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YouTube dual subtitles: learn a language from the videos you watch

YouTube is full of lectures, tutorials, interviews and vlogs in the language you are learning. YouTube dual subtitles from InterSub put the original line and its translation on screen together, so you follow the video and pick up the language at the same time.

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YouTube dual subtitles with InterSub: the English line and its Spanish translation, with the pop-up dictionary over the word dough

How to get YouTube dual subtitles

  1. Install InterSub

    Add the free InterSub extension to Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge or Firefox. Links for every browser are on the install page.

  2. Choose your languages

    Right after installation InterSub asks which language to translate from and which to translate into. Dual subtitles are on by default.

  3. Open a YouTube video

    Open any YouTube video with subtitles and play it: the second subtitle line appears under the original one. D on the keyboard turns dual subtitles on or off.

What you get on YouTube

  • Two subtitle lines on videos with captions. The language of the video and your native language, one above the other. If the video has subtitles in your language, InterSub shows them as the second line for free, and that often includes YouTube's own translation of the captions. If YouTube offers no subtitles in your language, the AI subtitle translator translates the original line on the fly. This is a paid feature, included in the free trial. A video without any subtitles gets no second line.

  • Second line only on pause. Understand most of the video already? Keep one subtitle line while it plays and see the translation only when you pause, so it doesn't distract you.

  • Pop-up dictionary on hover. Hover over any word in the YouTube subtitles: the video pauses and the pop-up dictionary shows the meaning with a context translation. The AI recognizes English phrasal verbs and idioms, like “spell out”, and translates the whole phrase.

  • Words from your videos, ready to practice. Every word you look up is saved to your Wordbook with the line it came from. Sync it with Anki on desktop or mobile, or train words in our Telegram bot.

  • Comments and descriptions too. Select a phrase or double-click a word in the comments or the video description, and a pop-up shows the translation with its context.

  • No subtitles on videos in your language. Watching something in your native language? InterSub can hide the subtitles on YouTube when the audio is in your native language, so you don't have to switch the extension off between videos. Turn it on in Settings.

Hotkeys, “Show subtitles on pause” for listening practice and other tools work on YouTube too: see all features.

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Frequently asked questions

What if a YouTube video has subtitles in only one language?

Usually YouTube can translate the captions itself, and InterSub shows that translation as the free second line. If YouTube gives no subtitles in your language, the AI subtitle translator translates the original line on the fly, including auto-generated captions. It is a paid feature: it works during the free 14-day Premium trial, with a promo code and on every paid plan, from the smallest Pay-as-you-go pack of 50 lookups. If a video has no subtitles at all, InterSub has nothing to translate.

Are dual subtitles on YouTube free?

Double subtitles on YouTube are free when YouTube has subtitles in your language, including its own translation of the captions. The free plan includes a monthly number of word lookups and starts with a 14-day Premium trial. Translating subtitles with AI is paid: Pay-as-you-go packs start at $1.49, and Premium with unlimited lookups starts at $6 a month. See plans and prices.

Do YouTube dual subtitles work in Firefox?

Yes. InterSub is a YouTube dual subtitles extension for Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Firefox. Chromium-based browsers such as Arc and Brave use the Chrome version. The install page has a button for each browser.

Which languages can I learn with YouTube videos?

InterSub supports dozens of language pairs, such as English to Spanish, Spanish to English, English to Japanese and German to English. You choose the languages when you install InterSub and can change them later in the extension settings.

Does InterSub dub YouTube videos?

No. InterSub works with subtitles: it shows the original line and its translation as text and translates the words you hover. It does not change the audio of the video.

More questions about InterSub? See all answers in our FAQ.

Other cases

Get Started with InterSub

InterSub is a free browser extension for Chrome, Edge and Firefox. Install it today and get dual subtitles for YouTube, with a pop-up dictionary for every word.

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