blas. – Celtic Languages

Name: blas. – Celtic Languages
Rating: 4.7 (82 reviews)
Author: threefold

All 6 Celtic languages, 1 app

Free · In‑App Purchases · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.

82 Ratings
Age Rating

4+
Years
Category

Education
Developer

threefold
Language

EN
+ 1 More
Size

275.8
MB

The Celtic languages are living languages. But the tools available to learners have never matched the languages themselves. Generic apps translate Spanish-course templates. Grammar books explain rules you can't apply. blas. is built from scratch for the six living Celtic languages. Séimhiú, urú, treigladau, kemmadurioù. We are the only app that drills consonant mutations systematically, alongside conjugation, declension, reading, listening, conversation, and daily word games built around how Celtic grammar actually works. No mascots. No confetti. No streak guilt. Clean design, precise feedback, progress you can measure. SIX CELTIC LANGUAGES Gaeilge (Irish), Cymraeg (Welsh), Gàidhlig (Scottish Gaelic), Brezhoneg (Breton), Kernewek (Cornish), Gaelg (Manx). Terms of Use: https://blasapp.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://blasapp.com/privacy

Ratings & Reviews

4.7

out of 5

82 Ratings

Dyslexia/Dysgraphia amazing
Jun 29
Jumpingmouse1987
Compare to any language learning app out there and you will find a feature here the others lack… accessibility for those with learning disabilities in the settings. For those of us who have the above this app not only allows you to turn answers requiring spelling off it features a section to work on spelling specifically!! A creator who truly cares that folks learn to SPEAK our language! I can’t give this a higher rating!!! I wish I could!!
Dyslexia/Dysgraphia amazing
Jun 29
Jumpingmouse1987

Compare to any language learning app out there and you will find a feature here the others lack… accessibility for those with learning disabilities in the settings. For those of us who have the above this app not only allows you to turn answers requiring spelling off it features a section to work on spelling specifically!! A creator who truly cares that folks learn to SPEAK our language! I can’t give this a higher rating!!! I wish I could!!
This will be the Duolingo killer for the Celtic languages.
Jun 25
JPC231
Duolingo has long been the go-to for learning languages through an app, and I myself completed the Portuguese course on it years ago. Over the years, however, it has gradually come to be among the slowest methods available for language-learning, and I have completely abandoned it.While Duolingo indeed offers many languages including Welsh, Irish, and Scots Gaelic, but it’s common knowledge that any language outside of the top most popular ones is an afterthought at best. Blas is different. No silly childish characters, no unnecessary bells and whistles, and a slick minimalist UI. This app is how Duolingo was 10 years ago, though perhaps even more straightforward. For having been around for less than a year, it already looks and feels quite professional, and more importantly like the developers are clearly aiming to make a serious language-learning app rather than a game.Although many features have some kinks that could be hammered out (especially the voice clips, speech recognition, and camera mode), I wholeheartedly expect this app to be the #1 for Celtic languages within the next year or two. Overall, my experience learning Welsh with it has been efficient and highly enjoyable, and I’m anxious to see how the app will improve further as development continues.

Developer Response
That's a brilliant review, thanks! There are definitely a few kinks in the app still but they will get ironed out with time hopefully. Cheers for using the app.
This will be the Duolingo killer for the Celtic languages.
Jun 25
JPC231

Duolingo has long been the go-to for learning languages through an app, and I myself completed the Portuguese course on it years ago. Over the years, however, it has gradually come to be among the slowest methods available for language-learning, and I have completely abandoned it.While Duolingo indeed offers many languages including Welsh, Irish, and Scots Gaelic, but it’s common knowledge that any language outside of the top most popular ones is an afterthought at best. Blas is different. No silly childish characters, no unnecessary bells and whistles, and a slick minimalist UI. This app is how Duolingo was 10 years ago, though perhaps even more straightforward. For having been around for less than a year, it already looks and feels quite professional, and more importantly like the developers are clearly aiming to make a serious language-learning app rather than a game.Although many features have some kinks that could be hammered out (especially the voice clips, speech recognition, and camera mode), I wholeheartedly expect this app to be the #1 for Celtic languages within the next year or two. Overall, my experience learning Welsh with it has been efficient and highly enjoyable, and I’m anxious to see how the app will improve further as development continues.
Developer Response Jul 1
That's a brilliant review, thanks! There are definitely a few kinks in the app still but they will get ironed out with time hopefully. Cheers for using the app.
Not for beginners
Jul 5
ezekiy
Even though there is the option to start as a complete beginner, I felt that the lessons did not teach enough information to follow the practise drills unless you already knew some Irish. For example, the lesson would teach you the word for ‘house’, but the practise drill would be ‘how do you say “the house is at the top of the hill”’ even though you haven’t learnt any of those other words or even the basic word order of the language. I also downloaded the app because of the Celtic-language-specific features like spelling lessons, but those assume you have lots of vocabulary already, which is difficult to learn if you don’t understand why they are spelled the way that they are. I was really excited to try this app but I just found it frustrating because I could not find the information I needed to do the exercises.

