When Someone Speaks Two Languages, Which One Do They Think in?

Question

And do they translate, in their head, everything others that speak the second language say, or do they simply hear and know precisely what each word means? I only speak American.

Answer 1

My native language is Spanish, but I spend more time speaking English, so I have come to think in English. I've also been taking French for the past 7 years, so sometimes I think in French, especially when I'm in French class, but sometimes I still translate things in my head, especially when trying to figure out how to construct the sentence (French grammar is ten times easier to understand if you know Spanish) I only think in Portuguese when I'm actually using the language, and I've only been taking the class for a year. It all depends on how much experience you have with the language and how often you speak it.  

Answer 2

It depends a lot on how early they learned the new language and how often they use it compared to their "native" language. For people who learn new languages when they are relatively young, it is easier to switch their way of thinking from one language to another depending on the language being used. Those who learn a new language when they are much older tend to think primarily in their native language and then translate the meaning to the new language. The level of fluency also makes a big difference. The more fluent you are in that language, the more you think in that language. There are exceptions, of course.  

Speaking a language is different from understanding what is said in that language. I know many people who understand a language without being able to speak it very fluently.

Answer 3

I think in both, it sometimes depends on the situation. Like if I just finished watching a movie in Spanish I'm most likely going to be thinking in Spanish for a while after that. I'm hispanic but since I grew up in Canada and the USA I use English more so most of the time I think in English but sometimes I mix them up in my head so I start thinking in Spanglish because I will think mostly in English but with some Spanish words in there as well.

Answer 4

When starting to learn a language people tend to translate in their head. Later, you just think in the language that you want to use at that moment.

After some years you can think in the new language, especially if you speak it a lot. You will just try to translate in situations when you know a good expression for a special situation in one language, but you don't know - or don't come up with - anything suitable in the other language.

The brains are very flexible. When hearing a word you may associate the class where you have learned the word and a translation, but it is the meaning that counts. So later you will just associate the meaning. The brains just create a short-cut.

Answer 5

My parents are both from another country and we've had a conversation about this.  It depends on how long they have lived in the 2nd country, but for the most part they don't translate the words people speak.  They just know what it means.  As far as what language they think in, apparently that depends on the subject (and, again, how long they've been in the country).  They normally think in English, but if they are doing math in their heads they do it in Romanian.  Weird stuff :P

Answer 6

I speak 5 languages and i think in the language that i'm about to speak. U won't understand it coz u speak only one language.

Answer 7

I speak three languages, but I only think in two.

I understand it but I do convert it into English for some reason.

I don't think in my native language, it's too alien for me.

Answer 8

Well, I speak a few, and sometimes I think and dream in all of them. American :) is my native language as well, but I remember the first time I dreamt in German it was pretty cool. And then sometimes when I yell like "watch out!" or whatever it comes out in Russian- but I don't translate sentences in my head. I know some people seem to, and they are usually better at grammar than I am. But it is funny because the words have such different meanings in each language that there is no real translation you know? All of the associations with a particular word are cultural, so I think it is better to only think in the language you are speaking at the time because an apple in America (think New York, apple pie, Johnny Appleseed) is not the same as an apple anywhere else.  

Answer 9

I speak English and French and I think in English, my native language, and I translate other peoples' French in my head. I'm still finishing my 300-level French courses though, so maybe after a couple more conversation classes I'll learn how to think in French.

However, I have dreamed in French once or twice after cramming for exams. That's an interesting experience.

Answer 10

That's like the best question I've read so far.

Just had to point that out.

Answer 11

I speak russian and english. when i started to learn english i translated everything to russian and before i answered to people i always translated everything in my head. when i got better at english i just answered the question without thinking in my head. but now when i speak english i know what each word means without translating.

Answer 12

the non-english one.

Answer 13

I think in both Irish and English.

I dont translate in my head though.

When someone is speaking to me in English I dont translate it to Irish in my head and when someone is speaking to me in Irish I dont translate it to English in my head. I just understand it.

Answer 14

Both