The Trainer has been updated - what has changed?
The following things are new:
- Completely new design - the frog Ponsi is now your learning companion
- You will be rewarded for your training! You collect points and can compare yourself with other users. Also, Ponsi will get a lot of flies.
- New exercises such as Hangman
- New mode for targeted preparation for a test at school
- Instead of learning progress from 1-5, there is now our 7-stage plan for more effective learning
- The app will now remind you of the training and report your progress
- Fast and automatic data backup on the server
But a many things have proven their worth and will therefore continue to exist:
- Free and ad-free basic version of the app
- Supports over 20 languages
- Organization of vocabulary in lessons
- Lessons can be purchased or created by yourself
- Import of vocabulary from the dictionary or an Excel file
- Exercises such as scratch card, matchmaker, and alphabet soup
- The "vocabulary test" and the flashcard mode are still available, but both can now be used alternatively
- Study groups to share lessons
- Learning on multiple devices
Can I take my vocabulary with me to the new version?
Yes, of course, just sign in to the new version of the app with your PONS user name. This triggers the migration of your vocabulary into the new database, which will take up to 15 minutes. Once this data migration has been completed you are good to go. Unfortunately, we cannot take over your learning progress, as it is not compatible with our new concept of the 7-stage plan.
I have signed in, my vocabulary is there, but where is my learning progress?
With the new concept of the new 7-stage plan, we were unfortunately unable to adopt the old learning status of your vocabulary. Please see it as an incentive to review the vocabulary again and really get it into long-term memory!
I have logged in, but my previous vocabulary are not there!
In this case, we would need to clarify a few things:
- Did you sync the old app version before the migration, as it was described?
- Did the data migration go through in the new version?
- Did you try logging out once and logging in again?
- Did you set the language direction correctly and check the lessons under "Learn"?
If the vocabulary does not appear, please contact trainer@pons.com.
What is the difference between the app and the web version?
Basically, there are more functions and features available in the app. For example, there is the vocabulary store to buy vocabulary packs the oral query mode and a separate section for Ponsi to equip him to be the Frog King.
These functions are missing in the web version, but you can import vocabulary files. You usually have them stored on your PC anyway. It is also possible to print out all vocabulary of a lesson as flash cards (PDF) or to export a lesson as an Excel file.
How can I practice other languages besides English-German?
Please set the languages accordingly via the flags at the top. Then go to Learn and directly to one of the lessons to start your training.
The free trial lesson is currently only available for German. If you tap on "Start training" on the start page, you always end up in the trial lesson "Hobbies" in English-German.
How can I type in special symbols (accents, …)?
In the app: Activate the keyboard of the required languages via the device settings of your smartphone. When entering vocabulary or solutions, simply select the appropriate keyboard. The accents and most common special characters are also available in the standard keyboard if you long press or pull down the most similar letter (e.g. for "e" there are also "é" and "ê").
On the computer: Accents are available on the standard keyboard. For other characters, it's best to open the Character Map (for Windows in the Start menu under Windows Accessories). Otherwise, you can also remember the Alt codes, e.g. ALT+135 for ç or ALT+164 for ñ
What does ‘language direction’ mean?
The PONS Vocabulary Trainer knows which half of the dictionary you are using – whether you are looking up words in your native language or in a foreign language. The words are then saved in the respective language direction (e.g. English-German or German-English) and the lessons are strictly divided in both these directions. This helps you to structure your words. You can train them in both directions, and it is also possible to swap source and target language of a lesson.