A Silly Question for the Bilingual

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2

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  • tom_olech
    tom_olech Posts: 139 Member
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    My native tounge is English, so that is what i think in. Although there was a few weeks when i was visiting Poland for 3 months that i began to think in Polish....
  • chm2616
    chm2616 Posts: 434 Member
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    I teach Spanish & French (middle school) I lived in Spain back in 2000 and that helped out my Spanish fluency. My first language is English, so I think in English, but if I plan to say something in Spanish, it just comes right out of my mouth LOL I can switch over to French too, but it's not as good. I wish I got to live in France or Quebec, but I just didn't have the money. I have to think a little bit more in French. When I came back from Spain, my college French prof was laughing at my French accent (all full of rolled Rs and everything--- oopsie!) It's really funny when my Spanish students leave and then my French class comes in and I'm still speaking in Spanish. hehe "Hold on kids. I gotta flip the switch! BONJOUR!" lol And sometimes I still dream in Spanish. Kinda crazy!
  • determinedbutlazy
    determinedbutlazy Posts: 1,941 Member
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    It honestly depends on where I am. My first language is English but I am pretty damn fluent in Japanese.
    When I'm in Japan and in an environment that lacks English speakers, I shift into thinking in Japanese. It's easier that way, because it's what I'm constantly hearing and speaking.
  • toriaenator
    toriaenator Posts: 423 Member
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    ahaha depends... i used to think only in english (sometimes id try to think in french but it would feel odd) now that im in france i catch myself naturally thinking in france :D
  • Prahasaurus
    Prahasaurus Posts: 1,381 Member
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    Usually my mother tongue, English. But sometimes I'll think in Czech, especially if I'm speaking only Czech with friends or family.

    My kids grew up with both languages, and they speak both interchangeably. They will, for example, speak Czech to each other, until they come to a word they don't know in Czech but know in English. They'll either insert the English word and go back to Czech, or that word will flip a switch in their brains and they'll just continue in English for a while.

    You need to speak both languages to understand them sometimes. Although when they know they are speaking to someone who only understands one language, they do make an effort to stay within that language.

    --P
  • tundeke
    tundeke Posts: 80
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    My mother tounge is Hungarian, live in the UK for 9 years. I guess it varies sometimes i find talking to myslef in hungarian and sometimes in english. Just depends on the situation. :huh:
  • LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo
    LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo Posts: 3,634 Member
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    I'm trilingual does that count?

    I'm Mexican Filipino so I'm bilingual in Spanish & Filipino (Tagalog) while English is my 3rd language. Since I'm in Philippines so I speak Filipino to all people here, Spanish to my boyfriend, friends & sometimes to my Dad & grandma and English for MFP, hehehe. At home we speak a combination of Spanish & Filipino since my Mom is a Filipina. However my brothers, sisters & cousins grew up speaking mostly English & Filipino. Whenever I think or talk to myself, sometimes I switch between Spanish & Filipino.

    Also whenever I'm angry, I always curse in Spanish, hahaha
  • wyllaya
    wyllaya Posts: 51 Member
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    Mostly in FRENCH......the only exception is when french doesn't have the equivalence in English because mot of the time it take two three more word in french to say the same thing in english
  • IamSheaMc
    IamSheaMc Posts: 1,310 Member
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    It depends on my mood. Usually when i'm relaxed its my dialect ans if its serious its English
  • eikito
    eikito Posts: 114 Member
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    I'm multiligual and can think on any of the languages that I speak, it will depend on where I am or whom I'm speaking to. One evening when I was with lots of friends I found myself talking to each one of them in their respective native tongues and then translating to the rest of people, one of them said to me that at one point she watched in wonder how the human brain works as I had no problems switching from one to another. My husband is trilingual but seems to have some problems "switching" from his native tongue to English sometimes. Our son knows my mood depending on what language I use to talk to him: French=just kidding, English=everything is OK, Japanese=I'm getting upset, Spanish=I'm really angry, Romanian=he's dead LOL
    I sometimes dream in languages that I don't speak and I don't understand, that's weird!
  • warmachinejt
    warmachinejt Posts: 2,167 Member
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    in english, because i basically grew up here. However i am very proud of my spanish and will speak it to anyone who i think is hispanic. I also know elementary german and have awesome pronunciation.
  • genuinelyfrans
    genuinelyfrans Posts: 584
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    in english, because i basically grew up here. However i am very proud of my spanish and will speak it to anyone who i think is hispanic. I also know elementary german and have awesome pronunciation.

    ^ Agreed with the first sentence. I don't know other languages other than English and Spanish
  • hlouisej
    hlouisej Posts: 45
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    My native language is English but I have lived in France for 16 years so I use both and think in both.
  • LiteBrite007
    LiteBrite007 Posts: 294 Member
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    lol Cute question. :flowerforyou:

    I think mostly in English, my native tongue but I often speak French in my head when I am angry. When I am angry I think so hard I can't remember the words in French so it allows me to be angry far less often and for a seriously short amount of time.
  • BosLady1
    BosLady1 Posts: 83
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    You are the 2nd person to ask a question like this. One on MFP and the other being my brother lol. I love this question. When I was 16 I lived in Mexico for 8 months as a foreign exchange student. I nearly forgot English (no joke) and would think in Spanish. When I came back and felt like I was relearning English, I still thought in Spanish lol. 12 years later, I still sometimes think in Spanish, especially if I am thinking a thought that I don't want anyone else around me understanding if I happen to think aloud lol.
  • Dethea
    Dethea Posts: 247 Member
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    Mostly I think in English, but when I'm speaking and reading in Spanish I think in Spanish also. And sometimes I make an effort to think in Spanish in order to practice.
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
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    At one point I used to speak 9 languages. That was when I was in the old country. I used to think in Urdu.

    Since I came to US and have been here for almost 10 years, I mainly speak english only and now speak 4 languages only but I now think in English.

    For me its more to do with the environment and what language you speak day to day more than your mother tongue. I sometimes talk to my family and I can't help myself talk in english primarily even though I can speak and read other languages fairly well
  • CajunNino
    CajunNino Posts: 269
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    English & LA French

    Like some have said..It depends. I suppose most of the time I think in English, except when I'm actually using my Louisiana French, then I think in Louisiana French. The barbershop here is exclusively French and you can get behind pretty quick if you're not thinking in French, too. Understand?
  • PeaceCorpsKat
    PeaceCorpsKat Posts: 335 Member
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    Depends on the situation... most of the time English, because it's my native language.

    However, as my strongest western language is Dutch when I am learning new languages I think in Dutch.
  • maylene1853
    maylene1853 Posts: 58
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    it depends but here in america i think in english my first language, if im among all spanish speaking people or especially out of the country in guatemala, i think in spanish cause ill have no use for the english.

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