Guide to Find a Language / Conversation Exchange Partner

Language Exchange is, basically, a unique and easy way for two people to learn another language by exchanging their native language. The conversation exchange partners can meet online and communicate through text, video or audio call; they can also meet in real life and do the conversation exchange face-to-face. Every place is convenient for the language exchange! Be it a restaurant, coffee shop, library or anywhere else, two people can speak in two different languages and learn another language in a fun way.

In the recent years, online conversation exchange has become very popular. A specific platform connects them and they interact through video chats like Skype or Webchat or they talk on the phone. Each one of the learners is speaking their native language to the other person and, that way, both of the participants are listening their conversation partner speak the language they are trying to learn. That way, it gets easier for them.

For example, the native language of one conversation exchange partner is Spanish and they connect to their partner whose native language is English. They both speak their native languages in the conversation and, at the same time, they are learning their second language by listening to it.

Conversation exchange is very beneficial for learners because it gives them a unique way to find their language exchange partner. It is extremely good for practice; it keeps the users entertained and consistent, helps conversation exchange partners with pronunciation, creates new friendships, expands the knowledge of other cultures and on top of everything, it is free!

However, in order to find a conversation exchange partner, you must do the whole process correctly.

Follow These Tips with Your Language Exchange Partner

Learn some basics of the language you are trying to learn. We recommend building up your vocabulary and learning at least 300 to 600 words of common use that you can use in the first conversation.

If you learn the basics only in theory, you might have a hard time understanding your language exchange partner. For that reason, access some audio learning programs, such as Audio Tape. You can also download apps of this kind, you can find many of them on the online store. Focus on the pronunciation of the words and you will have a better, clearer conversation with your language exchange partner afterward.

We recommend you to take some classes or your private tutor before trying out the language exchange. The level of your second language should be pre-intermediate to intermediate once you connect to your language exchange partner. He/she is not your teacher but also a learner like you. Rather than correcting your pronunciation or struggling to understand you, your conversation exchange partner will also want to learn and expect you to already know the basics of the second language. On the other hand, your private tutor or teacher will patiently teach you all you need to know before taking the second language practice.

How To Get The Level Of Your Second Language To Intermediate

If you are determinate to learn your second language, you must make an effort to learn some basics first. Remember that you should have a command over at least 300 to 600 commonly used words so you can start searching for your language exchange partner. You should know how to pronounce and understand these words so find a language learning program or tool that suits you the most. It could be Flashcard, Audio Tape, some app from Google or Apple Store or some videos from YouTube.

After you built up your vocabulary to a decent level, take some classes of your second language. You can either find some group classes in your area or hire a private teacher/tutor. If you don't know where to find any of those, look up online or check the yellow page to see if there are any classes in your surroundings.

In case you cannot find the class you need near you or you have any other reason why you cannot take these classes, you can also find a private teacher or tutor online.

You might have never used online private tutoring before so we suggest you to check out livelingua.com. They will help you find a teacher or tutor that will help you reach the required level of your second language. This website offers a free trial; you can keep trying to find a new teacher until you find the one that you feel most comfortable with. After you find the convenient teacher, you can start scheduling your lessons. Most of the teachers are using Skype for online lessons.


Another amazing website you can use to find a private tutor is italki.com. This website features thousands of teacher that work full-time on ltalki.com. Just create an account on this platform, login and start searching!
This website has extensive searching options. There are many parameters you can modify according to your needs. You can input the language you are trying to learn, languages your teacher speaks, the country of your teacher, etc. You can even find teachers within your exact budget. The teachers have their own reviews that you can use to get a better image of them. Once you find one that seems adequate to you, proceed to booking your lesson!
Before you schedule the lesson, you will need to deposit some money into your italki.com account. Then, you can confirm your lesson reservation and wait for the teacher's response. They usually get back to you within 24 hours. In their response, they will ask you basic questions that will help them design the ideal program for you. Teachers mostly use Skype for lessons on this website too. You can also download the italki.com app and make the communication between you and your teacher easier.

Another website that can help you find a private tutor is preply.com. On preply.com, you should submit the details of your requirements directly through the site. You can also navigate through the search results and find the convenient tutor for you. You should not share any private, contact information until depositing the money for your first lesson. You must pay the initial amount for your lesson beforehand and then you can proceed to the online tutoring with the tutor you chose.

We suggest you to spend around 100 hours learning the second language with your teacher or tutor and then proceed to find a conversation exchange partner.

How and Where to Look for English and other Language Exchange Partner?

Once you are confident enough to connect with people that speak your second language fluently, you can get to the most interesting part finding a language exchange partner! You might even get surprised by seeing that many people around are also willing to do the language exchange.

