Reviews

March 2005

"I recently participated in a 'Learn to Speak Chinese' demonstration conducted by Alex Foo of ChinaSpeak. I found it to be very interesting and fun and it is an experience I won't forget. i really enjoyed Alex's teaching style, and I won't forget the Chinese words I learnt.

It would be fantastic to travel to China one day and before I went, I would enrol in one of Alex's courses. I would recommend him to anyone I knew who wanted to learn Chinese the easy way.

"I was doing the course because of an upcoming placement in China. Before commencing the course I thought I might learn enough to ask for help or if anybody spoke English.

After completing the course I am now able to participate in conversations, order food and drinks, shop and ask for directions.

I am looking forward to using my new-learnt skills in China!

nihao alex

I have enjoyed the mini videos very much and am very much impressed with the style adopted by you to teach.

It's quite effective.

Regards

Mar 27, 2007 6:13 PM

Hello Alex,

I really enjoy your videos.

I'm currently studying at Warwick University in the UK and taking Chinese level 1 module as a part of my course.

This language is difficult and I'm not sure if it is possible to learn it 🙂

But I truly enjoyed your videos and your way of teaching, because it's fun and unconventional. Thank you.

All the best,

I was one of those people daunted by learning Chinese.

But the progressive way in which the information was presented with the use of visualisation techniques and supportive help made the process really fun and achievable.

My main concern was if this course was going to be easy for me to do without someone who speaks Chinese to tell me if I am speaking with the right tones and pitches.

I found that the course is very clearly spoken so it makes it easy to listen to. The thing I like most about the course is you keep it fun to do

Three other benefits would be;
1: easy to follow directions
2: Its now on my ipod so it goes everywhere with ease
3: The clear and precise instructions

I have recommended this course to other people already

Thankyou for the gifts in the DVD and CD package...

Your happy student,

How did I feel after going through ChinaSpeak Method course? I loved it! The approach to the sessions was very well suited to my learning style. I was able to retain the sounds well as a result of the visualisation technique. I liked that it was all online and could be completed at our own pace. I liked the relaxation component as well! 3 other benefits of this course would be:

1. Better acquisition of the language
2. Ability to access it overseas
3. It is convenient being online

Yes, I would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn the language orally!

I viewed your practice lesson teaching us 3 words (the Nihao video) and was convinced you were the teacher I wanted. After buying your course, I can speak Chinese!

I absorbed the lessons very quickly. I rarely played them twice, your teaching method of word association worked amazingly well for me. I also found what a nice guy you are, your personal note and trinket in the package made it that much more personal and special.

I also found how much my Chinese friends loved me being able to speak a bit! I liked everything in the course to be honest, I was sad to be out of lessons!

Specifically I have to again say the way you associate an English word to a Chinese word. No-one else that I have met does that. It was really enjoyable, I have never enjoyed language studies as I never related to the material. You speak slowly, clearly and give us a chance to repeat with you. Really helped to absorb. You teach really practical things, it was all applicable and put to use right away.

I absolutely would recommend ChinaSpeak. It made learning Chinese so much fun I wanted to keep learning. I saw so much progress in myself and my Chinese friends agreed!

ChinaSpeak is by far the best language system I have ever seen, and I have tried many!

I would love to see more course packages added, my thirst for learning is far from quenched. After completing my course I did not know where to turn for additional instruction.

Xiexie,

Dear Alex

I just wanted to drop you a quick note to thank you for taking the time to come and give the Virgin Team a very useful hour of your time.

It was easily the most useful hour I have spent with anyone This week. Your teaching methods are innovative and importantly very Practical.

Right from outset we were able to construct simple sentences that will be immediately useful in our business dealings in China.

I look forward to continuing the sessions and also to receiving the audio CD’s to refresh each lesson.

After getting the course, it was exactly the product you said it was and what I was looking for.

I liked the visual way in which you present the breakdown and linking of the words.

It is presented in a simple fashion and that makes it easier to remember things.

Cheers Ian.

Nihao Alex, I am very good, thank you.

