Hi there!
This is Mirari, from Mosalingua.
Have you ever dreamed of meeting native speakers in your own city?
Unfortunately, our daily life doesn't always allow us to pack our bags and leave in search
of adventures anytime we want to practice a foreign language.
In this video, you will discover how to meet and practice with native speakers
in your own city.
Before we get started, I want to remind you that we have many interesting videos about
languages on our channel.
If you are watching this video on Facebook, Instagram or any other social network,
be sure to “Like” this video and follow us.
As we’ve said in previous videos, at MosaLingua we firmly believe that speaking foreign languages
is essential to making progress.
Traditionally, people have focused too much on theory and too little on real interactions
with real people.
For that reason, you really need to find people to practice with.
And since you cannot always travel abroad for true linguistic immersion, you need to
create your own immersion experience.
So, how can you meet and practice with native speakers in your city?
If you want to meet foreign people in your
city, there are some “hotspots” where it will be easier for you to find them.
All of these places might not exist in your city, but if there’s at least one, you should
be able to find a lot of people with whom you can practice a foreign language.
Let's have a look at some of them!
Language schools for adults are a good place
to meet people who are interested in practicing your native language as well.
Students often post ads in search of language exchanges or hang out on campus or in the
neighborhood around the school.
You can also pop in and talk to the school director or manager, who might be able to
introduce you to someone who speaks your target language.
Nowadays, there are language schools and centers for nearly every language.
The best known are Cambridge University for English, Institut Français for French, Instituto
Cervantes for Spanish or Pushkin Institute for Russian, among others.
Hostels are similar to hotels, but they are usually
occupied by foreign travelers who want to mingle with people
from the place they’re visiting.
If you drop by, you will surely find people willing to meet you and speak to you in their
language, which is great for two reasons: 1) you can practice your target language, and
2) you can also have interesting cultural exchanges.
If you live in a place where people usually
work out or play sports or participate in other outdoor activities, like surfing or mountain
hiking, parks and other sports fields are usually a good place to find foreigners.
People who participate in team sports are often open to meeting new people and might
be excited to find someone who wants to chat in their native language.
Some of them may even be looking for a flat or apartment, and this can be a great opportunity
for you to meet native speakers and even become roommates with them!
The busiest tourist areas of your city are
places where you'll surely find people who speak other languages.
Don’t be shy! If you hear someone speaking your target language, just ask them
if they need directions.
In exchange, you can give them some recommendations for other lesser-known places
to visit in your city.
The Couchsurfing project aims to connect travelers looking for free accommodation and those who
want to meet new people by offering them a place to sleep.
This free website has had a real success.
It has more than 9 million users worldwide!
But if you don't like the idea of hosting people you don't know in your home, or don’t
have a spare bed or couch, there is another solution for you: just set your status to
"Share a coffee or a drink" and meet up with new people in your city for an hour or two.
Believe it or not, almost the entire planet
is registered on Facebook.
Of course, its search engine is not specific to language exchanges, but you can still use
it to meet people who speak other languages.
If you type "English Speakers Madrid," for example, you will find a group of English-speaking
people who live in Madrid.
Often, these groups organize parties and all kinds of events,
and they are happy to welcome new faces!
With Meetup, you just have to enter your interests
and the name of your city to find other people interested in the same things as you. In this
case, we are interested in languages!
For example, you will discover that in Seville there is a group of 200 people who
want to practice English and get together every week.
Polyglot Club is another community that promotes
language exchanges online and offline.
Their slogan is clear: "Learn languages and make friends!"
To meet new people, you just have to click on "Find friends" and specify the language
that interests you.
Well, that's all for today.
I really hope that you enjoyed this video.
Take a look around our channel because we have videos covering
other aspects of this topic.
Take care and happy learning!
See you soon! Bye!
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See you next time!