Parejas para Conversar
Conversation partners

Finding Conversation Buddies​

A typical testimony about the homework assignment of talking with a native speaker:

​Your most important weekly homework assignment is talking with a fluent Spanish speaker. ​The best conversation partners are ones you can meet with face-to-face each week, but you can also talk by phone or Zoom. Texting or emailing does not count. Most Hispanics will happily talk with someone learning their language.  

If, some week, your speaking partner is unable to talk with you before the Homework Sheet is due on Sunday at Noon, turn in the Homework Sheet on time, anyway. Do not wait to turn in your HW Sheet, and take the lower grade.

You can make-up this assignment later by meeting with your partner for a longer period of time, or by having make-up meetings with your partner in later weeks. 
​
​Here are some places to find face-to-face conversation partners:
  • ​​​Relatives or friends of friends
  • Hispanic churches
  • Local ministries to the Hispanic community, such as Pregnancy Resource Centers​
  • Soccer teams
  • Public libraries, which often have bilingual conversation groups, or even ask for the librarian who speaks Spanish
  • Local Hispanic stores and restaurants​
  • Non-Hispanic stores, like Walmart
Online Conversation Partners
You can also find conversation partners online using websites dedicated to language-learning, like those listed below. THESE SITES ARE ONLY TO BE ACCESSED WITH PARENTAL APPROVAL. PLEASE REMEMBER TO NEVER SHARE PERSONAL INFORMATION WITH PEOPLE YOU MEET ONLINE. You may try any of the sites to see which works best for you.
  • The HelloTalk app will pair you with a Spanish speaker who wants to learn English. When you start the phone call, the app will have a 5-minute timer to practice English and then a 5-minute timer to practice Spanish. If you do this option, I recommend doing some research on SpanishDict.com to make yourself a bank of helpful phrases to refer to if you get stuck in the conversation. Another tip: skip the chat option in the app; that´s a time-waster. Just initiate a spoken conversation :)
  • Italki ​(Italki is free when selecting: "Community/Find Language Partners.")
Local conversation resources in Vancouver, Washington:
  1. Taqueria Market Portland is the market/restaurant that she said is a great place to make Spanish conversation.  Address: 11505 NE 4th Plain Rd, Vancouver, WA 98662
  2. Portland Mercado is a Mexican/Latin American food court they told me about in Portland. Unique foods from many different Latin American cultures. Address: 7238 SE Foster Rd. Portland, Oregon 97206. The majority of the little restaurants are open Weds to Sun or so I'm told.
  3. Wednesday evening Spanish conversation group at the Salmon Creek library location. The Salmon Creek location is the best for language learners in Vancouver apparently. It has all levels of Spanish learners, while the Cascade Park conversation circle is geared more towards advanced adult learners and it occurs at the same time as the Spanish 2 class in Vancouver.