We started with a narrow learning problem.
Most language products try to own the entire learning journey. NGL Verb Lab starts with one difficult, high-frequency job: finding a verb, understanding the form in front of you, hearing it and recalling it without leaving the same focused interface.
That constraint shaped the product. The current SwiftUI prototype is not a reskinned phrasebook or a collection of static flash cards. Search, conjugation tables, examples, speech and practice all use the same underlying verb records, so reference and recall reinforce each other.
Four languages, four real grammar systems.
English, French, German and Portuguese cannot be handled responsibly by changing labels on one universal table. Each language has different persons, moods, auxiliaries, compound forms and irregular behavior. We built a shared product architecture while preserving those differences in the learning content.
| Study language | Searchable catalog | What the product handles |
|---|---|---|
| English | 11,597 verbs | Definitions, examples, regular and irregular forms, phrasal verbs and usage guidance |
| French | 7,826 verbs | Simple and compound tenses, pronominal verbs, mood guidance and dual auxiliaries where meaning changes |
| German | 10,071 verbs | Indicative, Konjunktiv I and II, imperative, participles and compound forms with haben or sein |
| Portuguese | 6,332 verbs | Definitions, examples, inflection tables and language-specific conjugation families |
Search works the way learners encounter language.
A learner often sees a conjugated word before knowing its infinitive. NGL Verb Lab therefore searches both infinitives and displayed forms, ignores accents where appropriate and prioritizes frequent verbs. The result should answer “what form is this?” as naturally as “show me this verb.”
The home screen is frequency-weighted rather than alphabetically neutral. Common verbs are visually prominent, while favorites let each learner create a personal working set without an account or a cloud dependency.
Pronunciation belongs beside every form.
Every displayed infinitive, example and conjugated form can be spoken with a language-specific system voice. Learners can switch between natural and deliberately slower playback, and changing speed restarts the phrase immediately instead of making them navigate away.
Because listening sits inside the detail and practice flows, pronunciation is not a separate premium exercise. It is available at the moment a learner is trying to connect spelling, grammar and sound.
Daily practice uses the same real conjugation data.
Reference tools are easy to open and easy to forget. The current app generates a ten-question daily session from the same catalog used for lookup. It gives immediate feedback, can pronounce the answer and records accuracy and daily streaks locally.
This is the central product difference: lookup can become active recall in one tap. The learner does not have to rebuild a deck, copy a form into another app or trust a quiz disconnected from the reference table.
- One coherent path from search to explanation, audio, favorite and practice.
- Questions generated from actual conjugation records rather than an unrelated lesson script.
- Local progress and favorites for a fast, private core experience.
- Short sessions designed to be repeatable instead of demanding a long course block.
What makes it different from broad course apps.
Different does not automatically mean better for every learner. A broad course may be the right product for a complete beginner who wants a guided curriculum. NGL Verb Lab is designed to be stronger at a more specific job: deep, fast verb work for learners who want to inspect, hear and practise the exact forms they need.
| Common product pattern | NGL Verb Lab approach |
|---|---|
| A fixed lesson path controls what can be studied | Search any supported verb and move directly between reference and practice |
| Conjugation is compressed into a short note | Full language-specific tables remain the primary learning object |
| Audio exists mainly inside scripted exercises | Pronunciation is attached to the infinitive, examples and every displayed form |
| The same generic grammar UI is reused everywhere | A shared architecture preserves distinct French, English, German and Portuguese grammar |
| Useful content depends on a connection | Bundled catalogs and core learning data support an offline-first experience |
Native development is part of the learning experience.
We are building the product in SwiftUI for iPhone. Native speech, local storage and StoreKit 2 are integrated into the product instead of wrapped around a web page. The codebase includes automated core tests for search and data behavior, plus resource validation across the bundled catalogs.
The prototype can switch study languages without restarting. It also separates the language being learned from the language used for explanations, which gives the architecture room to support multilingual learners without duplicating the whole application.
What is built, and what still has to be proven.
The current prototype implements the catalogs, conjugation views, search, pronunciation, favorites, daily practice, local progress and a production-shaped subscription flow. It has been compiled and run in an iPhone simulator, and the core behavior is covered by automated tests.
We are not claiming App Store adoption, retention or improved language proficiency before launch data exists. The next meaningful evidence will come from device testing, learner feedback, store review and measured practice behavior. Product quality is not the number of verbs in a database; it is whether learners can find the right form faster and remember it later.