Apprendre - Master french, privately
Just you, local LLMs, and la langue française.
2 followers
Just you, local LLMs, and la langue française.
2 followers
Apprendre is a native macOS French companion, built from one learner to other learners. It uses system translation and TTS for fast, high‑quality explanations and audio, and local LLMs to customize core parts of the learning experience. Unlike cloud‑heavy or over‑gamified apps, Apprendre takes a private, no‑cloud, AI‑assisted route with an ambitious roadmap to become a truly personalized French buddy on your Mac.
Hey All,
I'm Viswa (Viz) - creator of Apprendre macOS app. This is my first indie app so this is my special launch as well.
I’m learning French and got tired of the usual pattern: cute streak apps, locked content, everything phoning home to some server. So I built Apprendre, a French “language workbench” that just lives on your Mac, works offline and private.
What it is (right now)
You paste/type any French text and get: instant English translation, sentence audio, and word‑by‑word breakdown along with phonetic cues in one place.
You can bookmark your fav or complex words and jump back into the exact sentence later, so reviews always have context instead of random isolated vocab. You can build vocabs for future revisions
You can ask things like “How do I order coffee?” and the local LLM builds a small, focused lesson with phrases you can actually use.
Under the hood / why it’s different
100% on‑device: apart from the initial model download, all translation, pronunciation, and lesson planning runs locally. No tracking, no selling data, no account.
Uses macOS system TTS, so you get native‑quality voices and can flip between speakers in settings instead of being stuck with one robotic voice.
One‑time “pay what you want” (minimum 5 USD) for lifetime access to Pro features and future versions; no subscriptions, no dark patterns. You can download for free if you want just this version.
Where it’s going (roadmap in plain English)
Phase 1 (now): solid workbench for serious learners – local translation, clean UI, good audio, distraction‑free.
Phase 2: proper curriculum with DELF‑style paths (A1–B2), reading/writing helpers, and lightweight progress tracking.
Phase 3: on‑device speaking tutor with role‑plays, pronunciation scoring, and real‑time voice conversations.
Phase 4: an adaptive tutor that actually remembers your weak spots and builds lessons around them instead of making you redo the same random exercises.
Why I’m posting here
I built Apprendre because I’m learning French myself and was annoyed enough to code my own tool instead of forcing Duolingo to be something it isn’t. If you’re a serious learner on macOS (DELF, immigration, work, long‑term move, etc.), I’d love your feedback on:
1. What’s missing for it to become a daily driver for you?
2. Anything confusing or over‑engineered in the current flow?
3. Features you’d actually use during a 30‑minute focused session?
Links:
Homepage + download: apprendre.bytebanyan.com
Short walkthrough video: apprendre.bytebanyan.com/#walkthrough
You can use it for free, but if it clicks with you, throwing 5 bucks at it locks in lifetime updates and helps justify me sinking even more time into it.