How to think in English (5 STEPS)

And today we're gonna talk about how your brain actually changes as you get better at a second language, and what you can start doing today to make thinking in English not just a dream, but a reality.

As always, there will be a vocabulary check at the end of the episode where we take a closer look at some words, expressions, or phrases that you might not have picked up on, que puede que no hayas captado de todo that you might not have picked up on, so we can make sure you understand them perfectly. Alright, let's get into it. You are listening to episode four of season two of English with Dane. Hit it. Okay, you heard the music, so you know we have officially started the show.

So first things first, is it actually possible to think in a second language? Yes, it is, and it's not just possible. It turns out, resulta que, it turns out that it is a huge part of becoming truly fluent. I've done some research both online and rereading my old university notes, mis apuntes, my old notes, and here's what's happening in your brain. When you're just starting out with English, you probably think like this.

You have a concept, so an idea in your head, you find the Spanish word for it, then you translate it into English. It's like a three-step process every time you want to say something. And that's normal at first. It can be frustrating because things are expressed differently in each language, so naturally it's going to sound a bit strange, a bit off, because it's a literal translation. But as you practice and improve, your brain starts taking shortcuts.

You go directly from concept to the English word without translating in your head first. This is called direct conceptual mediation. This sounds like a fancy name, but it just means your brain is linking the idea directly to English, so no Spanish needed. Studies using brain scans like FMRIs, the F stands for functional, so a functional MRI, and EEGs or electroencephalograms, show that advanced bilingual speakers activate totally different parts of the brain compared to beginners.

Basically, your brain becomes more efficient, like it's building a faster highway just for English, which is pretty incredible. I'll put a link to the research in the description so you can read more about it if you're interested. So, how do you actually start thinking in English? I'm so glad you asked. I'm going to give you five science-based strategies to start thinking more and more in English each day that you can start doing today.

Right now, actually, but after listening to this episode, of course. Number one, and apparently one of the most important strategies, is getting a ton of input that you mostly understand. The important part of this being the word mostly. This comes from Stephen Crashin's input hypothesis, which is something I actually studied at university. If you aren't aware, I studied Filologia Inglesa here in Spain, soy Filologo, which I don't actually think I've mentioned before, but there you go.

So Crashen explains the idea that we acquire languages by understanding messages slightly above our current level. Not too hard, not too easy, just right. Like Goldilocks or Ricitos de Oro here in Spain. Not too hard, not too easy, just write. So reading simple books, listening to podcasts, watching YouTube videos, etcetera. But again, only stuff you mostly understand. If you're constantly confused, you're not learning, you're surviving.

You want to be comfortable, but a little challenged, just enough to grow. So ask yourself, can I understand 80 to 90% of this without a dictionary or without looking things up? If the answer is yes, perfect. That's your sweet spot. That's what you need. Strategy number two, use English for thinking tasks, even really simple ones. Research shows that when you use English for things like planning, problem solving, or even making lists, you actually create those direct connections faster.

You're helping your brain make shortcuts. So what I want you to do is this. Start writing your grocery list, your grocery list in English. It sounds minor, but that's the point. It's something that is easy to do that in the long run will help you get to that point. Another one is to plan your day in English in your head.

Say things like, okay, first I'm going to the gym, then I'll meet Anna for coffee, then I'll go to the post office on my way home, etc. This is something all of you listening have the level to do. If you're not confident that your level is quite there for it, then write it out at first, make sure it's correct, and then switch it to just mental planning. And then there's one that I've mentioned a million times before, but talking to yourself while walking around.

Hmm, I'm going to go to the kitchen to make some scrambled eggs, and then I'll sit down to finish writing that code I need to finish, etc. It might feel weird at first, but trust me, it's powerful. Remember, you're training your brain to skip Spanish completely and go straight to English. Strategy number three, shadowing and retelling. If you aren't aware of what this is, shadowing is when you listen to something in English and repeat it immediately, almost at the same time.

