Where to find an interlocutor. - Five reasons to make new friends. How to find friends for yourself
Search for interlocutors on italki
One of the most important opportunities that the Internet provides for learning foreign languages is the ability to communicate with foreigners. Speaking practice is especially important. To learn to speak a foreign language, it is not enough just to know the words, you need to practice communication. In this review, I will talk about sites and applications where you will find partners for the practice of a foreign language (not just English).
Note: this is a general overview of sites for language practice, I have already written about the sites mentioned before, so I add links to more detailed reviews to the short reviews.
1.
User profile on italki If your level already allows you to communicate at least a little in English, be sure to try to complete at least one such lesson - the effect of conversational activities is very noticeable.
2. HelloLingo
The quickest and easiest way to find your interlocutor is on Hellolingo Attention: unfortunately HelloLingo is slated to close on May 18, 2019... I'll leave this mini-review here in case the service recovers.
In 2015, to the great disappointment of users, the popular language site sharedtalk.com was closed, where it was easy to find someone to chat with in a foreign language. Fortunately, the project has recently been reborn, becoming even better, now it is called HelloLingo.
This site is convenient for quick communication: I went in for a while, chatted with a random interlocutor, left. Here you can find foreigners for longer communication. You can communicate in text and voice chat, while if you want to switch to voice communication, you first need to write in text mode - you cannot immediately call.
The site has an interesting feature - you cannot put a profile photo here. The developers did this to avoid turning a language practice site into a dating site. The problem with many language communities is that there are many who want to flirt with beautiful foreign women. This is discouraged on Hellolingo!
3. Speaky
Speaky has more social design than HelloLingo Language social network Speaky(formerly called Gospeaky) is fine if HelloLingo's design and social features seem overly simplistic to you. Here you can add a photo to your profile, and there is also a convenient filtering function for native speakers and non-native speakers. In addition, Speaky has a mobile version (application), which, however, does not shine with particularly rich functionality.
When this site first appeared, in 2015, it was possible to communicate in text and voice chat, now the voice chat has been removed - apparently due to the fact that many still preferred to exchange contacts and talk on the more convenient Skype.
An interesting feature of the text chat is the ability to correct messages. Ask your interlocutor to correct mistakes, and he will be able to edit your remarks in the chat: the correct option will be highlighted in green, and the wrong one - in red.
4. Interpals
Interpals has very detailed settings for people search and blacklist On Interpals they often complain about the abundance of all kinds of spammers, fakes and “harassers”. Here, unlike HelloTalk, they do not try to get rid of those who like to flirt, you can even search for users with the “Flirting” filter - hence the abundance of the corresponding audience. But still, this old language site, which has been working since 1998, is inhabited by quite a few and quite conscientious language lovers.
If you are overwhelmed by annoying users, there are incredibly advanced blacklist settings at your service, where you can block people of a certain gender, age and place of residence.
5. Tandem
The review is called “6 sites for communicating with foreigners”, but Tandem- this is not a website, but an application for the practice of languages, that is, there is no PC version. Unlike HelloLingo, which tries to look as much as possible NOT like a social network, the Tandem application, on the contrary, looks like a dating site with photos, profiles, interests, etc. However, this community is not encouraged to communicate not for the purpose of language practice.
Tandem is positioned as an application for finding 1) tutors, 2) partners for communication in foreign languages. It is really convenient to find interlocutors, due to the fact that users post a lot of information about themselves (interests, level, goals, etc.) and even leave feedback about each other. As for tutors, I see no reason to look for them on Tandem - the choice is still small, the prices, on the contrary, are rather big, and it is less convenient to study languages via video communication on a phone than on a PC.
6. HelloTalk
HelloTalk- this is also an application, not a site, it has a web version, but with very limited capabilities. If you only want to communicate with foreigners using the help, then HelloTalk is a great option.
But as an application, HelloTalk is much better than the same Speaky: it has everything you may need: text correction (as in Speaky), sending photos, voice messages, convenient user search.
You can learn more about HelloTalk from or from this video.
Can you practice without a conversation partner?
It is impossible to practice communication without an interlocutor, because what kind of communication can there be without the participation of a second person? However, it is still possible to develop the skill of speaking alone (although this is NOT the same as practicing with a living person), I talked about this in more detail in this video:
Conclusion
If you are serious about speaking practice, I recommend that you study with tutors and take “conversation” lessons from them. In my experience, this is the most effective way. Yes, you will spend money (very small compared to the courses), but you will not spend a lot of time looking for interlocutors in free language social networks, in which scammers, spammers, fakes, or worried.
Friends! I am often asked, but I am not in tutoring now. If you need a teacher, I recommend this wonderful site ... Here you will find a teacher, native speaker😛 or non-native speaker, for any occasion and pocket😄 I myself have taken more than 100 lessons there, I recommend you try it too!
Hot topics. It is quite difficult to find an interlocutor in the modern world, but if you know some secrets, then nothing will be impossible. While at parties, you can easily get any person talking by starting a conversation on some topical topic, he himself will not understand how he will get involved in a conversation, during which he should ask more questions and listen carefully to the interlocutor, nodding his head in the affirmative.
Public places. When thinking about how to find an interlocutor of interests, you should go to public places, for example, to a museum or an exhibition, where you can meet many people and find common topics for conversation. And after the exhibition, you can exchange phone numbers and continue communication on topics of interest to both. And if the interlocutor invites you home to see his collection, then all the more you do not need to refuse, so real friendship will grow out of mutual hobby.
