Everything You Can Do on Tandem (and Why It Works for Language Learning)

Learning a new language sometimes feels like venturing into the great unknown. It can be scary or frustrating, but it can also be an invigorating adventure connecting cultures, ideas, and, best of all, people.

Yet sitting in a classroom with a workbook might not fuel the fire, so to speak. There are undeniably benefits to this type of immersive learning, but the fast-paced lifestyles in today’s world typically require more accessible, engaging language learning methods.

Plenty of apps exist to help you learn new vocabulary or finally master verb conjugation, but this can only take you so far—sooner or later, real conversations (with real people) are required. This type of back-and-forth, real-time communication is one of the most effective ways to achieve fluency and confidence. That’s where Tandem comes in.

Tandem is a global community of enthusiastic members with one thing in common: a desire to learn and practice foreign languages through authentic interactions with native speakers.

But Tandem is more than just a language exchange app. It’s a vibrant community built on open communication, generosity, and mutual respect. When exploring the app, you’ll discover how conversation with native speakers can accelerate your progress, reinforce your vocabulary, and even unlock new cultural perspectives.

Whether you’re new to Tandem or are thinking about how to supercharge your language learning journey, it’s nice to get a backstage pass to all the features available and how to make the most out of them.

Here, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about Tandem’s features, from free communication tools to advanced capabilities available with Tandem Pro.

Getting Started with Tandem

Getting started with Tandem is incredibly straightforward. Simply head to the app store on your mobile device, download Tandem, and follow the in-app instructions to sign up. Once you enter basic information such as name, age, and the language you’re learning, you’ll be guided to customize your preferences and set a concise learning goal.

After registering your account on the mobile app, you can continue learning on your desktop using the web app, Tandem Web. Before you know it, you’ll be part of a global network of language enthusiasts.

Creating an Engaging Profile

Your profile on Tandem is your first impression on potential language exchange partners. Make it engaging and representative of who you are. Include a friendly profile photo or two, specify the languages you speak, and indicate the languages you’re learning. People are often drawn to shared interests, so mention your hobbies, favorite sports, or any passion you wouldn’t mind talking about.

Next, fill out your Learning Preferences, which gives potential chat partners more information on how you like to learn on Tandem.

Tandem’s Community Principles and Best Practices

Of course, as with any online community, Tandem places a high priority on safety, respect, and mutual benefit. Members are encouraged to:

• Maintain a warm, supportive tone during conversations
• Offer respectful corrections and suggestions
• Avoid harassment, spam, or inappropriate behavior
• Keep conversations constructive and beneficial

You can read more about our Community Principles here.

Key Features of Tandem — The Free Version

Once you’ve set up your profile and familiarized yourself with the interface, it’s time to get started. Tandem offers a variety of free tools that cater to essential aspects of language learning: speaking, reading, and listening.

The free features empower you to become an active participant in meaningful language exchange, and each one aims to make your language-learning journey as smooth and enjoyable as possible.

1. Finding Language Partners

Community: Your Gateway to the World

One of Tandem’s core free features can be found by visiting the Community tab. Think of it as a friendly, ever-changing collage of potential language exchange partners from every corner of the world.

In this curated feed, you’ll find members who match your language combination, so you'll be shown people who are either native or fluent in the language you want to learn.

You can filter members based on the language you’re learning, their age, gender, and even member experience (i.e., new members vs. those with references). You can also use the search bar to find members via their Tandem ID or the topic you want to talk about.

2. Messaging and Communication Tools

Once you’ve found someone you’d like to talk to, you can initiate a conversation in the Chats tab. This section serves as a chronological list of your ongoing and past chats, helping you keep track of your interactions. Each chat can include:

• Text messages: Send typed messages to discuss daily life, ask questions, or clarify language nuances.

• Comments and corrections: Tandem integrates correction features, allowing you and your chat partner to highlight or correct each other’s mistakes in a user-friendly interface.

