Thinking in English, Part 2

Duration: 50 minutes.

Lots of times my students ask me the following question, how do I stop translating and start thinking in English.

In this second lesson, we’ll explore how to stop translating and start thinking directly in English. We’ll learn four practical tips that you can use every day. By the end of this session, you’ll know simple steps to make English a natural part of your thoughts.

Tip #4: Talk to Yourself

It might sound strange, but talking to yourself is one of the most effective, and free ways to boost your English fluency. When you chat with others, you often play it safe, sticking to familiar phrases so the conversation keeps going. But when you speak alone, you can focus entirely on your weak spots: new grammar, tricky vocabulary, or complex sentences.

According to psychologist Lev Vygotsky, your inner voice comes from your “outer speech.” In other words, speaking out loud trains your brain to think in English. Try this today:

• On a walk or commute: Say simple sentences like,
  “What a nice day!” or “I’m hungry—I need some water.”
• During your morning routine:
  Tell yourself, “Today I’ll pick up vegetables” or “I must leave in 10 minutes or I’ll be late.”
• While cooking: Narrate each step: “I’m cracking two eggs. I need more flour and salt.”

Bonus benefits of self‑talk:

1. Motivate yourself: “Come on, you can do this!”
2. Play devil’s advocate: Voice both sides of an idea to clarify your thoughts.
3. Release stress: Vent out frustrations (yes, a well‑placed swear word can help!).
4. Cheer yourself on: Remind yourself how well you’re doing.

Tip #5: Write in English

Writing and thinking go hand in hand. When you put ideas on paper (or in a notes app), you force your brain to organize English thoughts. Remember: only use words you already know, and start small.

Easy daily writing exercises:

• Shopping list: “Milk, bread, eggs, apples.”
• Post‑it reminders: “Pick up John at 6 PM.”
• Short diary entry: “Today I walked to the park and read a book.”
• Quick blog note: “My weekend plan: visit a museum, try a new café.”

By 2025, you probably carry a smartphone everywhere—use its notes app to write in English whenever you have a minute.

Tip #6: Practice with Others

One day you’ll need to think in English in real conversations. The best way is to speak regularly with teachers, friends, or language partners.

• Schedule short video calls or voice‑chat sessions.
• Explain your goal: “I’m practicing thinking in English—please be patient.”
• Keep it simple: Use only the words you know and focus on fluency over perfection.

The more you speak English with real people, the faster your inner voice will switch to English.

Tip #7: Go Monolingual

In 2025, you can easily switch your dictionary app from bilingual (your language ↔ English) to English‑only. When you look up a word, read its definition in English instead of translating it.

This step is hard at first—you’ll spend more time on each lookup. But it forces you to think in English and builds a stronger mental link between words and their meanings. As the saying goes, “there’s no such thing as a free lunch”—you pay with effort, and you gain real fluency.

This is a great and simple activity.
You can do this anywhere.

When it comes to thinking in English, I think the active skill of writing complements the active skill of speaking. This will help you think in English. Now of course, the way that we speak and write are very different, they are two separate forms of communication. However, there is some research that suggests that writing and speaking are connected. And actually influence each other. I think by writing things in English, can also help you to start thinking in English. Remember, only use the words that you know. And start small and build up. As before, some simple activities could be right. Writing your shopping list in English. Leaving a message to the family on a post-it note.

Pick up John at 6:00 o’clock, post it on your computer, maybe you can write a diary in English or a blog post. All of these are creating opportunities for English that are going to help you start thinking in English.

Putting It All Together

1. Talk to yourself every day, out loud or via your phone’s voice recorder.
2. Write in English using notes, lists, or a quick diary.
3. Speak with others regularly in simple, patient conversations.
4. Use an English‑only dictionary to train your mind.

Practice these steps little by little, every day. Over time, you’ll notice your thoughts shifting—no more translating, just English.