Subscribe

vobot FAQ

Do you have questions about using the mobile vocabulary trainer apps vobot German or vobot Georgisch? Get answers here in our vobot FAQ!

vobot offers answers

The team at L-Pub is doing everything we can to help make vobot the best vocabulary trainer app ever. This vobot FAQ provides answers to typical questions about the apps vobot German and vobot Georgisch. If everything isn’t perfect yet, remember: when you buy the app, you help support our further development and will automatically receive future updates as we implement them.

If you are a teacher of German, please also have a look at our page vobot German for Educators.

The questions on this page are sorted into the following categories (click one to skip to that section):

SEARCH FOR WORDS
CHOOSE A MEANING
REVIEW YOUR VOCABULARY LIST
LEARN IN A SERIES OF EXERCISES
GENERAL QUESTIONS & ISSUES.

vobot FAQ: SEARCH FOR WORDS

  • How do I look for a word?
    When you start the app you will automatically be directed to the search screen. If you are in the “Learn” area, just press the button “Search” on the bottom left of your screen to get back to the search mode. Once you are there, type in any word in the search field. Options which include those letters start appearing beneath the search field. Touch a word to see a definition. Sometimes you may need to choose between different meanings.
  • How do I type in an umlaut (ä ö ü)?
    If you don’t have any umlauts on your regular keyboard, just press and hold “a”, “o” or “u” until you see different letter options appear like “ä”, “ö” and “ü”. Then slide your finger over to the letter you want and let go.
  • How do I type an “ß”?
    If you don’t have the “ß” (called “Eszett”, “scharfes S”) on your regular keyboard, just press and hold “s” until you see different letter options appear. Then slide your finger over to the “ß” and let go.
  • How do I add the German or Georgian keyboard?
    You can add the keyboard in the settings area of your mobile device. It will then automatically appear in vobot. You can find detailed instructions about adding keyboards in the settings/INFO area of vobot.
  • Why can’t I find all 33 Georgian characters?
    The standard keyboard that appears on your device may not have sufficient space for all Georgian characters. Simply press the SHIFT key to access additional characters.
  • How do I get rid of the keyboard in order to go to my learning list?
    You can close the keyboard by pressing the “Search/Done/Enter” button (at the lower right of your keyboard). Once the keyboard is gone, you can access your learning list by tapping “LEARN” or “LERNLISTE” at the bottom of your screen.
  • Why is the word I am looking for not available?
    vobot German is based on the Hueber Learner’s Dictionary German-English/English-German, which has over 30,000 entries, but that does not include every word in the German language. vobot Georgisch is based on the Wörterbuch Deutsch-Georgisch/Georgisch-Deutsch by Helmut Buske Verlag, which has over 10,000 entries, but not every word in the Georgian language.

vobot FAQ: CHOOSE A MEANING

  • How do I see all the meanings of a word?
    Many words have different meanings, or at least different possible translations. In vobot German, scroll down to see all the possible meanings of that word, sorted by part of speech, e.g. noun, verb, adjective, etc. In vobot Georgisch, the numbers at the left tell you which definition you are looking at and how many definitions there are in total. The arrows to the right let you navigate between the different definitions.
  • What do the hearts next to the sample phrase mean? (vobot German only)
    If you see a heart, it means you can add the sample phrase to your learning list. Simply tap it to add the phrase, word, its definition and translation to your learning list. All of those elements will then be used to create automated exercises for you in the LEARN section. Added phrases have a green heart. Tap again to remove it from your learning list and it will turn white again.
  • What exactly am I adding when I select “ZUR LERNLISTE HINZUFÜGEN”? (vobot Georgisch only)
    When you press “ZUR LERNLISTE HINZUFÜGEN”, both the definition and the translations you see on your screen will be the ones used for your exercises in the “LERNLISTE” section.

