beliefs and customs. The course is taught in English and provides an introduction to 25 ethnic minorities in Yunnan Province, namely the Yi, Bai, Hani, Dai, Zhuang, Miao, Hui, Lisu, Lahu, Wa, Naxi, Yao, Jingpo, Tibetan, Bulang, Buyi, Achang, Pumi, Mongolian, Nu, Jinuo, De'ang, Shui, Man and Dulong nationalities.

Oct 5th 2026
5-12 Weeks
English Composition I (Coursera) Coursera
Duke University

English Composition I (Coursera)

You will gain a foundation for college-level writing valuable for nearly any field. Students will learn how to read carefully, write effective arguments, understand the writing process, engage with others' ideas, cite accurately, and craft powerful prose. Course Learning Objectives: summarize, analyze, question, and evaluate written and visual texts; argue and support a position; recognize audience and disciplinary expectations; identify and use the stages of the writing process; identify characteristics of effective prose; apply proper citation practices; discuss applying your writing knowledge to other writing occasions

Sep 28th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Word Forms and Simple Present Tense (Coursera) Coursera
University of California, Irvine

Word Forms and Simple Present Tense (Coursera)

In this course, “Word Forms and Simple Present Tense,” you will learn about different word forms, like nouns, proper nouns, plural forms and singular forms. You will learn when to use the articles “a” and “an.” You will also learn about the BE verb in English, how to form it and when to use it. Then you will learn how to form other verbs in the simple present, including some spelling rules, and how to make negative forms.

Sep 28th 2026
4 Weeks
Doing Business in China Capstone (Coursera) Coursera
The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Doing Business in China Capstone (Coursera)

Doing Business in China Capstone enables you to apply your skills to real business challenges. You’ll use your newly earned business skills to identify, explore and evaluate a real opportunity involving products. In this capstone, you are the business consultant working for a well-established “HON / wellness” company. The CEO has given you a task. You have to bring a new overseas product into China.

Sep 28th 2026
4 Weeks
English Intermediate B1.2 (Coursera) Coursera
University of Naples Federico II

English Intermediate B1.2 (Coursera)

Welcome to the second and final course in our B1 program! English is the most important international language for the workplace and for study, and this second course will help you improve your language skills even further to reach the convincing intermediate level you need to work, study or travel abroad. The varied learning activities will enable you to communicate on a variety of more complex topics like the digital university, the climate and the environment, and looking after your health.

Oct 12th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Writing your World: Finding yourself in the academic space (Coursera) Coursera
University of Cape Town

Writing your World: Finding yourself in the academic space (Coursera)

Throughout the world, writing serves to express, record and even create meaningful moments. In academic spaces, writing becomes the bridge between ourselves and the world of ideas. In this course, we provide practical insights into how to write an academic essay. We show you how to develop the academic skills needed to be a competent academic writer. You will have an opportunity to engage with texts written by academics, and to see how some of the ideas in these texts are used by students in constructing an academic essay.

Sep 28th 2026
4 Weeks
More Chinese for Beginners (Coursera) Coursera
Peking University

More Chinese for Beginners (Coursera)

This is an advanced course for Chinese for beginners. Learners will expand vocabularies about personal information, daily life, food and drink, healthy, and expressions about greeting, suggestion, agreement, comparison, complaint, prohibition, experience, plan, recommendation, etc. Learners can improve their listening and speaking and know much more about Chinese social cultures.

Sep 28th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Simple Past Tense (Coursera) Coursera
University of California, Irvine

Simple Past Tense (Coursera)

In this course, “Simple Past Tense,” you will learn how to form and use the simple past. You will see that there are a lot of irregular verbs in the simple past, but there are some patterns you can use to help you remember. You will learn about spelling changes when you add an “-ed” ending, as well as how to form negatives and questions in the past. You will also learn about object pronouns and some other forms of adjectives to describe and make comparisons.

Sep 28th 2026
4 Weeks
Verb Tenses and Passives (Coursera) Coursera
University of California, Irvine

Verb Tenses and Passives (Coursera)

This is the first course in the Learn English: Advanced Grammar and Punctuation specialty. In this course, you will review the verb tenses that you learned in beginning English classes and learn about a few tenses you may not know very well. In all, you'll cover all 12 of the English verb tenses and passive verb forms. Most importantly, you'll learn how to blend these tenses, which is what native speakers frequently do. This course is vital to your becoming a more fluent English speaker.

Sep 28th 2026
4 Weeks