6 useful habits to help you think in a foreign language

[Lord777]

Habit # 1. Don't Touch Bilingual Dictionaries
Use explanatory dictionaries in English. If you need to understand the meaning of a word in English, read the description of that word, not the translation. This will help you train the skill to use other words, if you forget what you need, expand your vocabulary. A good monolingual dictionary you can use for this is thefreedictionary.com.

Habit # 2. Label items in the room
This can be done mentally. If you pick up any object or pay attention to it, mentally pronounce its name in English. They took an umbrella, thought "Umbrella", put the plate on the table - thought "a plate". If you don't remember a word, google it or look in the dictionary: it is important not to postpone it for later, otherwise you will not develop a habit.

Habit # 3. Comment on events in your mind.
At least several times a day, try to mentally make up sentences that would comment on events in your life. Are you on the bus? Repeat this phrase mentally in English. You have met friends, say that too. If you find it difficult to remember a word - refer to the dictionary immediately, do not postpone it. In addition, a word that is not immediately remembered can always be replaced with another or say the phrase differently.

Habit # 4. Forget that you are a grammar nazi
Pay no attention to grammar, at least for a while. Think in English, listen to books or watch movies, try to pronounce or write English phrases, but don't think about grammatical correctness yet. You can hone it later. If in each sentence you think about the rules for using tenses, the process of thinking in English will slow down.

Habit # 5. Keep a diary
Or a blog. You can write down reflections on the events that happened during the day, or you can plan the day in writing in English. It is good practice in writing English and activating the thinking processes in a foreign language.

We recommend using the www.daily-writing-prompt.com service to record all your thoughts in the form of a "stream of consciousness". The resource also has useful videos that are worth paying attention to all those who ask the question "How to start thinking in English?"

Habit # 6. Surround yourself in English
Listen to songs in English, try to understand what the performer is singing about. Watch TV shows in English - at least one episode a day or two. Listen to news in English or short videos. You can devote time to this, for example, in transport - on the way to study. You can also include reading books in English or listening to audiobooks in your daily diet. The more English words will flash around you in different formats, the easier it will be for you to overcome all the barriers not only of oral communication, but also of thinking in English.

If these six points become a habit, you yourself will not notice how to learn to think in English. Yes, making all seven tips familiar is not easy, but trying to incorporate at least one item every week into your daily routine is not that difficult.

 

[CarderPlanet]

This is why we need to learn a second language.
Learning a language is one of the most difficult tasks for our brains. But, despite the complexity, new languages need to be mastered for many reasons.
Pros of learning a second language

1. Develops mental abilities
Compared to people who only speak their native language, those who also know foreign ones show better results in many areas of activity. This applies to:
- the ability to cope with several tasks at the same time;
- planning and decision making;
- the ability to control emotions;
- creativity;
- memorization skills;
- concentration and attention;
- the ability to adapt to a new environment.

2. Increases the size of the brain and strengthens the connection between its departments
In one study, young conscripts were taught new languages. Using MRI, the scientists measured the volume of the brain before and after class. The pictures showed that as a result of the experiment, the part of the brain responsible for memory increased in size.
In another study, English-speaking subjects monitored neuronal activity as they studied Chinese words, and found that after several such courses, the connection between different parts of the brain strengthened, as the number of neural pathways increased.

3. The brain does not age so quickly
Knowledge of a second language helps to postpone the onset of dementia and Alzheimer's disease by 4 and a half years. For comparison, medications delay the onset of symptoms for six months, or at best for a year.
In the older generation, who speaks two languages, the brain works almost like that of middle-aged people. The more languages a person knows, the slower his mental aging will occur.

At what age to teach a child a second language?
Until recently, it was believed that children who speak two languages from birth are lagging behind in development. Yes, but only up to three years. Later, these children catch up with their peers, and then they can completely overtake. It has been proven that children who speak two or more languages from early childhood perform better in school than their classmates and have higher self-esteem.

Learning languages is easy - you only need 3 words a day.
It's never too late to start learning something new. Even if we are talking about a foreign language. And you don't need to dwell on the fact that it will be too hard. The main thing is to remember that even a modest knowledge of a second language can help. The 100 most frequently used vocabulary units of any language make up half of the words used in everyday life. By studying 3 words a day for 3 months, you can learn this minimum. And already 1000 common words - this is 89% of what is found in written speech. So in less than a year it will be possible to practice reading in a foreign language.

You can develop mental abilities in different ways: someone, for example, prefers puzzles, someone - Sudoku. But learning a new language has many advantages over these activities. Because in addition to the development of intellectual abilities, the horizons are expanding - this is firstly. Secondly, the knowledge and experience gained can be useful in work and contribute to career advancement. Thirdly, it is a huge travel aid, a chance to meet new people whose philosophy is different from ours.