vobot FAQ: REVIEW YOUR VOCABULARY LIST

  • What is the learning list?
    The learning (or vocabulary) list contains all words that you have looked up and added in the SEARCH section.
  • How do I get to the learning list?
    When you start vobot you will automatically be directed to the search screen. To access the learning list, just press LEARN or LERNLISTE at the bottom your screen (you may need to close the keyboard in order to see it). If you are in the middle of doing exercises, you may also tap the back arrow at the upper left.
  • What happens when I press the PRACTICE or ÜBUNGEN STARTEN button?
    When you press PRACTICE or ÜBUNGEN STARTEN, you will be asked a question based on a random word from your learning list. After answering a question, you get immediate feedback about how you did. Press NEXT or NÄCHSTE ÜBUNG to get a question about another random word. In vobot German, depending on how successfully you have practiced a word in the past, you may be asked an easy or a more difficult question. The most difficult question involves spelling the word in its entirety. So make sure you keep an eye on how the word is spelled as you progress through the exercises.
  • What is the yellow button all about? (vobot German only)
    After you have been using vobot for a while, you should have a lot of words in your learning list. You can filter them by pressing the yellow button and choosing the words you would like to see, i.e. either by part of speech or if the word is new (recently added and not yet practiced). At the top of the screen you will see how many of that type of word you have in your learning list. Please note: when you press PRACTICE, you will only practice those words visible in the learning list at the time.
  • How do I delete a word from my learning list? (vobot German only)
    Swipe the word to the left and “Delete” will appear. Tap it once to delete the word.
  • What are the empty dots next to an entry in my learning list? (vobot German only)
    With every word added to your list, the app creates 5 exercises. If all the dots are empty, it simply means you have not successfully completed an exercise with that word yet. Once you complete the first exercise in the PRACTICE mode, the first dot will be filled in, etc.
  • Why are there green dots in the learning list? (vobot German only)
    Green dots show how many times you have practiced a word successfully. Once you successfully complete all 5 exercises for a word, that word will be moved to your “Learned vocabulary” list in the INFO section.
  • Can I reset the dots back to zero? (vobot German only)
    Yes! Simply swipe a word to the right and the reset button will appear. This is useful if you feel like you want to spend more time practicing a word.
  • How do I see the words I’ve completed? (vobot German only)
    To view your “Learned vocabulary”, press INFO at the bottom of your screen. A menu will appear with the option to view your “Learned vocabulary” list.
  • Can I relearn the words I’ve completed? (vobot German only)
    Yes! Go to “Learned vocabulary” in the INFO section and simply swipe a word to the right – the reset button will then appear. This is useful if you feel like you want to spend more time practicing a word. Please note that this word will no longer be shareable, i.e. your teacher will not see that you actually did learn it.

