A different way into a language
A whole world.
In its own
words.
Meet a language inside a story.
Read the original. Find your way, word by word.
Start free. No account needed.
Scroll to open the storyOriginal books. A little help. Your own pace.
Great stories speak
many languages.Русский RussianDeutsch GermanEspañol SpanishFrançais FrenchItaliano Italian
many languages.Русский RussianDeutsch GermanEspañol SpanishFrançais FrenchItaliano Italian
01 / Read with a little help
Stay in the story.
Let the words open.
Real literature, in its original language.
A meaning when you need one. A voice to follow.
Everything you need to read one more line.
Alphonse Daudet 1873
La Dernière ClasseThe Last Lesson
The original text.
An entirely new way to read it.
French Unabridged
, ’ ’, ’ ’ , ’ . ’ , ’ .
That morning I was very late for school, and I was terribly afraid of a scolding, all the more because Monsieur Hamel had told us he would question us on participles, and I did not know the first word of them.
Synthetic narration
02the Pigeon · from the reading room
A whole sentence, waiting to make sense.
Touch a word. See what opens.
01Understand in context.The meaning that fits this sentence, right beside the word.
02Hear the language.Listen to a word or a full line. Slow the reading down in the room.
03Read the real thing.Chekhov, Grimm, Quiroga, Daudet. Original texts, unabridged.
02 / From a passing word to a familiar one
A word today.
Yours tomorrow.
The best words to learn are the ones you wanted to understand. Save them from a story. Meet them again in Practice, just as memory needs another look.
- 01
Read. Find a word worth keeping.
Save to practice puts it in your collection. A free account keeps it across your devices.
- 02
Recall. Let the story bring it back.
Practice asks for the word in context. As recall strengthens, reviews grow further apart.
- 03
Return. Feel the page become familiar.
Less looking up. More following the story. Your own collection of words, growing as you read.
Your next small discovery
Can you recall this word?
school (n., f.)
écoleschool (n., f.)
A PREVIEW · YOUR RECORD IS UNCHANGEDthe Master Cat
There it is.
A little more familiar.
03 / Choose your reading room
Four doors.
Where will you begin?
A different language. A different world.
The same pleasure of turning a page.
The first page is waiting
Begin with curiosity.
The rest will follow.
Open a book for free. Read a few lines. Find a word.
You can start before you create an account.
What is included? Compare free reading and membership
| Visitor, no account | Free account | Member | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Books | The first instalment of every book told in more than one (38 books), and eight works whole, named below the table | All that, and the seven Chekhov stories whole | Every work in every room, 48 in all: 24 in Russian, 8 in German, 8 in Spanish, 8 in French |
| Learn | One complete beginner lesson in each room, the first lesson of one book’s opening chapter, and one grammar discovery | Two beginner lessons in each room instead of one | The whole course: every level, book lesson and grammar pattern |
| Saving words | Touch any word; Save to practice asks for a free account | Save words, and Practice brings them back | The same, from every book |
| Your record | Kept in this browser only | Kept with your account as well, on every device you sign in on | The same |
| Price | Free | Free — no payment details asked | €5 a month or €39 a year; both plans start with seven free days |
Read whole by anyone, with nothing to sign up for: in Russian, «Смерть чиновника», «Толстый и тонкий», «Студент», «Ванька», «Медведь»; in German, «Der süße Brei»; in Spanish, «Las medias de los flamencos»; in French, «La Dernière Classe».
A free account does not start a subscription or a trial. Membership renews until you cancel; you may cancel at any time. See plans and membership details.
Your room, your way
A little more, before you begin.
Reading with a touch, a mouse or a keyboard
Touch a word to open its card. With a mouse, pause over it for a quick meaning. With a card open, k marks the word Known, l chooses Save to practice, and Esc closes it. Reading only keeps a word out of flashcards; Skip leaves it aside.
Listen plays the recorded narration. Contents takes you through the book, Hints adjusts the help beside the text, and Stop here keeps your place for next time. The narrator is synthetic, recorded a line at a time.
Your evenings, goals and milestones
Reading, lessons and Practice build your record on the Desk. Saved words stay together in Words; Mixed practice brings different kinds of recall into one session. My goals, under Account, lets you choose your reading days and daily reading goal.
L’ordre de préséance and Badges mark your progress. You can hide ranks, badges and goals in Settings. Your words and completed work stay with you when a streak ends.
A room that feels comfortable to read in
Open Settings under Account. Theme offers light, sepia and dark; Warm page changes the reading page. Interface & translation language changes the help and controls to a language the room offers, while the book stays in its original language.
Choose translation under every line or on tap, Underline new words, and how much unfamiliar words soften. Adjust Animations and Sound effects, answer practice cards by typing or letter tiles, and use Spread out overdue reviews when you want a gentler return.
Your words, your place, your own copy
Before you sign in, your reading record is kept in this browser. Clearing its data removes that local copy; a different browser starts with an empty record. A free account also keeps your words, bookmarks and progress across the devices you sign in on.
Back up saves your record as a file; Restore reads it back. Account’s What we store explains the residents’ local memory and lets you remove it. Your reading record remains when membership ends. Read about your data and privacy.
Accounts, membership and letters
A free account saves words for Practice and keeps your reading in sync. It asks for no payment details and starts neither a subscription nor a trial. Membership opens the full library and course, and renews until you cancel. Current prices and any available trial are on free reading and membership.
A confirmed reader account can receive an optional weekly reading letter. Its unsubscribe link lets you stop that list or all optional letters. Necessary account emails remain separate.