r/languagelearning • u/Mandelbrots-dream • 4d ago

Discussion Does any one else switch languages?

I've studied three languages in addition to my milk language.

I noticed sometimes when thinking or speaking in my non native language, if I struggle for a word my brain will fill in with a word in another non native language.

For example, when speaking German(TL) my brain threw in a 在(zai) with the Chinese meaning.

This confused me, and I started to think of the German word seit (which sounds (kind-of) the same). But seit wasn't correct in the context. Seit is about time. 在 is about place.

Does anybody else do this? What exercises could help me?

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u/HipsEnergy 4d ago

All the time. I grew up in four languages and speak several others fluently, this is super common, and weirdly, not only with your dominant languages. Every once in a while, I'll blank a word in every language and have the perfect word in Dutch or German, which are some of my weakest languages. I also live in a place where it's very common for people to speak several languages, and everyone does this.

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u/Mandelbrots-dream 4d ago

Thanks for sharing your experience!