Chat rooms / Language Exchange

Chat room: Language Exchange

Language exchange chat in English and French: practise with native speakers, help others learn your language and make friends, free and no sign-up.

#language-exchange is a room for people who want to practise a language by talking. Andromede is a French-speaking chat with an English section, so the main pairing is English and French: French speakers who want to improve their English meet English speakers learning French. Learners of other languages are welcome too, and you can always ask who speaks what. It is free and there is nothing to sign up for.

The simplest way is a tandem: spend some time in one language, then switch. Be honest about your level, ask people to correct you, and correct others gently. Typing gives you time to think, which makes chat an easy first step before speaking out loud. Share useful expressions, false friends ("actually" and "actuellement" do not mean the same thing) and the slang you will never find in a textbook.

Be patient with beginners and with yourself: mistakes are how you learn. Private messages are fine for a longer tandem, but ask first and accept a no. Keep personal details private; language exchange is about words, not addresses or phone numbers. The room is new, so if it is quiet, leave a message saying which languages you speak and want to learn.

Conversation starters

• Which language are you learning, and which do you speak well?
• What is a word in your language that is impossible to translate?
• What is the most embarrassing mistake you made in a foreign language?

How to join Language Exchange

Pick a nickname and open the room #language-exchange. Read the topic and the moderators' guidelines, say hello and ask a question. You can read for a while first and join in when you feel like it; there is no need to share your real name, address or phone number.

Join the room

Presence unavailable. The community is just starting and the number of people depends on the time of day.

Other rooms worth a look

• Learn French
• Expats in France
• English Chat

Chat with respect

Ask before sending someone a private message and accept it when they do not want to carry on. In the chat you can filter messages and block people. Read the rules and the help page; to report a problem, go to the contact page.