Learning a language is difficult when you are not surrounded by people who speak that language. Only thanks to the internet can we find ways to communicate with people from other countries to practice learning a foreign language which can be English or even Spanish, German or Chinese.
As we have seen then there are specialized websites, free or almost free that allow you to learn languages online with lessons and videos .
Among these there are some that allow you to learn a language by speaking live with a native speaker in order to be taught and corrected.
Italki is, at the moment, the best of these sites, which uses the magic of the Internet and the webcam to chat with people who speak fluently the language you are trying to learn .
Even better, if this person is trying to learn the language that we speak well, a natural exchange of teaching and learning is created that is absolutely beneficial for everyone.
For example, then you can talk to an American to learn English and, at the same time, teach him Italian.
To start, you can sign up for Italki by creating an account with the email address or by logging in via LinkedIn or Facebook.
The site asks you to answer some questions to know how well you know a language.
Below you have to indicate your interests (which become topics of conversation), the geographical position (even if it is not mandatory) and other basic information.
The service is meant to be used by people looking to learn a language or by teachers who want to give their students the opportunity to speak with a native speaker.
Once the profile is created you can start looking for some friends to talk to.
On the basis of the common interests and the languages that one wants to learn and teach each other, one gets in touch with the right person.
You can send a message to the people found even if they are offline.
If, on the other hand, you already find people online, you can talk to them via chat, speaking with the microphone or in video-chat .
Most of the registered people speak English, Spanish and Portuguese, but teachers can be found for over 500 different languages.
The difficult thing is to find someone who wants to learn Italian and maybe it takes patience in research.
It is important to keep in mind that it is not a dating site, but it can also become to the limit since the contact that is created is real and true.
Once you find someone to chat with, not only are you talking in video chat, but there are also options for translating words and suggestions for things to say.
You can ask for clarification when you don't understand what the other person is saying with four buttons: write, slow down, repeat, and reformulate .
The text chat has a translator useful for entering into a short conversation with someone in another language.
READ ALSO: Learn foreign languages by playing on iPhone, Android and via the web: Duolingo
