Restarting Work After a Long Pause | Learn German in English

German lesson set in a contemporary Berlin everyday setting: After lunch at work, two adults discuss how to regain focus by reviewing notes, choosing the next priority, and reducing distractions..

EN → DE / Level: B1

About This Lesson

Use Restarting Work After a Long Pause to practice German conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Nach dem Mittagessen fühle ich mich völlig von der Aufgabe losgelöst.

nakh daym MIT-tahg-ess-en FOO-luh ikh mikh FUR-likh fon dair OWF-gah-buh LOHS-guh-LURST. After lunch, I feel completely disconnected from the task.
B

Beginne mit einer kurzen Wiederholung, statt direkt mit dem schwierigsten Teil anzufangen.

beh-GIN-uh mit EYE-nuh KOORT-sen VEE-duh-HOH-lung, shtat dee-REKT mit dehm SHVEE-rih-sten TYLE AN-tsu-fang-uhn. Start with a small review instead of jumping into the hardest part.
A

Ich habe den Schwung verloren, weil wir mitten in der Analyse aufgehört haben.

ikh HAH-buh den SHVOONG fehr-LOHR-en, vyle veer MIT-en in dair ah-nah-LOO-zuh OWF-guh-HURT HAH-ben. I lost momentum because we paused in the middle of the analysis.
B

Schau dir die letzte Notiz an und wähle die nächste Priorität aus.

shou DEER dee LETS-tuh noh-TEETS an oont VAY-luh dee NEKH-stuh pree-oh-ree-TAYT OWS. Look at the last note and pick the next priority.
A

Als Nächstes muss ich prüfen, ob die Zahlen mit der Quelldatei übereinstimmen.

als NEKH-stuhs moos ikh PROO-fen, ohp dee TSAH-len mit dair KVEL-dah-TYE OO-buh-EYE-nshtim-uhn. The next step is checking whether the numbers match the source file.
B

Damit hast du einen klaren Punkt, an dem du wieder anfangen kannst.

dah-MIT hahst doo EYE-nen KLAH-ren poongkt, an dehm doo VEE-duh AN-fang-uhn kanst. That gives you a clear point to resume from.
A

Ich muss auch die Chat-Apps schließen, weil ich ständig abgelenkt werde.

ikh moos OUKH dee chet-aps SHLEE-sen, vyle ikh SHTEN-dikh AHP-guh-LENGKT VAIR-duh. I also need to close chat apps because I keep getting distracted.
B

Lass sie geschlossen, während du ungestört arbeitest, und sieh danach nach deinen Nachrichten.

lahss zee guh-SHLOSS-en, VAY-rent doo OON-guh-SHTURT AR-bye-test, oont zee dah-NAKH nahkh DEY-nen NAKH-rikh-ten. Keep them closed while you work without distractions, then check your messages.
A

Das klingt machbar. Ich kann meine Konzentration nach und nach wieder aufbauen.

dahs klingt MAKH-bahr. ikh kan MYE-nuh konts-en-trah-TSYOHN nahkh oont nahkh VEE-duh OWF-bou-uhn. That feels manageable. I can rebuild focus gradually.
B

Fang damit an, dann sollte sich der Rest weniger schwer anfühlen.

fang dah-MIT an, dahn ZOL-tuh zikh dair REST VAY-nih-guh shvair AN-foo-len. Start there, and the rest should feel less heavy.

