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Can bilinguals think in both of their languages?

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I'm trilingual: Icelandic as my first language, English and then Spanish, but mostly I tend to think in English because I am around English people. If I go back to Iceland for more than a few weeks, I start to think in Icelandic. I usually don't think in Spanish except if I am actively practising. But I also dream in all three which can make for some very entertaining dreams :tongue:
Reply 101
Original post by Aurora_Boreal1s
I'm trilingual: Icelandic as my first language, English and then Spanish, but mostly I tend to think in English because I am around English people. If I go back to Iceland for more than a few weeks, I start to think in Icelandic. I usually don't think in Spanish except if I am actively practising. But I also dream in all three which can make for some very entertaining dreams :tongue:


1) Can you think in English?

2) Can you think in Icelandic?

3) Can you think in Spanish?

3) What age did you learn all languages?

4) Can you think in any other language?
I don't usually, no.
Reply 103
Original post by Elinen
My native language is Dutch, but I prefer English, and almost always think in English. It depends a little on what language I hear/speak/read the most - after a few months in the UK, my thoughts were 100% in English, and if I had to write/speak in Dutch I would translate it from English first. When I went back to the Netherlands I slowly became used to it again. I guess I think in Dutch when I talk to Dutch people, but I might throw in an English word now and then. Otherwise I think in English unless some Dutch expression fits well, then I might switch languages in the middle of a sentence. It's all a bit confusing :redface:

Short anwer: I can think in both languages, but only think in my native language if it is convenient.


1) Can you think in English?

2) Can you think in Dutch?

3) What age did you learn both languages?

4) Can you think in any other language?
Original post by fg45344
So here is my question....

If you speak only english, you will think in english. If you speak only spanish, you will think in spanish. If you speak spanish and english fluently, say being bilingual from birth, can you think in both languages?


Yeah I think in both languages, it just depends on which language I am currently using.. if I am in the UK and speak English every day then I think in English, if I am in my home country and speak my other language I think in that language, my dreams are in both languages.
Reply 105
Original post by lolakirk
Yeah I think in both languages, it just depends on which language I am currently using.. if I am in the UK and speak English every day then I think in English, if I am in my home country and speak my other language I think in that language, my dreams are in both languages.


What about when thinking on your own? Can you choose the language?
Original post by fg45344
What about when thinking on your own? Can you choose the language?


As I said, when I am in England I think mostly in English because that's what I am used to right now because I speak English to everybody so I stay in 'English mode' even when I speak to myself, but if I think about someone / something that relates to my home country, I think about it in that language.
Reply 107
Original post by lolakirk
As I said, when I am in England I think mostly in English because that's what I am used to right now because I speak English to everybody so I stay in 'English mode' even when I speak to myself, but if I think about someone / something that relates to my home country, I think about it in that language.


So how many languages can you think in?
Original post by fg45344
What languages can you think in?


Urdu/Hindi and English.
I can think and speak in English and Welsh
Reply 110
Original post by Jayce.x
Urdu/Hindi and English.


I thought Urdu and Hindi were 2 different languages?
Reply 111
Original post by Miracle Day
I can think and speak in English and Welsh


1) Can you think in English?

2) Can you think in Welsh?

3) What age did you learn both languages?

4) Can you think in any other language?
Original post by fg45344
Why do you think you think mainly in English? What is it like thinking in Cantonese? Is thinking in Cantonese slower for you? Can you think in any other language?


The reason why I mainly think in english is because I speak it more than Cantonese. Also when I do my school/college work it just makes more sense that way.

When I think in Cantonese it can be slightly "slower" but that's because I'm not used to it.

I can speak a bit of French but I don't think in it.
Original post by fg45344
I thought Urdu and Hindi were 2 different languages?


They have different writing systems but informal Urdu and Hindi are spoken very very similarly! If you aren't a native speaker or haven't spoken the language for a long time, you probably won't even be able to tell the difference if you hear two people speaking in Urdu/Hindi. Do I make any sense at all?
Original post by fg45344
I thought Urdu and Hindi were 2 different languages?


They are, but as @Jayce.x said, the informal/colloquial versions of the two are quite similar when spoken.

Whilst both are derived from a mixture of Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian, the influence of Arabic and Persian on standardised Urdu is greater whereas standardised Hindi has a heavier Sanskrit influence.


And the scripts that they're written in are also VERY different.
E.g in the pic below, Urdu is written at the top and Hindi is in the middle

Spoiler

(edited 7 years ago)
I'm bilingual. I'm fluent in English and Tamil but my English is slightly better than my Tamil. I can think in both languages it just depends on the situation I'm in so if I'm surrounded by mostly English speaking people my thought process will be in English and the other way around. Sometimes when I'm on my own. its one or the other or a weird mix of both that probably only I think makes sense.
I think in both, I definitely know I think in punjabi because I swear at people in my head in punjabi.:redface:

I think mostly in English because that is the language I read, watch tv and speak etc but recalling conversations with my mum and some other things are when I know I'm thinking in punjabi.

I was thinking in English when I typed up this post :P
Reply 117
Original post by niv1234
I'm bilingual. I'm fluent in English and Tamil but my English is slightly better than my Tamil. I can think in both languages it just depends on the situation I'm in so if I'm surrounded by mostly English speaking people my thought process will be in English and the other way around. Sometimes when I'm on my own. its one or the other or a weird mix of both that probably only I think makes sense.


1) Can you think in English?

2) Can you think in Tamil?

3) What age did you learn both languages?

4) Can you think in any other language?
Original post by fg45344
1) Can you think in English?

2) Can you think in Tamil?

3) What age did you learn both languages?

4) Can you think in any other language?


1)Yes, I can think in English.

2)Yes, I can think in Tamil.

3) Tamil is my first language and thats what my parents speak so I started learning that when I was born. I used to live in Germany and I moved to England when I was 6 so I started learning English at that age when I started school here. I used to be fluent in German but I've forgotten most of it then I started learning it in school here.

4)I know quite a bit of German and I can think a bit in it but I wouldn't say I as fluent. I learn a lot of other languages too but I can't really think in them.
Reply 119
Original post by niv1234
1)Yes, I can think in English.

2)Yes, I can think in Tamil.

3) Tamil is my first language and thats what my parents speak so I started learning that when I was born. I used to live in Germany and I moved to England when I was 6 so I started learning English at that age when I started school here. I used to be fluent in German but I've forgotten most of it then I started learning it in school here.

4)I know quite a bit of German and I can think a bit in it but I wouldn't say I as fluent. I learn a lot of other languages too but I can't really think in them.


Hmmm, surely you can think in German if you were exposed to it at a young age?

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