EntranceWhat is an English speaking club? English speaking club - every Friday English language clubs.
For those who want to hang out
For those who want to help
In Moscow, recently there has been a social project to help travelers with city orientation. It is called Wowlocal. Those wishing to take part in it can take a simple test on the website for knowledge of the city and, if the outcome is positive, receive an Ask me I’m local badge at the Fabrika gallery-hostel. Actually, that's all - there are no duties in the project, and, having received the badge, you can simply walk around the city whenever you want, helping foreigners who have applied. In addition, the project team holds English speaking club meetings and city orienteering games.
Another way to help tourists coming to Russia is to provide them with a place to stay. There is a Couchsurfing portal for this - after registration, you need to check the box where it asks if the user provides an entry, indicate the location, timing and write a couple of phrases about yourself. After this, you can choose your roommates yourself - all travelers carefully fill out questionnaires, hang up photos and talk about themselves. This is probably the easiest way to communicate in a foreign language with a nice person right at home. In addition, on the portal you can find one of the most complete posters of language meetings in Moscow.
For those who just want to talk
In English
Moscow English Conversation Club is one of the oldest conversation clubs in Moscow. And he really is very English. Visitors (and there are quite a few of them) are usually divided into groups of 5-7 people and disperse to the corners to chat about secular topics. The new arrivals move from group to group, listen anxiously and look for somewhere to join. Some people just stand and watch the discussion, comprehending the delights of English phonetics, while others actively participate in the conversation. As a result, the time allotted for communication - and this is a whole 4 hours - flies by.
Separately, at MECC there are meetings of the English psychological club - for those who are interested in talking in English about character accentuations and psychological trauma, this is the place.
You can find out the schedule of meetings on [the club website.
German
For those who want conversations and lectures in German, we can recommend the Russian-German House in Moscow - this is a pompous building in Khamovniki, where all kinds of cultural events regularly take place - concerts, opening days, discussions and meetings to maintain the patriotic spirit in Russian Germans. In addition to all of the above, the Einfach Deutsch discussion club is regularly held there - and this is where you can communicate in German with native speakers and amateurs. Each meeting has its own topics.
In Spanish
There are even fewer Spanish language clubs in Moscow than places where you can speak German and French. But nevertheless they exist. One of these places is a club
We found out where in Moscow you can study or practice such a popular and necessary English language in the modern world, completely free or very cheap.
Libertat Linguistic Lecture Hall. English language classes are designed for students with different levels of language knowledge: from Beginner to Upper-Intermediate. You can join groups at any time. To get to the class, you just need to sign up on the Lecture Hall page on social networks. There you can also find an interactive schedule and educational materials on which lessons are taught. The classes are taught by a teacher from India.
When: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 18:00 to 21:00, Saturdays from 16:00 to 19:00.
Where: Hostel “Hello” (metro Kurskaya, Podsosensky lane, 3, building 2), Library No. 187 named after. Pablo Neruda (metro station VDNKh, Mira Avenue, 180).
Price: 200 rub.
English Club OXBRIDGE. At the meetings of the English Club OXBRIDGE, you can not only improve your knowledge of English and gain practical speaking skills, but also learn the features of the language, its learning and perception, different techniques for reading and memorizing information. Classes are taught by leading teachers from universities and language schools, as well as native speakers.
When: every first Friday of the month at 17:00.
Where: bookstore "Biblio-Globus"
Price: for free.
On this topic:
Conversation club MERGE Meetups. Every week, club members gather in a coffee shop to talk, discuss current and interesting topics, get to know each other and play board games in English. In addition, club members can attend classes on the cultural aspects of English-speaking countries and comprehensive language learning. Communication time is not limited. Once a month there is a meeting of members of the business English club MERGE Talks BIS. Business English meeting time is 2 hours.
When: schedule and topics of meetings are on the club website. Business English Club meetings are held once a month, meeting duration is 2 hours.
Where: Starbucks coffee shop on Paveletskaya (metro Paveletskaya, Kozhevnicheskaya st., 1).
Price: meetings of spoken English – 200 rubles, business English – 200 rubles.
Conversation Club ESPlaneta holds language meetings twice a week for participants with different levels of language proficiency. For beginners, the sessions include games and learning elements to improve English speaking and grammar skills. And for those who already feel confident in an English-speaking environment, meetings are conducted by native speakers. The meetings feature live communication and games.
When: Saturday from 19 to 20.30 hours, Sunday from 18 to 21 hours.
Where: Starbucks coffee shop on Serpukhovskaya (metro station Serpukhovskaya, Stremyanny lane, 38/3)
Price: 200 rub.
Sunday English Speed –Meeting– an English language speaking club that organizes English-language meetings in the format of small conversations in pairs for 20-25 minutes, after which the partners change and start new conversations in new pairs. Meetings and conversations are held in English and include not only twenty-minute dialogues, but also discussions and games.
