Mei-Lin Chen

I am from Taipei and I teach Mandarin to absolute beginners and up to HSK 4. The first eight weeks are about tones and nothing else being allowed to go wrong — not because tones are hard, but because they are almost impossible to repair once they have set incorrectly.

We use pinyin for two months and then characters, taught by component rather than by stroke count, so that the four hundredth character is easier than the fortieth. I set short daily review rather than long weekly sessions; fifteen minutes a day beats two hours on Sunday, and I will check that you are doing it.

I teach in English and in Mandarin, with the balance shifting towards Mandarin from about the fourth month.