At the beginning my speaking muscles were finding it a challenge to wrap my tongue around the words, but with practice, that too is improving. Compared with other ‘European’ languages, I am finding Chinese far more interesting!

Yes, I am enjoying making my way through the video series. So far, I worked through upto segment 11. As I learn to listen more closely, I find it easier to pick up the tones associated with each word. At first I was barely aware of them, but as time goes on it becomes easier.

On some occasions I have gone looking for the pinyin spelling to help wrap my mind around the word.

Thank you for the offer of a phone call, I’d like that as I make my way towards the end of the series.

So far in the time I have had your videos; I have learnt more than I did in a 3 week trip to Gansu province in China!

Zaijian,

November 2004

I will be traveling to China in two months time and thought it would be a good idea to learn some of the language to help me get by.

I got in touch with Alex from ChinaSpeak, who gave me a demonstration on how he teaches with no paper and no pens. I first thought it was a little unusual to learn this way but a week after his free demonstration I still remembered everything he had taught me.

I have now taken 2 lessons and I am already saying full sentences. I feel confident that with a few more lessons I will have no problems traveling through China speaking and understanding Chinese.

I found Alex to be a very good teacher, more like talking to an old friend. I feel very relaxed while he teaches and find that he brings a playful element to teaching, which helps me learn.

Alex’s training is first-rate. I highly recommend him to anybody interested in learning Chinese.

Wo xihuan ChinaSpeak!

(I like ChinaSpeak!

See how much I know!

I found the practical application useful.

I think I would find some vocab sheets more of a help for remembering - because when you have the word written, it can clarify maybe pronunciation - with - oral technique.

Otherwise it was fun + interesting + helpful.

I still can't believe how much I've learnt after not that many lessons.

After the first one, I was already speaking sentences.

Alex makes it very easy to learn Chinese. He's such an enthusiastic teacher and made the lessons very enjoyable.

The stories are unforgettable and really help me remember the words.

Thank you so much for your help!

Apr 8, 2007 9:06 PM

Nihao alex,

I just wanted to thank you so far, it is extremely easy and fun to learn!

Thanks Again Alex!

Hi Alex,

Yes, I have received all the audios and videos… thanks for asking. I have started the lessons and they are great.

I have bought several Chinese language books, tapes and CD’s in the past but have made very little progress trying to learn to speak,read and write all at once.

However, with your lessons and methods, the language is actually sinking in!!!

Regards

June 2004

"I have been attending ChinaSpeak's Chinese lessons for a few months now and found he has a very unique way of teaching.

At the beginning I was not sure it was going to work because it seemed impossible for me to learn a language without reading or writing. But Alex proved the contrary.

It is very rewarding to see that at the end of every lesson, my speaking ability expands even more. I will continually attend his classes for a long time because every one of them is different and very interesting.

April 2004

"To learn a new language such as Chinese could be daunting in anyone's mind

But the way ChinaSpeak teaches you, it seems to come naturally.

I like the idea that you are not using tools such as pen and paper as a crutch but just naturally speaking with the mind and the heart.

I think it is a fun way to learn and join in with other people experiencing the same.

* Visualisations really aided memory

* Very relevant words, sentences and phrases

* Would have preferred some visual info to help (but I understand the difficulty using English characters)

* Very friendly and personable!

* Made me feel welcome and valued!

Thank you - best of luck!!!

Apr 9, 2007 5:14 AM

Nihao Alex, Foo ha quay la??

To you as well!

I really enjoy the lessons, they are helpful.

There are many Chinese people at my church and I can now talk to them a little, or at the very least humor them.

This has been a great experience.

Lessons were fun and interactive. I did not realise learning Chinese could be so easy.

Classes gave me more confidence in my abilities to converse + speak Chinese in a short space of time.

Classroom lessons were held in the afternoon after work decreasing my motivation to participate.

However besides this, everything was great!

May 2005

"I expected to learn the basics of speaking Chinese and be able to understand the basics also.

I thoroughly enjoyed the classes, particularly the light-hearted and fun nature in which the information was presented.

The CD also will be extremely beneficial after completion of the course as a reminder and was tailored to the needs of the group.

