I took the CLA16 class for beginners because I wanted to have a better grounding and understanding of the Chinese language, and I can’t be happier about it. The course really gives you a strong foundation for your future learning and comprehension.One of the things that I enjoyed the most about this course was having miss Junli Ma as an instructor; She was a passionate, young and well-versed person who will not only convey the technical aspects of the Chinese language, she also immersed us in the Chinese culture as a whole by sharing songs, videos and cultural experiences which enriched the learning process.The classes weren’t intimidating at all, the other students were at the same level as me, and the homework didn’t take more than an hour per week to complete (you should dedicate as much time as you can to self-studying). I recommend it one hundred percent.

I am so happy I found the Chinese Language Academy! My daughters moved to America when they were 8 and 9-years-old and although we have worked hard to keep their Mandarin, they were losing it because we are an English speaking house and they go to an English speaking school.Finding the Chinese Language Academy is the perfect solution for our girls. After only a few questions on the phone, they were able to tailor a class for the girls who are now 13 and 14-years-old. Theyve provided an extremely talented tutor who has the girls speaking and even writing their Chinese characters again. Brilliant!Also I appreciate how professional they are in their scheduling, communication, and methods. Ive recommended this language school to anyone who has lamented that their adopted children have lost their native language. With the Chinese Language Academy this vital world language is affordable and convenient!

I have recently completed the CLA 16 hour crash course, and I am glad to say that I had a great learning experience. I highly recommend this class to people who want an introduction to Chinese. My teacher, Crystal, is an incredible teacher who shares her enthusiasm with the class and challenges her students to test their skills. As a result, I felt more motivated to keep learning and studying the material discussed in class. This introduction to Chinese moves at a quick pace, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you will have a fun time. The small class size of students allowed each one of us to participate and to help one another. I am looking forward to the next class!

This was a good class. Teacher Bing is very smart and helpful, and we made a lot of progress in just four classes. You have to be ready and willing to put in some serious time outside of class to keep up with all of the material. Moving on to the next level.

Through my work I had the privilege of being trained by the Chinese Language Academy. I cant say enough about the instructors from academy that came to my work place for two months. What they conveyed to us was not just the training of a language but equally as important they opened a window into a culture, showing us how we really do have so much in common. This enabled us to convey with humility a respect for our Chinese visitors and their history. It can be daunting at first when approaching a language such as Mandarin, but what the instructors from the academy were able to do was to break it down with a simplicity making it fun to learn. They gave us many tools to work with such as work sheets, sound charts, a manual, and videos that we could easily access from home for further study. As a result, I have been successful in my verbal exchanges with our Chinese visitors enriching their time here in the United States.

I signed up for the “CLA 16” Mandarin Chinese Crash Course in West Los Angeles this February 2020. The course took place over 4 weekends, for 4 hours a day on Sunday. We got two breaks during the class. Time went by very quickly. If you miss a class, although it is not ideal, you can arrange for a make-up.I really enjoyed the class. I signed up for personal development reasons, and met others in the class who signed up for because of work, relocation, travel, study-abroad, or personal reasons, like a significant other. It was a friendly diverse group of people.I enjoyed the instructor’s teaching style. She used videos, song, games, group/partner work/activities, flip charts, PowerPoint. She did not lecture at you. The instruction and homework is practical, pragmatic, engaging, and helps you retain what you learn. The instructor, Junli, was very good and engaging. I really liked how she explained the radicals and gave tips for how to memorize or recognize characters. She is very approachable and patient.In the course we learned pinyin, and some basic grammar, vocabulary, characters, culture, and more. We learned to count, express dates, states of being, want, ask questions, food, directions, location, transportation, how to count to 1000, etc. We learned how to introduce yourselves and to use the pinyin keyboard to type in our electronic devices. If you are taking a vacation to a Mandarin-speaking country, you will definitely learn enough to get by.The course went over a lot of content. There is homework, but it is very manageable. I finished it by using some of my lunch time at work. There is required homework and optional homework. You definitely get more out of the class if you put more effort in and do all the optional homework too, but even if you only do the required homework you will learn a lot. In class we review the homework answers, and each class starts with a review---so even if you didn’t do your homework, you won’t be lost in the next class. I think the class was designed with the student in-mind---for a full-time working adult, this class was very manageable.I am very glad that I signed up for this class. I was trying to learn Mandarin on my own just for fun using free mobile and went to a few Mandarin language meetups, but I was at a loss with where to start with some things. I highly recommend the course if you want an introductory foundation to Mandarin. It’s a good course to start before signing up for a regular Mandarin course because you get the basic foundation and it will help you in the next level course.

