Hi friends, hope we’re all keeping well!
Being a geek for language learning, I’ve naturally tried improving my speaking skills by reaching out to natives a good few times already. While it may be awkward at first, I’ve found that a good language partner, who you 100% have chemistry with, is absolutely invaluable. I’ve felt more confident speaking my target language (German), corrected many mistakes when speaking it, as well as just learned a hell of a lot more. And while some language exchange partners might’ve lasted a few days, or even just a single session, I still consider it a good experience for trying to speak the language more!
So in this post, I want to just go over the platforms I used to find language exchange partners, and recommend some to you all!
1. Reddit
The first ideal place to look is the subreddit for your target language. For German learners, it’s just r/German. For Japanese learners, it’s r/LearnJapanese. Here, you’ll find many like-minded people also eager to practice your target language, so finding a language partner, study buddy, or even someone to just hold you accountable won’t be difficult.
The next best place would be r/Language_Exchange. The way the subreddit works is quite good, in that people make posts where they include what languages they can offer to teach/speak, and also what languages they’re seeking to learn. If you speak the language they’re looking for (and have compatible interests), while also looking to practice the language they’re offering, then you might’ve found a match! It’s as simple as messaging the original poster and seeing if you guys are a match! Of course, you can also make your own post introducing yourself, saying what languages you’re offering and seeking, and see if other people message you. A lot of people on there are also seeking to practice their English, so finding partners there was also quite easy!
2. Tandem
Not going to lie, I haven’t used this platform as much as I would like to, but I can still definitely see the potential it has.
Basically, anyone who signs up for a Tandem account must complete a rigorous questionnaire, in which questions about why you’re learning a language, your hobbies, ideal conversation topics, and ideal Tandem partner are asked. I think you’re then screened by people who review your application, before you’re actually allowed to join the platform.
It’s a pretty cool review process, but I have seen posts on Reddit, where people complain it’s more like a dating website and people only approach them to flirt 🙃
Once again though, I haven’t been too active on the site so I can neither confirm nor deny these claims. I’m thinking of trying it out more during the summer, and making a proper review posts about it afterwards. We’ll see!
And yeah, those are the language exchange platforms I used to find a partner. It’s honestly super cool, finding and speaking with a person potentially living on the other side of the planet, all through the shared interest of wanting to learn a new language. I highly recommend anyone interested in language learning to give language exchanges a try at least!
Rebellious 
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