PRESS / MEEDIA

It started with Marko.

Denis moved to Estonia and began learning Estonian from scratch. Later, he built an AI conversation partner called Marko. That grew into KeelAI: several language learning apps, including some completely free options.

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Marko · KeelAI’s AI conversation partner

012022 · Moving to Estonia
02Marko · a conversation in Telegram
03KeelAI · a family of apps

From Marko to KeelAI

Denis Vetrennikov moved from Russia to Estonia in 2022. He began learning Estonian from scratch alongside his remote job. Working in IT and e-commerce, he used AI regularly and wanted a conversation partner to practise Estonian with.

The Estonian pronunciation and mistakes in the AI conversation partners he tried at the time did not meet his needs. More than a year ago, he started building Marko with Estonian as the starting point. At first, Marko was available around the clock in Telegram. A dictionary, reading tools, exercises and games followed. The project grew into KeelAI.

Denis is still learning too. He took the B1 exam twice this year, finishing one and two points short of a pass. He is happy to talk about that continuing learning journey in a written interview.

What can your reader try?

The KeelAI dictionary, published texts in the reader and browser level test are free. A reader can open a text, look up unfamiliar words and write their own sentences. Numbers, Compound Verbs and Estonian Stories include free content; further content and AI practice in the main app have their own pricing.

Free learning with KeelAI →

The level test helps you plan your learning. It is not an official language exam.

Updated 5 November 2026