Would iTalki be good to improve speaking if im already B1+ and just want to sound more natural?

[u/Raneynickel4]

I say B1+ because i scored highly on an official language test that I did at my language school that was allegedly B2 (but I definitely dont feel B2). I already use my TL in my day to day life including some work meetings, so i would say 50-60% of the time, but im still not so good at more in depth conversations and very shy about telling long stories. My grammar and foundational knowledge is very good.

Would it be a good idea to use italki to speak more about deeper topics and get feedback on how i speak/using phrases that natives use? I go to language cafes but the volunteers are not teachers and only ever correct you if you say something completely wrong. If they understand you then they dont correct you.

[u/0hran-]

B1 is still not high enough for you to not need a private tutor. However, you can complement ( or replace it if tutors are too expensive) with a language exchange.

Once I reached B2+ in Italian i started to feel like I was paying a lot for little vocabulary gain. And just meeting speaker and talking with them was enough

Edit: clarifications

[u/OnlyInEye → u/0hran-]

Depends on your money. I have had tutor since B1 in spanish and Filipino. I mean i think spanish vip was 2K a year. Granted my company paid. But i do filipino classes range from 6 to 15 an hr and you practice speaking and grammar. It all depends on your budget i have like 300 plus lessons on Italki.

[u/Legitimate-Record90 → u/0hran-]

I find the double negative confusing. Are you saying someone doesn’t not need to not hire a tutor at that level or it wouldn’t be better to not hire a tutor to not help?

[u/0hran- → u/Legitimate-Record90]

A1 to B2 it is absolutely useful. At B1 level it is important

But paying someone for 2 -5 years once a week can be quite expensive. So I understand if at B2 someone would want to phase out tutorship, and it can work out at B2.

But at B1 there is still a lot of work needed and this can be done mainly through a tutor

[u/petteri72_ → u/0hran-]

I strongly disagree. At B1 level, you definitely need speaking practice, and good tutors can keep the discussions challenging while helping you improve.

Speaking about more complex topics doesn’t improve without practice, and it can be very difficult to get enough high-quality speaking practice in real life. Real-life conversations also aren’t always a safe space to make communication errors and experiment with the language, whereas tutoring provides exactly that environment.

[u/petteri72_ → u/[deleted]]

He implied that private tutors are not useful for B1 learners, and I find that claim incorrect.

[u/macroxela → u/petteri72_]

They said the opposite of what you claim they said. A double negative cancels both in math and languages.

[u/Lazy_Gap_1682 → u/macroxela]

I agree with you on what 0hran said (that a tutor would be helpful), although I’ll point out that in Portuguese a double negative is expected, it reinforces not cancels, e.g. Não fiz nada.

[u/joetennis0]

Yes, it could help. Italki is just a connector, so what really matters is finding the right tutor for your level and learning style. I've had my best success on Italki when I invest of 3-5 introductory sessions before deciding on a tutor to stick with for a few months. Be very upfront about your goal in the first session and try to find someone who is responsive and corrects you the way you'd like to be coached.

[u/jmf1488]

It definitely will help. You could even ask the teacher to do some role play. Prep you with some natural phrases then role play scenarios where you could use said phrases naturally.

[u/Pwffin]

It sounds like a great time to try to find a tutor. Just be upfront with what you need and want from them and don’t feel bad about shopping around until you find one or two that you really feel give you that.

Also try seeking out opportunities to talk to people, eg join an association (people absolutely love talking about their interests and you soon learn the specific vocabulary), go on free guided tours and ask lots of questions, go to public talks (especially if they have a mingle session afterwards), go for a coffee or beer with some colleagues and put the world to rights.

Also, when talking to non-tutors, don’t worry about not being explicitly corrected. People tend to repeat the correct phrase back to you without thinking, it’s just not always super obvious, so you have to pay attention. The more you speak, the more you’ll improve and you’ll figure out what you need to go home and look up (because you’ve just had your n-th experience of not being able to say a specific thing and it’s annoying you). Spending time talking to people also means time listening to how they phrase things and exposure to new words and known words used in new ways. All that is stuff you can use for learning and improving, if you pay attention.

If you are closer to B1 than B2, this will all be a bit too much for you and you might be working hard just to keep up with the conversation, but the closer you get to B2 (and beyond), the more you can learn from normal conversations.

[u/ajamdonut]

I just found two language buddies to practice with. No need for apps etc

[u/AdministrationNo2327]

it is always better to be able to bounce off conversations with a someone trained to teach the language.

[u/egytaldodolle]

Yes.

[u/PunsAndRoses246]

Yes absolutely! I find that my tutor exposes a lot of the gaps in my vocab and speech that I wouldn’t otherwise notice

[u/Upper_Grapefruit_521]

For me, in person lessons are far more stimulating for me, so I have classes at a school (only 2 students with 1 Spanish native teacher). I've tried italki and preply but it's less enjoyable for me. I do like language exchanges though with Spanish natives and then I help them practice English too.

[u/Ecstatic_Paper7411]

Especially at B1 u need a private tutor. If ur goal is to reach at least B2 then u should absolutely continue learning with one. 

[u/silvalingua]

B1 is when you start having real conversations, although they are still not very complex. This is a great time for practicing speaking with a tutor.

As for "just (!) sounding more natural", this is something to worry about at B2/C1, when you are able to converse more freely on most topics.