Take your Mandarin from functional to fluent.
1-on-1 online lessons for students who know the basics and are ready for the next level. Push past the intermediate plateau and build genuine, lasting fluency.
Six areas. The full picture of advanced Mandarin.
The Intermediate course addresses the six dimensions that separate functional Mandarin from genuine fluency — the things that apps and group classes almost never teach properly.
Advanced Grammar Structures
Complex sentence patterns, aspect particles, resultative verbs, conditionals and the structures that separate functional Mandarin from genuinely fluent Mandarin. Taught through real conversation, not textbook exercises.
Character Reading & Writing
Learn to read and write simplified Chinese characters, understand radicals as a memory system and build a character vocabulary that compounds over time. Reading Chinese gives you access to an entirely new dimension of the language.
Fluency & Natural Conversation
Live conversation practice with real-time feedback on speed, tone, word choice and naturalness. The kind of intensive practice that builds automatic speech — where you stop translating in your head and simply start talking.
Business & Professional Mandarin
Formal registers, professional vocabulary, how to structure arguments and negotiations in Chinese, and the cultural norms around communication in professional contexts. Crucial for anyone using Mandarin at work or in business settings.
Tone Refinement & Naturalness
At intermediate level, accuracy matters less than naturalness. Will works on the prosody, rhythm and pacing that makes your Mandarin sound like a speaker, not a student reading from a script — the subtle quality that native speakers immediately notice.
Cultural Depth & Expression
Chengyu (set phrases), cultural references, humour and the expressions that show genuine engagement with the language rather than textbook competence. The layer that transforms your Mandarin from technically correct to genuinely expressive.
The Intermediate course is right for you if…
You don’t need a formal test result. If several of these sound familiar, you’re ready.
- You can hold a basic conversation but struggle when topics get complex or fast
- You know the grammar rules but still think in English before you speak
- You’ve plateaued after self-study, an app, or a group class
- You want to read Chinese characters and understand Mandarin media
- You use Mandarin at work and need to sound more natural and professional
- You’ve been to China and realised your Mandarin wasn’t as strong as you thought
Six patterns that separate intermediate from fluent.
These are the kinds of grammar structures and expressions you’ll master in this programme — each one unlocking a new level of natural expression.
Want to tackle these properly? Book a free intro call and Will will assess your current level and put together a tailored plan.
The intermediate plateau is a teaching problem, not a student problem.
Most intermediate stagnation comes from a lack of real speaking practice with genuine feedback. Group classes and apps simply can’t give you that — and the gap compounds over time.
Targeted gap analysis
Will identifies exactly which grammar patterns, vocabulary areas and pronunciation habits are holding your Mandarin back — rather than putting you through a generic intermediate curriculum that covers things you already know.
Speaking under pressure
Real conversational fluency comes from practising at pace, with challenging topics and unexpected questions. Will pushes you to respond quickly and naturally — not to translate carefully before speaking.
Visible, measurable progress
At intermediate level, progress can feel slow because the gains are subtler. Will tracks your development across all four skills — speaking, listening, reading and writing — so you always know exactly how far you’ve come.
From first lesson to genuine fluency
No contracts, no packages, no cohorts. A straightforward process to assess your level and start making real progress.
Book a free intro call
A 30-minute conversation with Will where he assesses your current level, identifies your specific gaps and maps out a realistic path to the fluency you’re after. Honest, no pressure, no sales pitch.
Start your tailored lessons
Your programme is built around your specific gaps and goals — not a generic intermediate curriculum. Each lesson targets the areas that will make the biggest difference to your actual Mandarin.
Track your progress
Will reviews your development every few lessons and adjusts the plan as you improve. You’ll see clear, measurable gains across speaking, listening, reading and writing — not just a feeling of vague improvement.
Past the plateau, on to fluency
Students who broke through the intermediate wall and built the fluency they’d been chasing.
“I’d been stuck at the same level for two years — decent at basic conversation but falling apart the moment things got complex or fast. Will identified exactly what was holding me back within the first two lessons. The progress since has been remarkable.”
“I needed business-level Mandarin for client meetings in Shanghai. Will didn’t just teach me vocabulary — he taught me how to communicate professionally, how to read the room and how to sound natural rather than like I’d memorised a phrase book.”