I took the 16 hour crash course and got a lot out of it! The course moved quickly but I really felt like I was learning the material. The crash course focuses on pinyin and characters, so we got a good introduction to both speaking and reading. The teachers also try to add more context by covering things like culture and geography.

My job has me working with China regularly, so I needed a solid intro to the language. The Crash Course was intense and fantastic. Gave me a real foundation to understand the language, its approach, and cultural context. I feel much more comfortable already and plan to continue on to the other levels of classes they offer.

I took the 16 hour class here and was pleasantly surprised at how much of Mandarin I could understand in 4 weeks. The staff is courteous, professional and engaging. The teachers make sure that you understand the finer cultural nuances in the language along with the grammar and syntax of it. In general , this has been a great experience.

Great way to get an intro into speaking and writing Chinese. I learned many common phrases and characters in the 6 week crash course. Ms. Sarah Liu is a wonderful teacher who makes the learning process fun and is very helpful in answering all questions. I cant wait to continue taking more classes!

Junli was our instructor for the 16 hour crash course. She was terrific! She was organized and enthusiastic. She was very responsive to any follow up questions asked outside of class. I thought 4 hour classes might be tough to sit through each week, but the time flew by, and I was never bored. Junli kept the class on track, and the class (about 8 students) moved through a lot of material (the tones, reading pinyin, chinese simple characters, food, transportation, family members, numbers, dates, etc.). She also recorded herself reciting the various in-class dialogs and phrases which was very helpful for review and practice outside of class. I had no prior experience with learning the Mandarin language. (Personally I find the hearing and saying the tones correctly to be the most difficult part of learning Mandarin.) This class was good for anyone wanting a high level intro to learning Mandarin or to decide whether to continue learning Mandarin in more depth. I look forward to taking the CLA standard class series to buckle down and really learn the language.

I took my first beginner class with Miss Bing. She is really nice and passionate about teaching the students.I have taken Chinese courses a long time ago, and this class helped me refresh my memory about what I have learned before. I am struggling a lot with the pronunciation, so I still have a lot to learn.This course is really great for those who want to learn Chinese. Remember though, this is an intensive class. You still want to spare couple hours of your time throughout the week to study yourself, do your homework. Miss Bing gave us homework every week and it really helped to review what weve learned in the previous class.I really recommend this course :) I am looking forward to take the next level course here.

I took the Introductory class and was surprised at how much I learned in such a short amount of time. The method of teaching and philosophy of learning are communicated to the students, which helps us understand the demands of successfully grasping a new language, especially a non-Latin based language such as Chinese. The introductory course is fast paced, intense, and fun. I feel that new parts of my brain have woken up, which is the norm when learning new languages. Im looking forward to taking the elementary A and B courses and continuing onwards.

After taking the CL16 class, I am able to read around 120 characters which is very exciting! I just have 6000 more to go :-) Seriously, Im surprised at how many things I can already say in Mandarin. My teachers are very friendly, upbeat and patient and it s a pleasure to learn with them. Im looking forward to taking the next level course. 再见！

You cant ask for a better place to learn Chinese. Whether you are learning for business or pleasure, CLA is a great place to learn. I am not naturally good at learning languages and their professors were able to create an environment where I didnt feel stupid. I look forward to the next level class. If you want to be able to communicate with a BILLION more people, then this is the place for you.

Excellent experience! The classes are small and the curriculum is well planned. The teachers are excellent; ruly the strongest attribute of this program. They are attentive and knowledgeable and devote themselves to ensuring you have a positive and productive experience. I highly recommend this school.