When: Sundays from 18:00 to 21:00.
Where: language center Cherrylane, (metro Oktyabrskaya, Donskaya St., 14, building 3).
Price: 350 rub., price includes tea and cookies.
You need to be clearly aware of the difference between an English language school and an English speaking club, such as English Fast and Furious. The school teaches English comprehensively, teaching grammar, phonetics, vocabulary and other components of the English language, depending on the characteristics of a particular school.
All learning practices are used: reading, listening, writing, speaking. The main emphasis is usually placed on grammar, because this is the basis without which a non-English speaking person cannot not only formulate his thoughts clearly and competently, but also fully understand what is being said to him or what he is reading in English.
On the other hand, when a student spends all day doing nothing but solving grammar exercises with standard cliché phrases, a feeling of dissatisfaction grows in him, not to mention the fact that it is simply boring. We learn a language in order to speak, write, understand foreigners, perceive foreign culture and not feel like strangers in places where we don’t want to feel like strangers. The student gets bored and loses understanding of why he is doing these exercises.
Many people give up learning a language without getting to the most interesting part – live communication. The English speaking club helps solve this problem. There is no study there as such; people come there to communicate in English with native speakers and their compatriots who speak English at the same level as them.
However, communication in itself does not exclude comments and corrections from the participant in the conversation leading the meeting. In our club, we allow such comments because without them, progress in speaking skills will not be as significant as it could be.
A typical language club is a small, cozy room - not some kind of lecture hall. A fairly informal atmosphere has been created there so that those who come feel as little constraint and embarrassment as possible - everything should help break down the language barrier. There are some posters on the walls with useful information about Great Britain or the English language. You are greeted by a friendly and sociable presenter - others simply cannot resist such a job.
Watch the video from the club meeting, and you will also find out what place it occupies in the set of English learning tools:
There are places where English language learners come specifically to get oral practice and overcome the language barrier. They are called speaking clubs (you can find: speaking clubs, conversation clubs, - ed.). But the entire beneficial effect in terms of learning new words and making the use of certain grammatical structures automatic can be negated by the haphazard approach of meeting organizers to some aspects of their preparation. This also applies to the choice of topic for discussion. We will talk about how to choose a topic for the next conversation club meeting and how this affects the effectiveness of communication from the point of view of learning English. Selecting a Discussion Topic – What to Consider? First of all, in a good club they will warn you about what will need to be discussed before the meeting: they will send you the topic by e-mail or post information about it on the website. By the way, free conversation clubs are often guilty of the lack of this information: “people will still come along if...
The format of speaking clubs as a means of developing speaking skills is becoming popular among teachers in regular secondary schools. Educational standards regulate the relationship between the four aspects of language competence: writing, speaking, listening and reading in school teaching only in the most general terms. In many ways, the teacher makes decisions here based on his experience. There are many techniques that allow you to develop one of the listed skills. The conversation club is intended for conversation practice and the development of listening comprehension. What is this “conversation club”? Without going into details, we can say that this is an informal meeting of several people who want to speak English and overcome the language barrier. Most often, such meetings take place with the participation of a moderator - a native speaker or simply a participant who speaks good English, who does not allow the conversation to stall and helps the interlocutors if they have any difficulties due to their low level of English proficiency. There are professional conversation clubs that accept those who want to communicate in the language they are learning for a fee, but...
“The discussion club is simply one of the formats of the English speaking club. Discussion format. There is a pre-announced topic, there is a topic and there is a presenter,” Ekaterina Nikanorova, head of the English language communication club “Cherrypie Club,” answered a question about the difference between a discussion and a conversation club to an English Fast and Furious correspondent. “There are other types of speaking clubs: for example, a gaming club. People play and speak English. There is a cinema club. Let's say I host TED Talk Discussions (this is a useful website for English learners TED.com - editor's note). We watch small video conferences in English and then discuss. This is also a conversation club, just a different format,” explains Ekaterina. “Who is the leader in the discussion club is at the discretion of the organizers. A native speaker can play this role. I also sometimes act as a presenter, although I am not a “teacher”, not a foreigner or a native speaker.” “Yes, we have a discussion club and...
For oral English practice. For fun. Many, for both. Understanding your own and other people's goals is very important, since it determines whether you get what you expect. Communication clubs in a foreign language have a dual nature: on the one hand, they have always been a place for new acquaintances in an informal setting, on the other hand, they are a way to consolidate theoretical knowledge in English grammar and other aspects of language learning in practice. If your goal is to consolidate the material you have covered or, perhaps, to maintain English at the achieved level, then you should choose a place where this side of the conversation club is more important than the entertainment component. Only you can determine what is right for you. Look at how the discussion moderator behaves, is he trying to teach something or is he just chatting with the guests? Is he finally a native speaker? Try to practice using new words and complex statements. The need to say a living phrase yourself using...