Overall, I highly recommend ChinaSpeak to anyone - for fun and knowledge.

May 2005

"I have found this experience very enjoyable. The environment was very supportive of our learning and as a group we have definitely valued each lesson.

The ChinaSpeak teaching style was excellent. I found myself remembering words and terms very easily which is fantastic.

Alex was a great instructor and very supportive of our particular circumstances which is greatly appreciated.

The CD also provides a useful resource to continue and reinforce learning whilst in China.

Thanks Alex 🙂

24 September 2007

The Chinese lessons were very useful.

I found the stories & visuals attached to the words to be very effective & made it easier & more fun to learn.

Thank you so much for your help.

My main concern about the ChinaSpeak course was its content relevance and quality…

I've gone through the course now and found it a condensed highly relevant course of good quality. I liked the method of instruction. 3 other benefits of this course would be:

1. it is quick and easy to learn
2. the presentation is done in a friendly/humorous way and
3. the material is easy to remember
   

Yes, I would recommend it. It is effective and fairly priced.

25 September 2006

"I thought learning Chinese would be difficult and quite complicated but learning with ChinaSpeak was really fun.

Learning by listening to stories made classes entertaining and I learnt and remembered words without even realising.

We also learnt some basic cultural things about the Chinese culture and this will help with our China trip.

Unforgettable experience. xiexie ><

I went into the ChinaSpeak courses thinking that it would be a little difficult to achieve some of the claims that were advertised, such as to be able to actually speak a sentence after one hour (and actually remember it for days afterwards!)

However I was greatly surprised to discover that not only did I learn Chinese at an astonishing rate, I really enjoyed myself and was able to speak confidently in Chinese quite quickly. Even months after the course finished, I can still remember whole sentences!

Alex is really an amazing teacher and I owe him so much for helping me learn this difficult language! His teaching style and methods really help students to grasp and remember many useful words and sentence patterns.

I can now speak simple sentences with my Chinese friends comfortably, and I truly look forward to learning more from ChinaSpeak courses.

Alex has really sparked a determination in me to continue trying to master this language! I want to travel to China someday to test my speaking abilities, and it is my dream job to work with languages.

Thank you Alex for starting me along the path to learning Chinese!

Advice to readers: Just relax and feel comfortable during these courses, they don’t require intense study to learn this at all – it’s a very natural learning process that is simultaneously enjoyable.

Also if you get the chance to practice your newfound skills outside of the ChinaSpeak environment, such as with friends, go for it! It’s a great way to reiterate what you have learnt…

January 2004

"There are more business opportunities in the mainland and it becomes more important to break the ice.

The Chinese just love it if you can speak some Mandarin.

I've got a little spare time to play (in between work and masters studies) so will have that working for me as well.

I've just managed to get my computer to do what I asked it to do and have had the first lesson...so cool!

When they taught us that on the tour bus it was much more difficult - great action to go with the words to help make it more concrete.

Thankyou. Can't wait for the next lesson.

Oh, my daughter was visiting and was so impressed (and giggling because I looked so silly) that she got on the computer and promptly emailed the site to herself so she may well be linking in soon. That would be so cool!

have a great day!

May 2005

I was very happy with the ChinaSpeak course.

Not only was it a lot of fun (which coincidentally is how you say '---' in Mandarin), but I was surprised by how much I progressed over the 8 hours to actually speak confidently when talking in important situations, such as ordering food and drink, asking questions and being polite.

It was overall an experience I would thoroughly recommend to anyone interested in learning basic Chinese.

24 September 2007

"I have found the ChinaSpeak videos to be extremely beneficial.

By visualising the phrases and relating them to a story or action, it really makes the concept easier to remember.

The pace of the video works well to cater for this.

I especially like the summaries at the end of each video session because this helps to reinforce what I have just learnt.

Thanks heaps Alex!

Was a lot of fun + will miss these classes.

Has inspired me to learn more about China in the future + possibly even work there for a year.

May have also helped to learn a little more about reading pronunciation of Chinese words written in English.

Thank you 🙂

December 2004

"I was very impressed with the techniques used in the demonstration lesson over the phone.