Word by Word

Nach In „Nach dem Mittagessen“ means “after” and places the feeling after lunch. The preposition is used with „dem Mittagessen“ here. In „sieh danach nach“, the lowercase form „nach“ is also a separable verb particle meaning that someone checks something.
dem In „Nach dem Mittagessen“, „dem“ means “the” before „Mittagessen“. It is the form used here after „nach“ in this time expression. A reusable pattern is „nach dem ...“ for something happening after a specific event.
Mittagessen „Mittagessen“ means “lunch” in „Nach dem Mittagessen“. It names the meal after which the speaker feels disconnected. You can reuse it in a time expression such as „nach dem Mittagessen“.
fühle „fühle“ means “feel” in „fühle ich mich völlig ... losgelöst“. It describes the speaker’s own state, together with „mich“. A reusable pattern is „Ich fühle mich ...“ when describing how you feel.
ich „ich“ means “I” and identifies the speaker in „fühle ich mich“. It is the person experiencing the feeling. It commonly appears with a verb when the speaker describes their own action or state.
mich „mich“ refers back to „ich“ in „fühle ich mich ...“ and makes the expression mean “I feel myself ...” or simply “I feel ...” in English. It is part of the reflexive expression „sich fühlen“. Reuse it in „Ich fühle mich ...“ when describing your own condition.
völlig „völlig“ means “completely” and strengthens „losgelöst“ in „völlig von der Aufgabe losgelöst“. It shows that the speaker feels fully disconnected, not just slightly so. It can be placed before an adjective or participle to express a complete degree.
von In „von der Aufgabe losgelöst“, „von“ marks what the speaker feels separated from: „der Aufgabe“. It contributes the meaning “from” to the expression „von etwas losgelöst“. Reuse „von ... losgelöst“ when describing separation from a task or other thing.
der In „von der Aufgabe“, „der“ means “the” before „Aufgabe“. This is the form used here after „von“ for this noun. A useful pattern is „von der ...“, followed by the thing from which someone or something is separated.
Aufgabe „Aufgabe“ means “task” in „von der Aufgabe losgelöst“. It is the work task from which the speaker feels disconnected. You can reuse it after „die“ or in the expression „von einer Aufgabe“ when talking about a task.
losgelöst „losgelöst“ means “disconnected” or “detached” in „völlig von der Aufgabe losgelöst“. Here it describes a state of no longer feeling mentally connected to the task. The reusable pattern is „von etwas losgelöst“.
Beginne „Beginne“ is a direct instruction to start in „Beginne mit einer kurzen Wiederholung“. It tells one person to begin with the review. Reuse it with „mit“ to say what someone should start with.
mit In „Beginne mit einer kurzen Wiederholung“, „mit“ means “with” and introduces the activity used as the starting point. It connects „Beginne“ to „einer kurzen Wiederholung“. A common pattern is „mit etwas beginnen“.
einer In „mit einer kurzen Wiederholung“, „einer“ means “a” before „Wiederholung“. It is the form used here after „mit“ with this noun. Reuse the pattern „mit einer ...“ when naming one activity or thing to begin with.
kurzen „kurzen“ means “short” in „einer kurzen Wiederholung“. It describes the review as brief rather than extensive. It appears directly before the noun in the reusable phrase „eine kurze Wiederholung“, with the form changing according to the surrounding expression.
Wiederholung „Wiederholung“ means “review” in „mit einer kurzen Wiederholung“. It refers to looking over previous material before continuing. You can reuse it after „mit einer“ when describing a review as the first work step.
statt „statt“ means “instead of” in „statt direkt mit dem schwierigsten Teil anzufangen“. It contrasts the suggested small review with starting at the hardest part. A useful pattern is „statt ... zu ...“ for replacing one action with another.
direkt „direkt“ means “directly” in „direkt mit dem schwierigsten Teil anzufangen“. It says that the speaker should not move immediately to the hardest part. It can modify an action to show that it happens without an intermediate step.
schwierigsten „schwierigsten“ means “hardest” in „mit dem schwierigsten Teil“. It identifies the part with the greatest difficulty. It appears before „Teil“ in this definite expression and can be reused when selecting the most difficult part of a task.
Teil „Teil“ means “part” in „dem schwierigsten Teil“. It refers to one section of the larger task. A reusable pattern is „ein Teil von etwas“ when identifying one section of a whole.
anzufangen „anzufangen“ means “to start” in „statt direkt mit dem schwierigsten Teil anzufangen“. It is the infinitive used after „statt“ for the action being avoided. Reuse „mit etwas anzufangen“ to say what activity someone starts with.
habe „habe“ means “have” in „Ich habe den Schwung verloren“. Here it works with „verloren“ to describe something that happened to the speaker. The reusable pattern is „Ich habe ... verloren“ when saying that something has been lost.
