English speaking lesson · Learning & Leisure
A language exchange
You're meeting a language exchange partner for the first time, over coffee. You practise it as a real conversation, at whichever of the four levels fits you — the room and the steps stay the same, only the words get harder.
A café with your partner · you talk to the exchange partner
Free plan: 10 messages a day. No card needed.
What you have to do
Introduce yourself, agree which languages you're each practising, set a format, and arrange the next meeting. You finish the lesson by getting there in conversation — not by answering questions about it. Nothing is corrected while you talk; the corrections are collected and handed to you at the end.
How it opens
Hi! You must be my exchange partner — lovely to meet you!
Spoken aloud by the tutor playing the exchange partner.
The 5 steps that finish it
A step clears when you say the thing that clears it. The steps are identical at all four levels — only the example line fades, and at Natural there is none at all.
- 01
Say hello
Say hello and introduce yourself.
“Hello, I'm Sam!”
- 02
Agree the languages
Say which language you're learning, and which you can help with.
“I want to learn Spanish, and I can help with English.”
- 03
Say your level
Say what level you're at.
“I speak a little Spanish.”
- 04
Agree a format
Say how you'd like to split the time.
“Half and half — one hour?”
- 05
Arrange the next meeting
Say when you'd like to meet again.
“Next week, same time?”
The words, at all four levels
The same room and the same steps, four vocabularies. These are the words the lesson listens for and scores you on — with what each one means and how it sounds when you are talking to the exchange partner.
Starter
A1 – A2Simple, everyday words with a full hint on every step.
- hello
- a friendly greeting
- “Hello, I'm Sam.”
- learn
- to gain a new skill or knowledge
- “I want to learn Spanish.”
- Spanish
- the language of Spain
- “I want to learn Spanish.”
- English
- the language we're speaking
- “I can help with English.”
- help
- to give useful support
- “I can help with English.”
- little
- a small amount
- “I speak a little.”
- speak
- to talk in a language
- “I speak a little Spanish.”
- half
- one of two equal parts
- “Half and half?”
- hour
- sixty minutes
- “One hour each week.”
- week
- seven days
- “Next week?”
Conversational
A2 – B1Common words at a natural pace, with hints to lean on.
- exchange
- each helping the other in turn
- “This is my first exchange.”
- practising
- doing something repeatedly to improve
- “I'm practising Spanish.”
- native
- speaking a language from birth
- “I'm a native English speaker.”
- intermediate
- having some but not extensive ability
- “I'm roughly intermediate.”
- confident
- sure of yourself and your ability
- “I'm not very confident yet.”
- split
- to divide something between two
- “Should we split the time?”
- swap
- to change over between two things
- “We could swap halfway.”
- correct
- to fix a mistake someone makes
- “Please correct my mistakes.”
- arrange
- to plan and set up something
- “Let's arrange the next one.”
- weekly
- happening once a week
- “Weekly would be great.”
Confident
B1 – B2Richer, more specific words, with only light hints.
- fluency
- the ability to speak smoothly and easily
- “I'm working on fluency.”
- conversational
- able to hold everyday conversations
- “I'm conversational in Spanish.”
- reciprocal
- given and received equally
- “It's a reciprocal arrangement.”
- structured
- planned in an organised way
- “Something structured would help.”
- feedback
- comments to help you improve
- “I'd welcome honest feedback.”
- pronunciation
- the way words are spoken
- “My pronunciation needs work.”
- alternate
- to take turns between two things
- “We could alternate each week.”
- consistency
- doing something regularly over time
- “Consistency matters most.”
- sorted
- arranged and settled
- “That's sorted, thanks.”
- appreciate
- to be grateful for
- “I'd appreciate that.”
Natural
B2 – C1Advanced, idiomatic words — no hints at all.
- rusty
- out of practice
- “My Spanish is rusty.”
- immersion
- learning by being surrounded by a language
- “Nothing beats immersion.”
- tongue-tied
- unable to speak from nervousness
- “I go tongue-tied sometimes.”
- pick
- to learn gradually (informal) — 'pick up'
- “I pick things up quickly.”
- nudge
- a gentle prompt or correction
- “Give me a nudge if I stall.”
- alternate
- to take turns between two things
- “Shall we alternate weeks?”
- cadence
- a regular rhythm of meetings
- “A weekly cadence suits me.”
- obliged
- grateful for a favour
- “Much obliged, thank you.”
- sorted
- dealt with and settled
- “Great, that's sorted.”
- cheers
- informal thanks
- “Cheers, see you next week.”
More Learning & Leisure lessons
- At the library
- Buying event tickets
- A museum visit
- Joining a class
- Joining a hobby group
- Joining a sports club
- A group project