I signed up for the 4 week (16 hours) crash course learning Chinese, and I can say its a very good introduction for learning the language. After the first lesson I had a headache of all the information my brain had to process, because i was starting from scratch and was getting a bit nervous I was never gonna learn this. Now after the 4 weeks have passed Im way more confident that im able to (one day) learn speaking the language. Sarah is a very good Lao-Shī, a lot of patience and will give you the confidence and motivation to show you when you made progress.Its a illusion to think you will manage to speak the language after the 16 hours, so I will def have to keep up the practise, and will def consider to apply for their follow up course.I can highly recommend this course to anybody that wants to learn the Chinese language, this course is a very good introduction, and will leave you finished with a satisfied feeling.

Our Teacher Bing made learning Mandarin fun and easy to understand, laying a great foundation to pick up and learn more in the future. I highly recommend this program!

I took the intensive 16 hour Mandarin Class and really enjoyed it. Mandarin is a difficult language to self learn, and this provided the much needed structure and basics of the language. We went over basic grammar and common phrases, but also Chinese culture at large, so it wasnt boring at all. In addition to the class room time, the instructors had office hours twice a week on Skype. My class consisted of about 10 people, all learning for a different reason. Some were for travel, others for business, and my reason was to support my child taking a Mandarin class at school.We used a pretty basic book (so it wasnt intimidating), and it was supplemented with extra material provided by the instructor. Before taking the class, I was really wondering how much I would be able to pick up in 16 hours, the answer is a lot! It certainly provided enough understanding and basics to continue successfully learning on my own. I would say the class covers the equivalent of one semester of college Mandarin.I went into the class feeling very intimidated by the language, but came out knowing that, with more practice, I could actually master it. Ysabella was a really wonderful teacher. Highly recommend this class.

I have taken two sets of classes from CLA. Its a terrific program with great teachers and a schedule that fits people who have full time jobs. The price is very reasonable for the small classes and careful attention you get. I recommend this program to anyone wanting to learn how to speak and read Chinese!

I signed up for the 16 hour crash course with some prior experience learning Mandarin from friends and on my own. I was hoping to fill in the gaps in my knowledge and straighten out some bad habits. At first I was worried that it would be too much of a review, but it was very helpful and I learned a lot!At the same time, I noticed other students with very little prior experience in Chinese, also picking it up very quickly.Sarah Liu a really good teacher with lots of helpful mnemonic devices that make the information easy to internalize. Highly Recommended for anyone wanting to improve upon their Chinese, or learn it from scratch!

I took the 16 hour beginning level crash course and it was great! Sarah is an amazing teacher- I am so happy I found this school in DTLA. I am definitely going to continue to the next level!!If you are looking into learning chinese, this is the place!! :-)Update** Currently the school is in Wells Fargo building on Grand Ave.

5 out of 5 . Its so hard to find good quality instruction in language (and I have a linguistic background). And the price is incredibly reasonable. Love it!

I really enjoyed taking the CLA 16 class. I feel like I learned a lot and Im considering continuing on with the next levels of the CLA program. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to learn Chinese!

I took the CLA16 class in Downtown Los Angeles taught by Ms. Liu, and found the course and the instruction to be efficient and effective. Ms. Liu and the CLA team structure the course in a manner that allows a novice to quickly learn the basics for communicating and provides a solid platform to continue to learn Chinese at more advanced levels. Additionally, CLA did a great job working with me to make up the material when I missed the first two classes. I would definitely recommend to anyone looking to start learning Chinese!

I went to a language high school in Bulgaria where I learned Spanish to a fully bilingual level, so I was pretty disappointed with the language teaching in the US when I studied French in college. Unlike that experience, the CLA surprised me with its thorough approach to teaching, by focusing on every aspect of the language, not just the conversational. Obviously you cant learn a ton in 16 hours, especially of a language as complex as Mandarin, but I do feel like I got a strong base that I can build on through higher level courses.My teacher Sarah was great and provided us with an insight not only into the language but also into the culture and ways of thinking of Chinese people.My only critique would be that the class felt rushed at times and I wish we had a few more hours to go over the cultural notes in the textbook and have more time to freely practice the vocabulary and structures we learned.Im looking forward to my next level!