den In „den Schwung“, „den“ means “the” before „Schwung“. It is the form used here for the object of „habe ... verloren“. Reuse it before a masculine object in a similar phrase when the surrounding grammar requires this form.
Schwung „Schwung“ means “momentum” in „den Schwung verloren“. It refers to the forward energy needed to continue the analysis. The common expression „den Schwung verlieren“ describes losing that momentum.
verloren „verloren“ means “lost” in „Ich habe den Schwung verloren“. It says that the speaker no longer has the previous momentum. Reuse it after „haben“ when describing something that has been lost.
weil „weil“ means “because” and introduces the reason in „weil wir mitten in der Analyse aufgehört haben“. It links the lost momentum to the earlier pause. A reusable pattern is „..., weil ...“ followed by the reason.
wir „wir“ means “we” in „weil wir ... aufgehört haben“. It identifies the group that stopped in the middle of the analysis. It is commonly used as the subject when describing an action done by the speaker and another person or group.
mitten „mitten“ means “in the middle” in „mitten in der Analyse“. It emphasizes that the stopping happened before the analysis was finished. The reusable pattern is „mitten in etwas“ for an action occurring during the middle of something.
in In „mitten in der Analyse“, „in“ means “in” and introduces the activity whose middle is meant. Together with „mitten“, it locates the interruption inside the analysis. Reuse „mitten in ...“ when something happens during the middle of an activity or event.
Analyse „Analyse“ means “analysis” in „mitten in der Analyse“. It names the work process that was interrupted. You can reuse it after „in der“ when referring to work taking place within an analysis.
aufgehört „aufgehört“ means “stopped” in „wir mitten in der Analyse aufgehört haben“. It describes ending the activity at that point. It is used with „haben“ in this past expression, and „mit etwas aufhören“ is a reusable pattern for stopping an activity.
haben „haben“ means “have” in „aufgehört haben“. Here it combines with „aufgehört“ to form the past statement about stopping. It appears at the end of the „weil“ clause in this sentence.
Schau „Schau“ is a direct instruction to look in „Schau dir die letzte Notiz an“. It tells one person to inspect the note. The reusable construction is „Schau dir etwas an“ for telling someone to look at something.
dir „dir“ refers to the person receiving the instruction in „Schau dir die letzte Notiz an“. Together with „Schau ... an“, it makes the instruction “look at the note”. Reuse „Schau dir ... an“ when asking someone to inspect something.
die In „die letzte Notiz“, „die“ means “the” before „Notiz“. It identifies the particular note that should be inspected. It appears before the noun phrase in „Schau dir die ... an“.
letzte „letzte“ means “last” in „die letzte Notiz“. It identifies the most recent or final note being discussed. A reusable pattern is „die letzte ...“ when referring to the last item in a sequence.
Notiz „Notiz“ means “note” in „die letzte Notiz“. It refers to the written record that should guide the next step. You can reuse it with „eine“ or „die“ when talking about a note.
an In „Schau dir die letzte Notiz an“, „an“ is the separable particle that completes the verb meaning “look at”. It appears at the end of the instruction. The same particle is also used in „Fang damit an“ to complete the verb meaning “start with that”.
und „und“ means “and” and connects the two instructions in „Schau dir die letzte Notiz an und wähle ... aus“. It shows that looking at the note and choosing a priority are consecutive actions. Reuse it to join two related instructions or actions.
wähle „wähle“ is a direct instruction to choose in „wähle die nächste Priorität aus“. It tells one person to select the next priority. The reusable construction is „etwas auswählen“, with „aus“ completing the verb in this sentence.
nächste „nächste“ means “next” in „die nächste Priorität“. It identifies the priority that should follow the current step. A reusable pattern is „die nächste ...“ when choosing the following item or action.
Priorität „Priorität“ means “priority” in „die nächste Priorität“. It is the task or item selected as the next focus. You can reuse it with „eine“ or „die“ when deciding what should be handled first.
aus In „wähle die nächste Priorität aus“, „aus“ is the separable particle that completes the verb meaning “choose” or “select”. It appears at the end of the instruction. The full reusable pattern is „etwas auswählen“.
Als In „Als Nächstes“, „Als“ contributes to the expression meaning “next” or “as the next step”. It does not mean “as” by itself in this sentence. Reuse the exact expression „Als Nächstes“ when introducing the next action.
Nächstes „Nächstes“ completes the expression „Als Nächstes“, meaning “next” or “as the next step”. It identifies what should happen after the current point. The whole phrase is useful when moving on to a new task or action.
muss „muss“ means “must” or “need to” in „muss ich prüfen“. It expresses that checking the numbers is necessary. A reusable pattern is „Ich muss ...“ when stating an obligation or necessary next action.