Social activity. Knowing how to get the interlocutor to talk, you can grab his attention and have an interesting time, but first you need to meet him. Social activities will help in this, you can sign up as a volunteer in any charitable organization, there you can find many people, among whom there are like-minded people. In addition, it will be very easy to get them to talk, since there will be plenty of topics for conversation.
Debate club. Many people think about how to be an interesting conversationalist, but for this you need to constantly communicate with people and increase your erudition. This issue can be solved easily enough if you join a debate club. There you can talk a lot and find interesting interlocutors who will be happy to discuss popular topics. In the debate club it will be possible to find out how to win over the interlocutor, then it will certainly be impossible to be left without a company of friends. The knowledge gained during such verbal battles will help you become not only an interesting and erudite person, but also the soul of any company.
Listening skills. In a conversation, it is important that only be able to speak interestingly and beautifully, but also listen to your opponent, otherwise it will be very difficult to find an interlocutor. This is why it is so important to know how to listen to the interlocutor and not interrupt him in mid-sentence. The ideal option when conducting a conversation would be 60% to listen and only 40% to speak, then you can be seen as an intelligent person and a good interlocutor. To find an interlocutor with your interests, you should constantly improve your erudition, be aware of the latest news and certainly be able to listen to your opponent.
Many girls and boys ask themselves the question: "How to find a suitable interlocutor for communication?" If in the regions of Russia this problem is not so acute, then in megalopolises and big cities there is such a problem. This problem may not be if you live and study and work - all in one place and city. But often a person grows up in one city, studies in another, and already lives in a third. Such a frequent change of residence does not allow - to acquire true friends and a good environment, but you always want to talk and communicate.
In order to find a suitable interlocutor for communication, you need to start leading a more active lifestyle:
- become more open;
- be more polite;
Need to create traffic
What does it mean? Traffic is a flow of people that you can encounter every day, if these are rude people in a whole day - and so every day, then one idea will develop and it will be difficult to meet or start a conversation - everyone is tired there either go to work or after work home, the exception may be during the day. But still - you need to create traffic of people with whom you will "collide" (looks, communication) in a more relaxed atmosphere. For example, to communicate, people go to Gorky Park, or to, or to a special chat.I think the main goal is clear - you need to be where the situation and the situation is conducive to communication, acquaintance, etc.
Slowly is a unique service for finding penpals. The authors of the application deliberately abandoned instant messaging in order to bring back the romance of communication through letters. You find an interlocutor with similar interests, write him a message in several paragraphs, attach a stamp and send. Delivery time depends on how far away the addressee is from you - it can be either a couple of hours or a day. You can also send photos, but their number is limited, and the delivery speed also depends on the distance.
Social network for communication with foreigners and daily lessons on various topics. To become a member of the community, you need to transfer $ 5 monthly to the project account. But there is also a seven-day free subscription for beginners. The site has chats, forums and blogs for communication in the selected language.
Convenient service and application for learning a foreign language. To use it, you only need a device with a camera and the Internet. Here you can find both professional teachers and native speakers offering informal tutoring. Each user can be both a student and a teacher. More than 10 thousand tutors are available, and tuition is paid per lesson.
A resource for finding friends, penpals and even travel companions around the world. You can select interlocutors in specific countries, communicate on forums, chat or via private messages. The site is free, and tens of thousands of users from all over the world are registered on it.
On this site you can find a partner for face-to-face or remote communication through private messages or chats. When searching, you should indicate the language that you want to learn and the one that you will teach the interlocutor, as well as what applications you would like to use.
More than 100 thousand people from 56 countries use Easy Language Exchange to find interlocutors who speak different languages. You can chat with the community in the open forum or just with selected people using private messages. In addition, this resource contains many self-paced courses.
7. Speaky
Speaky is a free social network with just two elements: a profile list and a chat window. When filling out a profile, you choose which languages you know and which you would like to learn, and the service itself selects the best candidates. You can communicate with both native speakers and those who are just learning it.
A site for searching interlocutors from the American College of Dickinson. The Mixxer is primarily aimed at communicating via Skype, but also allows for simple text messaging. A useful bonus - free audio lessons on learning different languages from consulates and leading universities.
9. Language Share
A simple and convenient service for finding interlocutors. Profiles are filtered by native language, target language, gender and age. You can send messages to people you like: the service sends notifications to the mail. If you wish, you have the right to look for a partner only in a certain country.
10. Tongue Out
An ambitious project with a design and structure reminiscent of Facebook in the late 2000s. There are not only profiles, but also forums, groups, photo and video collections. You can add users as friends, participate in discussions and write messages, including through the application.
11. Tandem
Stylish mobile service for finding native speakers. Finding an interlocutor here is as easy as shelling pears: Tandem is used by millions of people. You can even enlist the help of professional teachers and sign up for a private lesson. The training takes place both through chat and through audio and video calls.
12. HelloTalk
HelloTalk is a powerful language learning and native speaker application. In the chat, you can exchange not only text messages, but also audio recordings, photos and videos. There is also an opportunity to visually correct the mistakes of the interlocutor in the correspondence.
13. HiNative
HiNative is a Q&A platform. You ask the speakers questions about their language, and they answer. You can also ask for feedback on your pronunciation and sentence construction. Holders of free accounts can listen and see answers only to their own questions, and those who bought the premium version - and to questions from other users.