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. It's good to ask for only 10 minutes of their time, so as not to be an imposition to them. Most Hispanics will happily give 10 minutes a week to someone learning their language.  

​Sometimes your conversation partner might only be able to speak with you by phone, Skype or online chat. This works as well, but the best is face-to-face communication, because you pick up lots of contextual clues and learn cultural mannerisms as well. ​ 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
Conversation partner resources in the Vancouver, Washington area:
  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.

Online Conversation Partners
You can also find conversation partners online in other countries using websites dedicated to language learning. THESE SITES ARE ONLY TO BE ACCESSED WITH PARENTAL APPROVAL. PLEASE REMEMBER TO NEVER SHARE PERSONAL INFORMATION WITH PEOPLE YOU MEET ONLINE. You are welcome to try any of the sites listed below to see which works best for you.

Online Conversation Pairing Services
  • italki.com/  ​(Italki is free when selecting: "Community/Find Language Partners.")