Frequently Asked Questions

A virtual language café is an online conversation session where people practise speaking a foreign language together in a relaxed, café-like atmosphere. At Articulatte, each session lasts one hour, has up to five participants plus a host who keeps the conversation flowing, and takes place on Zoom. Articulatte is run by Oy Articulatte Ab, based in Helsinki, Finland.

We offer virtual language cafés in 7 languages: Finnish, Swedish, English, German, French, Spanish and Italian. We also run special formats, such as My Song (English through music), and Bingo Night (with words from different languages).

Our regular language cafés suit people at A2–B2 level in the target language: you can hold a basic conversation and want more speaking practice. If you're a beginner, a 1-on-1 session is a better start, as the pace adapts to you. Fluent speakers are also welcome.

A language course teaches grammar and vocabulary step by step, usually with a teacher and homework. A language café is for using the language you already have: there's no curriculum or homework, just real conversation guided by a host. Many people join language cafés alongside a course to build their speaking confidence.

Free language cafés at libraries and community centres are a great way to practise, usually in larger drop-in groups in one location. Articulatte's language cafés are online, so you can join from anywhere. Groups are limited to five people, so everyone gets plenty of speaking time, and every session has a dedicated host. You book a set time in advance.

Articulatte's co-founders host most sessions. Thomas Thijssen hosts in Finnish, Swedish and German, and Kasper Rokama hosts in English, French, Italian and Spanish. Hosts are experienced communicators rather than teachers: their job is to make sure everyone gets to take part in the conversation. Finlandsinstitutet i Stockholm's language cafés are co-hosted with language ambassadors from Språkambassadörerna rf.

Yes. Articulatte's language cafés are online, so you can join from anywhere with an internet connection. Participants already join from Finland, Sweden, Germany and the United States. If you're in a different time zone, check the session time when booking.

No. You can book a language café as a guest. If you create a free Articulatte account, you can see and manage your bookings under "My bookings".

Booking takes a couple of minutes.First, go to the Book a Café page (articulatte.live/book-a-cafe) and choose a language and a time that suits you. Then tell us your comfort level in the language and, if you like, a topic you'd like to talk about. Finally, book and pay. You will receive a confirmation email with a Zoom link; click it at the start time to join. We recommend installing the Zoom app beforehand.

Language cafés run several times a week in every language we offer. You can see all upcoming sessions and book a time on the Book a Café page (articulatte.live/book-a-cafe). Session times are shown in your local time.

A group language café costs €10 per session. A packet of 10 group sessions costs €90 (€9 per session) and is valid for six months. A 60-minute 1-on-1 session costs €40.A flexible 15-minute 1-on-1 Coffee Break session costs €20.Some sessions are free, such as Bingo Night and the Finnish language cafés organized with Finlandsinstitutet i Stockholm.

Yes. The Finnish language cafés organized with Finlandsinstitutet in Stockholm are free: a beginners' group on Tuesdays, and intermediate and fluent conversation on Thursdays. Bingo Night, where you play bingo with words from different languages, is also free.

You pay when you confirm your booking, by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or PayPal. If you plan to join regularly, a 10-session packet (€90) brings the price down to €9 per session. After paying, you will receive a confirmation email with the session link.

You can reschedule a booked session at any time before it starts. You can cancel for a full refund up to 24 hours before the session. Sessions canceled later are not refunded. If you have an Articulatte account, manage your booking under "My bookings". Otherwise, email contact@articulatte.live

Yes. Through the Refer Friends program (articulatte.live/refer-friends), you and your friend both get a discount. Your friend gets 50% off their first session, you get €10 off your next Articulatte sessions packet.

No worries! If you can't find your booking confirmation email, please first check your spam. If you have not received a booking confirmation at all, contact us by email at contact@articulatte.live

A group language café lasts one hour and has up to five participants plus a host. The small group size means that everyone gets plenty of chances to speak.

You need a computer, tablet or phone with a microphone and a stable internet connection. Sessions take place on Zoom, and we recommend installing the Zoom app before your first session. Camera on is encouraged.

Articulatte's general language cafés have no fixed topics: any topic is welcome as long as everyone is comfortable discussing it. When you book, you can suggest a topic, and the host will take it into account when guiding the conversation. Themed formats such as My Song and Bingo Night have their own focus.

At Articulatte, understanding each other matters more than perfect grammar, so hosts don't interrupt the conversation to correct every mistake.

No. Language cafés are not recorded.

Yes. A 60-minute one-on-one session (€40) suits you if you'd rather practise without a group or want to focus on specific situations. For a short practice during the workday, book a 15-minute Coffee Break session (€20). You can book both on the Book a Café page (articulatte.live/book-a-cafe).

Yes. Articulatte offers three services for organisations: custom language cafés tailored to your team's languages, levels and topics; access to our general language cafés for employees; and workshops on communicating in a multilingual workplace. They help with integrating employees hired from abroad, switching the working language, or entering a new market. See articulatte.live/for-companies or email contact@articulatte.live

Yes. Language cafés are good practice for the speaking part of the YKI test and the civil service language exams in Finnish and Swedish.

Yes. You can buy an Articulatte gift card at articulatte.live/gift-card, and the recipient can use it to book language cafés.

We're always happy to hear from people who'd like to host language cafés. Send a short introduction about yourself and the languages you speak to contact@articulatte.live, or see articulatte.live/become-a-host.