I was surprised at the ease of picking up a number of Chinese words and being able to form sentences - all within 20 minutes.

The ChinaSpeak teacher (Alex) was friendly and the lesson was very enjoyable.

Apr 19, 2007 6:07 PM
Yes thank-you Alex for checking.

I am of to Hong Kong,China and Singapore tomorrow so I thank-you for your easy course.

March 2004

"Both my partner Jade and I were very impressed with Alex’s style of training and we enjoyed his laid back, friendly demeanour.

He is good because he leaves you with a sort of flexible question/answer combination that you can use to practice with one another. Also, the fact that he left us with no written notes actually motivated us to remember the words and I was able to impress Jade’s mother a few days later with what I had learnt!

Before being too sceptical, I recommend that you at least take the opportunity to experience his lessons.

24 September 2007

"The Chinese course videos were really good.

I really liked the way you incorporated stories into learning Chinese.

You are a very helpful and energetic teacher.

The classes were really great especially considering how important it is for us to know some basic Mandarin prior to leaving for China.

My expectations re: learning were not hopeful as I have learnt other languages (Japanese, Italian, Indonesian) with minimal recall.

However Alex's enthusiasm for teaching + the helpful CDs were great, as was the insistence by Alex not to use pen + paper.

This forced me to learn!! + use my poor memory =)

Overall I feel prepared to tackle China + equipped to effectively + to politely have discourse with people while respecting their culture.

Ni Hao,Alex,

This centre is to promote the Chinese Culture on our Island. They give lessons in Chinese language.
Since I’ve been working here the Chinese offered me complimentary lessons.

But I have to stay after work and I don’t have that time. I have no time to come in the evening again after work and besides your lessons are very interesting and effective.

I like learning with you. Every day as I go in my office I look forward to opening your lessons. They are so interesting.

Thanks alot for the new Chinese words you are teaching me. I’m getting along fine thanks to you.
It’s very interesting and exciting. So keep up the good work.

Regards

Video lessons were very helpful – learning individual Mandarin words and putting them together into different sentences and contexts reinforced the words and was a lot easier than rote learning.

Using imagery helped the words stick in my mind!

MP3’s were much better than Berlitz. They went more slowly and supported the video lessons.

It was great to go to dinner – put it into context and speaking to the waiters made it more realistic.

Overall a great experience!

Nihao Alex, so sorry I haven't been in touch with you for some time.

Mal (my partner) and I started the course very keenly and were very surprised how easy and fun you made learning.

We were planning to go to China later this year, but we had a visit from my son Drew and his wife Dora (who live in Beijing) last month for 3 weeks, which was just wonderful.

I had downloaded the course onto my IPod and showed them and they were impressed with the way you had set out the course. Mal and I found the DVDs very interesting and you made it fun to learn and the different ways that you explained the differences in Chinese and English were very useful learning phrases that would be useful when travelling in China are very helpful and relevant.

I found that I was able after a while to put a couple of sentences together. I thought I was pretty clever.

Now to answer your questions: My main concern was that it would be too difficult to learn, but it wasn't.

You made it very interesting and fairly easy. I was very pleased that I had found your course on the web that you explained the way you teach people Chinese is often different from others and I found your way very good -- the way you made it fun and easy.

Other benefits about the course would be that you are able to put sentences together so that you could have a conversation with somebody.

I would definitely recommend China Speak to anybody wishing to learn Chinese as it wasn't too expensive and your way of teaching is excellent.

Apr 14, 2007 7:39 AM

Thank you very much for the lessons. They are great!

I have a passion for learning Chinese and other foreign languages, hoping to even travel to China soon to practice my skills.

I am currently studying Spanish,French,and Arabic. I am going to pursue a career with foreign languages after I graduate and go to college.

I watch CCTV at home and catch the news, learn culture, as well as veiwing the chinese lessons. I look forward to future lessons.

Xie xie =)

March 2005

"After taking part in a Chinese language lesson with Alex of ChinaSpeak, I would highly recommend his lessons to anyone who needs or wants to learn Chinese fast.

