Choosing a Review Method with a Study Partner | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ich möchte die heutige Lektion wiederholen.

   I want to review today's lesson.

   Ich möchte

   I want to

   heutige

   today’s

   Lektion

   lesson

   wiederholen

   review

   More detail

   Ich möchte means “I want to” here. Ich is the first-person singular pronoun, “I.” möchte is the first-person singular form of mögen in the Konjunktiv II form, commonly used to express a wish or intention politely. In this sentence, the fixed translation conveys that wish as “I want to.” German commonly places the other verb in the infinitive at the end of this main-clause pattern: Ich möchte lernen. — “I want to learn.” heutige means “today’s” in this sentence. It is the attributive adjective heutig (“today’s, of today”), inflected here because it describes feminine singular accusative Lektion after the definite article die: die heutige Lektion. The adjective is not the adverb heute (“today”). Example: die heutige Zeitung — “today’s newspaper.” Lektion means “lesson.” It is a feminine noun: die Lektion; its plural is die Lektionen. In this sentence, Lektion is the direct object of wiederholen, so the noun phrase is in the accusative: die heutige Lektion. wiederholen means “to review” here, in the sense of going over something again. It is an infinitive and stays unchanged after möchte: Ich möchte die Lektion wiederholen. — “I want to review the lesson.” The same verb can also mean “to repeat,” depending on what is being repeated. Together, Ich möchte + die heutige Lektion + wiederholen forms the German main-clause pattern “I want to review today’s lesson.” Möchte expresses the speaker’s wish, die heutige Lektion identifies what the speaker wants to review, and the infinitive wiederholen completes the verb phrase.

2. Aber ich bin mir nicht sicher, wo ich anfangen soll.

   But I am not sure where to start.

   Aber

   But

   ich bin

   I am

   sicher

   sure

   wo

   where

   anfangen

   to start

   soll

   should

   More detail

   Aber introduces a contrast, here linking the speaker’s wish to review the lesson with the speaker’s uncertainty. It is a common sentence-initial equivalent of “but.” Example: Ich möchte kommen, aber ich habe keine Zeit. — “I want to come, but I have no time.” ich bin means “I am.” The verb bin is the first-person singular present form of sein; its base form is sein. The related forms are du bist (“you are”) and er/sie ist (“he/she is”). Example: Ich bin müde. — “I am tired.” sicher describes certainty. In this sentence it is used in the expression sich sicher sein — literally being certain to oneself — so mir marks the person experiencing the certainty. With negation, nicht sicher sein means “not be sure.” Example: Ich bin mir sicher. — “I am sure.” wo asks about a place or point in a process: “where.” In an embedded question such as this one, it introduces the information the speaker is unsure about. Compare wann (“when”) for time and warum (“why”) for reason. Example: Weißt du, wo der Schlüssel ist? — “Do you know where the key is?” anfangen is the infinitive “to start” or “to begin.” It is a separable verb: in a main clause, the prefix can separate, as in Ich fange an. — “I am starting.” In the embedded question here, the complete infinitive remains together at the end. Example: Wir fangen mit der Übung an. — “We are starting with the exercise.” soll is the first- or third-person singular present form of the modal verb sollen. Its basic meaning often concerns what someone is supposed or expected to do. In this embedded question, wo ... anfangen soll asks which starting point is appropriate; the fixed translation expresses this naturally as “where to start,” rather than asserting a separate command. With a modal verb, the other verb normally appears as an infinitive at the end of the clause. Example: Ich soll heute lernen. — “I am supposed to study today.” Together, Aber marks a contrast, ich bin mir nicht sicher expresses the speaker’s uncertainty, and wo ... anfangen soll specifies what is uncertain: the appropriate place or point to begin. The complete utterance therefore means that the speaker wants to proceed but does not know where to begin.

3. Fang mit den Notizen an, die direkt mit echten Situationen zu tun haben.

   Start with the notes that connect directly to real situations.

