Question 1

Is Parolina free?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and the free plan is the whole product rather than a trial of it: up to 100 saved words and 2 dictionaries, the instant translation popup, dictionary definitions with pronunciation and part of speech, all 7 practice modes (flashcards, multiple choice, drag & drop, typing, reverse, fill in the blank, word reveal) plus a Mixed session that shuffles between them, spaced repetition with streaks and goals, daily reminders, free cloud sync across your devices, and CSV export with a full JSON backup. Pro adds unlimited words and dictionaries, the Hard Words Workout, advanced analytics with smart suggestions, Anki and Quizlet export, and multiple reminder schedules.

Question 2

What is Parolina?

Accepted Answer

A browser extension for the words you meet while reading. Select a word, a phrase or a whole sentence on any page and save it — the translation, a dictionary definition, the pronunciation, the part of speech, the sentence you found it in and the page it came from are filled in for you. Then it comes back for review until it sticks.

Question 3

Which browsers does Parolina support?

Accepted Answer

Chrome and Microsoft Edge, both live in their stores today. On a phone, where neither browser can install extensions, the web app at app.parolina.app gives you the same vocabulary and the same practice modes in the browser you already have. Firefox is not supported yet.

Question 4

How is this different from Google Translate?

Accepted Answer

Google Translate answers a question and forgets it. Parolina uses the same translation to start a card, and then does the part that makes a word stick: it keeps the sentence you found the word in, files it in the dictionary for that language pair, and brings it back on a schedule until you know it. The translation is a draft you correct, not an answer you accept — you edit anything you disagree with before it is saved.

Question 5

Does it work on any website?

Accepted Answer

Any ordinary web page — articles, blogs, news, documentation, research papers, forums. Select the text and the save panel appears where you are reading, so you do not leave the page. Pages a browser extension cannot touch at all, like the browser's own settings pages and the extension stores, are the exception.

Question 6

Which languages can I learn?

Accepted Answer

Any pair Google Translate handles, in either direction, and you can keep several pairs side by side. The interface itself is translated into English, Spanish, French, Italian, German and Russian — the whole interface, not only the popup.

Question 7

What actually leaves my device?

Accepted Answer

The exact text you select, sent to Google Translate to fetch the translation draft, and nothing else. Not the page, not its address, not the sentence around your selection — those are kept on your device and used locally. There are no ads, nothing is sold, and anonymous usage analytics can be switched off in the settings.

Question 8

Where is my vocabulary stored?

Accepted Answer

In your browser, in IndexedDB, which is why it is fast and works without a connection. Nothing is uploaded unless you sign in and turn on cloud sync — and even then it goes to your own account, to reach your other browsers.

Question 9

Does Parolina work offline?

Accepted Answer

Saving and practice do: your vocabulary is on your device, so reviews run with no connection at all, and a word still saves. Fetching a translation draft is the part that needs the network — offline, the field arrives empty for you to fill in, and the word is saved either way.

Question 10

Will it slow my browser down?

Accepted Answer

There is a small script on the pages you visit, written with plain DOM rather than a UI framework to keep it that way. It waits for you to select text and does nothing otherwise, and it makes no network request until you ask for a translation or save a word. The one address it is ever allowed to contact is Google Translate.

Question 11

How does spaced repetition work?

Accepted Answer

A word you answer correctly comes back later each time: after 1 day, then 2, 4, 7, 14, 30, 60 and 90. Get it wrong and it returns sooner, by how hard you said it was. The daily queue shows only what is due, so it is a few minutes rather than a pile, and words you have mastered can resurface on a schedule you choose — or not at all.

Question 12

Can I take my data with me?

Accepted Answer

At any time, on the free plan. Export your vocabulary as CSV — every field Parolina stores, including the definitions and the sentence each word came from — or take a full JSON backup with your dictionaries, settings and progress, and restore it later. CSV import previews the file, skips duplicates and reports errors rather than failing silently. Anki and Quizlet export are the Pro additions.

Question 13

Can I save phrases and sentences?

Accepted Answer

Yes — words, phrases, idioms and whole sentences. Each save keeps the source page and the surrounding sentence, so you can see where you met it, and the fill-in-the-blank mode practises the word inside that sentence rather than on its own.

Question 14

Can I create multiple dictionaries?

Accepted Answer

Yes, by language pair or by topic — an “English → Italian — Travel” beside an “English → Italian — Work”. Parolina works out which one a saved word belongs in from the language you selected, and asks rather than guessing when the answer is ambiguous. The free plan includes 2 dictionaries; Pro removes the limit.

Question 15

Is there cloud sync?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and it is free for everyone with an account — sync is what makes an account worth having, not the thing you pay for. Sign in with an email code or with Google and your words follow you between browsers and devices. Local-first storage stays the default, and you never have to sign in at all.

Question 16

Is Parolina only for Italian?

Accepted Answer

No. The name is Italian, the product is not: it works for any language you are learning, and for any language you are reading.

Analytics and the Hard Words Workout

What is free

What Pro adds