I recently took the CLA Crash Course and can highly recommend it. As someone who has struggled in the past with other foreign language classes I found this programs approach to be vastly superior. In just a short time Ive developed a basic understanding of Mandarin syntax, learned rules of grammar, and have begun the process of identifying many different Mandarin words and symbols.The small class size and personal approach were both user friendly and highly effective. Additionally my teacher Sarah was made sure everyone was on the right track and kept the class very professionally managed. It also helped that everyone was there to actually learn, which contributed to a positive atmosphere.The classes are frequent and convenient, and I found ample parking every Sunday afternoon at the LA Westside location.I very much enjoyed this course and have decided to continue with CLAs program. The CLA approach is a great way to learn Mandarin.

Im currently enrolled in the CLA 16 Crash Course in Mandarin and I cant recommend the program enough. As a student, I majored in Japanese and studied at the undergraduate and graduate levels at Duke and Stanford. Ive spent many, many hours in language classes. I have to say that Ysabella is a first-rate teacher, and her program and teaching methods are on par with top university programs.She has an absolute mastery of the Chinese language, and shes designed a program that makes incredible, intensive use of the 4 hours of study per week. With the additional home study, Im pleasantly surprised at the rapid progress were making. Were quickly plowing through pronunciation, grammar, and characters. All the while, she combines the lessons with cultural insights and pointers.I love the class and am fully engaged while there, so the time flies by. The tuition is an excellent value. The attention is personal. The setting is professional. Its also great that CLA offers 4 more levels of academic study, which I cant wait to dive into. If youre considering signing up, as I was a short time ago, dont hesitate--just do it!

After seeing changes within the entertainment industry and being a frequent traveler, I decided I should probably learn Mandarin. After looking for options, CLA came up. The reviews were good and their response to my inquiry was fast. The intro class would start right away and the Sunday class worked perfectly with my schedule. It is an intensive learning class, but if you do the homework and review everything at home, it is easy to keep up. Going from nothing to being able to speak simple sentences in just a short time is unbelievable. A whole new world is opened up. I plan to continue studying in the next level to further improve my skills. Our class is lucky to have Ysabella as a teacher. She is able to teach as well as answer any questions the class has about China and Chinese culture. If youre looking to learn Mandarin, CLA is the perfect choice.

Ive been attending the Chinese Language Academy (CLA) for about a year attending their weekly class which lasts about 4 hours. I started out as a beginner (knowing very little) and have progressed to their advanced class. Im not quite fluent in Mandarin but Im getting close and feeling more confident in my speaking abilities with each new class. CLA has some really outstanding teachers. The teachers are always well prepared, they really know how to teach and make the classes interactive and enjoyable. If you want to learn Mandarin I highly recommend CLA.

I took the one month crash course CLA 16 in order to refresh myself with the foundations and basics before diving head first into the practical courses. It goes at a very fast pace since it is only four weeks, and they are mainly compressing almost a whole college semester into a month, so it speeds along. But for someone coming from a Chinese background, I enjoyed the speed and smooth atmosphere of the class. Both Ysabella and Selena were very nice and friendly. For anyone going into this, its definitely a class to get your feet wet about the Chinese culture and language, the characters are briefly touched upon, but with all the basics thrown at you, unless you had previous experience, it would be too much. Its a great intro before the more advanced courses. Interacting with Ysabella and Selena was very casual whether during or outside of class, which made everything and asking questions very approachable. I hope to continue with them as I go for the more advanced and Practical Chinese speaking courses.

Nihau! CLA is truly a gift to Los Angeles! The instructors are excellent at what they do, and are patient, kind and super intelligent. The classes are small and allow for a great deal of student attention and focus. The CLA method of training is fast, inspired and FUN! As I work in China a few times a year, I am eagerly looking forward to returning so I can put my new learnings into practice with my Chinese speaking friends. What are you waiting for? CLA is awesome! Sign up now and xie xie ni!

The CLA curriculum has been extremely helpful and efficient and I have learned more in my four week crashcourse than I did in any other language class I have taken. The teachers and directors are extremely accommodating and give you all the tools to succeed if you are willing to put time in to study after and between classes.