   Fang … an

   start

   Notizen

   notes

   direkt

   directly

   echten

   real; genuine

   Situationen

   situations

   mit … zu tun haben

   be connected with

   More detail

   Fang ... an is the informal singular imperative of anfangen (“to start”). This verb has a separable prefix: in the imperative, an moves to the end, so the reusable pattern is Fang ... an! rather than keeping anfangen together. For example: Fang mit der ersten Aufgabe an! — “Start with the first task!” Notizen means “notes” here. Its singular base form is die Notiz; Notizen is the plural. In mit den Notizen, mit requires the dative, and the definite article is therefore den for the plural. The notes are the thing the speaker recommends starting with. direkt means “directly” and emphasizes a close, immediate connection. It is an adverb here, so it does not take an adjective ending. For example: Der Weg führt direkt zum Bahnhof. — “The route leads directly to the station.” echten is the inflected form of the adjective echt, meaning “real” or “genuine” in this context. In mit echten Situationen, mit requires the dative and Situationen is plural. Because there is no article before echten, the adjective carries the strong dative-plural ending -en; the ending belongs to echt, not to Situationen. Situationen is the plural of die Situation, “situation.” The phrase echten Situationen refers to real situations rather than merely hypothetical or invented ones. For example: Wir üben mit echten Situationen. — “We practise with real situations.” The construction mit ... zu tun haben means “to be connected with” or “to have to do with” something. Here, mit introduces the thing involved, while zu tun haben completes the fixed expression; it is not the ordinary literal meaning of simply doing an activity. For example: Das hat mit dem Thema zu tun. — “That is connected with the topic.” The relative clause beginning with die describes which notes are intended: they are the notes that connect directly with real situations. The clause uses plural haben because its relative pronoun refers back to plural Notizen. Together, the imperative, the selected notes, and the identifying relative clause produce the meaning “Start with the notes that connect directly to real situations.”

4. Normalerweise lese ich alles noch einmal, aber das dauert zu lange.

   I usually reread everything, but that takes too much time.

   Normalerweise

   usually

   lese

   read

   alles

   everything

   noch einmal

   again

   aber

   but

   das

   that

   dauert

   takes time

   zu lange

   too long

   More detail

   Normalerweise means “usually” and places the statement in a habitual pattern. It is an adverb, so it does not change for person or number. lese is the first-person singular present form of lesen (“to read”): ich lese = “I read / I am reading.” The vowel change seen in some forms of this verb is not present here; compare du liest and er/sie liest. alles means “everything” here. It is a pronoun referring to the whole set of things being read, without naming those things. Example: Ich prüfe alles. — “I check everything.” noch einmal is a reusable expression meaning “again” or “once more.” Example: Lies den Satz noch einmal. — “Read the sentence again.” aber connects a contrast: the second clause presents a limitation or consequence that contrasts with the first clause. It does not change the meaning of the words inside either clause. das means “that” here and functions as the subject of the second clause. In this sentence, it points back to the preceding activity or situation of rereading everything, rather than naming a separate concrete object. As a demonstrative pronoun, its form is das; its exact referent comes from the context. dauert is the third-person singular present form of dauern (“to take [time]” or “to last”). The subject is das, so German uses dauert: Das dauert lange. — “That takes a long time.” zu lange means “too long.” lange is the adverbial form expressing duration, and zu makes the duration excessive for the relevant purpose. Compare Das dauert lange. — “That takes a long time” with Das dauert zu lange. — “That takes too long.” Together, Normalerweise lese ich alles noch einmal says “I usually read everything again.” The conjunction aber introduces the contrasting result: das dauert zu lange — “that takes too long.” The complete meaning is: “I usually reread everything, but that takes too much time.”

5. Wähle die Teile aus, die du in einem kurzen Gespräch verwenden kannst.

   Choose the parts you can use in a short conversation.

