Language Exchanges: How to Find Them And What To Do In Them

Language exchanges are a great, free way of practising English, and also helping someone else at the same time. The basic idea is to find someone interested in learning a language you can already speak, and in return they can teach you a language you want to speak...

Find Language Exchanges Near You:

There are some language exchanges which are advertised only in cafes and public billboards, most of them are publicised online, and a quick search of the following website will normally help you find at least one in your area:

1. www.meetup.com 
2. www.couchsurfing.com (account needed)
3. Facebook.com groups - search for 'Language Exchange MyTownName', 'intercambio MyTownName', or 'language swap MyTownName'
4. Find a private language exchange. If you'd rather just meet one person to swap languages, try asking friends and family if they know anyone interested in learning a language you speak in return for English - or post an advert online, or in a local university or cafe.
5. If everything else fails - set up your own! ​That's what we did 5 years ago, and we still have over 40 people attending each week - contact us if you'd like some advice!

Online Language Exchanges

If you are happier staying at home and using video call software such as Skype (or maybe there are no language exchanges near you), try these sites:

1. www.mylanguageexchange.com/ 
2. www.italki.com/

Language Exchange Techniques

1. Group language exchanges are a great start, but finding a 1-1 language exchange partner will give you a lot more speaking time
2. Don't be afraid to go to language exchanges with specific English language questions (write down any grammar queries you have for example)
3. In a 1-1 setting, it can be useful to agree to split the time - 30 minutes in English and 30 minutes in the other language, for example
4. Try to relax, this is a great opportunity to practise speaking, and make mistakes with someone who knows how hard it is to learn another language!