Chinese language learning in Los Angeles
July 5, 2019 7:24 AM

My spouse and I want to begin learning Mandarin. Can you recommend places, tutors, or websites that we can use to pursue that in the LA area? Details inside.

-We live on the Westside, so probably don't want to go much further east than DTLA unless it's on weekends (so there's less traffic), in which case even going as far as the SGV seems reasonable.

-Learning how to pronounce the tones and various syllables is probably my #1 priority at this point, so really looking for something mediated/taught by an actual speaker of the language. I'm skeptical of phone apps for this reason.

-One of us wants to focus on learning the spoken language over the written language, the other is agnostic on the matter.

-Online: I've tried italki for Spanish (having taken classes in HS/college) and thought it was okay for reinforcement, but I'm unsure of how well it works for learning a language de novo.

-I'm not opposed to something free like a language exchange service, but it's important to me that there exists a certain level of rigor or seriousness to it, if that makes sense.
posted by miltthetank to Education (1 answer total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
The junior college system in California would be a good start. For example, Santa Monica College has a series of Mandarin classes. If nothing else, you could email the instructors for additional ideas.
posted by blob at 4:26 AM on July 10, 2019


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