   Wähle … aus

   choose / select

   Teile

   parts

   du … kannst

   you can

   verwenden

   use

   kurzen

   short

   Gespräch

   conversation

   More detail

   Wähle ... aus is the separable verb auswählen, “to choose/select.” In this sentence, Wähle is the informal singular imperative: “Choose!” The separable prefix aus moves to the end of the main clause. In a normal statement, the same verb can appear as Du wählst die Teile aus (“You choose the parts”). Teile is the plural of Teil, “part.” Here it is the object being selected. The singular is Teil; the plural form is Teile. For example: Ich wähle einen Teil aus. — “I choose one part.” du kannst combines the informal singular pronoun du with kannst, the second-person singular form of the modal verb können (“can; be able to”). The modal expresses ability or practical possibility here. With a modal verb, the other verb normally goes to the end in its infinitive form: du kannst ... verwenden — “you can use ...”. verwenden means “to use.” It is an infinitive because it follows the modal kannst. A useful alternative with a similar meaning is benutzen, but verwenden is the form used in this sentence. Example: Du kannst dieses Wort verwenden. — “You can use this word.” die begins the relative clause and refers back to Teile. Its plural form agrees with that noun. Inside the relative clause, die is the object of verwenden: the parts are the things that can be used. The relative clause is die du ... verwenden kannst (“that you can use”); the finite modal kannst comes at the end of that clause, while the infinitive verwenden stands immediately before it. kurzen is the form of the adjective kurz, “short.” It describes Gespräch. The ending -en appears here because Gespräch is neuter, the phrase has the dative form after in in this meaning, and the article is einem: in einem kurzen Gespräch. The comparison chain is kurz (“short”), kürzer (“shorter”), am kürzesten (“shortest”). Gespräch means “conversation” or “talk.” It is a neuter noun: das Gespräch. In in einem kurzen Gespräch, the preposition in introduces the situation in which the parts can be used, and the dative phrase means “in a short conversation.” Together, die du in einem kurzen Gespräch verwenden kannst means “that you can use in a short conversation.” The main clause Wähle die Teile ... aus is an informal singular instruction, so the complete utterance means: “Choose the parts you can use in a short conversation.”

6. Wir könnten Beispielsätze schreiben, bevor wir das Sprechen üben.

   We could write example sentences before we practice speaking.

   Wir könnten

   we could

   Beispielsätze

   example sentences

   schreiben

   write

   bevor

   before

   das Sprechen

   speaking

   üben

   practice

   More detail

   Wir könnten means “we could.” wir is the first-person plural pronoun, and könnten is the form of können used with wir in the subjunctive II (Konjunktiv II). Here it expresses a possible or suggested action, not a statement that the action will definitely happen. The modal verb is followed by an infinitive at the end of its clause: Wir könnten ... schreiben = “We could write ...”. Beispielsätze means “example sentences.” It is the plural of Beispielsatz; the compound combines Beispiel (“example”) and Satz (“sentence”). The plural form has -e and the umlaut in Sätze: ein Beispielsatz → Beispielsätze. Example: Ich schreibe zwei Beispielsätze. — “I am writing two example sentences.” schreiben means “to write.” This is the infinitive form. With a modal verb such as könnten, the lexical verb remains an infinitive and appears at the end of the main clause. Example: Wir könnten einen Brief schreiben. — “We could write a letter.” bevor means “before” and introduces a subordinate clause that gives the time relation. In a German subordinate clause introduced by bevor, the finite verb goes to the end: bevor wir ... üben. This word describes the order of the actions; it does not itself express a specific duration. das Sprechen means “speaking.” Sprechen is a nominalized infinitive: the verb sprechen is used as a noun, written with a capital letter and taking the neuter article das. As a noun, it can be used after verbs such as üben: das Sprechen üben means “practice speaking.” Example: Das Sprechen ist schwierig. — “Speaking is difficult.” üben means “to practice.” In this sentence, üben is the present-tense finite form for wir as well as the verb’s infinitive form; the form is identical here. Because it is in the subordinate clause introduced by bevor, the finite verb appears at the end: bevor wir das Sprechen üben. Example: Wir üben das Lesen. — “We practice reading.” The sentence has the reusable pattern Wir könnten [something] schreiben, bevor wir [activity] üben. The main clause is Wir könnten Beispielsätze schreiben (“We could write example sentences”). The clause introduced by bevor is bevor wir das Sprechen üben (“before we practice speaking”). Together, they mean: “We could write example sentences before we practice speaking.”

7. Wenn du die Beispielsätze laut sagst, siehst du, ob du die Wendungen in einem Gespräch verwenden kannst.

   Saying the example sentences aloud will show whether you can use the phrases in conversation.

