Three learning modes: flashcard, listen and repeat, fill in the blank
Phrazl gives you three ways to work the same trip phrase set: flashcard, listen and repeat with audio playback, and fill in the blank. This article covers what each mode asks of you, when to pick which, and how all three feed one review schedule.
What this article helps with
You have a trip set up and a phrase set attached to it, and the trip screen offers three ways to practise: flashcard, listen and repeat with audio playback, and fill in the blank. This article explains what each one does so you can choose by what is actually failing you, rather than tapping whichever is nearest.
Use it when the recall is there but the mouth will not move, when you can understand the clip but cannot produce the phrase, or when you simply want to vary the loop on the walk to the station. All three modes draw on the same phrase set for your destination and scenarios, in trip-relevance order, and all three report into the same review schedule.
Working through the three modes
- Open the trip you are preparing for
Start on the trip screen. The three modes sit there together, and each one pulls from the same curriculum for that destination, departure date and chosen scenarios. You are not choosing a different course, only a different way to be asked.
- Pick flashcard to test cold recall
You get the prompt, you say the phrase out loud before you look, then you show the phrase and mark how that went. Say it aloud even when nobody is listening: thinking it and saying it are two different skills, and only one of them is useful at a counter.
- Pick listen and repeat when pronunciation is the problem
The phrase plays back as audio, at normal speed or slowed, and you repeat it after the clip. If you want to hear whether what you said came out as the phrase, tap the mic and your browser's own speech recogniser turns your voice into text for the speaking check. Nothing happens until you tap it, and no recording reaches Phrazl.
- Pick fill in the blank to force production
The phrase appears with a word taken out and you complete it. This is the mode for phrases you recognise instantly and still cannot build from scratch, which is most of the polite scaffolding around a request.
- Let the grades land in one schedule
Whichever mode you used, the result goes into the spaced repetition schedule that compresses towards your departure date, and into the single trip readiness bar, which reads as curriculum coverage completed. No streaks, no XP, nothing to keep alive.
Which mode to reach for
| Mode | What you do | Reach for it when |
|---|---|---|
| Flashcard | Say the phrase from the prompt, then reveal it and grade yourself | You want to know what you can produce unaided |
| Listen and repeat | Play the audio, normal or slowed, repeat it, optionally tap the mic for a speaking check | The words are there but the sounds are not |
| Fill in the blank | Complete the phrase with the word that has been removed | You recognise the phrase but cannot assemble it |
If a mode has nothing to show you, or something looks wrong
The review schedule decides what is due, so a mode can come up empty simply because nothing is due yet. The article on how the review schedule compresses to your departure explains the timing, and the article on your phrase set explains what the curriculum holds for your destination and scenarios.
If you are on the free preview, you have the first 20 phrases of your trip to work with, with audio on every preview phrase. The Trip pack at £6.99 once lists flashcard, listen and repeat and fill in the blank along with AI-voice audio on every phrase, normal or slowed, and a written pronunciation guide.
If a mode will not load, the audio will not play, or something does not match what this article describes, email support@phrazl.com and tell us the trip and the mode. Every message there lands in the support desk.
Questions
Do I have to use all three learning modes?
No. The three modes are alternatives, not a sequence. Pick the one that matches what is failing you and the schedule will carry your grades either way.
Is the audio a native speaker?
No. The audio is an AI voice, not a native speaker, and we say so where you buy. It plays at normal speed or slowed, and the Trip pack also includes a written pronunciation guide.
Is my voice recorded during the speaking check?
No. The speaking check in listen and repeat runs only after you tap the mic, and it uses your browser's own speech recogniser, Apple or Google depending on the browser, to turn your voice into text. No recording reaches or is stored by Phrazl.
Do the three modes use different phrases?
They use the same phrase set for your destination and scenarios, ordered by trip relevance. The mode changes how you are asked, not what you are asked about.
Does switching modes affect my trip readiness bar?
No. There is a single trip readiness bar, labelled as curriculum coverage completed, and every mode reports into it. There are no streaks and no XP to protect.
What do I get in the free preview?
The free preview covers the first 20 phrases of your trip, with audio on every preview phrase, plus the three-step trip setup and the departure countdown and review schedule. Beyond those 20 phrases the set is gated until you buy a pack.