Some learning scientists are beginning to investigate social and cultural aspects of learning by examining the interactions between a learner and the environment as well as with other people in the learning environment. This article proposes conversational analysis (CA) as a tool to analyze interactions between learners and instructors in face-to-face and online environments. It illustrates the potential of CA to enhance our understanding of the social aspect of learning by comparing analyses of transcripts in two distinct situations. Through the analysis, distinct characteristic interactions in face-to-face and online environments are uncovered by linking these analyses to the unique affordances of the learning environments. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)