The Friday Language Exchange

Every Friday from 8pm to midnight at the bar in the Estació de França you can improve your language skills at The Friday Language Exchange, a place to meet and practise speaking languages while you have a couple of drinks and get to know people from around the world. The event started out as a place for people to practise just English and Spanish, but so many people from other countries turned up that they decided to open it up so anyone could practise any language spoken. Though English and Spanish are still the most popular, German, French and Italian are also sought after, as are languages from farther away such as Chinese, Russian, Arabic and Japanese. Catalan of course is also spoken and practised.

How does it work? Simple. When you arrive you get a nametag that also bears your native language and the language(s) you'd like to practise speaking. This nametag and the purchase of one drink are all you need to get talking. Look for people whose nametags have the language you want to practise as their mother tongue and speak with them for a while, but also be receptive to those who want to practise yours with you. All levels are welcome.

The get-together is for adults who are of legal age to drink since it's in a bar, and it's also seen as a sort of 'before' activity previous to going out on a Friday night (with your new friends you've just met, if you wish). The age of participants varies widely, from 18 to around 60, though most seem to be in their 30s.