VerbPal

VerbPal is a phone app that does one job: it drills verb conjugations, the part of a new language where many learners freeze mid-sentence. Rather than having students memorize tables, it shows each verb inside a sentence and asks for the right form, then uses spaced repetition (the SM-2 method) to bring back each verb just before it is likely to be forgotten.

It covers ten languages: Spanish, French, Portuguese, English, German, Italian, Polish, Romanian, Dutch and Ukrainian. The company says each language includes the 200 or more most-used verbs across the major tenses, including past, future, conditional and subjunctive forms. There are five exercise types: verb meaning, translation, conjugation, fill-in-the-blank sentences and listening. Irregular verbs are flagged and can be practiced on their own, and a beginner, intermediate or advanced setting controls which tenses are available.

Families should know how the content is made. VerbPal's own content page says its example sentences come from automated language generation rather than being written by native speakers, and all audio is computer-generated speech. The company also says plainly that generated examples are sometimes unnatural, so a teacher or fluent speaker is still worth having nearby.

This is a supplement for a student already taking a language, not a full course. It suits a high schooler working through Spanish or French conjugations, or a parent learning alongside. Sessions are short, with a daily goal of 5 to 20 exercises, streaks and progress stats. VerbPal's terms do not allow users under 13, and teens 13 to 17 need a parent to agree to the terms.

VerbPal is a paid subscription with a free trial, not a free app. New users get 3 days of full access, then are charged unless they cancel. The US App Store lists VerbPal Premium at $4.99 a month, $49.99 a year, or $99.99 for lifetime access. It runs on iPhone and Android, and exercises need an internet connection. The website also offers free conjugation tables for each language.