Nirécol is a free French academy you can use right in your browser — or install it like an app. Here is how to learn with it, and how to add it to your phone or computer.
Learning with Nirécol
1
Choose your level
Pick a level from A0 to C2, or take the short placement test to find your starting point.
2
Follow your path
Open a level and work through its lessons in order. Each lesson has Learn, Vocabulary, Dialogue, Practice and Review tabs.
3
Practice and review
Reinforce with quizzes, the spaced-repetition Review Center, and DELF/DALF mock tests with audio.
4
Track your progress
Your day streak, daily XP goal and completed lessons update as you go — no account needed.
5
Pick up where you left off
“Continue learning” takes you back to the exact lesson and spot you last had open.
Practice speaking out loud
Some lessons include voice practice: you say the French phrase aloud and Nirécol shows what it heard and whether it matched. It runs entirely in your browser — no recording is saved or sent anywhere.
1
Open a lesson and go to Practice
Inside any lesson, open the Practice tab, then choose the “Speaking” mode.
2
Tap the microphone and speak
Press the round mic button, then say the French phrase shown — clearly, in a quiet place. The button glows while it is listening.
3
See your result and continue
Nirécol shows what it heard and marks it correct or not, then moves to the next phrase. Tap the mic again to retry.
Allowing the microphone
The first time you tap the mic, your browser asks permission to use the microphone — choose “Allow”. If you tapped “Block” by mistake, voice practice can’t hear you; here is how to turn it back on:
Chrome / Edge on a computer: click the 🔒 (or microphone) icon at the left of the address bar → set Microphone to “Allow” → reload the page.
Chrome on Android: tap the ⋮ menu → tap the lock / ⓘ icon next to the address → Permissions → Microphone → Allow.
Still blocked? Open your device Settings → Apps → your browser (or Nirécol) → Permissions → Microphone → Allow.
Which browsers can hear you
Voice input uses the browser’s built-in speech engine, which only some browsers provide:
Chrome & EdgeFull support on Android and computer. Recommended for speaking practice.
Safari (iPhone, iPad, Mac)Partial — it may ask to “Allow” speech, but voice input is unreliable and sometimes does nothing. If it doesn’t start, use Chrome or Edge.
FirefoxNot supported — the Speaking tab will tell you to switch to Chrome or Edge.
Speaking in the installed app
On Android, the installed Nirécol app uses Chrome’s engine, so speaking works. Allow the microphone the first time you’re asked (or in Settings → Apps → Nirécol → Permissions → Microphone).
On iPhone & iPad, the home-screen app uses Safari’s engine, where voice input is unreliable. If speaking doesn’t work in the installed app, open Nirécol in the Safari browser to practice speaking.
Tip: speak right after the button starts listening, in a quiet place, at a normal pace. The phrase to say is shown on screen — tap “Replay” to hear it first.
Install Nirécol as an app
Add Nirécol to your home screen to open it like a native app — full screen, fast, and available offline once it has loaded.
Android (Chrome or Edge)
Open Nirécol in Chrome or Edge.
Tap the ⋮ menu in the top-right corner.
Choose “Install app” or “Add to Home screen”.
Confirm — the Nirécol icon appears on your home screen.
iPhone & iPad (Safari)
Open Nirécol in Safari — this only works in Safari.
Tap the Share button (the square with an up-arrow).
Scroll down and tap “Add to Home Screen”.
Tap “Add” — the icon appears on your home screen.
Desktop (Chrome or Edge)
Open Nirécol in Chrome or Edge.
Click the install icon in the address bar, or the ⋮ menu → “Install Nirécol”.
Confirm to add it as a desktop app.
On iPhone and iPad, adding to the home screen only works in Safari — not Chrome or other browsers.
Updating the App
Nirécol updates silently in the background. When a new version is ready:
A prompt will appear asking if you want to reload and apply the update.
Tap "OK" to instantly refresh to the newest version.
If you are in the middle of a lesson, you can tap "Cancel" and the app will update the next time you open it.
Which browser to use
Nirécol works in every modern browser. For the best experience and one-tap install:
Chrome / EdgeAndroid & desktop. Best experience and one-tap install.
SafariiPhone & iPad. Required to install to the home screen on iOS.
Firefox / Samsung Internet / OperaWork well for browsing; install support varies.
Ready to start?
Pick a level and begin — your progress saves automatically on this device.