Here are some examples way to find language exchange partner

Example 1: In case you are a student with English as a native language and you are trying to learn Spanish, there is a great chance that you can find your language exchange partner in your school! You can look around, get informed through your friends and connect with people whose native language is Spanish and they are trying to get better at English. Connect to those students, help them with their English and learn Spanish! This is a great option because you will definitely make a new friend and also have a second language exchange.

Example 2: If English is your native language but you want to start learning Mandarin Chinese, you can do some research and connect with people from China in your area! You could find the activities of their community within your city and get involved in them. That way, you will have a chance to upgrade the level of your second language and also make new friends to talk about the interesting Chinese culture.

Example 3: There are surely many migrants that speak the language you are trying to learn. It would be amazing to connect with them and get your conversation exchange partner within this area! Especially if the migrants have recently arrive to your place; they won't speak perfect English and you will need to put more effort into learning their language as well. This step could benefit you in so many ways and would surely make your new language exchange partner very happy to work with you! It could even turn out into a great friendship. There are so many activities you could do with a migrant friend. Starting with helping them with basic things and showing them your city. You could take them to the store, show them how to drive, and in return, you will get gratitude, a friend and learn a new language!

Those were only some examples but there are countless ways to find conversation exchange partner. All you need to do is be creative and think about the best ways to connect to people who speak other languages.

What happens if you can't find any local or face-to-face conversation exchange partner?

In that case, it is time to look online for your conversation exchange partner! There are many websites that you could use to find the person that can help you learn a new language through a conversation exchange. These are our top picks:

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Speaky.com - Language exchange community
Popular language exchange platform with its own app that you can use to find conversation exchange partners. You can login with your Facebook or Google+ accounts and learn anytime and everywhere. You don't have to use Skype for the conversation exchange because you can make audio and video calls from your browser.
Most users from: Egypt, Turkey, France, Azerbaijan, India | Online since 2002

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Interpals.net - Meet the World. Make friends, travel and learn languages today!
InterPals emphasizes "pen friendship" and is very useful in teaching you how to speak but even more, how to write your second language. It focuses on old ways of helping people interact so it connects you to people from different countries that you can chat with and make new friends! Although the site does not have its own video and audio call options, you can still talk to your conversation partner via Skype or phone, after you exchange contact information.
Most users from: Japan, United States, Russia, United Kingdom, France | Online since 1999

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Polyglotclub.com - Polyglot Club - Practice languages and find friends
A free language exchange community that welcomes you to learn your second language in many ways. You can find events nearby, online conversation exchange partners, ask for corrections from native speakers, use their own video chat service and much more.
Most users from: France, India, Italy, Russia, United States | Online since 2006

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Mylanguageexchange.com - Language Exchange Online Community
Clear and precise platform that you can use to find pen pals and then eventually speak to them via Skype or phone. It also lets you find a language teacher that you could use before finding a language exchange partner.
Most users from: Poland, Japan, United States, Brazil, Russia | Online since 2000

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Conversationexchange.com - Language learning with native speakers
Effective way of finding a conversation exchange partner through their directory, based on your preferences. You can mark whether you want the system to connect you to a pen pal, a video chat conversation partner or find you a face-to-face language exchange partner.
Most users from: Italy, China, Japan, France, United States | Online since 2005

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En.language.exchange - Find partners to practice foreign languages
A friendly, free website that lets you browse long lists of conversation exchange partner that you can connect to. It has users from all countries in the world so it makes it easier for you to find the ideal partner.
Most users from: Japan, Poland, Germany, Australia, Russia

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Papora.com - Become fluent faster Speak like a native
The best place to learn Spanish language. This website uses innovative and creative methods to help people connect. It focuses on real interaction, rather than robot-oriented learning methodology.
Most users from: Mexico, Spain, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela | Online since 2012

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Easylanguageexchange.com - Conversation exchange with natives
User-friendly, free platform that understands the importance of good connection between exchange partners. It helps people connect through their online community and proceed to their conversation exchange.
Most users from: Egypt, Russia, Vietnam, Senegal, Morocco | Online since 2012

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Coeffee.com - Friendly Language Learning Community
Unique language exchange platform with games as the main characteristic of their learning methodology. It helps people learn a second language in a fun way; by playing word games and building phrases.
Most users from: Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Laos, Algeria | Online since 2011.

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After you find your language exchange partner, here are some tips for your conversation exchange:

Do not speak your native language too fast. Keep in mind that your conversation partner also needs to learn your language and cannot understand you everything. Speak clearly, precisely and do not use slang or complex words.

Be patient. You cannot learn everything from the first conversation but learning just a little bit and listening to the language you are trying to learn is more beneficial than you think!

Find interesting topics for the conversation exchange. You could talk about any subject. Be it food, home country, movies, music, sport, travel or anything else. Additionally, you can even bring some newspaper and read it to your conversation exchange partner.

Do not hold yourself back or be shy. Remember that both of you are participating in the conversation exchange because you want to learn so use that time wisely.

Good luck!