Their CLA 16 course is amazing! This is the best way to start learning Mandarin! Ysabella is the best Chinese teacher Ive ever had. She incorporated a variety of materials into the class which made the lessons interesting and fun. There was definitely a lot of materials to cover in this 16-hour crash course, but she made sure were not overwhelmed. If anyones looking to attend good Chinese classes and really learn Chinese, I highly recommend this place!

Chinese Language Academy (CLA) is one of the best language institutions Ive ever been too. Previously, I studied Spanish and Japanese in school and with private tutors. When I decided to take Chinese I looked around at a bunch of options for language classes. I considered various private language institutes and extension programs at colleges and universities. Ultimately, I decided on CLA for two reasons.One, it was dedicated EXCLUSIVELY to Chinese. That means that its staff and admin do not have their attention split between various language departments. Everyone at CLA is focused upon one thing - to teach you Chinese. Second, I joined because it had great reviews which, after completing their CL16 class, I can say are well earned.My CL16 teacher was Lulu. She is so patient and makes learning fun. More importantly, this immersive experience really works! Im already forming basic sentences. More incredibly , Im also reading some characters! I have to admit I had no intention of reading or writing Chinese. It seemed too different and difficult from the Roman alphabet. All I wanted was to be able to speak. I struggled with Kanji (which is modified Chinese characters) in Japanese. So I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself being able to type and read characters!Overall, an amazing experience and I look forward to continuing into the next level. Thank you CLA! :-)

Took the CLA 16 class during the weekdays, Wed/Thur 7:30pm-9:30pm for 4 weeks.Had an amazing experience and feel much better about speaking a little Mandarin now.LOCATION: Our class was located on the top floor of a law office. Seems like CLA has an arrangement with the law office to use their space when the law offices close after normal business hours. It was good to have a smaller meeting space because our class size was small.PARKING: Street parking is ample along the street, my classmates (Tóngxué) and I all parked on the street (which was no parking zone for 2am-6am, but free all other times).CLASS SIZE: We had 5 students in this class. From other reviews, seems this class doesnt really get larger than 10, but I feel lucky to have such a small and intimate class as we all got decent amounts of attention and guidance.CONTENT: Our instructor Lulu helped us learn how to read all the pinyin, and we got through the entire textbook (shū) which consisted of 125 pages. We covered many topics learning topics, including introducing ones self (Wǒ jiào _____), counting (一二三四五六七八九十) and some more advanced things like how to give/ask for directions, how to describe what you want, ordering at a restaurant, and what to say when youre shopping.Much of the course is still in pinyin and you must take 2-3 more courses with them until you get to a level without pinyin. Ive tried learning by myself (PIMSLEUR, various books and online resources) but it definitely makes it easier to have someone live coaching and guiding you.I will admit I had gone thorugh the Chinese numbers 1-10 several times before but could never get them to stick in my head. After the activity that Lulu made us do in class, all of us could easily count to 10, with great pronunciation and without looking at the book by the end of that same class.Lulu also made several jokes throughout the class that made Mandarin feel relevant and real, showing us come music videos that help us remember what she taught in class and show us the vocabulary we learned in action.The class is structured so you learn a lot in a little time, with only 1x 5 min break in each 2 hour class. Well that was enough ...sometimes we didnt even want the break since all of us were so excited to learn :) I highly recommend you try this out.

The teachers at CLA are super patient, regardless of your skill level or pace. They always manage to keep a professional, yet comfortable atmosphere where I feel I can learn the language and culture in as natural a way you can in a classroom.While regular study is absolutely necessary to keep on track when learning a language, life does reprioritize for you sometimes. Luckily, the teachers at CLA are very understanding and flexible, offering one-on-one or group makeup sessions at a schedule that works for both teacher and student. Catching up does take time, but they make it as painless as possible!Overall a great experience and I heartily recommend CLA to anyone with even a casual interest in the language or Chinese culture in general. Even if you dont plan to pursue serious study, the intro course lets you explore and learn more about the culture than you probably expect!