• Audio and video calls: Practice your speaking and listening skills in real-time. Speaking face-to-face, even virtually, is one of the most immersive ways to refine pronunciation.

• Audio messages: Record short clips to practice intonation and get more comfortable with spontaneous speech.

• Images: Use visuals to share experiences and cultural references.

• Limited translations: Tandem members get three daily free translations to help bridge understanding gaps.

These tools transform Tandem into a virtual lounge for immersive and engaging language practice. The best part is the real-time nature of your interactions; instead of memorizing grammar from a book, you’re applying what you’ve learned directly in conversation.

To help you initiate successful conversations with potential language partners, consider the following tips:

• Start with a friendly greeting: Introduce yourself briefly, and mention why you’d like to chat. For instance, “Hi! My name’s Alex, and I’m learning French. I noticed we share an interest in travel. Would you like to chat?”

• Respect boundaries: Always remain polite and avoid overly personal or invasive questions.

• Offer mutual support: Indicate that you’re also willing to help with the languages you speak, so it’s a balanced exchange.

3. Live Learning Features: Real-Time Practice With Native Speakers

Language Parties

Ever wanted to practice with more than just one language partner at a time? Enter Language Parties, Tandem’s live audio rooms, where Tandem members get together to discuss different topics and practice their languages.

These rooms can revolve around specific topics, like discussing a movie, offering grammar tips, or simply practicing casual chit-chat in your language of interest. You can find these using the Social tab along the bottom of the app.

One great aspect of Language Parties is the listening aspect, which helps members better distinguish subtle sound differences, making it easier to recognize accents, dialects, and correct pronunciation. It’s also beneficial, as you don’t necessarily have to contribute to the conversation.

Members can join as a Listener first, and there’s never any pressure to talk. Whether you want to treat it as a Podcast or get involved is completely up to you.

• Language Parties are particularly beneficial if you find comfort in group settings or if you’re seeking a wider range of opinions and speaking styles.

• Members can host or join existing Parties, and there are interactive tools like raising your hand to speak, reacting with emojis, and switching from listener mode to speaker mode.

• This atmosphere simulates the spontaneous nature of real-life group discussions, nurturing your listening skills, exposing you to different accents, and teaching you to jump in at the right moment.

• Tandem Featured Parties are also available. These are fun, interactive group sessions hosted by Tandem Ambassadors, a global mix of language teachers and passionate learners. Featured Parties are promoted at the top of the Parties list, cover a wide range of languages, and follow a rotating schedule, making it easy to join every week.

Language Clubs

Alongside Language Parties, some members might also be interested in Language Clubs—topic-based groups where you can share posts, experiences, or questions on a communal wall. These groups unify members around shared themes such as traveling, cooking, local dialects, or cultural events.

Language Clubs can be an excellent place to post brief questions or curious cultural anecdotes.

By reading and responding to other members’ posts, you can boost your reading comprehension and learn new vocabulary within context.

4. Language Correction and Feedback

One of the standout elements of Tandem’s free offerings is the effortless, community-driven approach to feedback. Peer correction is an incredibly powerful tool; there’s no better way to understand a language nuance than by hearing it directly from someone who uses it daily.

How Tandem Supports Corrections

• Inline corrections: If you or your language partner spot an error in the chat, you can highlight it and offer suggestions on correct wording or usage.

• Encouraging a growth mindset: Tandem encourages both sides to remain patient and supportive. Making mistakes is a natural part of learning. The more comfortable you feel making and receiving corrections, the faster you’ll improve.

When you first create your profile, while setting your Learning Preferences, you can include how often you’d like your language partner to correct you. For example, if you want every mistake to be corrected, you can specify this. You can also set it so that only continually repeated mistakes (for example, using their vs. there) are corrected.

Advanced Features Available on Tandem Pro — Paid Monthly or Yearly Subscription

While the free version of Tandem already offers a ton of great opportunities to practice the language you’re learning, Tandem Pro provides an even broader toolkit to accelerate your progress. From advanced discovery filters to unlimited translations, Tandem Pro’s premium features streamline your interactions, keep ads at bay, and help you find exactly the right kind of language exchange partners.

