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gSubs supports subtitle downloads in 10 languages. The app automatically filters search results to show only subtitles in your selected language, ensuring you get the right subtitles every time.

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Supported languages

gSubs supports the following 10 languages:
  • English (en / eng)
  • Español - Spanish (es / spa)
  • Français - French (fr / fre)
  • Italiano - Italian (it / ita)
  • Nederlands - Dutch (nl / dut)
  • Polski - Polish (pl / pol)
  • Português - Portuguese (pt / por)
  • Român - Romanian (ro / ron)
  • Svenska - Swedish (sv / swe)
  • Türkçe - Turkish (tr / tur)

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Changing language

You can change your preferred subtitle language at any time:
1

Locate the language selector

Look for the flag icon in the bottom-right corner of the gSubs window.
2

Click the flag button

Click the flag to open the language selection dropdown menu.
3

Choose your language

Select your preferred language from the list. Each option shows both the flag and language name.
4

Language saved automatically

Your selection is saved immediately and persists across app restarts.
// Language selection from the UI
$('#language-select-id').on('click', e => {
    var value = $('#language-select-id').dropdown('get value');
    if (value == '') {
        value = store.get('lang');
    }
    store.set('lang', value);
    
    // Update flag icon
    $('#flag-shown-id').removeClass();
    $('#flag-shown-id').addClass('flag');
    if (store.get('lang') == 'en') {
        $('#flag-shown-id').addClass('us');
    } else {
        $('#flag-shown-id').addClass(value);
    }
});
The first time you launch gSubs, it defaults to English. Your language preference is stored locally and remembered for all future sessions.

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Language code conversion

gSubs uses two different language code formats:
  • 2-letter codes (ISO 639-1) for internal storage and UI display
  • 3-letter codes (ISO 639-2) for OpenSubtitles API queries
The app automatically converts between these formats: 
function languageCodeto3Letter(lang) {
    switch (lang) {
        case 'en':
            return 'eng';
        case 'es':
            return 'spa';
        case 'fr':
            return 'fre';
        case 'it':
            return 'ita';
        case 'nl':
            return 'dut';
        case 'pl':
            return 'pol';
        case 'pt':
            return 'por';
        case 'ro':
            return 'ron';
        case 'sv':
            return 'swe';
        case 'tr':
            return 'tur';
        default:
            console.log("Error language code");
            break;
    }
}
This conversion happens automatically every time you search for subtitles, ensuring compatibility with both SubDB and OpenSubtitles APIs.

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How language selection affects searches

When you search for subtitles, gSubs uses your selected language in multiple ways:

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Drag-and-drop searches

When you drag a video file: 
var singleScan = new CheckSubtitle(fullName, filePath, store.get('lang'));
singleScan.checkSubSingle(showErrorPage, showFailurePage, showSuccessPage, showPartialSuccessPage, globalToken);
The CheckSubtitle class receives your language preference and uses it for:
  • SubDB hash-based searches
  • OpenSubtitles deep searches
  • Subtitle downloads

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Manual searches

When you use the search box: 
OpenSubtitles.search({
    sublanguageid: languageCodeto3Letter(store.get('lang')),
    query: query,
    limit: 'all'
});
Only subtitles matching your selected language will be returned in the results.

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Deep searches

When you click the arrow icon for a partial match: 
OpenSubtitles.search({
    sublanguageid: languageCodeto3Letter(store.get('lang')),
    path: filePathIn,
    filename: fileNameWithExtension,
    query: fileNameWithExtension,
    limit: 'all'
});
The deep search also filters by your selected language.
If you can’t find subtitles in your preferred language, try switching to English which typically has the most comprehensive subtitle database.

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Language persistence

Your language preference is stored using Electron Store: 
const Store = require('electron-store');
global.store = new Store();

// Check if language is set, otherwise default to English
if (typeof store.get('lang') == 'undefined') {
    store.set('lang', 'en');
}

// Retrieve stored language
var currentLanguage = store.get('lang');
This means:
  • Your language choice persists between app sessions
  • You don’t need to select your language every time
  • The setting is stored locally on your computer

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Flag icons

The language selector displays country flags to make selection intuitive: 
<div class="item" data-value="en">
  <i class="us flag"></i>English
</div>
<div class="item" data-value="es">
  <i class="es flag"></i>Español
</div>
<div class="item" data-value="fr">
  <i class="fr flag"></i>Français
</div>
The currently selected language’s flag is always visible on the button, so you can see your selection at a glance.
English uses the US flag icon instead of the GB flag for consistency with the OpenSubtitles database conventions.

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Language limitations

While gSubs supports 10 languages, subtitle availability depends on:
  • Content popularity: Major releases have subtitles in more languages
  • Community contributions: OpenSubtitles relies on user-submitted subtitles
  • Regional content: Local content may only have subtitles in certain languages
If subtitles aren’t available in your preferred language, you’ll see the “couldn’t find subtitle” error message. Try selecting a more common language like English as an alternative.

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