The Reader · live now

Read real English books — and understand every line

Open a book with the translation alongside. Tap any word for a quick translation, break down the grammar in tricky sentences, and bring your own EPUB or FB2 files. Save the words worth keeping — you'll learn them in the app.

Start for free · No card required · Runs in your browser

What's inside

Five features working on every page.

01 · Grammar in context

Grammar, explained in the line you're reading

When a sentence hides a construction worth knowing, a quiet Grammar row appears. Open it for a short, plain-language rule tied to that exact line — form, gist, an example from your book, and the one mistake to avoid. No separate grammar course to grind through.

  • The construction is highlighted right in the text.
  • Form, plain gist, an example from your book, a pitfall.
  • Tied to CEFR level — never a separate curriculum.
read.langorbit.com / grammar

ENGLISH

By the time the boy returned, the old man had already fallen asleep in his chair.

Grammar in this sentence · Past Perfect
B1

Past Perfect

Tenses · talking about an earlier past

had + past participle

Use the Past Perfect for an action that was already finished before another moment in the past.

From this sentence

…the old man had already fallen asleep in his chair.
…старик уже успел заснуть в своём кресле.
Watch out: with “already”, the adverb sits between had and the participle — not before had.

The construction glows in the text; the “Grammar” row opens the rule behind it.

02 · Dictionary

Tap a word, get its translation

Don't know a word? Tap it. You get a quick translation and its part of speech, and you can save the ones you want to your list with a single tap — even offline. To actually drill saved words and lock them in, open the app: the Reader collects the words, and the LangOrbit app helps you learn them.

  • A translation and part of speech in one tap.
  • Save words to your list — even offline, synced later.
  • Learn the words you saved in the LangOrbit app.

DICTIONARY

cherish
verb

TRANSLATION

дорожить, лелеять

Tap a word for its translation and part of speech — then save it to your list.

03 · Your own books

Drop in your own book

You're not stuck with our shelf. Add your own EPUB or FB2 and read it with the same tap-to-translate dictionary and in-context grammar. (The sentence-by-sentence translation is only on books from our library — uploads aren't aligned that way.)

  • Drag in an EPUB or FB2 — processing takes seconds.
  • Same tap-to-translate dictionary and grammar as our library.
  • Another format? Convert to EPUB free with tools like Calibre.
read.langorbit.com / library / upload
Drop your book to start reading
or click to choose a file from your device
.epub.fb2
EPUB
war-and-peace.epub
3.2 MB · parsed into 361 chapters

Your own book becomes a parallel-text reader, dictionary and grammar included.

04 · Read anywhere

Download a book and read offline

Underground, on a plane, or out of town — download any book to your device and keep reading with no connection. Word taps, dictionary lookups, and saved words all wait quietly and sync the moment you're back online.

  • Whole books saved to your device for offline reading.
  • Lookups and saved words queue locally — nothing lost.
  • Everything syncs back automatically on reconnect.
The Old Man and the Sea
E. HEMINGWAY · 5.1 MB
Available offline
Airplane mode — no connection needed

Download once, read anywhere; taps and saves sync when you're back.

05 · Parallel translation

Stuck on a line? Your language is right alongside

On our curated titles, the native translation sits sentence-for-sentence beside the English. A reveal slider keeps it hidden until you want it — and colour marks at sentence starts keep your place while you switch.

  • Sentence-for-sentence, English beside your native language.
  • Hold the reveal slider and uncover exactly as much translation as you need.
  • Colour marks at sentence starts help your eyes find the spot instantly when switching.
read.langorbit.com / sherlock-holmes
A Scandal in BohemiaA. Conan Doyle · Chapter 1
8 new words

ENGLISH

To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman. I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name.

In his eyes she eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex.

РУССКИЙ

Для Шерлока Холмса она всегда оставалась той самой женщиной. Я редко слышал, чтобы он называл её каким-либо другим именем.

В его глазах она затмевает всех представительниц своего пола.

Reveal
Sentence 1 of 2
New Learning Familiar
  • Works in any browser

    Phone, tablet, or computer — nothing to install. Add the Reader to your home screen and it opens like a regular app.

  • Save words as you read

    Tap to save any word to your list as you read. When you want to actually memorise them, the LangOrbit app turns your saved words into spaced-repetition practice.

  • No ads, no tracking sale

    Data sits on EU servers (Hetzner, Germany). Privacy-respecting analytics only. No third-party ad networks. Ever.

How it works

From reading to understanding — in just three steps.

Open, read, and look up — then carry on learning the words in the app.

  1. 1

    Open a book — ours or yours

    Pick a classic from our library — every book there comes with a sentence-aligned parallel translation — or upload your own EPUB or FB2.

  2. 2

    Read and tap the words you don't know

    A tap shows a quick translation; save the words you want to your list. Under sentences with a construction worth knowing, a “Grammar” row appears with a short breakdown.

  3. 3

    Learn what you saved in the app

    Saved words sync with the LangOrbit app, where they turn into practice and spaced repetition — so what you learn doesn't fade.

FAQ

Questions about the Reader

Can I read my own books?

Yes. Upload your own EPUB or FB2 and read it with the same tap-to-translate dictionary and in-context grammar as the built-in library. The sentence-by-sentence parallel translation is only on our library titles, though.

Can I read offline?

Yes. Download any book to your device and keep reading without a connection. Word taps and saved words queue locally and sync the moment you're back online.

Which file formats are supported?

EPUB and FB2 — the two most common open e-book formats. If your book is in another format, convert it to EPUB first with a free tool like Calibre.

Which languages can I read in?

English is the language you're learning. Your native (translation) side can be Russian, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, or Chinese — Simplified or Traditional.

What level of English do I need to read books in the original?

You can start earlier than you think. With the tap-to-translate dictionary and the translation beside the text, simple classics work from about A2, and most originals feel comfortable from B1. Every book in the library shows its level (A1–C1), so it's easy to pick one that fits.

How do I choose my first book in English?

Take something short, a bit below your ceiling, and genuinely interesting — fables, children's stories, or short fiction make a great start. In the LangOrbit library every book is labeled by level, and the built-in dictionary keeps unknown words from stopping you.

Is the Reader free?

You can try it for free: the Reader has a free tier with no card and no sign-up required. Beyond that it's paid — the free tier is enough to see whether the Reader is for you.

What happens to the words I tap?

You can save them to your word list. To actually learn them, open the LangOrbit app: your saved words enter a spaced-repetition schedule that brings each one back right before you'd forget it. The Reader itself is built purely for comfortable reading, collecting new vocabulary, and exploring grammar.

Open a book and start reading.

No download, no signup wall. The Reader opens straight into the first chapter.

Open the Reader

Works on phone, tablet, and desktop. Telegram Mini App available separately.