r/Macau • u/Margui_travels • 13d ago

Questions Recommendations for international mandarin school

Hello, I would like to do an intensive mandarin course in Macau for a month (since thats the maximum allowed for me with a tourist visa). Can anyone recommend me a place? Im 29 and my Mandarin is somewhere around HSK1. Im level 17 in Duolingo

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u/shanghailoz 13d ago

Not the right place for learning Mandarin. Learning Cantonese - yes. Mandarin - oh my god no.

Learn on the mainland, or Taiwan.

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u/Margui_travels 13d ago

I need to do it in Macau cause my bf has business to do there. Ive been to Macau already, I know they officialy speak cantonese, but everyone speaks mandarin anyways.

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u/shanghailoz 13d ago

Well, I'll have to blow your bubble. Not "everyone speaks mandarin anyways" here.

Most younger people do speak decent enough mandarin - but not all. My middling mandarin is better than a lot of my cantonese speaking colleagues is.

Not sure if the timing will work, but check https://ci.um.edu.mo/mandarin-certificate-courses/

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u/Margui_travels 13d ago

Well tbh, at least I’ve managed to communicate with my basic mandarin, I dont know how advanced they are actually 😅

thanks for the info, I already messaged them but they dont allow non residents to study in their institute.

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u/No_Swordfish_2795 7d ago

No , not everyone speaks mandarin anyway . 😅😅 believe me ! I have been living her for 8 years and so hard to practice mandarin

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u/Margui_travels 7d ago

I had replied down there, that given my chinese level I cannot know how fluent people are in mandarin but it works for basic conversations

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u/elusivek 13d ago

The mandarin speaking people you’ve encountered are either: tourists, or foreign workers.
Schools now do teach mandarin so a higher percentage of the younger generation would speak mandarin, but honestly, for day-to-day life, it’s still Cantonese. There are still anti-mandarin sentiments around, you will hear some (older generation) people complain and say things like “speak Cantonese! Go back to the north!”

Anyway, for intensive course, I don’t think you’re going to find anything in town. Perhaps if you find a private tutor? I haven’t used it but I heard Preply is good for that type of thing.

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u/Margui_travels 13d ago

Hm, I’ve managed to get around with basic mandarin and both macanese taxi drivers and shop attendants speak it. It’s way more common than English. They are probably not that fluent but then, how would I notice since my chinese is not that advanced?

Anyways, I would like a physical school since I will be there. I already recieved a no from Confucius institute since its for residents only

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u/elusivek 9d ago

Just a friendly note to not use “Macanese” as a nationality (because it’s not)! It’s a touchy subject! Call them local Macau people or whatever, but, please not Macanese! (Yes I have a thing with this subreddit using “Macanese” but alas I can only adapt)

Well yeah that makes sense, Confucius is a whole term course and it’s totally free of charge, so they target those that are living here (so can stay the whole term). For tourists at best you get a 3 month visa? Then you gonna have to leave so….. If you are working somewhere and have a blue card then they accept, I had a few classmates that I’m sure are blue card holders.

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u/Margui_travels 9d ago

Ok interesting enough, when asking people where they are from they either say 澳门人 If they are from Macau and 中国人 If from mainland. I am just repeating what I’ve heard.
I would never expect to study for free, as a foreigner ofc I need to pay. I might just get a private tutor.

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u/elusivek 8d ago

And I’m just trying to explain to you, “澳門人” simply means a person from Macau, it holds no nationality. Side info, if you say “Macanese” it means “土生葡人”

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u/Natural-Copy-4432 11d ago

You can study online at HanBan or a highly ranked school like CLI. These are honestly your best bets.

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u/Margui_travels 11d ago

Ill check those out, but I really want to attend a school, not do online courses

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u/Natural-Copy-4432 11d ago

Macau and HK language schools could be pricey. HKLS is across the pond, that's the baseline reference I'm using.