Subtitles and translation
Watch YouTube with two lines of subtitles — the original and a translation into your language — and switch the translation or original on and off.
In PlayLingo every line of a video appears twice: the original sentence in the language you learn, and its translation into your language right under it. Bilingual subtitles are free.
How it works
- Open any video and tap Watch.
- The line that is being spoken is shown with the translation under it. Lines move as the video plays.
- Tap any word in the original to get an explanation from Lingo. See Word explanations.
- Tap the save icon under a line to save the whole sentence to your vocabulary.
Turn the translation on or off
- Open the mode button in the player (the round button in the side controls).
- Use the Translation switch.
- Or choose the Understand mode: the translation is hidden and appears when you tap Show Translation. See Modes overview.
Change the translation language
The translation comes in your native language by default. To change it, open the mode sheet → Translation and pick another language. This is handy if you learn a third language through a second one.
Choose the subtitle track
Before you tap Watch, you can choose the track under Subtitles. Tracks are grouped into “Language of this video”, “Your languages” and “Other languages”:
| Track | What it is |
|---|---|
| Auto | YouTube’s speech recognition as it comes: no punctuation, lines cut by time. |
| Channel | Subtitles uploaded by the channel author. Usually the most accurate. |
| Enhanced | Subtitles adapted for learning: split into full sentences, with punctuation added. The first time takes a few seconds to prepare. |
If a track looks wrong, open About subtitles → Report a problem.
Make subtitles easier to read
Open Appearance in the player to change the theme, font size and weight for the subtitles and the translation separately, the line width and spacing.
Common questions
Is the translation made by AI?
Yes. Lines are translated in context, so idioms and slang are translated by meaning, not word by word.
Can I learn from a video in my own language?
Yes. If you pick a track in your native language, PlayLingo flips the direction: you read the translation into the language you learn. See Modes overview.
The translation says “Couldn’t translate”
Tap the message to try again. If it keeps happening, you may have reached the daily limit for translations and explanations — they work again the next day.
Related guides
- Word explanationsTap any word or select a phrase in the subtitles, and Lingo explains what it means in this exact sentence — then save it to review later.
- Modes overviewWatch, Understand, Listen, Build and Speak — PlayLingo’s modes turn the same video into listening, sentence-building and speaking practice. Here’s when to use each.
- Add a YouTube videoOpen any YouTube video, playlist or channel in PlayLingo — paste a link, share it from the YouTube app or search right inside the app.
- Playback controlsPause, step line by line, repeat a sentence, auto-pause after each line, loop a phrase, slow the video down and hear a line read aloud in PlayLingo.