Plus, since Tandem Pro allows you to find and meet people nearby or in other cities, many of our Pro members end up building long-term, meaningful friendships with other language learners. Here are some of the additional benefits Tandem Pro members enjoy.

1. Instant Connection

Standing out in a sea of global language enthusiasts can be challenging. Tandem Pro offers an option to boost your profile, making it more visible in the Community tab. A boosted profile typically leads to more frequent chats, messages, and engagement from members who share your learning goals.

Tandem Pro members can also see who visited their profile, view who’s online, and add multiple languages, making it easier to connect with the right people instantly.

• Profile visitors: Want to know who’s been checking out your profile? Tandem Pro provides a list of members who recently viewed it. This feature can spark new connections; after all, anyone who visited your profile might already be interested in practicing your language.

• See who’s online: Tandem Pro members are able to filter chat partners based on who’s online, giving them an opportunity to start a conversation immediately.

• Add multiple languages: With the ability to add up to 10 languages instead of just 1, Pro members can get in touch with even more people in the community.

2. Friends for Life

Traveling the world in search of language partners or discovering new friends in the local area, Tandem Pro creates a gateway to whole new worlds, where future lifelong friends await.

With location filters, you can refine your potential language partners based on where you are or where you’re going. This provides members with an emotional aspect that’s missing from other types of language learning apps. Here are two sub-features Pro members can access under the Community tab:

• Nearby: This filter allows you to find members close to you, opening the door to in-person meetups, but only if you’re comfortable with it. Nothing beats the authenticity of speaking face-to-face, and Tandem Pro makes it easier to find local members with shared interests.

• Travel: Want to chat with people from a specific city you plan to visit, or simply learn about a place you’re curious about? With this feature, you can drop pins on a world map and locate members in those areas, bridging geographical divides.

These targeted search capabilities allow you to concentrate your learning in the areas most relevant to your personal goals, whether focusing on a local dialect, planning an international adventure, or zeroing in on potential language exchange partners who share unique cultural interests. With an opportunity to search for language partners regardless of where you are or where you’re going, you’re more likely to build real-life friendships around the world!

3. Smarter Learning

Tandem Pro unlocks tools like the AI Toolkit, unlimited translations, and audio message transcription to help learners take their language to the next level, distraction-free. These are unique tools that can help streamline your learning experience and build your confidence.

The focus of Tandem is still about bringing real people together—the AI Toolkit just gives members a little extra support when they need some help. This Toolkit includes features such as:

• Translate: This allows for in-app translation without having to open Google or DeepL.

• Grammar Check: Catch subtle errors in real-time, from small typos to more complex sentence structure mishaps.

• Word Finder: Search for definitions or synonyms of new words and short phrases without leaving the chat environment.

• Inspire: If you’re not sure how to start or continue a conversation, Inspire generates suggestions tailored to your context.

• Rewrite: Perfect for refining messages to sound more natural, formal, casual, or even playful. Rewrite modifies your original text while preserving the meaning.

• Explain Corrections: Receive a detailed explanation of grammar and spelling errors and how to fix them.

4. Unlimited Access

Not only do you get access to more features, but all the limits and caps are removed when you switch to Tandem Pro. Enjoy audio and video calls, no limits in Language Parties, learn up to 10 languages, and a seamless, ad-free experience.

• Unlimited AI-powered translations
  One of the biggest frustrations when chatting in a foreign language is stumbling upon words or expressions you don’t understand. With Tandem Pro, you get unlimited translations right at your fingertips. Rather than being limited to just a handful of daily translations, you can translate messages as often as necessary.

• Unlimited conversations and transcriptions
  Free members can still engage in multiple chats, with the option of starting 10 conversations a day. These conversations can be as long or short as you want. With Tandem Pro, the limit increases to 30 conversations. Additionally, Pro includes unlimited audio transcriptions, making it a breeze to revisit any audio message you might’ve received.

