Speak Chinese.
Get in touch with us at info@speakchinese.co.uk
Who Are We?
Speak Chinese. was founded by two teachers, Daniel Chan and Ryan Choi, who share an interest in how Chinese is learned across different languages and cultures.
Co-founder
Daniel Chan
Daniel Chan teaches Mandarin and Cantonese. He grew up between Hong Kong and Florence, and studied at SOAS, University of London, where he holds a BA in Spanish and Arabic and an MAs in Chinese Studies and Sinology, with a focus on classical Chinese literature and cross-Strait relations. He is a certified HSK invigilator and spent several years working at the Confucius Institute in Edinburgh. He specialises in business Chinese, classical literature, and exam preparation for the HSK and TOCFL.
Co-founder
Ryan Choi
Ryan Choi teaches Mandarin and Cantonese. He studied at the University of Hong Kong and at SOAS, University of London, and is now completing a PhD in Chinese studies at the University of Edinburgh. He has taught Chinese for more than a decade, to individual learners and to companies, and brings to his lessons a close knowledge of how the language varies between communities.
Our Students and Our Approach
We teach Mandarin and Cantonese to adults of every level, from many countries and walks of life. Lessons are one-to-one, with a focus on Chinese as it is actually spoken and written.
Our students range from complete beginners to advanced speakers. Some are professionals who need Chinese for work, others are learning to talk with family or preparing to travel or study. What they share is a wish to learn the language as it is really used, with a teacher who can explain it in a language they already know well.
Every lesson takes place online, one-to-one, in English, Spanish or Italian. We begin with speaking and listening, so you are holding conversations in Chinese from the start, and bring in characters gradually once the sounds and tones feel familiar. Romanisation supports your pronunciation: pinyin for Mandarin and [Jyutping / Yale] for Cantonese.
Lessons draw on materials we have written ourselves, adapted to your level, your goals and the accent and script you have chosen. We correct mistakes as they arise, explain why they happen, and revisit difficult points in later lessons so that what you learn stays with you. After each session you receive [notes / vocabulary lists / short exercises] to review before the next.