I recently finished CLA's beginner crash course. This class is a great way to jump into learning mandarin if you would like to get a base idea of the language. The classroom structure is an easy way to keep up with practicing and speak to people with similar grasp of the language. Our teacher was Rebecca who did a fantastic job of getting us comfortable with the basics and keeping a light hearted fun classroom. read more

I had a great experience with Intermediate B and C with Teacher Chen in 2023 and 2024. Weekly homework assignments and small class size allows for great interaction. I love the classroom instruction, where we learn new vocabulary, dialogue, grammar, with lots of examples. Highly recommend if you're serious about learning Mandarin! read more

Learning in my opinion is highly dependent on the teacher moreso than anything else. I've taken a number of classes all over NYC the past few years and Rebecca is probably (definitely) my favorite teacher so far. She's kind, friendly, and you can tell she really cares about her students and her work. There was a class that went on til 9:10 one day even though it's supposed to end at 8:45 just because she wanted to cover all the materials. She spent an extra 25 minutes to help her students and to teach - really going above and beyond what was necessary. Other than that, she also - Creates a super welcoming environment in the classes. - Brings up tons of fun facts and nuggets of knowledge while teaching. - Is available outside of class hours to help with questions. Not that we should (in my opinion) bother her on her days off, but it's the thought that counts! - Holds you responsible by actually checking and going through your homework. I highly recommend the class - I'm only 8 hours through and I've already learnt so much. read more

Chinese Language Academy - Language Schools Near Me - New York, New York

Let me start by saying I took the CLA 16 class - this is exactly what it advertises - a crash course. You cover a TON of material in 4-hour sessions over a 4 week period - and at the end, you won't be fluent, but you'll have a strong working knowledge of mandarin, be able to have basic conversations, and have some ability to read and write in Mandarin - but be ready to commit to the class, and be ready to spend some time (30-60 minutes a day) studying and doing the homework. All of that said, I loved my experience. The course does immerse you quickly, and our instructor, Rebecca, was energetic, smart, and a great at explaining material, helping us practice, providing constructive feedback, and most importantly, patient as we stumbled through pronunciation and vocabulary. read more

I took the introductory "Crash Course" in Mandarin, taught by Ysabella Chen, at CLA. It's exactly what it claims -- a feverishly intense 16 hours of cramming Mandarin into your brain. Ms Chen is a native speaker and a gifted teacher with a passion for the language and culture of China. That passion, along with her patience and lighthearted sense of humor, really helped keep the class going during the 4-hour sessions. This is not a lightweight course. There is a good deal of homework, which I found very helpful to reinforce what I had learned. In addition, you will need to do a lot of studying between classes to review, and commit to memory, what you learned in the previous week's 4-hour class. If you do that, you should finish the course with a skeletal understanding of basic Chinese pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary for various common, simple sentences, giving you a basis to build upon with further study. It's apparent that the mission of the teacher, and the school, goes beyond just making a buck. They truly want to share their language with the world. If you're looking for any kind of Chinese instruction in NYC, try this friendly, caring, and effective school first. read more

I recently completed the CLA 16 hour crash course. I had a great experience with Rebecca as my teacher. The class was structured in a way that I could quickly feel that I was learning how to talk about different things. Each week, we reviewed the previous and then moved into the new topic. Each class was very interactive which enabled me to learn more in a couple of hours (along with a bit of studying between) than I ever could have alone, because I had to focus quite intently on learning/practicing during each session. I definitely would recommend. read more

I took the CLA Crash Course. The instructor was very professional and was always prepared for class. The instructor had deep knowledge of Chinese culture and was able to use this to help make it easier to understand lessons. Rules and writing characters seemed a lot less arbitrary once the instructor explained the cultural significance behind them. Class was very interactive, and because the class was small, each of us was able to practice speaking and to ask questions throughout each lecture. I learned a lot more taking the class than I think I would have through a language program or working through books myself. I would definitely recommend! I plan to take more classes from CLA in the future. read more

After long research, I stop searching when I found CLA. It was exactly what I was looking for and it didn't disappointed me. I truly enjoyed my Chinese Mandarin class. My teacher, Rebecca was always prepared, encourage students. She had all quality that I was looking for a long time! read more

I took Chinese class with teacher Rebecca. It was great class. She is very nice and have great skill for teaching Chinese.

I decided to take CLA's introductory Mandarin language course for two reasons; 1) my boyfriend's family is from Taiwan- they speak very little English and 2) I want to be prepared for whatever goes down with this trade war our lovely President has started. I chose CLA's class over similar programs because to the Yelp reviews as well as the price (believe tuition was at a discount for the month of December) and I am so glad I did! Class size was small (5) allowing ample time for each student to interact with the teacher and each other and the other students were all motivated to be there for their own reason. Our teacher Rebecca was excellent- she made learning a very intimidating language approachable. A lot of time was spent laughing and learning. She did an especially good job working with us on our pronunciation which is key to Mandarin as a tonal language. While faster paced, the work in this class was not overwhelming. I was able to manage a full-time job with the homework and practice. It is a good foundation for those wanting a taste of Mandarin before delving deeper. The class focuses fairly equally on speaking and writing (simplified). Results-wise CLA works; my boyfriend was amazed that he could actually understand what I was saying! read more

