You’re the third student.
A spoken language class on your iPhone. Your teacher hands you the language in small pieces, asks you to build real sentences out loud, and waits for as long as you need. No flashcards, no streaks, nothing to memorise.
iPhone first. Android and desktop are on the way. We’ll only email you about the beta; see our privacy policy.
The last sentence of chapter one. In class you build it yourself, out loud, before she says it back.
I give you pieces. You build sentences.
That’s how Alma describes it to every new student. Each turn of the class goes the same way, a few hundred times a course.
- 1
She hands you a piece.
Often one you already own. Possible, terrible, acceptable: they’re Spanish too, said a little differently.
posible, terrible, aceptable
- 2
She asks, in English.
How would you say…? You put together a sentence you’ve never heard, out of pieces you understand.
How would you say: it’s not possible for me?
- 3
You take your time.
The light breathes while it’s your turn. There’s no clock, and a quiet moment never counts against you.
No rush.
- 4
She says it back.
Every turn ends with the whole sentence said well, slowly, in her voice. It’s the last thing you hear.
No es posible para mí.
And when a sentence won’t come, she goes back to the last piece you’re sure of and rebuilds it with you. If something slips, that’s on the teacher, never on you.
Never try to remember.
No notes, no homework, nothing to go over between classes, and there will never be a test. If something slips away, that’s the teacher’s job, not yours: she’ll bring it back inside a new sentence at the right moment. Your only job is to relax and understand.
What you won’t find here
- Streaks
- Points
- Hearts
- Leaderboards
- Timers
- Multiple choice
- Flashcards
- Homework
Hear what you’ll be saying, chapter by chapter.
Every chapter ends on one sentence that you build yourself. Pick a language and press a speaker to hear it, in the voice of the teacher who gets you there.
Alma
teaches Spanish
In the beta
Six of Alma’s 37 chapters, from the first class to near the end.
- 1
First words & cognates
Lo siento, pero no puedo aceptar la invitación.
I’m sorry, but I can’t accept the invitation.
- 3
The past, the two ‘to be’s & courteous Spanish
Ayer no lo vi, pero quisiera verlo mañana si es posible.
Yesterday I didn’t see it, but I’d like to see it tomorrow if it’s possible.
- 10
Finding your way
Perdón, ¿puede decirme dónde está el banco? Creo que está cerca de la plaza, pero no sé.
Excuse me, can you tell me where the bank is? I think it’s near the square, but I don’t know.
- 12
Wanting things to happen
Ayer le dije que no podía hacerlo, pero espero que todavía sea posible mañana, porque quiero que usted lo vea.
Yesterday I told him I couldn’t do it, but I hope it’s still possible tomorrow, because I want you to see it.
- 23
If things were different
Si tuviera más tiempo, iría a ver a mi amigo, pero hoy estoy ocupado.
If I had more time, I would go to see my friend, but today I’m busy.
- 36
Telling the story
Te cuento lo que pasó: era tarde, y de repente vino un hombre y me dijo algo increíble.
I’ll tell you what happened: it was late, and suddenly a man came and told me something incredible.
These are the voices you’ll hear in class. Every teacher speaks with a voice made with ElevenLabs.
On your desk, too.
The same class in your browser, for the days you’d rather sit down with headphones on. It picks up wherever your phone left off.
Android follows the iPhone beta. Tell us you’re on Android when you join, and you’ll hear first.
Questions
What is The Third Student?
A language class you have out loud, on your phone. Your teacher gives you a few pieces of the language at a time, asks you in English how you’d say something, and waits while you build the sentence and say it. Then she says it back, so the last thing you hear is always the sentence said well.
Why “the third student”?
Picture a small, quiet room: a teacher, two students, and you, listening in and answering along with them. The best spoken language classes have always felt like that. Here, the teacher listens to you as well.
How is it different from other language apps?
You never tap an answer, match words or pick from a list. Every turn, you build a sentence and say it. There are no points, streaks, hearts or timers, and nothing to cram between classes. It feels less like a game and more like a patient teacher with all the time in the world.
Do I have to speak out loud?
That’s the heart of it: a half-built sentence said out loud does more for you than a perfect one kept in your head. If you can’t talk where you are, you can type your answers instead.
What do I need?
An iPhone, somewhere quiet, and headphones if you have them. Twenty or thirty minutes is plenty, and you can stop whenever you like: your teacher keeps your place.
Which languages can I learn?
Spanish, French and Indonesian are in the beta. Korean is new: every chapter is written, and it joins the beta next. Japanese, Mandarin and Italian have their first chapters and are being written now. Each language has its own teacher, and they all teach the same way.
When can I start?
We’re letting people in in small groups, iPhone first. Join the waitlist and we’ll email you when your place opens.
Whose voices are these?
Every teacher speaks with a voice made with ElevenLabs. It lets each one teach in English and move into their own language mid-sentence, with the right accent, the way a real teacher does.
What happens to my voice?
The microphone is only on while class is in session. Apple’s speech recognition turns what you say into text so your teacher can respond to it, and Apple may process that on its servers. Your email is only used to tell you about the beta.