1) Do I need a tutor? Can I go out and learn on my own?
It can be very frustrating to gather learning information, especially when Cantonese has a lot less well-organized information than Mandarin and Spoken Cantonese form can be confusing to beginners as their written form can be different. I’ve made it simple for you to learn Cantonese with a designed course with sets of real-life conversation scenario which you can apply immediately. A tutor can also give you immediate feedback, especially on tones because changing tones in Cantonese can cause a drastic change of meaning in a sentence.2) Why should I learn from you, Kahei?
My students would describe me as a patient, friendly, passionate teacher who is willing to tailor class for individual needs.Having in-depth cross-cultural knowledge of English and Cantonese is what makes me a unique tutor. I am intrigued by the nuances in Cantonese usage and how cultural difference shape the difference when translating between English and Cantonese.
Learning with me is an experience if you ask my past students. I make you at ease with 6 overwhelming tones, but I also challenge students to step out of your comfort zone and improve. I use different teaching methods according to students’ levels and ways of learning.
I have written a curriculum for complete beginners. With recordings that I will send you, which helped me become fluent in survival Spanish in a few months (I practiced 30 minutes per day after some recordings), you will be only be getting better every day.
3) How long would it take to be fluent in Cantonese?
Years or even decades. But within months, you will be able to speak basic Cantonese for living in or travelling to Hong Kong. Depending on frequency of lessons of practice, you should be speaking in 3- 6 months. In 24 lessons, i.e.6 months’ time, with sets of conversation I personally design, in situation like ordering food, meeting a new friend, etc, you should be able to get from zero to be able to hold simple conversation.
4) I am a complete beginner. What can I expect to learn?
We will start with pronunciation, Cantonese tones, simple sentence structure and tenses. These will all be incorporated into the sets of conversation in my curriculum.
5) I moved to Hong Kong and already speak basic Cantonese. However, I still struggle when conversation is fast. How can I get better?All you need is more practice and building more vocabulary. I use videos to introduce new vocabulary so you can understand in what context they are used.
6) I speak Cantonese at home growing up. I lack vocabulary and insert English here and there in sentences. I also slowly getting harder to understand relatives. How do I build more vocabulary and improve?
Video is a good way to expand vocabulary. Depending on your level, I recommend doing sentence translations, story telling, short speeches, etc. It also really depends on your goals of learning. If you would like to learn to speak to your family, I will focus on vocabulary that you will be using at home. If it is for a job, I can simulate conversation as if in real life situation at work.
7) I live in Hong Kong. How are lessons conducted?
I can meet you online on media such as Google hangouts and Skype.
8) I live in a country in Asia, Africa, the Americas, Australasia, Europe, Middle East or the rest of world. Can I still schedule a lesson?
Definitely. My hours are generally from GMT 1000 – 2200. Folks in Asia and Australasia can catch me after 5/6 pm before you sleep and folks in the Americas can catch me by early afternoon.
9) I live in London. Should I schedule an in-person lesson or online lesson?
Depends on your preference. There is an additional layer of connection when meeting face-to-face but meeting over the internet works well with my past students. I am able to share my screen to show you what I would have written on a notebook.
10) Do you do group lessons?
Occasionally, I run group lesson for adults. I also teach private lessons for children from 6 – 12. Contact me for more updates.
11) Why should I learn online?
You can learn anytime, anywhere with wi-fi access. No hassle figuring out meeting location.
12) Why now?
I offer you a no-obligation, free 55-minute trial lesson (until 21 October 2018) because I want to help you get started. If you have questions or need any pointers, bombard me with questions and I will answer all of them to the best of my ability.Still have a question? Drop me a line and I will get back to you in 48 hours.