   Wenn

   when/if

   Beispielsätze

   example sentences

   laut

   aloud

   sagst

   say

   siehst du

   you see

   ob

   whether

   Wendungen

   phrases

   Gespräch

   conversation

   verwenden

   use

   kannst

   can

   More detail

   Wenn introduces the subordinate clause Wenn du die Beispielsätze laut sagst. Here it gives the condition or time frame for the main clause: “when/if you say the example sentences aloud.” German uses the finite verb at the end of this kind of subordinate clause. A useful pattern is Wenn + ... + verb, as in Wenn du Zeit hast, ... — “If you have time, ...”. Beispielsätze means “example sentences.” It is the plural of der Beispielsatz; the singular is ein Beispielsatz, and the plural has the ending -e: Beispielsatz → Beispielsätze. The first part combines Beispiel (“example”) with Satz (“sentence”). Example: Ich schreibe einen Beispielsatz. — “I am writing an example sentence.” laut describes the manner of speaking here: “aloud” or “out loud.” It is an adjective/adverb form and does not change when it is used adverbially in this way. Example: Lies den Satz laut. — “Read the sentence aloud.” sagst is the second-person singular present form of sagen (“to say”): du sagst. The verb is separable in some other constructions only if a separable prefix is added; plain sagen itself is not separable. Here du ... sagst means “you say.” Example: Du sagst das Wort langsam. — “You say the word slowly.” The combination du ... sagst has the subject du and the verb form sagst. Because it occurs inside the Wenn clause, sagst is placed at the end: Wenn du die Beispielsätze laut sagst. siehst du uses siehst, the second-person singular present form of sehen (“to see”), followed by the subject du. This order occurs because the Wenn clause comes first; after a fronted subordinate clause, the main clause begins with its finite verb: Wenn ..., siehst du .... In this sentence, “you see” means that you recognize or find out the result. Example: Dann siehst du den Unterschied. — “Then you see the difference.” ob introduces an indirect yes/no question, meaning “whether.” The clause ob du ... verwenden kannst expresses what is being determined. Unlike a direct question such as Kannst du die Wendungen verwenden?, the finite verb goes to the end of the ob clause. Wendungen means “phrases” in this context. It is the plural of die Wendung (“phrase” or “expression”); the plural form is Wendungen. Example: Diese Wendung ist nützlich. — “This phrase is useful.” in einem Gespräch means “in a conversation.” Gespräch is a neuter noun: das Gespräch; after in for a static setting or context, the dative form is used, hence einem Gespräch. Example: Wir sprechen in einem Gespräch darüber. — “We talk about it in a conversation.” verwenden is the infinitive “to use.” It is a fairly neutral verb; benutzen can also mean “to use,” often with concrete things and also with some abstract objects. Here verwenden takes die Wendungen as the thing being used. kannst is the second-person singular present form of the modal verb können (“can” or “be able to”): du kannst. With a modal verb, the other verb normally remains in the infinitive at the end: du kannst die Wendungen verwenden — “you can use the phrases.” The negative counterpart is du kannst ... nicht verwenden — “you cannot use ...”. The whole structure is Wenn [condition], [main clause], followed inside the main clause by ob [indirect yes/no question]: Wenn du die Beispielsätze laut sagst, siehst du, ob du die Wendungen in einem Gespräch verwenden kannst. The initial condition is saying the example sentences aloud. The result is that you see whether you are able to use the phrases in a conversation: “When you say the example sentences aloud, you see whether you can use the phrases in a conversation.”

8. Das klingt nützlicher, als die ganze Seite noch einmal abzuschreiben.

   That sounds more useful than copying the whole page again.

   Das klingt

   That sounds

   nützlicher

   more useful

   als

   than

   ganze

   whole

   Seite

   page

   noch einmal

   again

   abzuschreiben

   to copy

   More detail

   Das klingt uses the neuter demonstrative pronoun das with klingt, the third-person singular present form of klingen (“to sound”). Here it means “That sounds”; das points to something understood from the situation, but the supplied sentence does not identify a more specific referent. klingen can also describe an actual sound, as in Die Stimme klingt ruhig. — “The voice sounds calm.” nützlicher is the comparative form of nützlich (“useful”): nützlich → nützlicher (“more useful”) → am nützlichsten (“most useful”). It is used predicatively after klingen, so it does not take an adjective ending here. The comparative states that the proposed activity sounds more useful than the activity introduced after als. als introduces the comparison standard after a comparative adjective. The reusable pattern is X ist/klingt [comparative] als Y — “X is/sounds more ... than Y.” This als is not the conjunction used for a simple time clause such as “when.” ganze belongs to the adjective ganz (“whole/entire”). In die ganze Seite, it has the weak feminine singular form ganze, agreeing with Seite; the article and adjective together mark the noun phrase, rather than ganze being a form of the noun. Seite is the feminine noun for “page” in this sentence. Its plural is Seiten: eine Seite — “one page”; zwei Seiten — “two pages.” Here it refers to the page as a complete unit because it is modified by ganze. noch einmal is a reusable expression meaning “again” or, literally, “once more.” noch contributes the sense of continuation or an additional occurrence, while einmal means “once” in this expression. For example, Lies den Satz noch einmal. means “Read the sentence again.” abzuschreiben is the infinitive with zu of the separable verb abschreiben, used here in the sense “to copy.” With a separable verb, zu is inserted between the prefix and the verb stem: abschreiben → abzuschreiben. In other contexts, abschreiben can have other uses, so the copying meaning here is established by die ganze Seite. Together, als die ganze Seite noch einmal abzuschreiben is an infinitive comparison clause: “than copying the whole page again.” The complete utterance says that Das sounds more useful than repeating the activity of copying the entire page.

