Table of Contents
- Online Conversation Practice
- Spanish Discussion Forums
- Professional Spanish Learning Materials - For Free!
Do you spend most of your Spanish study sessions alone? If so, you may have found that the hardest part of self-study is the lack of corrections or feedback. To know whether you've made a mistake, you need to either research the rules in a textbook or use interactive tools like language-learning apps.
Sometimes, though, you'll feel the need to interact with a real person! Someone who can respond in conversation, not only correcting you but explaining why you've made a mistake. While you could invest in a Spanish tutor, did you know there's a free option?
There are dozens of online communities dedicated to Spanish learning. Many are full of native Spanish speakers who want to chat for free!
Each platform works differently and has its own unique benefits. Read on for a rundown of the most popular sites.
Online Conversation Practice
Did you know Spanish is the official language of 20 countries? And it's commonly spoken in many more regions and territories. Online conversation with native speakers lets you hear accents and expressions from Spanish speakers all over the world. Here are the top communities you can join and how they work.
HelloTalk
HelloTalk is a language exchange app. For free, you can video call, voice call, or even just text native Spanish speakers. You teach them English while they teach you Spanish! You can even create Voicerooms for group conversation.
Tandem
On Tandem, you can choose to video call, voice call, or message Spanish speakers. Interestingly, though, everyone has a public profile. So you can choose not only the accent and dialect of the speaker but also someone with the same interests as you!
Speaky
Speaky is actually a social network designed around language learning. Once you've found people you want to connect with, you can talk via voice call, message, and even voice message!
My Language Exchange
One of the more structured platforms, My Language Exchange, has over 3 million members! They provide lesson plans for your online chats, so you and your partner can converse in a meaningful way. If you're less interested in conversation but still want to chat for free, this is a great option.
Spanish Discussion Forums
Online communities are also great ways to improve your reading and writing. Spanish forums are full of helpful native speakers who can correct and comment on your writing or answer tricky grammar questions. Check out the following forums to see which ones suit your needs.
Polyglot Club
Polyglot Club is a popular community for both online and in-person learning. As for reading and writing advice, its questions section invites native Spanish speakers to answer your language questions and correct your grammar. You can see the "trust points," or reputation, of those who reply, so you know the advice is reliable. Plus, they organise online and offline language exchange events!
Lawless Spanish
Lawless Spanish is a free site full of helpful language advice. Best of all, they have a Q&A forum for all your Spanish language queries. Simply post a question, whether it be about pronunciation, grammar, or something else, and wait for a Spanish speaker to answer.
WordReference Forum
While the main purpose of WordReference is an English-Spanish dictionary, they also have a very active Q&A forum. Almost every hour, new Spanish language questions are uploaded and answered by people all over the world. You can read the newest updates to see what Spanish speakers are saying, or submit your own questions.
StackExchange
StackExchange is a simple Q&A forum for Spanish language questions. Anyone can ask or answer, as well as upvote the best answers. There's also a handy search bar so you can find questions on specific words, rules, or topics.
Professional Spanish Learning Materials - For Free!
Online communities are one of the best ways to learn real-world Spanish. As we said at the outset, they're best used in addition to solo study.
Did you know there are online, interactive, professional self-study materials that are completely free to use?
Welcome to Progress with Lawless Spanish! Even though our resources are created by native Spanish teachers, many of them are available for free. All you have to do is create a free account, then our tools are yours. Learn how it works here!
