Conversation topics for a language exchange

The hardest part of a language exchange is often the first five minutes. Here are topics and questions that keep things moving.

Easy starters (beginners)

• Your name, where you live and where you are from.
• Food: "What is your favourite dish?"
• Weekends: "What do you usually do on Saturdays?"
• Family and pets, at a level you are comfortable with.
• Hobbies and sport.

A bit further (intermediate)

• Travel: places you have been and want to go.
• Work or study: what you do and what you like about it.
• Films, series and music.
• Differences between your country and the UK.

Going deeper (confident speakers)

• Plans and dreams: "Where do you see yourself in five years?"
• Opinions, politely: a news story, a book, a place.
• Language itself: words you love, words that do not translate, how you learned.

Question starters that work in any language

"What is your favourite...?", "Have you ever...?", "What do you think about...?", "How do you say this?"

When the conversation dries up

Ask the other person to teach you three words on a topic: food, the weather, the office. Then use them.

Tips

• Prepare two or three things about yourself before you go.
• Ask follow-up questions. They carry a conversation.
• Say whether you want to be corrected.

For phrases in specific languages, we are preparing guides that a native speaker will check. Meanwhile, see how a language exchange evening works.

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