Last weekend of the year – can you believe it? – and there’s no better time for a stocktake and mission audit. How did your language learning goals shape up in 2025?

As always, the key for a good retrospective is to be realistic, given the rest of your life going on around things. You’re a human being with a ton of stuff going on – not a language learning computer.

That said, a routine helps. If you have regular things in place that can keep chugging along, then progress is constant. I’ve kept up a weekly iTalki Greek lesson (with my ever-patient teacher Dimitris – thank you!), and my confidence continues to grow. Well, in terms of Greek gossip skills – and there is nothing wrong with that! If you can find a conversation partner you can vibe with, then all the better for your language practice. (Note to him: I promise to read the book more in the coming year…)

When Plans Drift

But it’s also worth remembering that life is a stream, and we’re often at the mercy of the currents around us. Sometimes, the languages choose you – the path you planned might not be the path you took. I ended up doing far more Norwegian in 2025 thanks to surprise (and otherwise) trips – no bad thing – but perhaps to the detriment of other projects.

So what does 2026 bring for me? In part, fate has chosen the path for me again; conferences and more will take me to Austria a couple of times, so German is the natural focus. (That’s also a nice full-circle moment – it’s the country I spent a year in when I did my German degree many years ago!)

Apart from that, I’m happy to dabble. And that’s the perfect mix for me – enough structured goals to feel like there’s a plan, and enough freedom to simply enjoy and fit language fun around the rest of my life.

How was your 2025 in terms of goals? And what does your 2026 look like? Whatever you’re planning, I wish you all a wonderful New Year!