vobot FAQ: LEARN IN A SERIES OF EXERCISES

  • How do I start the exercises?
    To start the exercises, go to the LEARN mode and press PRACTICE or ÜBUNGEN STARTEN. We recommend having at least 10 words in your learning list before you start practicing them.
  • What are the 5 exercises? (vobot German only)
    vobot is designed to help you slowly commit a word to long-term memory. So the first three questions are a bit easier (multiple choice). The last two exercises require you spell the word in the sample sentence.
  • How do I get back to the learning list again to see all my words?
    There are two ways to get back to your learning list. Either press LEARN or LERNLISTE at the bottom of the screen or the back button.
  • Do I lose all the exercises I was working on when I hit the back button or LEARN icon? (vobot German only)
    No. Once you have successfully answered a question, one of the 5 dots associated with that word is filled. That is real progress you have made which can no longer be lost. However, the series of 10 exercises you were working on is interrupted when you switch back to the learning list. That just means that you have to start from 1 again and work through 10 exercises before you see a summary of results. Keep in mind that this is just a review function for your reference, so it’s not such a big loss.
  • What happens when I hit the back button?
    Hitting the back button does not return you to the exercise you just finished. It takes you back to your learning list. If you want to review how you did on a past exercise, keep going through the exercises until you complete 10 of them. Then you will get a review of how you did on the exercises and the opportunity to review your mistakes.
  • How do I add the German or Georgian keyboard?
    You can add the keyboard in the settings area of your mobile device. It will then automatically appear in vobot. You can find detailed instructions about adding keyboards in the settings/INFO area of vobot.
  • How do I type in an umlaut (ä ö ü)?
    If you don’t have any umlauts on your regular keyboard, just press and hold ‘a’, ‘o’ or ‘u’ until you see different letter options like ‘ä’, ‘ö’ and ‘ü’.
  • How do I type an “ß”?
    If you don’t have the ß (called “Eszett” or “scharfes S”) on your regular keyboard, just press and hold “s” until you see “ß” appear.
  • Why do I have to spell the word from start to finish? Why can’t I jump forward to fill in letters in the middle or the end and then work on the first letters later? (vobot German only)
    vobot does not currently allow you to place the cursor in the middle of the word. You need to remember how the word is spelled from beginning to end and work your way through the letters consecutively.
  • Does vobot offer spaced repetition?
    vobot currently only supports mass repetition, that is you repeat the word again and again, possibly all in one day if you don’t have a lot of words in your list and you spend a lot of time practicing. We are considering offering spaced repetition in the future, so you could only do one exercise of a word in one day and then you would have to wait a day or two to practice it again. This is a proven way to improve long-term retention.

vobot FAQ: GENERAL QUESTIONS & ISSUES

  • Why does the vobot logo look like a bee?
    The bee was inspired by the American tradition of the “spelling bee”, actually a spelling contest often held in schools but also on a wider level. A core differentiator between vobot and other vocabulary trainer apps is that you actually have to spell a word before it is considered successfully learned.
  • What’s the best way to use vobot?
    You use vobot to look up words you don’t understand and then practice them. The more words you have in your learning list, the more challenging and interesting it gets. You can also use vobot as a translation dictionary when travelling or anytime you want to write or say something in German or Georgian. The big advantage is that you can also add those words to your personalized learning list and practice them later to really commit them to memory!
  • Why is there a difference between the word I looked up and the word I have to spell in the sample sentence? (vobot German only)
    German words very often change their spelling depending on how they are used in a sentence. By recognizing the difference between the base word and how the word is spelled in the sentence, vobot already exposes you to some of the trickiest things in the German language. It may not make sense now, but over time you will start to understand how it all fits together.
  • Where can I review the words that I have already practiced 5 times? (vobot German only)
    All words that you have already learned will be moved to your “Learned vocabulary” list. You can access it in the INFO section at the bottom of your screen. If you want to practice a word again, simply swipe to the right – the reset button will then appear. This is useful if you feel like you want to spend more time practicing a word. Please note that this word will no longer be shareable, i.e. your teacher will not see that you actually did learn it.
  • vobot crashed, what can I do?
    Just restart the app. Please also help us improve vobot, by letting us know what happened. Send us a description of what you did before the crash. Please use our contact form to write to us.
  • Why are there no pictures to go with the vocabulary?
    Pictures may often be misleading and for many words, especially more complex/abstract words, a picture does not really make sense. The advantage of vobot is that you learn a word in an authentic written context. This helps you create a mental image which will sit deeper in your mind for longer.

Terms & conditions for the subscription version (no longer offered)

When you subscribed to “vobot German dictionary & vocab trainer – monthly”, you began paying a monthly subscription which is charged to your iTunes Account. Please refer to iTunes for prices as they vary from country to country.

The subscription includes access to all words, translations, definitions and exercises in the app, which are regularly updated. Your subscription automatically renews every month unless you turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before the day the subscription is due to renew. If you do not turn off auto-renew, your iTunes Account will continue to be charged every month for full access to vobot and its regularly updated content.

For details on how to manage your subscription, please refer to this link: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202039

Still need help?

Have you read all the questions and answers on this page but don’t find they are helpful? Let us know what your issues are and we will do everything we can to help resolve them.

Please use our contact form to write to us.