At my last place of work the managing directors were setting off to China for a business trip and spent the week before studying phrase books, all of which they didn't manage to retain. The ChinaSpeak lessons would have been far more beneficial, allowing them to communicate with their clients.

I amazed myself by actually speaking the language in the first hour with no notepaper or writing instruments.

I will definitely be recommending ChinaSpeak to any future contact that requires such a service.

May 2005

"Myself and four other colleagues were going to China for a brief study tour.

We wanted to have some training in basic Mandarin.

Alex, our ChinaSpeak teacher, was sensational - he adapted a course specifically to our needs and provided a CD for us to continue learning after our course.

His style of teaching is both very enjoyable and productive. I recommend their courses to anyone!

Thanks Alex - it was great !

I felt confident and went ahead with my buy. I downloaded the program and found it gave me confidence that I could learn. One thing I liked was the ease and relaxed nature of your program.

1. The videos were helpful

2. also the travel portion i downloaded to my phone and

3. the step by step instructions keep me at ease

I have recommended ChinaSpeak to a lot of people as I have it playing in my office and when clients come in and ask me about it so I explain how your video course actually works.

My only concern was trying to learn a language online, as I have bought various courses online in the past which didn’t turn out to be successful for myself.

After getting your course, it was both easy, informative and enjoyable. It allows me to learn at my own pace and continue to have ongoing support by yourself. It was also simple at an enjoyable pace and flexible.

And yes, I already have recommended course to my friends.

Once I completely master this course , what course do you recommend to take up in order to go to the next level?

Regards,

Apr 11, 2007 8:33 PM

"Nihao Alex,

Thank you very much for calling me.

The (TravelSpeak) program is fantastic.

I wonder how can I proceed from this level?

I would be very interested to know if some more advanced material is available and how.

Thanks again for a wonderful program.

23 May 2006

* Really liked the use of visualisation.

* Alex is very friendly and approachable.

* The CD's we got were very useful in assisting

our learning.

Thank you 🙂

Nihao Alex,

Nihao ma? Wa hun hao!

I haven’t had a lot of extra time to learn all of the greetings from the 1st modules, but what I have learned, I remember.

My Chinese students smile at my efforts. Yesterday, one of my bilingual kids asked me where I am learning Chinese. He is not shy. He said he will help me with my greetings. I really am pleased that I am learning.

Thank you for the bonus video–I watched it this morning and will practice. You are a good teacher!

In sincerity,

After going through Alex's ChinaSpeak course, I found it was very easy to follow and my chinese friends say my pronunciation is very good. How Alex describes the way of trying to remember the mandarin word by using an english story. ie: german girl, chocolate train, a beach of fun etc I have found it very beneficial to improve my pronunciation and remember words, for example if i get stuck on a word I remember Alex's tale in relation to the word and it comes back to me. Your stories are entertaining Alex and I think you are a funny guy which makes it easier to learn. Xie Xie ni

Sir

Really your teaching is so easy I can learn very fast without pen and paper

Thanking u

However after the first class, with Alex using a very clever + innovative way of teaching (ie telling the stories), I knew that learning Chinese would not be such a challenge.

The classes were really fun + dynamic + energising.

I enjoyed the ChinaSpeak classes a lot and I think Alex is a great teacher + very encouraging + helpful.

The lessons greatly exceeded my expectations.

When I first encountered ChinaSpeak I was a bit sceptical…
but now that I have fully experienced it for a number of weeks I recommend it to anyone who wants to speak Mandarin. The 3 key things that make this different from other courses are:
+ Friendly intimate style - the class sizes are small so you get to develop a real rapport with him, who can adjust to your personality and focus on you as an individual
+ Improved learning retention - with the individual attention and the focus on getting key content right during each lesson, my retention of what has been taught is much higher than my experience through community college courses
+ Flexibility - Working in a managerial position means I cannot always stick to a schedule as much as I would like to. With Alex, there is greater flexibility to fit things into my schedule and therefore ensure I can relax and learn rather than worrying about what is happening at work
If you want to try something that works, you should give Alex a go.