Nearly Fluent
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Speak the language. In person.

Free to join
and use

Your language partner is closer than you think. Find people in Surrey and London who speak your target language and want to learn yours. Then meet up and practise together.

or

Free, 18+, no password needed.

How it works

  1. Add your languagesWhat you speak, what you are learning, and when you are free.
  2. Find a good fitPeople nearby who speak what you are learning, best fits first.
  3. Say hello, then meetIf they say yes, you chat in the app. Then agree where to meet.

Three ways to practise

  • 💬 Chat online

    Say hello, then chat in the app with voice notes and gentle corrections. A relaxed way to start.

  • ☕ Meet up one to one

    Pick a time and a café right from your chat. Half an hour in each language, face to face.

  • 🪑 Join or host a table

    A few people at a café practising together. Book a place, or host your own in a minute.

Mix and match. All free.

Not another texting app.

Most language apps keep you messaging strangers on the other side of the world. Nearly Fluent gets you to a café down the road. Free, no ads, and no paywall to message anyone.

  • Real people, nearby

    Matched by town across Surrey and London, so you meet face to face, not just on a screen.

  • Best fits first

    People who speak what you are learning and are learning what you speak, plus shared interests and free times.

  • Safety built in

    Public places only, a free photo check, meet-ups both people confirmed, money-scam warnings, and report and block.

  • You choose who you meet

    Everyone, women only or men only. Both of you have to fit, so nobody sees someone who did not choose them.

  • Practise before you meet

    Chat, voice notes and gentle corrections, then plan a time and place right from the chat.

  • Levels you earn in real life

    Polly grows from an egg to Nearly Fluent as you meet up, host tables and help others.

Example screens with made-up members.

Guildford Babel is now Nearly Fluent.

Bringing language lovers together in Guildford pubs and cafés since 2016. Same community, new name, now with a free app.

  • A Guildford Babel evening: a group around a pub table, holding flags of the languages they speak
  • People laughing and chatting at the bar at a Guildford Babel evening
  • Flags of Brazil, Italy and more on a table at a Guildford Babel evening
  • Members talking in small groups, drinks in hand, at a Guildford Babel evening
  • People chatting across tables with flags at a busy Guildford Babel evening
  • Table flags and a Guildford Babel Language Exchange sign on a pub table
  • A busy pub room full of people at a Guildford Babel evening

Prefer a group?

Language tables are an optional extra. A few people meet at a set place and time to practise set languages. Book a place, or host your own.

  1. Pick a table below.
  2. Sign in with your email: we send a link, no password.
  3. Book your place, and we remind you the day before.
Sat 24 Oct, 10:30Italian and English coffee morningMarciano Lounge, Woking🇪🇸🇫🇷🇸🇦 Spanish, French, Arabic3 of 6 places left
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Start with any of these

Near you: Guildford · Addlestone · Ash · Ashford · Banstead · Camberley · Caterham · Chertsey · Cobham · Cranleigh · Dorking · Egham · Epsom · Esher · Ewell · Farnham · Frimley · Godalming · Haslemere · Horley · Leatherhead · Oxted · Redhill · Reigate · Staines-upon-Thames · Sunbury-on-Thames · Walton-on-Thames · Weybridge · Woking

Now in London too: pick your borough when you join.

Want Nearly Fluent near you?

Open now in Surrey and London. Elsewhere in the UK? Tap your county to vote for it. Nearly Fluent is free.

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Free. Unsubscribe any time.

Questions

Something else on your mind? Ask us

Is it free?

Yes. Joining, finding a partner and saying hello are all free.

How do I meet someone?

Say hello from their profile. If they accept, you chat in the app. Then agree a time and a public place, such as a café. Half an hour in each language works well.

Do I need to be good at the language?

No. Beginners are welcome. You choose your level for each language, and people help each other.

What is a language table?

An optional extra. A few people meet at a set time and place to practise set languages. Any member can host one. Others book a place.

Is it safe?

Nearly Fluent is 18+ and everyone agrees to our Terms and guidelines. First meet-ups are in public places. Members can do a free photo check. You can see how many people someone has met in person. We warn you if anyone asks for money. Report and Block are always one tap away. We only ever show your town, never your address.

Can I choose who I meet?

Yes. Pick everyone, women only or men only. It works both ways: you only see people who would also like to meet you. Language tables stay open to everyone.

How do we talk before meeting?

Once someone accepts your hello you can chat in the app and send voice notes. You can gently correct each other too. When you are ready, plan a time and a public place from the chat.

I am not in Surrey or London. Can I join?

Not yet. We are open in Surrey and London first. Elsewhere in the UK, pick your county on the map below. We will open there once enough people ask.

Your next conversation is down the road.

Join free