TAALCAFÉ MACHARIUS

A  MEETING SPACE IN GHENT, ABOUT LANGUAGES, FOR FOREIGN STUDENTS AND PHDS, EXPATS, REFUGEES, MIGRANTS, TRAVELERS AND OTHERS 

Taalcafé Macharius is a biweekly, international exchange market where you can practice and exchange languages.

Brush up your languages in conversations with ‘native speakers’ with lots of experience. In exchange you help others with your mother language or any other language you speak fluently.
On an average language night, some 80 to 120 people drop by. Usually there is a nice 50/50 division between people who speak Dutch and non-speakers of Dutch.
Dutch is the most popular language. That is because many non-native speakers are looking for opportunities to use Dutch in daily life, often as a supplement to a classical course. 
Spanish, Italian, French, English and German are also popular. And you probably will also hear Chinese, Swedish, Polish, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian or Arabic.
Altogether, about 15 languages are spoken on a language evening.

Taalcafé Macharius is no school. There are no teachers.
There might be referred to grammar or elaborated on linguistics, but above all it is the common practice that will boost your speaking skills. Technically, all levels are covered, but our concept is not suited for absolute beginners. They will benefit more from classical lessons than from TCM.

There is only 1 rule: 1 table = 1language!

This is how a language evening is built:

7.00 PM -  Taalcafé Macharius opens
7.15  -  Welcoming and introduction
7.30  -  First session
8.30  -  Second session
9.30  -  Third session
11.00  -  Taalcafé Macharius closes

Offer a language?
no experience? no problem! Offering a language means nothing more than supporting people in a daily conversation. As you would do in a coincidental encounter in a bar. Nothing more than that.
You are not expected to teach! Creating topics and making the conversation go smoothly are shared responsibilities. We will help you with this. You can accompany a language as long as you want. But do not feel obliged to do that all night.

GOOD TO KNOW
The dates may change as a consequence of the programmation in De Centrale.
The special Summer Editions of July and August take place on a different location.

TAALCAFE'S IN  2018
31 januari  /  13 & 28 februari  /  13 & 28 maart  /  10 & 25 april  /  8 & 30  mei  /  12 & 27 juni  /  25 juli  /  29 augustus  / 11 & 26 september  /  9 & 31 oktober  /  6 & 28 november  /  11 december 2018