Duolisan

Chrome extension for YouTube · beta

YouTube's Arabic captions have no vowels. Duolisan adds them while you watch.

So you can read exactly what you hear, and tap any word for its meaning, root and grammar note, with a dialect note where one applies, without leaving the video.

Ask for a beta invite, freeFree to use. No account needed. Email us and we send the install link.

What YouTube shows: no vowels

جدولنا صباحي زي ما تشوفون الأجواء إيش

Real output from Duolisan on a line of a vlog walking around AlUla: the vowels and the word card are exactly what it returned. The no-vowel version is the same line with the vowel marks removed, and the timing is replayed here.

Vowels and explanations are machine-generated and can be wrong. Lines the AI is unsure about carry a warning sign, and you can report a mistake in one tap.

Why Arabic videos are hard to learn from

Problem 1

You hear the word, but the caption could be read several ways. Arabic is written without its short vowels, and so are YouTube's captions.

✓ With Duolisan

Vowels are written in as you watch, starting from where you are in the video, so you can read the line the way it is spoken. They are machine-generated, so check anything that sounds off.

Problem 2

Looking a word up means pausing, copying it into a dictionary and losing your place.

✓ With Duolisan

Tap the word on the player: its meaning in this line, dictionary form, root, a dialect note and examples.

Problem 3

Many YouTube creators speak dialect, which is rarely what a formal Arabic course covers.

✓ With Duolisan

Dialect is written as it is spoken, not turned into formal Arabic, and the word card gives the formal equivalent.

Problem 4

New words slip away once the video ends.

✓ With Duolisan

Save words and whole lines, repeat a line slowly, then review them with spaced practice or export to Anki.

Vowels on the videos you watch

Duolisan is free to use every day. Duolisan Plus is for learners who watch more than a short video a day.

What you getFreePlus
Arabic and translation subtitles on any YouTube video with captionsYesYes
Listen and repeat, slow repeat, pause after each lineYesYes
Transcript panel, saved words and lines, practice, Anki exportYesYes
English for Arabic speakersYesYes
Vowels (tashkil) on new videos15 minutes a dayUp to about 4 hours of new video a day
Word cards: meaning, root, dialect note, grammar, examples10 a dayUp to about 500 a day
Explain a whole line, dialect next to formal Arabic3 a dayUp to about 200 a day

Video another learner already had vowelled is instant and does not count, on either plan.

Founding Plus

US$29 a year

Arabic vowels on the videos you watch, for learners who start with us. Founding price for yearly subscribers who start before 1 January 2027. After that, new members pay US$39.

Keep US$29 while your subscription stays active. If you cancel and come back, the price then is US$39.

Duolisan Plus

US$39 a year

35 percent less than paying monthly

or US$4.99 a month

Renews each month or year until you cancel.

Upgrade from the Duolisan button in your Chrome toolbar.

Our promise

Try Plus for 14 days. If it is not for you, email founder@taqwanology.com within 14 days of your first payment and we will refund that payment in full, no reason needed. We reply within 2 business days. Cancel any time; Plus stays on until the end of the period you have paid for. After 14 days, payments are not refunded except where the law requires.

Questions

Which videos work?

Any YouTube video that has Arabic captions, including YouTube's automatic ones. A video with no Arabic captions cannot be vowelled, and Duolisan tells you so.

Are the vowels always right?

No. Vowels and explanations are machine-generated (Anthropic's Claude) and can be wrong. Lines the AI is unsure about carry a warning sign, and you can report any mistake from the video in one tap.

Does it handle dialect?

Yes. Dialect is written as it is spoken, not turned into formal Arabic, and word cards note the formal equivalent where one applies.

Do I lose my saved words if I do not pay?

No. Saved words and lines stay on your computer and export to Anki, free, whether or not you ever pay.

Can I use it for Quran text?

Duolisan is a study aid for YouTube captions. Check any Quran text against a trusted printed copy.

Which browsers?

Chrome on a computer. Other Chromium browsers may work but are not tested yet.

What counts towards the free 15 minutes?

Only video nobody had vowelled before. A video another learner already watched shows its vowels instantly and does not use your minutes.

How do I pay, and can I cancel?

From the Duolisan button in your Chrome toolbar. Payment is on Stripe's secure page; we never see your card. Cancel any time from the same button, and Plus stays on until the end of the period you paid for.

Can I use Plus on more than one computer?

Yes, up to three. After paying you get a code; type it into Duolisan on your other computer.

What do you do with my data?

No account and no browsing history. The caption lines you watch go to our server to be vowelled, and your saved words stay on your computer. Details in the privacy policy.

Get your invite, free

Your saved words stay yours and export to Anki, free.