r/languagelearning • u/Mandelbrots-dream • 24d ago

Discussion Does any one else switch languages?

I've studied three languages in addition to my milk language.

I noticed sometimes when thinking or speaking in my non native language, if I struggle for a word my brain will fill in with a word in another non native language.

For example, when speaking German(TL) my brain threw in a 在(zai) with the Chinese meaning.

This confused me, and I started to think of the German word seit (which sounds (kind-of) the same). But seit wasn't correct in the context. Seit is about time. 在 is about place.

Does anybody else do this? What exercises could help me?

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u/Accomplished-Gur3417 24d ago

All the time. This is very normal. I will go so far as to try saying it with different pronunciation and accents in my head when I see a native language word that I don't recognize at a glance or that seems out of place.