thinking in english

Question

i could not understand how one can think in other language. i am just trying to learn English.in this global world english is become a global language. can anybody help me to thinking in english

thank you

reporter

from india

TeacherBrian · Accepted Answer

Reporteri could not understand how one can think in other language. i am just trying to learn English.in this global world english is become a global language. can anybody help me to thinking in english

Dear Reporter
Actually, no-one thinks in any particular "language"! We all think in ""ideas", "concepts", "feelings", etc.
So we do not actually think in words! We think in concepts, then translate our concepts into words in order to communicate our thoughts to other people!

The more you use a language, the quicker you will be able to use the words of that language. With frequent use, the language response becomes more instinctive and automatic.
When you speak, your English response will be so quick that it will seem that you are thinking in English, but really you will be thinking as you have always thought, but the language part of you brain, mouth and tongue, will provide you with the right words and grammar you need, "without thinking"!

Best wishes

Reporter · Answer

Dear Brain

Thanks for your valuabel advice. actually i am facing day to day problem due to my weak english. you know english is a working language. i am a hindi speaking person. its era of globlization and india is one of the focesd nation. my problem is that i loose good opportunity due to my weak english. basicaly i am a Hindi Journalist.

Best wishes

Reporter

Anonymous · Answer

Thinking English -very interesting!!

I describe thinking in English that you automatically speak in English, it just flows out of you mouth. You don't have to translate your native-language-thoughts into English ones! And yes, you also dream in English! I can tell you that because I am experiencing it.

The only way I can think of that helps "to learn" thinking in English is living in a country in which English is spoken! It takes you a couple months though and you always have to talk English. You should not read books in different languages or talk with friends from back home in other languages than English. (Of course you can a little, but I would not!)

If you don't have this possibility, makes sense somtimes, try to get your environment "English". Hang up poster with English quotes, read English books and use English as often as possibel (like internet chatting with an American/British friend).

I hope I could help you!

Jake

LanguageLover · Answer

Welcome to the Forums, Reporter,

First of all, I have to explain something regarding thinking and language.

TeacherBrian, this is not my own opinion, actually it is still a debate among language philosophers wheather we can think without the language. You are right, we think about concepts, sometimes visualize them when they are not abstract (though they can be visualized in the latter case as well somehow), but we usually talk to ourselves, in our minds, to analyse the situation, to convince ourselves of doing something, to arrange our thoughts, ... before talking to someone else or taking any actions, if necessary. Just think of scheduling your day, it's not only the concepts of taking a shower, having breakfast, getting ready, ... that comes to mind, you actually use the language, usually your first one, to put them in order: First I'm gonna take a shower and then have forbreakfast, egg is good, then I have to get ready, what to wear? .... Though some of the sentences could be ungrammatical, but we use the language to think.

And now back to you Reporter, if you got what I tried to say in the last paragraph, then you have a clue on how to think in English. Try to tell yourself in English what your plans are, what you want to do, where you want to go, .... It's not easy at first, but after practising it for some time, you'll be able to communicate with yourself(!

) and others in English. And of course, you have to read and listen in English as much as you can. Good luck.

PS. Some second language learners translate the sentences from the foreign language to their native one, try to avoid that, no translation!

Reporter · Answer

Thank you Jake

i am traing to imprve my english. your sugestions are useful for me. i want to overcome fromm hesitation which i face during conversesion in english. actually i could not find right words in right time. i have something is to say but due to lake of word i cant express myself verywell. how can i translate my thought into good and communicative word is my problem. i can understand and read english.

regards

reporter

LanguageLover · Answer

Did you mean explain/convey your thought? You are not supposed to translate!

Reporter · Answer

yes i cant explain my thoughts properly. how can i overcome from hesitation?

reporter

LanguageLover · Answer

Read, read, read. Speake, speak, speak. Listen, listen, listen. Write, write, write!

If you read enough while paying attention to the vocab and grammar, you'll recognise your own mistakes. And when you speak or talk, you'll notice your weak points, write them down and try to work on them more! You can start your reading with simple texts (Longman has a good collection of simplified stories, I'm sure you can find another books as well.)

Mrs95th · Answer

LanguageLover is right. I am experiencing the same things right now. I am far from the need to tranlate my thoughts before speaking, and I've always tried to avoid this. Get comfortable with the vocabulary you have now. Get a routine in "thinking in English". I know it is hard, but it's the only way.

And - of course - read. Read. Read. If you feel a little uncomfortable about unknown words, start with a book you know. You'll get the gist (the general meaning) even without knowing all the words. Don't look up every unknown word. (It might frustrate you because by the time you have looked the word up, you have forgotten what you had read before.) Try to get the meaning across without worrying about the "exact translation".If you're satisfied with one author, stick to him/her for a while. Every author uses his/her own certain vocab, and it gets easier with every book you read.

Writing: how about writing a diary in English? Probably it will not contain too difficult thoughts at the beginning, but it helps you to express yourself. Again: use the dictionary as little as possible. And DO NOT TRANSLATE!!! Try to get along with your current knowledge. Read your entries after a couple of months - you will probably notice mistakes yourself, find a different way to express yourself so that you do not sound as awkward as you did when you wrote it.

Granted, reading and writing does not have a huge influence on your actual speaking skills, but it is a start. Believe me, it does help. I'm speaking of experience. I did the diary-writing when I learnt Dutch, and I have done the reading stuff in English. (Have done because I started to read books in English six years ago after several years in which I had done nothing for my English. It works.)

mrs95th

Blue Luck · Answer

It just take time. I am a non-native speaker of English. I started learning English seven years ago; during first few years I was unable to understand English directly. I needed to translate it in my native language. Then I started to understand many things without translation as I got familiar with words and sentences. Now I can think in both languages it just depends on who I am talking to and what subject I am thinking of. For example, I think in english when I am doing my homework, but multiplication and division I still do it in my native language as it is the fastest way for me and thats how I learned it. When, I am talking to my parents, my native languague take over the thinking process. Same thing with the dreams, some dreams or parts of dreams are in English and others are in my former language. However, when I am thinking by myself and not actually in a conversation with anyone I often start thinking in one language and the other language takes over without even my realization. When I am thinking I usually don't notice the different languages being used, rather I feel like thinking in a hybrid of both; It is like thinking in thoughts that have same equivalence in both languages.

Many times when I am watching a movie in one language, and switch to a show in a different language, I understand completely and don't even notice that langauage has been changed. This also happens when I am talking to my parents on a phone in my native language, while chatting with friends at a same time; I don't notice the different between the two languages, I don't think about which language to use with which person, my brain just sort out the information itself.

By the way I am trilangual, but I don't use the third language in coversations, I just watch movies in that language. I can read and write in that language, but I can't think in that language. Basically, that language is for my entertainments only - for movies and for music.

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