What if I don’t speak enough of the language to converse in it? There’s quite a bit of learning to be done before attempting a conversation.

Don’t forget that software is 10% building and 90% selling.

So even if you made the best competitor, distribution is key.

Looks promising and all the best!

I agree that the most important part of learning a language is talking to people in that language. It also solves for the common Duolingo problem that you'll learn to say "The bear is tying his shoelaces" but have no idea how to chit chat with colleagues in the break room.

I speak 4 languages and my way to go is always, always, always immersion over any classes. And language exchanges/buddies like you're proposing have always been super useful.

The only thing I'm worried about with your app is that it lacks a single player mode and thus has marketplace economics, which means you'll need to drive growth on two fronts: The language learner and the language buddy.

Others have figured it out though, so I totally applaud you in doing this!