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 20+ lessons I think with Elaine by now and while I still have far to go, I think I have improved in comparison to when we started last September. We mostly just talk about whatever comes about that day. I get to use words and grammar I've learned and also learn new vocabulary and sentence structure. I also learn which words/sentences are too formal (book learning vs real life talk), besides other nuances. I think I get a good balance of listening to hear speak, my listening comprehension, and me speaking. I also like having the running doc + flashcards system that she uses. Each lesson is always fun and time goes by fast.

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. 😊

Thank you Elaine! That was a challenging lesson!

I love her lessons! I have learned so much already. She explains really well.