Forgetting a language: Why it happens and how to avoid it
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OK, so you have put in the time and can now speak a language at a confident level. But maybe the course that helped to get you there has ended, or your stay abroad is over and it's time to go home.
What do you do to make sure that you don't forget that language?
A note from the Fluent in 3 Months team before we get started: You can chat away with a native speaker for at least 15 minutes with the “Fluent in 3 Months” method. All it takes is 90 days. Tap this link to find out more.
My own list of forgotten languages and understanding why
Something that is quite unique in my travels and lifestyle is the reason I have to learn a language of immediate use with natives in my travels, to enhance my cultural experience. This is not quite the same as many people, who choose their one language based on a long-term investment. A polyglot has many languages to deal with and this changes things significantly compared to someone with a one-language priority.
What this means is at the end of my 2-3 month projects to intensively learn a language that are more focused on an upcoming trip, I face a crossroad; should I maintain this language or not? Some people may take a “not” choice completely out of context and feel like the whole experience was worthless.
Every language I have learned has enhanced my travels in ways that I can't begin to express. Saying that any one of them was a waste of time ignores the cultural experience that was my priority all along. I'm not passionate about languages, I'm passionate about using them.
Maintaining them as described below is so much work for such a large number that if that passion doesn't spark a lifelong interest in the language, then I simply will not prioritise it, since as a polyglot, I have quite a lot of languages to juggle! This is obviously not the same situation for someone who has learned one foreign language.
When I first wrote this in 2011, I counted eight languages that I could speak fluently, and I also had plenty of experience forgetting others.
I have learned Hungarian, Czech, Catalan and Tagalog and could converse and socialise in all of them in various levels. But now I can't. Nowadays, I'd never even list them as languages that I can get by in to be honest. But I don't apologise for this or lose sleep over it. I knew it was going to happen.
So what did I do differently with the languages I maintained compared with these?
Consistent practice
The practical answer is regular retrieval. A language stays easier to access when you keep recalling and using it, rather than leaving it untouched and hoping one intense course will carry it forever.
Make the language easy to encounter. Meet speakers through language communities, arrange conversations with a tutor or exchange partner, be friendlier with tourists, and keep in touch with friends who use it. One genuine conversation gives you something specific to retrieve next time.
Keep the other skills alive too. Listen to podcasts, read news or a book, write a message, and revisit words or structures after a gap. You do not have to do every activity every day; a routine you can sustain is more useful than a perfect week followed by nothing.
After a long break, the language may feel slower or harder to retrieve. That does not mean all the earlier learning has vanished. Start using it again and notice what returns before deciding that you are back at zero.
Speed of learning
Learning quickly does not automatically make you forget quickly. What matters more is how strongly you learnt the material and how often you retrieve it afterwards. In a nine-year study of foreign-language vocabulary, wider spacing between relearning sessions improved long-term retention, even though it slowed initial acquisition.
My own experience was that Hungarian, Czech, Catalan and Tagalog became much harder to access within months after I stopped using them, while Spanish stayed easier because I had used it for years in far more parts of my life. That is useful lived evidence, but it is not a universal rule linking acquisition speed to forgetting speed.
If you learn intensively for a trip or project, plan some spaced retrieval after the intense phase ends. A short conversation, a chapter, a voice message or a review session can tell you what is still accessible and bring older knowledge back into use.
Passion and the why
Motivation matters because it changes which languages you keep returning to. The languages tied to friends, books, travel and the parts of life I care about are the ones I make room for, even when several languages are competing for my time.
If you want to keep a language for years, attach it to something you would miss: a friendship, a weekly conversation, a writer you enjoy or a community you take part in. Regular use and spaced retrieval do the maintenance; a strong reason makes you more likely to keep showing up.
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