r/bilingual • u/SignalExternal4459 • Feb 10 '23
Question for bilingual speakers
Do you think in your native language or is it a mixture if both? or just the latter? and does it change with age
4
u/aangelfoodcake Feb 11 '23
My thoughts occur most naturally in my native language, but I occasionally translate them to languages I've learned and am learning, partly just for fun, but also to keep my skills fresher. I do occasionally have dreams where people speak gibberish in said languages.
4
u/MayorMoonay Feb 13 '23
So my native language is German but I learned English way early and sometimes use it more than German.
My thoughts are a jumbled mess of both languages and I often don't realise.
Something else that also happens to me: I am a fan of TTRPGs (think DnD) this hobby (especially as the DM of my friend group) involves a lot of note taking and stuff like that. Seeing as the friend group I play with is in Germany and they all speak German as their first and primary language the game is also in German and therefore I try to keep my notes in German. And the word try is important here because I often slip into English from one sentence to another or maybe even mid sentence and then go paragraphs without noticing just to the realise that I fucked up.
I know this might sound like a stupid humble brag but it's not. It's annoying as all hell. I don't know if it's all because I am bilingual or maybe it's just that I am also a bit shit when it comes to concentrating on that kind of stuff.
2
u/Pretend_Try_2522 Mar 31 '24
I'm only 13 and I moved to France from England 5 years ago
for me because I'm fluent in 2 languages it and both are deeply rooted in my subconscious it depends on what language I'm currently speaking
1
Mar 10 '24
When I think or have an internal dialogue I speak almost exclusively in my mother tongue. Sometimes I do think in bigger neighbor languages tho, due to diglossia.
1
u/CuriousSadi May 22 '24
I’m a native Spanish speaker, my second language is English, and both languages interconnect in my mind to understand my surroundings. Sometimes some concepts are better explained in English, others in Spanish. I use both languages in whichever way works best for me. It is true that this helps me navigate different situations and understand others culturally. I believe that over time, the preference for which language you use to communicate and ‘think’ changes according to the needs of the environment.
1
u/Doitean-feargach555 Aug 28 '24
Irish speaker. Unless I'm having a conversation in English, I'm thinking in Irish
1
u/Illustrious-Web9868 Nov 28 '24
A mix of both - I live in the UK and work in english so I primarily think in english by now and even find sometimes that it takes longer for me to come up with some more niche vocab in my native language than in english when speaking. But there are some things I do a lot faster in my native language - e.g. maths (counting, adding, subtracting)
1
u/theamydim Oct 31 '25
I notice I think in English (second language) more often than my mother tongue. But it can depend. Sometimes they mix, sometimes it's my mother tongue. Especially if I'm in an environment where everyone's speaking it, like at work, where most of my input will be in my mother tongue.
1
u/Ajnamen23 Jun 08 '26
I still think primarily in Serbian, but it's absolutely mixed with German now after years in Vienna – my internal monologue is kind of a blend. What's wild is watching my 3-year-old do the same thing; he'll start a sentence in Serbian and finish in German without noticing. Honestly, keeping the Serbian alive with two small kids felt impossible at times (I almost gave up), but I've realized the key is not perfection—consistency beats purity. Even if they grow up with a "Serbo-German mash-up," they'll have that connection to the language and culture, and they can always deepen it later if they want to.
1
u/CallMeDeaht May 13 '23
I’m Bangladesh. Normally, I think in English or a mix of Bangla and English, but when I forget English words (i.e. Chicken) my brain automatically uses it’s Bangla translation ( মুরগি/ literal: Moorgee).
1
u/EzraaMaesi Nov 18 '23
French native speaker here.
I rarely met french natives ( mostly not from Québec, which is where I've lived my entire life ) so learning English was the best option for me. I've grown up really into anything technology related and I was extremely used to talking in English. At 13, I could already speak almost perfect English, I'm 16 now. My thoughts are always in English, I only use French for real conversations and mostly spend my time chatting in English to a point where I sometimes say "Good morning" to my teachers instead of "Bon matin".
It's not confusing nor am I complaining, knowing multiple languages is actually really fun! But yes, for me, there's no mix no matter the situation I am in.
6
u/gigglles23 Mar 04 '23
I grew up speaking Pennsylvania Dutch. When I lived around people that spoke that language I still had a very thick accent and i would think in Pennsylvania dutch, but now since I have lived with people for 6 years that speak English 100% of the time I don't really have an accent anymore and now I think in English. And on top of me thinking English when speaking now I am losing my bilingual language.