Learning Chinese: tips & tricks from a student

At Instituut Jeroen Bosch, we believe in the power of customized courses. That’s why our Chinese courses are designed to meet the unique needs of each student.

Today, we talk to Huub Kleintjes, managing director at Chemical Marketing Concepts LLC, who took a Chinese course at Instituut Jeroen Bosch.

Why learn Chinese?

“My company has a branch in Shanghai and I go there from time to time. I like to understand what people are talking about when I’m there. Not only do I want to master the language, but also the culture, how people think and operate.”

Huub chose Instituut Jeroen Bosch because our introductory Chinese business course covers not only the language (basic Mandarin), but also economics and business culture.

Personal Experience

“It was undoubtedly tough due to the complexity of the language and grammar, as well as the pronunciation! However, I found it informative and entertaining, particularly the philosophical discussions with my teacher regarding cultural contrasts between the East and West. I learnt a lot and enjoyed interacting with ChangQing.

Huub has taken 175 Chinese lessons. Despite having received numerous lessons, he claims that speaking Chinese remains tough. “It’s still challenging, especially if you don’t practice consistently. When I’m in China, it returns after a few days. “It is a continuous learning process.”

The Teacher

“The teacher is excellent. She has lived in the Netherlands for a long time and speaks fluent Dutch, which is useful to me. She is a little strict, but I prefer to call it discipline, which is considered normal in China.”

Advice

What is your advice to someone who wants to learn Chinese?

“Definitely do. Based on my experience, I would recommend not learning in a classroom setting, but rather going for one-on-one lessons. That worked best for me.”

This experience demonstrates the student’s patience and passion to learn, as well as his desire to understand not only the language but also Chinese culture and philosophy. Learning Chinese can be difficult, but it opens doors to a fascinating world.

Vught, the best place to learn languages, at

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