9. Es zeigt auch, welche Punkte klar sind und welche mehr Übung brauchen.

   It also shows which points are clear and which ones need more practice.

   zeigt

   shows

   auch

   also

   welche

   which

   Punkte

   points

   klar

   clear

   sind

   are

   mehr

   more

   Übung

   practice

   brauchen

   need

   More detail

   zeigt is the present-tense form of zeigen (“to show”). With the subject Es, it is third-person singular: zeigen → es zeigt. The form describes what the subject shows here; it does not by itself identify what Es refers to. auch adds this statement to something already relevant: “also” or “too.” It modifies the whole idea that follows, rather than meaning that a particular point is additional. welche introduces the first part of an indirect question: welche Punkte ... sind means “which points ... are.” As a determiner, welche appears directly with the plural noun Punkte. Compare the standalone form in the second part below, where the noun is omitted. Punkte is the plural of Punkt, “point.” The plural form is useful in both literal and abstract uses, such as points in a discussion or items being evaluated. Example: Wir besprechen drei Punkte. — “We are discussing three points.” klar is an adjective meaning “clear” here. It is used after sind as a predicate adjective, so it describes the points without an adjective ending: Die Punkte sind klar. — “The points are clear.” sind is the third-person plural present form of sein, “to be”: sein → sie sind. It agrees with the plural subject welche Punkte, not with klar. The first indirect-question part therefore has the pattern welche + plural noun + sind + adjective. mehr means “more” and indicates a greater amount here. It modifies Übung, not brauchen: mehr Übung means “more practice.” Übung is a feminine noun meaning “practice” or “exercise.” In this sentence it refers to practice as an amount, so German uses the uncounted noun phrase mehr Übung. Its plural, Übungen, can instead refer to separate exercises. Example: Ich brauche mehr Übung. — “I need more practice.” The second welche is used without a following noun and means “which ones.” It refers to the same kind of plural points selected by the first part, but the noun Punkte is not repeated. This gives the parallel pattern welche ... sind und welche ... brauchen. brauchen is the third-person plural present form of brauchen, “to need.” Its plural subject is the second welche (“which ones”): welche ... brauchen means “which ones need.” Example: Welche brauchen mehr Zeit? — “Which ones need more time?” Putting the parts together, Es zeigt auch means “It also shows.” The indirect question then contrasts two groups: welche Punkte klar sind (“which points are clear”) and welche mehr Übung brauchen (“which ones need more practice”). The complete utterance means: “It also shows which points are clear and which ones need more practice.”

10. Lass uns jeweils ein paar nützliche Wendungen auswählen und sie nach dem Unterricht testen.

    Let's each choose a few useful phrases and test them after class.

