Frequently asked questions

Straight answers about nemiria

About nemiria

What is nemiria?

nemiria is a calm app for iPhone and iPad for practising Spanish. It has two topics: Verb Conjugation, with 16 tenses across 16 verb groups, and Word Pairs, the words English speakers often mix up, like ser and estar. Both use the same three learning levels, Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced, and the same three steps: Learn, Test and Apply. There are no streaks and no leaderboards, and the Foundation level is free.

Is nemiria good for beginners?

Yes. The Foundation level starts with the everyday tenses, like the Present Simple, and the most common word pairs, like ser and estar, and Learn shows every rule with short examples, with no daily limit. It is free, with no time limit. If you already know some Spanish, the level checks show where to start.

Which level should I start at?

Each topic has its own quick check: the verb tenses level check and the Word Pairs level check. Each is fifteen questions and takes about three minutes, and nothing you answer is saved. You can move between levels in the app whenever you like.

How do I answer questions - is it just multiple choice?

For verbs, there are four ways to answer: multiple choice, drag-and-drop, typing, or speaking your answer out loud. For word pairs, you choose the right word, then type it. Either way, you practise at the level that suits you and move up when you're ready.

Are there streaks or leaderboards I have to keep up?

No. nemiria has no streaks and no leaderboards, so there is nothing to keep alive and no one to keep up with. Progress tracking is there if it helps you, and you can turn it off if you'd rather just practise.

Do I need an account to use nemiria?

No. nemiria is fully usable without an account - the free plan is open the moment you install it. Signing in is optional and simply keeps your progress in sync across your devices.

What age is nemiria for?

nemiria is intended for people aged 16 and over.

Verbs and tenses

How many Spanish tenses does nemiria cover?

16 tenses, across 16 verb groups and three learning levels (Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced). That covers everything a learner normally needs to produce, including the progressive and going-to forms that grammar books class separately. Every form is laid out in a clear conjugation table, with audio on every form. The full list, and why counts differ between books, is in our guide to Spanish verb tenses.

What are the 16 Spanish tenses nemiria covers?

In the present: Present Simple, Present Progressive, Present Perfect and Present Subjunctive. In the past: Preterite, Imperfect, Past Progressive, Past Subjunctive, Pluperfect and Was Going To. In the future: Future Simple, Future Progressive, Future Perfect and Am Going To. Plus the Conditional and Conditional Perfect. nemiria also covers Commands (the imperative), which follows its own rules and isn't strictly a tense, so it's taught as a mood alongside the 16.

Which Spanish does nemiria teach - Spain or Latin America?

Both, side by side. nemiria covers the two dialects together, so you can drill the vosotros forms you'll hear in Spain or the ustedes forms used across Latin America, and switch between them whenever you like. You practise the Spanish you'll actually use.

Do I need to learn vosotros?

Only if you'll be using Spain's Spanish. Vosotros is the informal “you all” used in Spain; across Latin America, ustedes does that job instead. nemiria covers both side by side, so you can drill vosotros for Spain, ustedes for Latin America, or both, and switch whenever you like.

What's the best way to practise Spanish verb conjugation?

Three things keep showing up in language-learning research: learn the correct form first, practise producing it yourself until recall is automatic, and do it in short, frequent sessions rather than long occasional ones. nemiria is built around exactly that - clear tables to learn from, four ways to test yourself, and practice that fits into ten minutes at a time.

Word Pairs

What are Word Pairs?

Word Pairs is nemiria's second topic, added in version 2.0. It covers Spanish words that English speakers often mix up, one pair at a time. Learn shows each rule with short examples. Test asks you to choose or type the right word. Apply puts the pair in real sentences: you name the rule, spot the mistake, then write the sentence in Spanish.

Which word pairs are in nemiria?

Six: Ser vs Estar, Hay vs Estar, Por vs Para, Qué vs Cuál, Muy vs Mucho and Bueno vs Bien. Each pair sits at one or more of nemiria's three levels. Por vs Para starts at Intermediate. The Learn section has guides to ser vs estar, por vs para, qué vs cuál, muy vs mucho and bueno vs bien, and a level check to show where to start.

Spanish grammar questions

How do I know when to use ser or estar?

Use ser for what something is, or what it is like: Él es mi hermano, he is my brother; María es alta, María is tall. Use estar for where something is, and how it is right now: Estoy en casa, I am at home; La sopa está fría, the soup is cold.

The “permanent or temporary” rule is a trap: where something is takes estar, even if it never moves, as in Lima está en Perú. (Only events take ser for where they happen: La fiesta es en mi casa, the party is at my house.) The full rule, and the describing words that change meaning with each verb, are in our ser or estar guide.

What is the difference between por and para?