prüfen „prüfen“ means “check” in „muss ich prüfen, ob ...“. It names the required action of verifying the numbers. It follows „muss“ as the action that needs to be done, and can be used before „ob“ when checking whether something is true.
ob „ob“ means “whether” in „prüfen, ob die Zahlen ... übereinstimmen“. It introduces the question being checked. Reuse „prüfen, ob ...“ when verifying whether a condition is met.
Zahlen „Zahlen“ means “numbers” in „ob die Zahlen mit der Quelldatei übereinstimmen“. These are the figures being compared with the source file. You can reuse it when referring to numerical data that needs to be checked.
Quelldatei „Quelldatei“ means “source file” in „mit der Quelldatei“. It identifies the file used as the reference for checking the numbers. A useful pattern is to compare data „mit der Quelldatei“.
übereinstimmen „übereinstimmen“ means “match” or “correspond” in „die Zahlen mit der Quelldatei übereinstimmen“. It describes the numbers as agreeing with the source file. Reuse it with „mit“ when saying that two sets of information correspond.
Damit In „Damit hast du einen klaren Punkt“, „Damit“ means “with that” or “by doing that” and refers to the checking step just mentioned. It connects the previous action with its result. Reuse „Damit ...“ to show what a preceding action provides or makes possible.
hast „hast“ means “have” in „Damit hast du einen klaren Punkt“. It states that the listener now has a clear point from which to continue. The reusable pattern is „Du hast ...“ when describing what someone possesses or now has available.
du „du“ means “you” and identifies the person being advised in „hast du einen klaren Punkt“. It is the listener in the conversation. It commonly appears with direct advice or instructions addressed to one person.
einen In „einen klaren Punkt“, „einen“ means “a” before „Punkt“. It introduces the clear point that the listener has. It is the form used here for this masculine object.
klaren „klaren“ means “clear” in „einen klaren Punkt“. It describes the point as easy to identify and use for continuing. It appears directly before the noun in the phrase „einen klaren Punkt“.
Punkt „Punkt“ means “point” in „einen klaren Punkt, an dem ...“. Here it is the point in the work from which the listener can continue. You can reuse „ein Punkt, an dem ...“ to identify a point at which an action can happen.
wieder „wieder“ means “again” in „wieder anfangen kannst“. It shows that the listener will start the work another time after the pause. The reusable pattern is „wieder anfangen“ for resuming an activity.
anfangen „anfangen“ means “start” in „wieder anfangen kannst“. Together with „wieder“, it means “start again” or “resume”. It follows „kannst“ here as the action the listener is able to carry out.
kannst „kannst“ means “can” in „wieder anfangen kannst“. It expresses that the listener is able to resume from the clear point. A reusable pattern is „Du kannst ...“ followed by an infinitive for an available action.
auch „auch“ means “also” in „Ich muss auch die Chat-Apps schließen“. It adds closing the chat apps to the other necessary work steps. It can be placed before the added action or thing that is included as well.
Chat-Apps „Chat-Apps“ means “chat apps” in „die Chat-Apps schließen“. These are the applications that the speaker wants to close to avoid interruptions. You can reuse it with „schließen“ when talking about closing messaging applications.
schließen „schließen“ means “close” in „muss auch die Chat-Apps schließen“. It names the action needed to stop the chat apps from interrupting the work. It follows „muss“ as the infinitive describing the required action.
ständig „ständig“ means “constantly” in „ständig abgelenkt werde“. It says that the distraction keeps happening repeatedly. It can be placed before a participle or verb phrase to describe frequent or ongoing interruption.
abgelenkt „abgelenkt“ means “distracted” in „ständig abgelenkt werde“. It describes the speaker as being pulled away from the work. Together with „werde“, it forms the passive expression „abgelenkt werde“.
werde „werde“ helps form the passive expression „abgelenkt werde“, meaning “I am being distracted”. It shows that the speaker receives the distracting action rather than causing it. This form appears at the end of the „weil“ clause.
Lass „Lass“ is a direct instruction to leave or keep something in a particular state in „Lass sie geschlossen“. Here it tells the listener to keep the apps closed. A reusable pattern is „Lass etwas ...“ when instructing someone to leave something as it is.
sie „sie“ means “them” in „Lass sie geschlossen“ and refers to the chat apps. It is the thing that should remain closed. Reuse it when referring back to plural items already mentioned.
geschlossen „geschlossen“ means “closed” in „Lass sie geschlossen“. It describes the state in which the chat apps should remain while the listener works. The reusable pattern is „etwas geschlossen lassen“.
