To get dual subtitles on YouTube in Chrome, add a free extension: Prima Speak for Chrome shows subtitles in the language you are learning over the video, with the translation in yours underneath. YouTube's own player shows one subtitle track at a time, the original or a translation, never both; for learning a language you want both, the words you hear and what they mean, one under the other.

Quick answers

How do I get dual subtitles on YouTube?
Add Prima Speak for Chrome (free), open the video, click the Prima Speak icon on that tab and press Start listening.
Can YouTube show two subtitles at once?
Not on its own: the player shows one caption track at a time. A browser extension like Prima Speak for Chrome adds a second line with the translation.
Are Prima Speak's dual subtitles free?
Yes. The subtitles and their translation are free, need no account and never use minutes.
Do Prima Speak's subtitles need the video to have captions?
No. In Chrome the subtitles are made from the video's sound, on your computer, so they also work on videos without captions, in the languages Chrome can recognise.
Does Prima Speak work in Microsoft Edge?
Yes, the same extension is on Edge Add-ons. In Edge the subtitles come from Microsoft's online speech recognition: the video's sound is sent to Microsoft to be turned into text, and the translation stays on your computer. The panel asks you first.

How to turn on dual subtitles on YouTube

  1. Add Prima Speak to Chrome from the Chrome Web Store. It is free and works on a computer, in Chrome or Edge. Keep the browser up to date: the subtitles use its built-in speech recognition and translator, and the panel tells you if your version has none.
  2. Open a YouTube video in the language you are learning.
  3. Click the Prima Speak icon on that tab (or press Alt+Shift+P; Option+Shift+P on a Mac) to open the side panel. The extension only ever hears a tab you clicked it on.
  4. Choose Start free, no account, or sign in. To start free, pick the language you are learning, your level and your own language.
  5. Press Start listening. The first time, press Turn on subtitles for your language (a one-time download), and once more if the panel asks. Then the subtitles appear over the video, with the translation underneath.

What you can do with the subtitles

  • Show, blur or hide the translation. Keep it under every line, blurred until you point at the subtitles (Peek), or off. The panel picks one for your level; Settings changes it.
  • Look up a word. Point at a word to see what it means and add it to your Review list; the video waits while you read.
  • Replay a line. Missed it? Press ↺ on a line in the panel and the video goes back to where it began.
  • Practise it out loud. This is where Prima Speak is different from a subtitle extension: about every minute of speech, at the end of a line, Prima, a live AI tutor, pauses the video so you say the line out loud. She corrects one thing, asks one easy question, and the video plays on. Press Practise that line or Alt+Shift+L (Option+Shift+L on a Mac) to practise a line you just heard. The practice uses your daily speaking minutes, 3 a day on the free plan; the subtitles never do. How it works, step by step.

What to know before you start

  • Subtitles come from the sound. In Chrome they are made on your computer from the video's audio, which is why they work without captions. Their quality depends on clear speech: one person talking works best, loud music and crosstalk less well.
  • Some players give extensions no sound. Some protected video players do not let any extension hear the tab. When that happens the panel tells you it cannot hear the tab.
  • Not every language has subtitles yet. They depend on what the browser's speech recognition supports for your language. Where it has none, the panel says so, and practice with Prima works in all 34 languages either way.
  • The translation needs a pair the browser can translate. Where it cannot, the panel says so and shows the subtitles alone.
  • It is for a computer. Prima Speak's extension runs in Chrome and Edge on a computer, not on a phone. On a phone, Prima Speak works on the website.

Why two lines help you learn

Seeing the words you hear tells you where one word ends and the next begins, which is half the battle in a fast language. The translation underneath keeps you following the story without stopping, so you can watch content that would otherwise be too hard. When you are ready, blur the translation (Peek), and later turn it off. And say the lines out loud: that is how the words you understand become words you can use. More on that in the shadowing technique with YouTube.

Questions

Is there a free dual subtitles extension for YouTube?

Yes. Prima Speak for Chrome shows subtitles in the language you are learning with the translation in yours, for free and with no account. It also works on other video sites in a Chrome tab, like talks, courses, news and podcasts.

Do I need an account for Prima Speak's subtitles?

No. You can start as a guest: the subtitles work at once, and you can practise speaking with Prima during your first 3 days. A free account keeps your words and your progress.

Will Prima Speak's subtitles use my minutes?

Never. Subtitles and translations are free. Only spoken practice with Prima uses minutes: 3 a day free, 10 a day with Pro.

Does Prima Speak work on streaming sites?

It depends on the player. Some protected streaming players give extensions no sound at all, and then Prima Speak cannot hear the tab; the panel tells you when that happens. It works on YouTube and on the many sites whose players do not block extensions: talks, courses, news and podcasts.