In small Russian cities there is usually nothing to choose from. There are only a few speaking clubs for major foreign languages. Moscow and St. Petersburg are another matter, hundreds of institutions with different characteristics: conversation clubs, discussion clubs; “movie clubs”, where films are discussed; book clubs with a focus on English. The problem of choice in all this diversity arises in full force. Everything gets even more confusing due to the fact that many clubs undergo a certain evolution during their history and their official name no longer tells a potential visitor much about what awaits him. What should you consider when choosing a conversation club in a big city? 1) What goals are you pursuing: what the chosen location and format should give you. 2) Cost of the lesson and impression of the first visit. 3) Behavior and professionalism of the presenter or teacher. 4) The format of the foreign language communication club, as formulated by the organizers. Your goals and cost of attendance Some people use clubs to have fun...
In order for a master to hone his skills, and for a beginner to learn, a kind of “testing ground” is required: this is exactly what it can become.
“Language will bring it to England” - language practice without leaving Moscow.
And putting knowledge into practice is usually an expensive and lengthy process: it’s one thing to know it, and quite another to put it into practice. But you can get good language practice in Moscow and there is a free solution to this problem!
In Moscow there are meeting places for both amateurs and English gurus - conversation clubs that you can visit absolutely free and spend time usefully.
Discover a conversation club and “fall in love at first sight”
Conversation club
This is meeting new people and a lot of communication in English, which after several such classes becomes your native language!
The opportunity to visit the club for free opens up new horizons:
1. The perception of information by ear improves.
2. Conversation with an opponent - speed of reaction.
3. There are clubs for “beginners” - communication from scratch.
4. Allows you to master the format of “fluent speech” - fluency in the language.
5. .
6. Interesting and informal meeting format.
Meetings in the “no tie” format
Any learning involves rules, fear of the word “to the board,” a teacher and homework. In a conversation club, you acquire invaluable without these components: fun and exciting!
The meeting place cannot be changed or “shall we speak English?”:
- For those who have the opportunity to visit the club for free at the Institute for Humanitarian Development. Meeting format: friendly communication in English over a cup of tea, discussion of news or films and entertainment in the form of English board games. By the way, this is the most common format for holding meetings in English speaking clubs.
- There is a cinema format for meetings of “English speaking people”, like the conversation club “Movie Discussion Club” with free admission, which is located in the ZIL cultural center. In the evenings there are group viewings of English-language films with English subtitles. This format is suitable for language users at an intermediate level and above, since after viewing there is an active discussion of the film and all kinds of discussions.
- The “lecture plus communication” format, answers to questions and a lesson in a “narrow circle” are quite popular For example, such meetings are held in the English HOG-Words conversation club. An interesting option for those who speak English at an intermediate level and want to improve it as much as possible.
The golden rule of the conversation club
This rule of ethics is very important in such “meetings”: do not interrupt each other, and respect the opinion of each member of the club! Since a conversation club is a place for gaining knowledge and honing language skills in a comfortable environment of casual conversation.
The main thing is to “be on topic”
In English speaking clubs, meetings are usually devoted to a specific topic.. You need to find out about the topic in advance by phone or on the “Vkontakte” page, by email and prepare in advance.
Especially if this is not just a conversational meeting, but speeches and further discussion on the topic (such meetings are held in English HOG-Words). Participants can also propose their own options for topics, and the organizer will choose the best one for the event.
Topics at meetings
- news – discussion of the “hottest” latest news;
- films - joint viewing and discussions;
- narrow-profile topics: holidays, “how I spent my summer,” first-person narration;
- wide-format topics that are always relevant: sports, travel, healthy lifestyle, culinary topics.
Free conversation clubs in Moscow for beginners
In 2011, there was a wave of opening of all kinds of speaking clubs in Moscow and there were quite a lot of “free” options. Now most of them have closed or reclassified as paid ones.
Basically, there are conversation clubs with free access for those who speak the language at an upper-intermediate level. But there is still gunpowder in the flasks!
We need to take a closer look at the current free conversation clubs for beginners:
How to get to the free conversation club?
There are a lot of options: either you need to get a library card, as in the Russian Library for Youth; or register in a VK group or send an email, as in the Institute for Humanitarian Development.
There are options when entry is absolutely free- this is the anti-cafe Tsiferblat and Woodendoor, and the English Club Oxbridge, so we welcome newcomers everywhere!
Since the dates and times of all conversation clubs are different, you can visit them all and choose the most comfortable place for yourself. The main thing is not to think too long: knowledge comes with practice and real communication. Good luck!