Speaking with a partner means having a real conversation with another person in the target language. It can be a tutor, a language exchange partner, a friend, a family member, or anyone willing to talk.
We gave it the clunky name "Speaking with Partner" to differenciate from Speaking Alone and cover all the bases for different kinds of conversations/language sessions. But it means conversation.
Why Conversation Matters
Conversation is the ultimate test of your language ability — it requires listening comprehension, vocabulary retrieval, grammar under time pressure, pronunciation, and social awareness all at once. It's also the most rewarding part of language learning for most people, because it's real communication.
You can practice speaking alone (through monologuing or reading aloud), but conversation adds the element of unpredictability. You can't rehearse what the other person will say, which forces your brain to process and produce language in real-time.
Finding Partners
- Paid tutors: Platforms like iTalki, Preply, or Verbling connect you with professional tutors. This is the most structured option and ideal for getting feedback.
- Language exchange: Apps like Tandem, HelloTalk, or conversation exchange websites match you with native speakers who are learning your language.
- Friends and family: If you know native speakers, just start talking to them.
- AI chatbots: Increasingly good for practice, especially when no human is available. They're patient, always available, and don't judge. But they're not a full replacement for real human interaction.
Tips
- Ask questions. Especially when you're a beginner at speaking, letting the other person talk more gives you time to listen and think. Questions also make the conversation more interesting for both of you.
- Don't pretend you understood. If you missed something, ask them to repeat or rephrase. This is a learning opportunity, not a failure.
- Don't ask everyone to correct your mistakes. Most people aren't good at this and find it awkward. If you want correction, hire a tutor for that. In casual conversation, focus on communicating. Live conversations also aren't the best place to apply corrections anyway.
- Don't expect to be understood perfectly. You have a foreign accent and make mistakes. That's fine. If someone doesn't understand you, try again with different words. You'll smooth out the issues with practice.
- Frequency matters more than duration. Three 30-minute conversations per week is better than one 90-minute session.
When to Start
Full conversation practice begins in Phase 4B. Before that, crosstalk lets you practice the comprehension side of conversation without the pressure of speaking.