während „während“ means “while” in „während du ungestört arbeitest“. It introduces the period during which the listener should work without interruptions. Reuse „während ...“ to connect an action with the time when another action is taking place.
ungestört „ungestört“ means “without distractions” or “undisturbed” in „ungestört arbeitest“. It describes working without the chat apps interrupting the person. It can be used to describe an activity carried out without interruption.
arbeitest „arbeitest“ means “work” in „während du ungestört arbeitest“. It describes what the listener does during the focused period. It is used with „du“ in this clause.
sieh „sieh“ is a direct instruction to look or check in „sieh danach nach“. Together with the later particle „nach“, it forms the expression for checking the messages. Reuse the construction „sieh nach ...“ when telling someone to check something.
danach „danach“ means “after that” in „sieh danach nach“. It refers to the period after the focused work. It can be used to order a later action after something already mentioned.
deinen In „deinen Nachrichten“, „deinen“ means “your” before „Nachrichten“. It identifies the messages belonging to the listener. It appears before the noun in the reusable phrase „nach deinen Nachrichten sehen“.
Nachrichten „Nachrichten“ means “messages” in „sieh danach nach deinen Nachrichten“. These are the messages the listener should check after working. You can reuse it with „deine“ or „deinen“ when referring to someone’s messages.
Das „Das“ means “that” in „Das klingt machbar“. It refers to the suggested work plan as a whole. A reusable pattern is „Das klingt ...“ when giving an evaluation of an idea or proposal.
klingt „klingt“ means “sounds” in „Das klingt machbar“. It introduces the speaker’s impression that the plan seems feasible. Reuse „Das klingt ...“ before an adjective or description of how an idea seems.
machbar „machbar“ means “manageable” or “feasible” in „Das klingt machbar“. It says that the suggested plan seems possible to carry out. It can describe a task or plan that appears possible.
kann „kann“ means “can” in „Ich kann meine Konzentration ... wieder aufbauen“. It expresses the speaker’s ability to rebuild focus. The reusable pattern is „Ich kann ...“ followed by an infinitive for something the speaker is able to do.
meine „meine“ means “my” in „meine Konzentration“. It identifies the concentration belonging to the speaker. It appears directly before the noun in this possessive phrase.
Konzentration „Konzentration“ means “focus” or “concentration” in „meine Konzentration wieder aufbauen“. It refers to the speaker’s ability to stay mentally focused on the work. A useful pattern is „Konzentration aufbauen“ when gradually regaining focus.
nach und nach The whole expression „nach und nach“ means “gradually” or “step by step” in „meine Konzentration nach und nach wieder aufbauen“. The repeated „nach“ presents successive stages, and „und“ links the two matching parts. Reuse „nach und nach“ for a change that happens progressively rather than all at once.
aufbauen „aufbauen“ means “build up” or “rebuild” in „meine Konzentration ... wieder aufbauen“. Together with „wieder“, it describes regaining focus gradually. It follows „kann“ here as the action the speaker can perform.
Fang „Fang“ is a direct instruction to start in „Fang damit an“. Together with the particle „an“, it forms the verb meaning “start”. Reuse the full pattern „Fang mit etwas an“ or „Fang damit an“ when telling someone where to begin.
dann „dann“ means “then” in „dann sollte sich der Rest ... anfühlen“. It presents the expected result after starting with that step. It can connect an action with what is expected to happen afterward.
sollte „sollte“ means “should” in „sollte sich der Rest weniger schwer anfühlen“. It expresses an expectation about how the remaining work will feel. A reusable pattern is „sollte ...“ when predicting a likely result or giving gentle advice.
sich „sich“ is the reflexive element in „sich ... anfühlen“, the expression meaning that something feels a certain way. Here „sich“ refers to „der Rest“, which is described as feeling less difficult. Reuse the full pattern „etwas fühlt sich ... an“ or its infinitive form „sich ... anfühlen“.
Rest „Rest“ means “the rest” or “remainder” in „der Rest“. It refers to the work that remains after the first step. You can reuse it with „der“ when talking about what is left of a task or activity.
weniger „weniger“ means “less” in „weniger schwer“. It reduces the degree of difficulty expressed by „schwer“. A reusable pattern is „weniger + adjective“ when comparing a lower degree.
schwer „schwer“ means “heavy” or, in this context, “difficult” in „sich der Rest weniger schwer anfühlen“. It describes the remaining work as feeling less burdensome. The phrase „sich schwer anfühlen“ is a reusable way to say that something feels difficult.
anfühlen „anfühlen“ means “feel” in „sich der Rest weniger schwer anfühlen“. The complete expression „sich ... anfühlen“ describes how something seems or feels to someone. It follows „sollte“ here as the expected way the remaining work will feel.