Developer Response
Hi, I know this is slightly frustrating, but the app is designed to throw you into the deep end with lessons. Exactly like how you would learn a language in real life. For example, it will give you a random beginner word in the spelling drill (eg like Labhraíonn), even if you have or haven't seen that word before, it may be difficult to spell. Having seen or spoken it in lessons prior will not make you a better speller; you need to practice writing it to spell it. Hopefully this helps! You can't learn without getting things wrong initially!
Not for beginners
Jul 5
ezekiy

Even though there is the option to start as a complete beginner, I felt that the lessons did not teach enough information to follow the practise drills unless you already knew some Irish. For example, the lesson would teach you the word for ‘house’, but the practise drill would be ‘how do you say “the house is at the top of the hill”’ even though you haven’t learnt any of those other words or even the basic word order of the language. I also downloaded the app because of the Celtic-language-specific features like spelling lessons, but those assume you have lots of vocabulary already, which is difficult to learn if you don’t understand why they are spelled the way that they are. I was really excited to try this app but I just found it frustrating because I could not find the information I needed to do the exercises.
Developer Response Jul 8
Hi, I know this is slightly frustrating, but the app is designed to throw you into the deep end with lessons. Exactly like how you would learn a language in real life. For example, it will give you a random beginner word in the spelling drill (eg like Labhraíonn), even if you have or haven't seen that word before, it may be difficult to spell. Having seen or spoken it in lessons prior will not make you a better speller; you need to practice writing it to spell it. Hopefully this helps! You can't learn without getting things wrong initially!
Audio Issue and difficulty
Jul 7
MackenDU
I am not hearing any audio phrases when being drilled on listening, though the app itself is making little accomplishment noises, so it isn’t muted. I chose to learn Cornish, and since I have some Welsh under my belt it is easier to guess answers, but the interface is clunky for finding the “lesson” portion (rather than the drills) to start as a pure beginner. I had to use a reply from these reviews to even realize where to start. Morre hand-holding is needed for learning the app’s interface. It also begs too much to start a “premium” plan, and the grammar explanations touted appear to be locked behind this paywall. It is not intuitive nor easy to use for a pure beginner. I am working on Celtic languages specifically, I had high hopes that aren’t yet satisfied by Blas.

Developer Response
The Cornish and Manx courses are free to use as they have no audio. This is because they are very low-resource and don't have a computer voice for them; we are changing this by getting human voice recordings for these languages, but this is a slow process. The app lets you know this when first starting, but perhaps I should add it elsewhere too. I am not sure exactly what you mean by "where to start". The first lesson (and all the rest) are on the first screen, at the top, on the homepage of the app. I think that some more content can be added to help bolster beginners.
Audio Issue and difficulty
Jul 7
MackenDU

I am not hearing any audio phrases when being drilled on listening, though the app itself is making little accomplishment noises, so it isn’t muted. I chose to learn Cornish, and since I have some Welsh under my belt it is easier to guess answers, but the interface is clunky for finding the “lesson” portion (rather than the drills) to start as a pure beginner. I had to use a reply from these reviews to even realize where to start. Morre hand-holding is needed for learning the app’s interface. It also begs too much to start a “premium” plan, and the grammar explanations touted appear to be locked behind this paywall. It is not intuitive nor easy to use for a pure beginner. I am working on Celtic languages specifically, I had high hopes that aren’t yet satisfied by Blas.
Developer Response Jul 16
The Cornish and Manx courses are free to use as they have no audio. This is because they are very low-resource and don't have a computer voice for them; we are changing this by getting human voice recordings for these languages, but this is a slow process. The app lets you know this when first starting, but perhaps I should add it elsewhere too. I am not sure exactly what you mean by "where to start". The first lesson (and all the rest) are on the first screen, at the top, on the homepage of the app. I think that some more content can be added to help bolster beginners.

- Starting your first lesson after placement now opens a lesson instead of leaving you on the chapter card. - Premium access now restores when you reopen the app, even if your connection briefly fails. - Web subscribers can find subscription management in Settings. - Fixed a landscape iPad crossword layout that hid the bottom keyboard row behind navigation. - Keep voice playback available when the audio cache has a temporary outage. - Speaking practice ignores silent captures and recognizes short quiet speech more reliably. - Progress restores safely after a low-storage error or an interrupted sign-in session.

Version 2.0.20 Sep 29

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Accessibility

Information

Seller: THREEFOLD LTD
Size: 275.8 MB
Category: Education
Compatibility: Requires iOS 17.0 or later.

iPhone
Requires iOS 17.0 or later.

iPad
Requires iPadOS 17.0 or later.

Mac
Requires macOS 14.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.

Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
Languages: English and French
Age Rating: 4+

4+

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In-App Purchases: Yes

blas. Premium Monthly $17.99

blas. Premium Annual $99.99

Lifetime $199.99

Annual Family $149.00

Monthly Family $19.99

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