• Unlimited saved expressions for vocabulary building
  Need a place to store newly learned expressions? Tandem Pro removes daily limits on how many expressions you can save. Over time, this saved vocabulary acts like your personalized phrasebook, enabling you to track words, idioms, and slang terms you find interesting.

• Unlimited participation in Language Parties
  While free members can enjoy Language Parties for up to 60 minutes per day, as a Pro member, there are no limits. This gives you more time to listen in and engage in Parties throughout the day.

• Ad-free experience
  Pro members enjoy an uninterrupted experience across the Parties, Chats, and Community tabs. That means more focus on meaningful interactions and zero wasted time on ad clicks.

5. Exclusive Perks

Some additional Tandem Pro features revolve around customizing your profile, reactions, and community groups.

• Changing your Tandem ID: Pro membership lets you pick a custom Tandem ID—great for personal branding or simply a touch of personalization.

• Private hosting of Language Parties: Set up invite-only audio rooms for you and your selected chat partners. This is helpful if you want a more intimate environment to practice or you’d like to host a study group with specific members.

• Exclusive emoji options in Language Parties: Engage more creatively during group sessions with unique reactions and emojis only available to Pro members.

• Pro badge: When you subscribe to Tandem Pro, you’ll receive a small badge on your profile picture signifying your premium membership. While largely aesthetic, this badge creates a degree of credibility and can lead to easier matches with members who see you’re committed to your language learning journey.

Historical Feature: Tandem Tutors (Discontinued in 2020)

In 2020, Tandem discontinued a section of the app dedicated to connecting members with online language tutors. This premium service had allowed members to book and conduct lessons with professional language teachers directly through Tandem, but it was ultimately phased out so the team could devote more resources to the primary mission of community-driven language exchange.

While you’ll occasionally see references to this discontinued feature, rest assured that Tandem’s core philosophy remains centered on connecting members for mutual learning and cultural exchange.

Maximizing Your Tandem Experience

To get the best out of Tandem, keep these pointers in mind.

1. Set clear goals: Know what you want to achieve. Maybe you want to develop casual conversation skills, or perhaps you need specific vocabulary for a job. Share your goals with your chat partners so you can tailor your interactions.

2. Keep it consistent: Regular practice always pays off. Even short daily chats will help you integrate new words and expressions more effectively than cramming sessions.

3. Be open and friendly: Remember that language exchange is a two-way street. Offer to help others with the languages you’re fluent in, and remain patient as they help you. Respectful, encouraging interactions go a long way.

4. Use corrections wisely: Seek constructive feedback and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. People learn best through real-world trial and error.

5. Explore group dynamics: Occasionally joining Language Parties or posting in Language Clubs can expose you to a variety of learning styles, accents, and cultural backgrounds.

6. Consider Pro for extra boost: If you find yourself wanting more advanced features—like unlimited translations, ad-free chats, advanced filters, or private Language Parties—Tandem Pro may be worth exploring.

7. Don’t shy away from real-life meetups: For those who prefer face-to-face practice, consider using the Nearby filter to find members close to you or attending official Tandem Meetups in Berlin or other cities when they’re scheduled.

Conclusion

The language learning journey is complex, filled with high points of excitement and moments of frustration. In many ways, it’s a shared experience: everyone who has attempted to learn a new language has faced grammar conundrums or struggled to find the perfect word.

But with Tandem’s free and Pro features, you can harness the collective knowledge of a global community to guide and inspire you along the way.

If you’re ready for authentic practice beyond the boundaries of textbooks, Tandem is your front-row ticket to real-world language immersion. Our mission is to connect the world through languages, which is one of the things that sets us apart from other language learning apps.

Download Tandem today, create your profile, and immerse yourself in an ever-evolving global community. And remember, language learning isn’t just about studying; it’s about making connections that cross borders and broaden horizons.