When communicating in a foreign language, most people consciously or unconsciously begin to translate phrases from their native language into a non-native language. But perfect possession can only be called the level of knowledge of the language when a person begins to think in it.
Thinking in a foreign language is possible in two ways: natural, when a person is so immersed in the environment, spends so much time communicating in the language that he begins to think in it, or artificial, when he constantly controls his thoughts, forcing himself to pronounce words and phrases in the studied language. Both the one and the other method have the right to exist, although they have different effectiveness.
Exercise mind control
Forcing yourself to think in a foreign language is difficult enough. You need to constantly keep your thoughts under control, try not to engage in simple translation of phrases and words from Russian into a foreign one, switch a little from knowing your native language to the language being studied. This requires a certain amount of willpower.
But this method can be great for learning the language. When you are alone with yourself, driving or walking, try to name individual objects in a foreign language. Remember what they are called, memorize those words that you do not know, and translate them a little later. Do this exercise in the early stages of learning a language and in those moments when communication in it is given to you with great difficulty. Then move from words to phrases, mentally describe those situations or objects that you see. At first, it will be difficult for you to occupy your brain with only foreign words, even 10 minutes a day, but gradually you will increase this time to half an hour or an hour. The next step is to put your skills to the test.
It is impossible to constantly talk only to yourself, so find the same student or teacher, a friend who is ready to help you and correct you. Do not be afraid to make mistakes, ask questions, if something is not clear, hesitate in communication. While you’re learning, it’s not the speed of the message or the correctness of the message that matters, but the fact that you are speaking.
Increase your intensity
However, this method will not teach a person full-fledged and natural thinking in a language that is not native to him. This can only be done by the constant use of this language in speech, reading texts, listening to the news and watching films and programs. That is, this method goes from the opposite - the more a person hears a foreign speech and speaks this language, the more chances he has to start dreaming and thinking in it.
To achieve this, you need to immerse yourself in the language environment: go abroad for a long time or intensively study the language at home. For example, students of language universities, spending 10 hours a day in communication in a foreign language, reading textbooks and notes, after the first month of training began to think in the target language. Therefore, the intensity of memorizing words and phrases has its own meaning.
Even if you do not have the opportunity to leave for another country and live there for at least a few months, devote as much time as possible to learning the language, occupy every free minute with songs, films, recordings, books in a foreign language.