Grammar Points

statt + zu + Infinitiv

Statt direkt anzufangen, beginne ich mit einer kurzen Wiederholung.

shtat dee-REKT AN-tsu-fang-uhn, beh-GIN-uh ikh mit EYE-nuh KOORT-sen VEE-duh-HOH-lung.

Instead of starting directly, I begin with a short review.

After statt, use zu plus the infinitive. For separable verbs, zu goes between the prefix and the verb stem.

sich anfühlen

Der Rest fühlt sich schwer an.

dair REST FOO-lt zikh shvair an.

The rest feels difficult.

This reflexive separable verb uses sich and places an at the end of the clause.

German Vocabulary

anfangen verb
AN-fang-uhn to start; to begin anzufangen
Aufgabe noun
OWF-gah-buh task
beginnen verb
beh-GIN-uhn to start Beginne
direkt adv
dee-REKT directly
kurz adj
koorts short kurzen
losgelöst adj
LOHS-guh-LURST disconnected
Mittagessen noun
MIT-tahg-ess-en lunch
schwierig adj
SHVEE-rikh difficult schwierigsten
sich fühlen verb
zikh FOO-luhn to feel fühle ich mich
statt prep
shtat instead of
völlig adv
FUR-likh completely
Wiederholung noun
VEE-duh-HOH-lung review; repetition

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

completely

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instead of

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disconnected

Show Answerlosgelöst

to start

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