Madrid! The capital of Spain! Aren’t you so lucky to get the chance to see Europe’s third largest city and Spain’s largest! It could be difficult to orient yourself amidst all the stuff that goes in the city full of culture and always abuzz with activity! Well, we at UniSpain are here to help point you in the right direction so that you get the most out of your Spanish language studies in Madrid, Spain, while having a great time of course!
And what better way would there be to get you started? Language exchange!
Sure, Madrid is one of the best places to party in Spain, but in this way, you could learn and practice your Spanish while meeting locals and other international students alike in a relaxed social setting. A great way to imprint some memories on your Spanish learning experience in Spain!
Here are some of the top language exchange hangout spots in Madrid:
MadridBabel
Noted as the best Language exchange community in Madrid by the European Vibe Magazine, this association has been going over ten years strong and even has the approval and participation of the city itself via Madrid Visitors & Convention Bureau del Ayuntamiento de Madrid. With a mind blowing 25 000 plus members representing diverse countries all over the globe, there is never a lack of dynamic weekly international centric (free) events with healthy participation (on average around 200 attendees per event!). The atmosphere is always positive with the purpose and cultural immersion and language practice between attendees that vary between students, working professionals and even diplomats between the ages of 20-50 and the event organizers make themselves present to help facilitate conversations, link common interests and out newcomers at ease. Aside from these events, MadridBabel organizes other events of a lower-scale such as movie, sports, cultural excursion, wine tasting, tapas and bar gatherings.
MultiLinkual
An organisation dedicated to inter-cultural and language exchanges. It’s main activity is in Madrid Spain, but the spirit of the associations encourages language exchanges all over the globe. There are always events being organized by regular people like you, local to the city or just passing through. You could attend one of the events that come your way or organize one of your own! Often-times events are completely free or extremely inexpensive. Movie hangouts, potluck dinners, picnics, field trips, walks in the park etc. the activities are diverse and highly convivial. And always with the purpose of cultural and linguistic exchange at the heart of gathering!
“Hello Lola!”
Is an active language exchange group in Madrid that has around 3000 enthusiastic members with weekly language exchange events Tuesday nights infused with culture and a warm welcoming attitude. The group seems to have a dominant focus on language exchange primarily between English speakers and Spanish speakers. But as the group is relatively young, it is bound to expand and be more inclusive of other languages to promote diversity and enrich the events even further.
Meetup
This is a great social networking site to find events in your city based on personal interest. In this case, the city would be Madrid and the nature of the event would be Language Exchange or something along the lines of culture! Or…what have you. But hey! Let’s stay focused shall we? So language exchange and cultural events it will be! The events are always organized by regular people like yourself who are from Spain or other international countries, all seeking the same enriching experience to mingle and mix with people from all over the world and practice languages!
Couchsurfing
I cannot swear by this enough. This is an excellent way to meet locals and internationals alike who all have the common goal of sharing, learning and having a great time in non expensive ways. The primary concept of the site is rooted in solidarity, and although language exchange is not the underlying primary focus, there are many groups that are dedicated to this exact activity by members who are often multilingual and ever looking to expand their repertoire of languages! Look for language exchange and cultural groups in Madrid and you will be sure to not go wrong!
So there you have it! Check them out and have a blast while you improve your Spanish language skills and experience the beautiful lifestyle that Madrid is known for!
