Elaine

Elaine has been my teacher for close to two years and after taking lessons with her, all of which are completely enjoyable, I am happy to say that I've passed my HSK6 with a good score (above 200 points). This is a huge contrast to when she first met me when I had great difficulty articulating the simplest of phrases in Chinese. I've also have been an italki regular and I can say with certainty that her teaching skills surpasses anyone I have met on italki. 1) One of her greatest strengths is that Elaine is able to understand and communicate the subtleties of the Mandarin language which is very useful when you are studying advanced Chinese. For instance, the term 懊恼 and 烦恼 both translate to "annoyed" but she is able to tell you why their usage is drastically different. Such differences are often not spelt out in dictionaries and she brings forth a sorely needed teaching experience where she situates the term in real life contexts to aid learning better. am exceeding word limit

Elaine is an open minded and cosmopolitan young woman, who is a real pleasure to chat with. Tonight we talked about some differences in Australian and Chinese culture and our respective compatriots priorities in life. I really enjoy the insights she gives me into the minds of Chinese people, and I enjoy sharing aspects of my own country's culture and politics with her. She skillfully adjusts here vocab and grammar to a level suitable for me, while still challenging me and helping me expand my abilities.

I've had Elaine for my conversational 老师 since around September. While I don't think I am very good at speaking at my level still, I feel more confident speaking in general—which was my goal of getting an iTalki tutor. Elaine is very good at just going with the flow and using whatever sentences/topic/story that came out of my mouth during the first minute of class to be used for that days's lesson. Despite the casualness of our lessons, I always leave the lesson with a bit more confidence and knowledge of the language. Elaine is extremely good with grammar/structure and explaining how to the same word for different meanings/sentences. I look forward to continue learning with Elaine in 2026 and thanks for being a great and patient teacher!

Hi Elaine! Wow, 50 lessons! I have had so much fun!!! I am surprised and delighted by how much I have learned. It is amazing to me that I can speak Mandarin. I am looking forward to the next 50 lessons! Thank you for everything! You are an amazing teacher. 😊

Elaine's lesson was well presented and the material was appropriate. She was very patient and creative with her approach. If you are English speaking and want to learn Chinese, I highly recommend Elaine. She has a bright and energetic personality, and her English is very good.

Thank you, Elaine, for a wonderful year of learning!! I am eagerly looking forward to next year!!