Inhaltspezifische Aktionen

Useful Advice for Tandem Language Learning

Things you should discuss before you start:


Talk about your aims:

  • What are your personal aims for the language?
    • To gain some speaking-practice?
    • Do you want to prepare for a year abroad or a language-test?
  • What are my partner’s aims? Do they match my aims?

 Corrections:

  • How do we deal with mistakes?
    • Do we correct every mistake or only serious/grave mistakes?

 Find topics you can talk about:

  • At the beginning: talk about yourself, your personal interests, your hometown…
  • search for topics you can talk about: a newspaper article, a book, current events…There are many different possibilities.

How do we talk?

  • Try to divide the time you have for both languages evenly
  • Try not to switch from one language into the other in the middle of a sentence
  • You won’t be able to have an answer to all the questions your partner asks; you are not a teacher

Some more tips:

  • Try to take notes
  • Write down the new words you learned from your partner
    • It is good to see some “results” so you continue being motivated
  • Try to meet regularly. Practice makes perfect  :)