Over the years I have struggled on and off with learning the Chinese language but have always quit in frustration. Being of Chinese descent and not being able to speak or read the language very well has been a sore point for me personally and professionally. So this year I decided to give it another try and finding CLA has been a godsend!After doing my research, I found CLA to be the premiere Chinese language school in LA and quickly enrolled. I just finished CLA 16 Crash Course and it lives up to its glowing reviews. It was an intensive four week program and I enjoyed every minute of it. The instruction by Ysabella was masterful and extremely effective at getting you up and running with the language quickly. The amount of homework paired with outside study materials was designed with the busy professional in mind and it was just the right amount to keep me engaged between classes but not overwhelmed.The caliber of students CLA attracts is great. Ours was a class full of guys from all different work and life backgrounds but we banded together and pushed each other to learn through class participation and games. CLA has given me what I could not give myself: the confidence and belief that Chinese language mastery is actually achievable. I look forward to continuing my studies there.The other instructors Ive met have been kind and personable. They have flexible schedules and make up classes are available as well. If you have even a remote interest in learning Chinese, you owe it to yourself to at least take the intro course. I did and it has been one of the best things Ive done for my personal growth in years.

I highly recommend Chinese Language Academy CLA in Los Angeles CA. With 2 convenient locations in Downtown LA and West LA, it is easy to get to class.If you are considering learning Chinese, CLA is an exceptional place to start. CLA offers beginner up to professional level classes.For those hesitant about learning Chinese, try the beginner’s class at CLA to get some basic Chinese vocabulary that will come handy for any travel to China either business or pleasure. But the beginners class teaches you so much more, as you will also get an understanding of Chinese culture and customs.Ysabella Chen the director of CLA is a very well experienced teacher. She is dedicated to have every student succeed, but most of all to make learning Chinese fun. This level of professionalism and commitment to excellence holds true for the entire staff of CLA teachers.Go give them a call, and you will be enchanted with studying a fascinating language and culture. It happened to me.

I signed up for the CLA 16 crash course to spearhead my Chinese language studies for both professional and personal reasons. I am ethnically half Chinese but never learned Mandarin as a child, so this was my opportunity to embrace it. As an English and Spanish speaker, I was initially concerned about the difficulty of learning the tones and the characters but was pleasantly surprised at the relative grammatical simplicity and beauty of the language.The instruction provided by Ysabella at CLA was top notch and I would recommend CLA to anyone who wants to learn Chinese. While it is an accelerated program, I felt that in four weeks I was able to absorb a full college semesters worth of introductory Mandarin, and can understand and construct basic sentences. The lectures are well planned and the classes are small enough such that students receive a lot of individual instruction. The homework load was also appropriate for everyone with busy careers, and I am especially thankful for the weeknight option in lieu of weekend classes.Overall, the course kept me excited to learn Chinese and I have just signed up for the Elementary A level class to continue my path to fluency. Big thanks to CLA!

The Chinese Language Academy definitely deserves a 5 star! After a month of studying at CLA, I learned not only basic Chinese language skills, but also very interesting facts about the Chinese culture. Their intro Mandarin Chinese class really helped me to build confidence in pronunciation of the language. I found myself gaining the capability of understanding and speaking Mandarin sooner than I thought I would.My teacher at CLA was very patient and passionate. She trained us how to distinguish different tones and she corrected our pronunciation one by one. The most important part was that she made the class fun. During the breaks between classes, she even told jokes (in English of course since we did not know that many Chinese words yet. LOL)The classroom was adequate but not spectacular. The AC did not work properly sometimes but parking is easy (and most importantly FREE). All in all, I think the $$ on this class was well-spent. I would recommend the Chinese Language Academy class to anyone who wants to learn Chinese.

I have received private 1-on-1 lessons from CLA for about 6 months and I have had a great experience. My instructor is extremely knowledgeable about the Chinese language and she knows how to teach a beginner in a fun and interesting way. Within 6 months, I developed the fluency of a 2nd year college student studying Mandarin. I learned to read and write about 2000 Chinese characters and I now can converse in Mandarin with ease. CLA is also able to cater its 1-on-1 lessons to fit your individual needs. I am interested in doing business in China and thus my CLA instructor tailored her lessons to build my business vocabulary. I recommend the CLA to anyone that is interested in learning Chinese and has a desire to do business in China!

This club really helped me a lot.