5 Ways to practise Language with Native Speakers
Regular practice with native speakers is a key for mastering a language. And the main challenge here is to find opportunities to meet native speakers. Here are my top-5 ways to find somebody to practise English or another language with.
#1 Rule
Many people think that finding a native speaker to practise is an easy task. Reach out to a few native speakers on social media, introduce yourself, and they will be happy to help. However, the days of pen friends and language learning buddies from the other part of the world have passed. Nowadays, people are too busy with their own lives to fit in hours of chatting with strangers for their sole benefit.
To make it work today, you need to offer some value to the native speaker. Try to think of what you can give and approach them with your offering rather than asking them for assistance and help straight away. Some ideas of what you can offer in exchange you can find below.
Speaking Clubs and Meetups
The most obvious way to find native speakers to practice your English with is to join a special speaking club. They can be either free of charge or paid, held as a study session, as a discussion on a specific topic, or as a meeting of friends where people chat about the latest news over a cup of coffee. Search if there is a speaking club near you or join online sessions — the greatest benefit is an opportunity to talk to native speakers even if you live in a small town.
A great way to find informal speaking clubs is to look for multicultural meetups. The website meetup.com and its local versions were designed to help people connect with other locals with similar interests and arrange activities or clubs together.
Language practice groups are often the most active clubs. You say which language you are learning and would like to practise and which is your native language. Then, you find other people who have the opposite pair of languages: they natively speak the language you study and learn your mother-tongue. At the meetup, you will be able to help each other and practise speaking in both languages so it will be beneficial for both of you.
In big cities, there are even more specific groups for those who study a particular language pair, e.g. a Spanish and English group in London. At this meetup, you will meet British people who are learning Spanish and Spanish, Mexicans and Latino Americans who learn English.
Often, these meetings are held regularly. So, you can practise a language with native speakers on a regular basis and make new friends from all over the world.
Online Forums and Discussions
Another interesting way to find native speakers to practise a language with is to follow your passions and start online conversations on the topic of your interest. Any online-forum or themed platform may work.
The biggest English-speaking community can be found on Reddit. On this website, you can find sub-forums for any topic of your interest from fan clubs of different films, TV-shows, books, and musicians to communities of immigrants from different countries, students and graduates from different universities, etc. You can read posts, comment on them and start discussions or conversations.
The community section under each online-course at Skillshare works similarly. Practice your listening skills while watching the course video. Then, chat with other students, ask questions, share opinions, and discuss what you’ve just learned.
Also, you can start discussions in the comment sections on social media, e.g. on YouTube or Instagram. If you follow a couple of foreign bloggers, comment on their videos below and invite other viewers to join you in conversation. On my YouTube channel Linguamarina, I have very engaged and friendly followers. Many of them learn English and enjoy every opportunity to practise it.
And do not forget about Facebook. The biggest social media network so far, it is very popular in many English-speaking countries. You can find here themed communities and pages and engage other users in conversations.
Foreign Tourists
If you live in a big city or a popular touristic place, working or volunteering in the tourism sector can be a great way to meet foreigners and practise a language with them. When I was a teenager, I lived in Saint Petersburg. I used to go to the museums and look for the people who seemed lost. As there was little or no signage in English in museums, foreign tourists often felt confused there. I approached them and offered help in English. Usually, they were happy to ask me everything and provided me with a great opportunity to practise my English.
Furthermore, there was a volunteer tour guiding club in my city, where you could become a guide for foreign tourists. Check out if there are similar clubs or tourist centres in your city. Also, look at online platforms where tourists look for local guides all over the world, such as withlocals.com.
Another way to meet tourists in your city is to work in a souvenir shop or hotel. Then, speaking with tourists in English will be part of your daily work. You will be able to practice with Brits, Americans, Australians, and so many other different native speakers. It should not necessarily become your main job but can be a good idea for part-time work for students or a summer job.
Volunteer at International Events
If you are lucky to live in a big city, look out for international events and conferences. For instance, the Olympic Games, international sports competitions, business forums, fashion weeks, film festivals, etc. These events last just a few days and many foreigners visited them. Organizers of such events always look for volunteers and assistants to help during the event.
You can sign up for such an event and ask specifically to work with foreigners, this way ensuring that you will get a chance to practise your English. Furthermore, you will have a chance to see an interesting event and get another line for your CV.
Language Courses Abroad
Another simple way to practise a language with native speakers is to go for a language course abroad. You will dive into the language environment and get a chance to learn from native-speaking tutors in class and then practise your language skills with native speakers in shops, restaurants, museums, etc.
To get more practice and find new friends from all over the world, choose a student residence or shared student flat as an accommodation type. This way, you will be surrounded by foreigners 24/7 during the trip.
At LinguaTrip.com, we offer language courses abroad for 12 different languages from English, French, and Spanish to Thai, Czech, and Russian. We only work with reputable schools, publish honest reviews from our students, and secure the best prices for you. Furthermore, we often have special discounts and seasonal offers on certain schools and destinations. Sign up for a consultation to find the most suitable option.
Summary
If you want to practise a language with native speakers, think of the value you can offer them in return first. Try to become a tour guide or volunteer at international events and conferences. Find other people who learn languages on meetup.com and try starting the conversations on topics of your interest online. And the most obvious way: head to study a language abroad. Practise a language with native speakers 24/7 in a language environment. All these will help you sound like a native and quickly boost your listening and speaking skills.
