Restarting after a three-month gap without going back to lesson one

After a three-month break, opening my language app at the next lesson feels impossible, but restarting from lesson one is boring. I remember the basic grammar once I see it and have forgotten a surprising amount of vocabulary. I'm thinking of a one-week reset: review a short story, list only the things I can't recall, then resume at a slightly easier level. How do you restart without punishing yourself for stopping?

  • language-learning
  • restarting
  • three
  • month
24

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1 reply from the original poster, shown with the conversation around them.

  1. elis_mace
    4 points

    3 replies

    I’d skip lesson one and do a quick recall sweep instead. If you can read a short story and notice what falls out, you’ll get back into the s...

    43 replies

    I’d skip lesson one and do a quick recall sweep instead. If you can read a short story and notice what falls out, you’ll get back into the shape of the language faster than by clicking through old basics.

    4
    1. VC
      veli.9
      3 points

      The shame tax is the real enemy here. I’ve restarted after breaks by pretending I’m “auditing” my own knowledge, which sounds fancier than “forgot a lot of words.”

      3
    2. TD
      theo.paz
      4 points

      I also like a tiny speaking or writing warm-up before returning to the app. Five sentences about my day tells me more than ten review cards.

      4

        That’s a good point. I keep wanting the app to be the whole restart, but maybe I need one outside activity so it doesn’t feel like climbing...