Language exchange sign-up
People say what they speak and what they're learning, and you pair them at tables before they arrive.
What's inside
Everyone lists the languages they speak and the one they're learning; picking another language asks which one, so rarer pairs are found too.
- 1Your name
- 2Languages you speak wellEnglishSpanishPortugueseFrenchGermanAnother language
- 3Language you're learningEnglishSpanishPortugueseFrenchGermanAnother language
- 4Which language are you learning?Only if “Language you're learning” is Another language
- 5Your level in itBeginnerI can hold a conversationAdvanced
- 6Topics you'd enjoy talking about
- 7Instagram or phone, to keep in touch with your partner
Pairing partners at the tables
Share the link a week before each meetup, in expat groups, on university boards and at the café itself. Keep it open until the afternoon of the night.
Pair in both directions. A Spanish speaker learning English sits with an English speaker learning Spanish, and they switch languages halfway through.
Levels decide the table. Seat beginners with patient advanced speakers, and group conversational learners in threes when the numbers don't split evenly.
Topics give the first minutes a start: football, cooking, films. Write each pair's shared topic on a card at their table.
Language exchange questions
What if the languages don't balance?
More people usually want to learn English than to teach it. Make tables of three or four with one strong speaker, and switch languages every 15 minutes. Check the counts the day before. If one language is short, ask regulars who speak it to bring a friend, or post in a local group for native speakers of that language.
Can people learn more than one language?
The form asks for one, so the pairing stays clear. People learning two can sign up with their main one and mention the other under topics. Pair them on their main language first. If a table has a spare speaker of their second language, move them there for the last half hour. Learners can switch their main language from week to week.
Can I add more languages?
Yes. Add them to the speak list and the learning list picks them up too, since both questions share the same options. Look at the Another language answers after the first few meetups. Any language that shows up three times or more deserves its own option, so those learners find each other without typing it in.
- Creator meetup RSVPCreators share their handle and niche, and you pair people who should meet before they arrive.
- Craft night sign-upCrafters say what they're making and which nights they'll come, so you set the room right.
- Speed dating sign-upSingles sign up for the right round, and each side caps itself so every round stays balanced.
- Workshop registrationTake sign-ups for a class with sessions, experience levels and access needs, in one short form.
- Reunion RSVPCollect replies for a class or family reunion and an up-to-date contact list at the same time.
- Supper club sign-upGuests book one of twelve chairs and say what they don't eat, until the table is full.
- Family reunion registrationEach household registers everyone coming, with a shirt size per person for the reunion order.
- Find a date pollEveryone ticks the dates that work, and the date with the most ticks wins.
- Carpool sign-upDrivers offer free seats and riders say where they start, so nobody's left at the station.
- See all
