I'm looking for an online tutor mainly to practice speaking. Several profiles promise ‘conversation lessons’ but the trial classes I've tried turned into textbook grammar explanations. I can study rules alone; what I need is someone who will let me talk, correct recurring errors and keep the exchange moving. What would you ask in a trial lesson to find out whether a tutor can do that?
Choosing a tutor for conversation rather than grammar lessons
- language-learning
- choosing
- tutor
- conversation
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Ask them to keep the lesson in the target language from minute one and to correct you only when something keeps repeating. If they spend ten...
Ask them to keep the lesson in the target language from minute one and to correct you only when something keeps repeating. If they spend ten minutes explaining grammar before you’ve said much, that’s your answer.
I’d also ask, 'What would a typical conversation lesson look like with you?' A good tutor should be able to describe an actual flow, not just say they’re flexible.
And maybe ask how they handle interruptions. Some tutors correct everything, which turns speaking into an obstacle course.