For those that speak a second language

I have a friend who is French. She and her son are able to switch between French and English almost in mid-sentence. It's most impressive.

Of course, you think in the second language , when you are speakibg it. I am happy i cam write and speak innour second language . . .English.

If I'm somewhere where I'd talk English or German most of the time I usually switch when I'm talking it, so I'm thinking it that language too. Not always though, I can switch between 3 languages pretty fast but then I don't always switch what I'm thinking in.

my sibling and i were all born and raised here in the capital. we grew up with both english and tagalog so we're used to taglish every day. it's everywhere - print, tv, radio, signages, packaging, etc. however, we also have a regional dialect from the province where our parents came from so sometimes, when talking to my mother, aunts, uncles, or visitors from there, we would mix all three because, one, even if they've been here 30, 40, 50 years, their default language among themselves is their dialect and, two, some words in their dialect has no equivalent in tagalog. actually, some filipinos know 2 dialects if their parents came from different provinces.

Yes, I think in the language I am speaking (or typing), if you translate it the phrase will never be fully correct. I switch my brain to the language I am using and I hate when I am typing in English and my husband talks in French or Italian near me.

yes. the good thing about being bilingual or multilingual is they can keep a secret in front of some people. my mother-in-law is trilingual and when there is something she wants to say to someone that only she and that someone can understand, she speaks mandarin.

Interesting topic. I for one had my primary education,Std.1 to 4, in Marathi almost similar to my mother tongue Konkani. Rest of my education to engineering degree has been in English but still I cant say that I am thinking in English it is still thinking in Konkani/Marathi and translating to English. Many in present generation have their full education in English with their mother tongue just as a second language. I don't know how these people are going to think for the thought process to be perfect has to be in your mother tongue. These people are neither this side or that side.

I will be interested to read here. I only speak smatterings of two other languages myself and that is only because of direct family.

English is more than our second language because there are times and places that English is the major language like in big offices particularly in meetings.

My native language is Russian so I find myself thinking in Russian often enough. As I moved to the US when I was nine, I am fluent in English. When I talk I can actually talk in both languages easily.

I just switch my thoughts in the language I am speaking to another language. I am already used to it. Sometimes, my brain get confused.

@sprite1950 Sometimes I have thought in Hebrew and I guess it is to believe in the language you want to speak. It is like getting into character. Sometimes I cannot speak any language. English is my Mother Tongue but there are times I cannot think of how to spell something in English or explain it in Hebrew.

Besides our native language, we were taught to speak English at a young age. My husband can speak other languages too. I only know a few words from other languages. I find it awesome how other people can easily speak other languages. I'm astounded.

I speak and write in English but my thinking is as a Filipino because it's my blood and I am exposed to the Filipino culture.

I am fluent in English and French. I grew speaking both languages, I tend to think more in English, but there are times when I will speak in French.

I think and even dream in English or Italian if I occupy myself with these foreign languages for some time. You can't ask, "How is that possible?" It's not a conscious process. It comes automatically. If you've reached a certain level in the foreign language, you don't translate any more.

I speak English, Spanish and Italian and they all have their own voice in my head jajajajaj

I think in English every time I speak or write in English. I speak a little Spanish and German too but French I can only say a few things.

Well, I speak 4 language

I can only speak English. I wish I knew multiple languages, it's always amazing to me!