If english isn't your first language, which language do you think in?

Failing to get any replies...whoops..sorry...Urdu.

Well..I can speak English, Urdu, Hindi, a bit of Punjabi, some Chinese, some Spanish. I also learnt French but forgot.

That's actually a pretty funny question. I find myself thinking in English, Swedish and Arabic mostly. Actually, now when I think about it, I usually think in all three, and thus, converse in all three. I always throw in words from this language or that, obviously depends on who I'm talking to, and which languages they know. I've been studying German for 6 years, but don't think in it unless I'm doing it deliberately.

What about you?

Hebrew

What age did you learn English, Swedish and Arabic?

All of them simultaneously, I'd say. English maybe a tad bit later.

So did you grow up in Sweden, with Arabic spoken at home?

Yes.

With my mother and her side of the family - Arabic & Swedish.

Dad and his side - Swedish.

So basically, a combo of the two.

Hmmm, I'm getting good at this. Usually when people tell me what languages they speak, I can figure out how they were brought up.

So out of these I assume your Swedish is your strongest language, so you think in Swedish the majority of the time? But you can think in Arabic and English if you want to?

Haha, that's pretty interesting. What made you interested in this?

Actually, it's not that I can think in Arabic and English IF I want to, I just think and use the three equally as much, without really putting any thought/effort into it.

I like language, I think it gives everyone a different view of the world. But this is going into linguistic psychology!

But surely you can make yourself think in Arabic or English, if you speak both languages fluently.

True!

Sure, I can make myself think in Arabic or English, but why would I make myself when I already do think in them?

I would say you naturally think in Swedish, right? It is your strongest language. Thinking in Arabic must slow your brain down, same with English, though I'm guessing the strength of your languages go like this...

Swedish > English > Arabic