    Lass uns

    let’s

    jeweils

    each

    ein paar

    a few

    nützliche

    useful

    Wendungen

    phrases

    auswählen

    choose

    sie

    them

    nach dem Unterricht

    after class

    testen

    test

    More detail

    Lass uns is the familiar singular imperative of lassen plus the accusative pronoun uns. Together, Lass uns ... is the reusable German pattern for “let’s ...” when addressing one person informally. With several addressees, German uses Lasst uns ...; in formal address, Lassen Sie uns ... is used. jeweils is an adverb meaning “each” or “in each case.” Here it contributes the idea that the participants should choose individually: “let’s each choose.” It does not itself state how many participants there are. For example: Wir nehmen jeweils ein Exemplar. — “We each take one copy.” ein paar is a quantifying expression meaning “a few” or “some,” used here with the plural noun Wendungen. It gives an indefinite small number rather than an exact count. ein paar Beispiele means “a few examples.” nützliche is the adjective nützlich (“useful”) in an inflected form. Its base/comparison pattern is nützlich — nützlicher — am nützlichsten (“useful” — “more useful” — “most useful”). In this sentence, nützliche modifies the plural object Wendungen; the ending reflects the noun phrase’s grammar, while the adjective itself expresses usefulness. Wendungen is the plural of the feminine noun die Wendung, here meaning “phrases” or “expressions.” The word can refer to a set phrase or a way of expressing something, not only to a complete sentence. The plural ending is -en: eine Wendung → Wendungen. auswählen means “to choose” or “to select.” It is a separable verb: in a finite clause, ich wähle ... aus, but its infinitive is auswählen. After Lass uns, the infinitive remains together and appears at the end of this first coordinated action: Lass uns ein Thema auswählen. — “Let’s choose a topic.” sie is the accusative plural pronoun “them.” The fixed translation identifies its referent as the selected phrases, so sie is the direct object of testen. German third-person plural sie has the same form in the nominative and accusative; its object role here comes from the sentence structure. nach dem Unterricht means “after class.” The preposition nach takes the dative in this time expression, so der Unterricht appears as dem Unterricht. Unterricht is a masculine noun in the singular here. For example: Wir üben nach dem Unterricht. — “We practise after class.” testen means “to test.” It is a regular verb; for example, ich teste is the first-person singular present form. Here it is another infinitive coordinated with auswählen and governed by Lass uns: the understood group is invited both to select the phrases and to test them afterward. Putting the parts together, Lass uns introduces a suggestion, jeweils distributes the choosing across the participants, and ein paar nützliche Wendungen auswählen means “choose a few useful phrases.” The coordinated und sie nach dem Unterricht testen adds “and test them after class.” The complete meaning is therefore: “Let’s each choose a few useful phrases and test them after class.”

11. Eine kurze Routine lässt sich leichter wiederholen als ein langer Wiederholungsplan.

    A short routine will be easier to repeat than a long review plan.

    kurze

    short

    Routine

    routine

    lässt sich

    can be

    leichter

    more easily

    wiederholen

    repeat

    langer

    long

    Wiederholungsplan

    review plan

    More detail

    kurze means “short” here and describes Routine. The adjective is inflected because it stands before a noun: kurz is the base form, and kurze is the form used with the feminine singular noun phrase eine kurze Routine. Example: eine kurze Pause = “a short break.” Routine is a feminine noun meaning “routine” or “regular procedure.” Its plural is Routinen. In this sentence, eine kurze Routine is the subject: “a short routine.” lässt sich is part of the reusable pattern sich lassen + infinitive. With an infinitive, this pattern commonly expresses that something can be done or is manageable: Die Aufgabe lässt sich lösen = “The task can be solved.” Here, lässt is the third-person singular present form of lassen; sich refers grammatically to the subject, the routine. The following infinitive supplies the action. leichter is the comparative form of the adverb leicht (“easily” in this use). It means “more easily,” comparing the short routine with the plan introduced after als. The comparison forms are leicht → leichter → am leichtesten. In this sentence, leichter modifies how the repeating can be done, not the noun Routine itself. wiederholen is the infinitive “to repeat” or “to review.” The infinitive is required after lässt sich: Das lässt sich wiederholen = “That can be repeated.” A related but different form is the noun Wiederholung, meaning “repetition” or “review.” langer means “long” here, in the comparative structure after als. It is the inflected form of the adjective lang, and it describes the masculine singular noun Wiederholungsplan in ein langer Wiederholungsplan. Example: ein langer Weg = “a long way.” Wiederholungsplan is a compound noun meaning “review plan.” It combines Wiederholung (“review” or “repetition”) with Plan (“plan”); the compound is masculine, so it appears here with ein. The plural is Wiederholungspläne. Together, Eine kurze Routine lässt sich leichter wiederholen means “A short routine can be repeated more easily.” als ein langer Wiederholungsplan adds the comparison: “than a long review plan.” German present tense can express a general statement or a future-relevant expectation, which is why the fixed translation uses “will be easier.” The complete meaning is: “A short routine will be easier to repeat than a long review plan.”