The TANDEM method opens up a whole new way of learning. As opposed to traditional language lessons, the accent is placed on verbal communication.
Two persons with different languages form a TANDEM and teach each other their language. The two participants are both learners and teachers.
Speak to me in your language and I'll teach you mine
Anyone who wishes to improve his or her linguistic skills. The only criteria are:
You should agree upon how often you meet and the length of each TANDEM. After a period of at least a semester, you should decide together if you want to continue, suspend or end TANDEM learning. Forum du bilinguisme/Forum fur die Zweisprachigkeit advises weekly meetings of one hour or fortnightly meetings of 90 minutes.
For face to face meetings, there are many places available: in cafés, in parks, by the lake, in the canteen of your place of work or education, at a restaurant in your lunch break, while taking a walk, or at one another’s homes. Varying the meeting place can stimulate your conversation, allowing you to share your interests and hobbies with your TANDEM partner.
With virtual meetings, there is no need to find a common location: all you need do is agree with your TANDEM partner which videoconferencing tool you want to use (Teams, Zoom, Facetime, etc.).
Start by getting to know each other. Tell each other about your family, your hobbies, your work, your studies, etc. Then you can exchange and discuss opinions and views (articles, films, reports, etc.), have technical discussions (exchange of experiences, specific vocabulary), be creative (describe photos), learn expressions about your partner's language, role-play, …
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