I have been studying Mandarin with Dennis for a few years now. I really likes how he is able to adapt to your pace, push you to make good progress and is able to answer or at least discuss any question (that even my native speaking wife would not know how to answer).
There is no secret that to learn Mandarin you will make progress based on the amount of time your are dedicating to it, not solely on the time you spend in class or the teacher you chose. If you do spend some time to study regularly then Dennis is very good at making that studying to really pay off, make your progress much faster, address any issue you may have and give you the tools you need to work on those.
There is no way I could get to the level I am at now without the help of Dennis and the regular 1-on-1 tutoring lessons.

- Matthieu J

My Chinese Mandarin classes: My Mandarin classes

My Chinese Mandarin classes: My Mandarin classes

My Mandarin classes

Dear Students,

Do you study Chinese Mandarin V5 with Rosetta Stone CDs?
If "Yes" you will recognize my voice,

My name is Dennis and I am originally from Beijing. I am currently living in San Francisco and have been tutoring students to speak Chinese for the past 5 years. I have introduced more than hundred students to the art of speaking conversational and formal Mandarin and would like to help you do the same.

My background is originally in Mechanically Engineering where I was an instructor and Director of the Physics Department at a technical school in Beijing. Thereafter I moved to Germany where I was an editor that oversaw the Chinese print for a German government publication. During that time I also became a private tutor for students at Hamburg University.

I have been living in the United States for the past 20 years and have been a tutor for employees at Apple, Daly City Senior Center, and Guy Carpenter Reinsurance. I am also hired by private language institutes as a freelance instructor.

As a private tutor, I develop individual lesson plans to meet the study needs of my students. Each student depending on language familiarity is prepared with the following:

Beginners:
The book "New Practical Chinese Reader" is a great introduction to learning Chinese. This book is published by the Beijing Language Institute. You will learn pinyin as well as be able to recognize Chinese characters. Some of the things that you will learn are introductions, greetings, tell time, and learn destinations. This is the first of a series of 6 books that will help you on your way to learn Chinese.

Business conversation:
Students who have studied Chinese for at least 1-2 years and want to use their language skills for business conversation. This class will help them learn language etiquette as they become fluent in order to prepare for their dealings in China. This class is custom designed based on their needs as I have various requests: reference for translation work, negotiation tactics, import/export trade, and how to solve cultural differences with their Chinese business partners.

Daily conversation:
The goal of this course is to achieve proficiency in Mandarin in order to communicate with speakers of Chinese in daily conversation about common topics and to read short passages. The content of conversation varies a lot, including everyday greetings, self-introduction, shopping, entertainment, traveling, talking about weather, sports and more.

Reference Tools:
"Rosetta Stone"
"New Practical Chinese Reader"
"Integrated Chinese"
"Intermediate Chinese: A grammar and workbook,"
"Chinese Proficiency Test" (HSK)
"Chinese for Economics and Trade"
"Business Chinese"
"SAT-II Chinese Subject Test" (1997 Revised Edition)
and some other books.

Classes range from 90 minutes to two hours depending on student preference. Cost is $46 per 60 minutes for private instruction. You will be enjoying fun Chinese classes in a graceful mandarin environment place.

My students come from diverse backgrounds. I tutor high school students as well as graduate students from Harvard and Stanford University. My services have also been used by employees from Google, UCSF, IBM, and the FBI. As I have experience in working with all types of ages and individuals from different backgrounds I am sure to be able to develop a lesson plan that will introduce you to the joys of learning a new language.

I would be more than happy to answer any questions that you have and can be reached at the following:


Check out Dennis Language Services on Yelp

Thanks,

Dennis Zhu