Both can mean “for”. Por points back or through: the reason, the exchange, the route, the means. Gracias por todo, thank you for everything; Caminamos por el parque, we walk through the park. Para points forward: the goal, the destination, the deadline, who it is for. Ahorramos para comprar una casa, we are saving to buy a house. More in our por or para guide.

When do I use the preterite or the imperfect?

The Preterite reports an event that happened and finished: Ella llamó a su jefe ayer, she called her boss yesterday. The Imperfect sets the scene, or says what used to happen: Ella llamaba a su jefe todos los lunes, she used to call her boss every Monday. Both are past; the difference is the job the sentence is doing. See our preterite or imperfect guide.

Which Spanish tenses should I learn first?

Start with the everyday ones: the Present Simple and Present Progressive, Am Going To (voy a hablar), the Preterite and Imperfect, and the Future Simple, plus Commands. Together they are nemiria’s Foundation level, which is free. Our guide to Spanish verb tenses sets out all 16 and the order worth learning them in.

Why does Spanish say “I have hunger” instead of “I am hungry”?

Because Spanish treats hunger as a thing you have, not a word that describes you: tengo hambre. The same goes for thirst, sleepiness, cold and heat, and for the weather with hace: hace calor, it is hot. That is also why “very hungry” is mucha hambre, never muy hambre. More in our guide to tengo hambre.

When do I use muy or mucho?

Muy means “very” and goes with describing words: La película es muy larga, the film is very long. Mucho means “a lot”, “much” or “many” and goes with things and actions, and it changes to match the thing: Tengo mucho trabajo, I have a lot of work; Hay mucha gente en la plaza, there are a lot of people in the square. See our muy or mucho guide.

Plans and subscriptions

What can I use for free?

The Foundation level of both topics, with no time limit. In Verb Conjugation, that is six of the 16 tenses plus Commands. In Word Pairs, it is the Foundation level of Ser vs Estar, Hay vs Estar, Qué vs Cuál, Muy vs Mucho and Bueno vs Bien.

Is there a daily limit?

The free plan includes 30 Test questions and 30 Apply questions a day. Each limit is shared by both topics, Verb Conjugation and Word Pairs. Learn has no daily limit, and the count starts again at midnight on your device. Premium has no daily limit.

What does the Premium subscription cover?

All 16 tenses and every word pair, unlimited practice and tests, exam mode. Premium covers both topics, with no daily limit on either.

In Verb Conjugation, that means the Intermediate and Advanced levels, every tense and every verb group, and exam mode, which mixes tenses and verb groups into one challenge with no hints. In Word Pairs, it means every pair at every level, including Por vs Para, and the two Word Pairs exams (Exam 1, Any Pair, and Exam 2, Any Level). You can subscribe monthly or annually.

How do I manage or restore a subscription?

Use Restore Purchases in the app to restore an existing subscription. To change or cancel, manage your subscription in your Apple or Google account settings; billing is handled by the app store, not by us.

Accounts and sign-in

How do I sign in?

nemiria uses passwordless sign-in. Enter your email address and we'll email you a one-time numeric code. Type that code into the app, and you're in. There's no password to remember.

How do I get my progress on a different device?

Sign in with the same email address on the new device, and your progress will load automatically. Your progress lives in your account, not on a single device.

Does installing nemiria on a second device sync my progress automatically?

Not on its own. Just sign in with your email on each device, and your progress follows your account across all of them, including after a reinstall or a new phone.

Your data

Does nemiria have ads or track me?

No. nemiria has no ads, no third-party analytics and no cross-app tracking, and we don't sell your data. It collects as little as possible: your email address, so your progress follows you between devices, and the progress itself. No name, no date of birth.

How do I delete my account and my data?

Tap the round account button on the home screen, or Account in the menu, then go to Your data → “Delete account & all data”. If you're using nemiria as a guest, the same place offers “Erase all data on this device”. Deleting removes your account and all of your progress permanently - nothing is retained. The option is available to everyone, including users on the free plan.

Why does nemiria need my microphone?

For the speak-to-answer and pronunciation-practice features. When you answer by speaking, your speech is turned into text so we can check it. On Apple devices this is handled by Apple's speech-recognition service, and on Android by Google's, so your spoken audio is sent to that provider to be transcribed. Either way, we don't record or store your audio. You can decline or revoke microphone access in your device settings (you just won't be able to use the speaking features).

For the full picture of how nemiria handles your data, see the Privacy Policy.

Everything else

I found a bug, or I have a feature idea.

We'd love to hear it. Email [email protected] with a short description, including your device and what you were doing helps us a lot.

Still stuck?

Email [email protected] and we'll get back to you, usually within 5–10 business days. For help topics like sign-in trouble, see the Support page.