This builds your brain's ability to process English sounds quickly without translating. It's important that it's immediately or almost at the same time. You have to practice this. Start like this. Listen to a short clip, maybe 20 or 30 seconds, 10 to 20 seconds. Pause, repeat what you heard, trying to match the rhythm and pronunciation. And what I would also add is that if you get a bit frustrated with the pronunciation, focus a bit more on the rhythm.

And if you struggle with the rhythm, then focus a bit more on the pronunciation. After this, I want you to retell the story or whatever you heard. I want you to retell it, but this time in your own words. So like you're telling a friend about it, okay? In your own words. It's kind of like being an actor or an actress. You're copying, repeating, and eventually making the English your own. Remember, the key is to start small, one sentence at a time. You don't need to be perfect, just active.

I'm gonna say that again, because some of you need to hear that. You don't need to be perfect, just active. And by some of you need to hear that, I also meant me. I need to hear that a lot. Next strategy is strategy number four. Add labels to your environment or label things around you in English. This one is super simple but surprisingly effective.

And one of my longtime students always did this, and I remember other students laughing at the idea a bit because it's a bit rudimentary, but I think our brains often respond well to rudimentary. Apparently, studies show that strong word object links, instead of translation links, word object links help you think faster in a new language. So, for example, put a post-it or a sticky note on your mirror that says mirror.

Put one on your fridge that says fridge on your desk, you can put laptop, notebook, pen. It's not that you don't know these words, it's not that you don't know the meaning because you do. It's about your brain seeing the words when you see these items. What I also want you to do is every time you touch or see the object, say the word in English out loud. It's a physical, visual reminder. And over time it will feel natural. You'll see your table and instantly think table, not mesa, table.

Again, I know it sounds silly, but I promise, I promise that it is effective. Okay, let's move on to strategy number five. But it's the best. Conversational practice without translation. Conversational practice without translation. This is for sure the most intense strategy out of all of them, right? You're gonna have to practice speaking English without allowing yourself to translate into Spanish. So don't go back into Spanish.

You have no permission to switch back to Spanish even if you're struggling, incluso si lo estás pasando mal, even if you're struggling. Research shows that real conversations where you have to stay in the second language build automatic responses faster than any grammar exercise. Again, it builds automatic responses faster than any grammar exercise. I think a lot of us want to stay in that comfort zone of grammar exercises.

If I do them over and over, you see sigo con más gramática, then it'll be perfect. No, this is faster than any grammar exercise, which makes sense. That's why immersion works so well, and why it can be intimidating. You don't have your native language as a lifeboat. So here's the challenge find a language partner, a tutor, or I guess even an AI chatbot, and have full conversations where Spanish is not allowed. If you don't know a word, explain it in English.

Like instead of saying escalera, oh no sé cómo si they say the thing to go up, the thing you use to go up. Yes, it's hard, yes, it feels awkward sometimes, but the thing is that it has to be uncomfortable. It has to. Learning is uncomfortable. A lot of people don't want to accept that and they want convenient, easy ways, but that's a lot of people don't want to accept that, and they want easy, convenient ways, but that's just not how learning works, really. This discomfort.

This discomfort is the real shortcut, and it's how you break the habit of mentally translating every single thing. Remember this real fluency is messy at first, and that's a hundred percent okay. Again, real fluency is messy at first. I have one more thing before we move on to the vocabulary check, a little bonus tip. And this is something a lot of people don't talk about because maybe they aren't aware, porque no son conscientes because they aren't aware of this.

I wasn't until I did this research, but it totally makes sense to me and actually helps explain a lot of things about my life. I want you to express emotions in English too. According to research about second language acquisition, emotions are processed differently between your first and second language. In Spanish, you probably feel super comfortable expressing how you feel joking, complaining, telling someone you love them, all of that. But in English, it might feel robotic at first.