Truly such an amazing experience! Ysabella and her team are such talented and dedicated teachers. Learning Chinese with CLA was so motivating and results were immediately apparent. They really dig into the root and meaning of the language in such an efficient way; no unnecessary clutter and time wasting. But they always keep it engaging and fun! The teachers really understand how to guide your learning and dedicated themselves fully to us. I took the 1 month starter course and already I am writing and speaking paragraphs! This is my first Asian language! In just 4 classes! I really can not recommend this program enough. I was always encouraged and they really clicked into my personal way of learning, even in a group class. If you have any serious desire to learn Chinese in any capacity, really, this program is the best option out there. read more

I've just finished the "CLA 16 hr Mandarin Crash Course". I have to say it wasn't easy, but thanks to our dedicated instructors, Ysabella and Rebecca I somehow managed to learn the very basics of Mandarine Chinese. They really emphasize the importance of pinyin and tones, which I was lacking.( I self-taught Chinese a few times and never successful, now I know why) Last week I happened to be in Chinatown and a few chinese girls asked me a question... surprisingly I UNDERSTOOD what they said!! I'm very thankful for Rebecca's dedication, patience and encouragement. The class definitely exceeded my expectation. 謝謝！ read more

Really enjoyed the CLA 16 Hour Crash course. The course itself is relatively intense, with four 4 hour sessions spread over a month, with an hour or so of homework each week. The course was a great introduction to Mandarin. Our instructor Rebecca was a fantastic instructor, keeping our small class engaged and challenged. The classes were very interactive and fun, as well as reasonably priced. I had to miss a class and Rebecca was very flexible in organizing a make up class. I really enjoyed my overall experience and plan to continue my Mandarin education with CLA in the future... read more

I highly recommend the CLA 16 hour crash course and Rebecca (our super king!) as an instructor. Rebecca is a great teacher and works hard to keep the class interactive, which can be especially tough on the weekend track of this class as it is four hours on a single day each weekend. As kind and funny as she is though, make no mistake: she's a strict teacher, and she ensures you learn the material and practice speaking as pronunciation is integral to communicating in Mandarin. Vocal inflection changes the meaning of the word you use so she appropriately spent a lot of time correcting our pronunciation and teaching us to hear hers. What I didn't expect, but was excited to discover, was that Rebecca incorporated Chinese history and culture into the class as she taught us the language. I took the class out of intellectual curiosity but there were many in the class who got enough out of it for business purposes, personal travel, etc. read more

Truly as good as it gets! I completed the 16 hour beginners intensive program last week and I must say the outcome exceeded my expectations.. About a year ago - being bored to death at my then job - I took my first steps with mandarin on my own. Thank God I soon changed job, so no time for mandarin. A couple months later I took classes for a month which I'd say were pretty much disappointing: the teacher hardly spoke english, there was to system or organization, so I damped the dream of mandarin.. However, last month - thank God - I decided to give it a shot with CLA. Bingo! For the first time I started feeling I understand the framework of this very different language. The teacher, Wangqi, is amazing: organized, supporting and incredibly responsible and serious on her mission: if it was solely up to her we would never take breaks ;-) The academic material is very well selected and diverse (listening, writing, playing, songs, good books, smart additional material, video recommendation), the size of the groups ensures everyone has enough time to participate and work on the language and I loved the follow up emails after each session! I definitely didn't expect after 4 session to be in the position to conduct basic dialogues, to recognize - even write certain characters - and actually be past my 4 tones initial terror. I highly recommend CLA and I sincerely congratulate them. Of course I'll start the next course in a week ;-) read more

Highly recommend taking the CLA 16 course if you want to start learning Mandarin. I wanted to learn because of my husband and also found that it would be useful to learn Mandarin so I can relate with Chinese speaking patients and clients in my profession. Dont be intimidated as I was at first with the idea that many topics will be covered in just a few weeks. The format and their teaching style is so effective and engaging. They taught us the foundations during this course that made a difference and helped me understand the words I am learning, be able to read/pronounce pinyin, put sentences together as compared to before taking this class, I was just memorizing words I find online but not understanding. I am so happy they accommodated to the current global situation and offered this course online and kept it as engaging as it would be in person. I had Rebecca for CLA16 and just ended the Elementary B with Chelsea, they are amazing! I'm encouraged to continue and learn more on the next level because my husband can see my improvement from memorizing a few words I didnt really understand before taking these classes to being able to have simple exchanges in Mandarin and knowing how to read and understand the context in Pinyin. read more

I recently completed the intermediate level course with CLA. Our teacher was Rebecca. Given the pandemic, the course was taught via Zoom but the instructions and lessons were engaging and effective. Rebecca was attentive to all students in the class and helped each student overcome their obstacles. I would recommend CLA to anyone with an interest in learning or improving their Mandarin! read more

I took the CLA 16 Crash Course with Rebecca and it was fantastic! It really sped up my learning. You get detailed explanations for the little pieces of word and characters which makes remembering them much easier. You also get analysis of grammar rules which free apps don't give you with the same depth. The homework is also great for continuing to learn at home. I wish there was more of it. The most outstanding part of the course is the personalized help over email. Outside of class, I can send questions and get helpful answers over email which is very convenient. Overall it is very worth the money. I'll definitely be signing up for the more advanced courses! read more

I am finishing up my CLA crash course next week and it has been amazing! You learn so much and the time is spent productively. Rebecca, my teacher, is a very talented and encouraging teacher. She makes learning fun! I definitely recommend taking this course!!!! read more

The small class size and 4 hr format allowed me learn a lot in a short period of time. The instructor, Rebecca, is enthusiastic and informative. Would highly recommend for anyone trying to learn Mandarin while on a busy work schedule. read more