But when you start using English for emotional stuff, something crazy happens. Your emotional brain gets involved, simbolukra, and you start thinking more naturally. So it's like using more areas of your brain to ramp up your fluency, essentially. Maybe not more parts of your brain, but more resources, let's say. Here's what I want you to do: joke around in English, get annoyed or upset in English, talk about your feelings in English.

It connects English to your real emotional experiences, not just textbooks. This connects English to your real emotional experiences, not just textbooks. So if you're frustrated with work, talk about it in English. If you're really excited to tell someone about a new TV show that you're watching or a book that you're reading, express it in English. And it doesn't have to be perfect, your brain doesn't know that you're not using the best possible words and sentence structure.

It just knows you're asking it to create shortcuts and be more efficient. So let's do a quick recap of the five strategies before moving on. And by the way, you don't have to use all of these right away. Maybe choose one or two that you feel like you can start doing and go from there. Strategy number one was input you mostly understand. So your level plus one. You need to honestly ask yourself, do I understand 80 to 90% of this? If so, you're golden.

This might mean that your favorite TV series is maybe not what you should be watching. It's about appropriate level and pace, not necessarily about it being your favorite thing. Maybe you can try an audiobook or an article.

Strategy number two was using English for small everyday thinking tasks like planning your day, solving a problem, making your shopping list, etc. Research says that by doing things like these, you actually create those direct connections faster, so you're helping your brain make shortcuts. Number three, shadowing and retelling. Listen to a sentence or two, repeat it immediately. Take into account rhythm and pronunciation.

Then practice retelling it, this time in your own words, as if you were talking to a friend. Strategy number four was adding labels to objects around your house in order to make those strong word object links instead of translation links. And last but very much not least, number five, was practice speaking English without allowing yourself to translate. Don't bail yourself out. No translating, no interrupting yourself and then saying the word in Spanish.

No. Talk to a friend, tutor, AI chatbot, go to a language exchange, but no bailing yourself out. No te puedes rescatar. Remember that learning is uncomfortable, but the longer you can be uncomfortable, the easier it will become. This episode overall is great news. It is the great news that it is a hundred percent possible to think in English, and that there's no magic to it, and it's not something only special people can do. It's science and it's habit building, and you can do it too.

I believe in you. And don't forget, use English for emotions too. Laugh, cry, get frustrated in English. Alright, quick vocabulary check before we finish up. Not a lot of complicated stuff in this episode, so it'll be quick. I have three for you today. The first one, to pick up on something, which I mentioned. This means to become aware of, to notice or understand something, often something subtle, algo sutil, or not immediately apparent.

You might pick up on the fact that someone was nervous during a meeting. You might pick up on a joke that went unnoticed in a conversation, etc. Next we have Sweet Spot, which directly translates to punto dulce. You probably know this one, I know, but I wanted to point it out anyways in case you didn't pick up on it. I see what you did there. El punto ideal, basically, an optimum point or combination of factors or qualities.

I used it to say that the point where you mostly understand everything is the sweet spot, your level plus one. One more. This one is a phrasal verb to ramp up. To ramp up means to increase the effort involved in a process. The sentence I said was, so it's like using more areas of your brain to ramp up your fluency, essentially. Your company might need to ramp up production. You might need to ramp up your studying for a test.

A football player might be ramping up his or her training after an injury, etc. Alright, that's it for today's episode of English with Dane. If you found it helpful, share it with a friend who's learning English too. And if you haven't yet, hit that follow button on Spotify so you don't miss future episodes and to help the podcast grow and reach more people, which is my goal. If you have any feedback, leave a comment on Spotify or write to me at English with Dane on Instagram and TikTok.

And please don't be shy. Don't be shy. Write to me, say hey, your episode sucked. Hey, your episode was awesome. I would love for you to talk about this. I don't think it's useful when you talk about this. I'm all ears. All right, talk soon. Later,