Many native Hindi speakers find it difficult to become fluent in English due to constantly having to translate their thoughts from Hindi to English. This loop of translating thoughts from one language to another slows down your speech, creates confusion and hesitation and can lead you to think of incorrect sentences. However, if you learn to think in English, it can make help you become more confident and fluent.
This guide will help you train your brain to naturally think in English. Through this guide we will explore strategies and a simple routine to shift your default thinking language from Hindi to English.
Why It Matters to Think in English
Being fluent in English is not just about knowing complex vocabulary or perfectly learning every rule of grammar. Fluency is also about being able to think in your target language. Communication becomes an easier and natural process once your brain is able to directly think and understand in English.
Why Translation Slows You Down
Relying on translating every thought from English to Hindi in your brain can slow you down as it follows a long process
- Hear something in English and then translate it to Hindi.
- Form a response in Hindi.
- Translate the Hindi response into English
This long and multi-step process can give rise to –
- Long pauses between your conversations
- More grammatical errors in your sentences
- Confusion and hesitation during fast paced discussions
- Difficulty in expressing your thoughts and ideas
How Thinking in English makes you fluent
When you are able to naturally think in English, you can
- Instantly respond during discussions
- Use the natural structure of English sentences
- Understand and process English in real time
- Instruct your brain to feel natural with the English
The ability to think in English is one of the most powerful steps to become naturally fluent and confident.
How Your Brain Forms Language Habits
The human brain has a tendency to create patterns, even linguistic ones. It is likely for you to automatically think of something in your dominant language, but you can train your brain to create new patterns that allow you to think in English through repeated exposure of the language.
Why You Naturally think in Hindi
- Hindi is your native language, and you’ve used it since the beginning of your life.
- Your Emotional memories are in Hindi language.
- You process your daily tasks in Hindi.
Due to all of these reasons, your brain naturally thinks in the language you are most familiar with, which is Hindi.
How Can you naturally think in English
With practice and constant exposure to content in English language, you can successfully train your brain to start thinking in English. Over time, your brain-
- Creates English patterns
- Decreases your reliability on Hindi translation.
- Develops the ability to produce thoughts in English starts producing quick English thoughts.
As time passes, your brain is able to process and understand thoughts directly in English.
Easy Ways to Train Your Brain to Think in English
By using these simple methods, you can naturally reshape the language pathways in your brain. In this way, you will train yourself to easily think in English.
Begin with simple thoughts in English
Start by thinking short, simple phrases in English in your brain. This simple exercise trains your brain to get English thoughts repeatedly.
Some Examples of micro thoughts in English-
- It’s teatime
- I hate traffic
- I’m hungry
- Getting sleepy
This simple technique is very effective as it helps build foundation for longer thoughts without creating pressure.
Describe your surroundings in English
Real time narration forces your brain to naturally think about your surroundings in English, which further improves your ability to think in English.
Some Examples are:
- My room is a mess.
- This coffee tastes so good.
- The weather is cold.
To enhance the effectiveness of this exercise even more, try to describe feelings, objects or actions in more detail.
Create English Only zones
Throughout your day, create specific portions when you are allowed to think or speak only in English.
Some effective English only zones are:
- While doing your morning routine
- On walks or during commute
- While working out
- Before you go to sleep
This technique helps train your brain into thinking that English is a normal, everyday language.
Naturally Build your Passive English Vocabulary
Passive vocabulary refers to the collection of words that you easily understand even if you don’t use them actively. Developing a passive vocabulary is important as it helps you easily recall words without having to translate them in your native language.
Some useful tips which can help you naturally build a passive vocabulary are:
- Watch TV shows with English subtitles.
- Listen to audio files and podcasts in English.
- Read articles and short summaries in English.
- Follow good English speakers on online platforms.
Instead of learning long lists of complex words to improve your vocabulary, try to learn new words in their context.
Start English Association instead of long translations
You don’t have to find Hindi equivalents of different words, your goal is finding direct connection between different images, actions and feelings, and English words.
For example: Instead of thinking translating the word “Chair” into “kursi”, try to directly imagine the object when you hear the word chair. “
For practice, think of an object directly after saying its English name. Do not translate it in Hindi.
Practice Mind – Voice Training
Your strongest language tool is your inner voice, and you can transform your thinking patterns by training your it.
Some exercises to train your inner voice are –
- Plan your day in English mentally.
- Have inner conversations with yourself in English.
- Replay conversations in English in your mind
Things may feel a little slow at first, but over time you will notice that your inner voice will switch to English.
Think in English – how to overcome challenges
It is normal to face some challenges when learning how to naturally think in English. This is how you can overcome them.
Fear of Making Mistakes – Making mistakes signify growth. The key to overcome mistakes that you make while learning to think in English is to stay consistent and not indulge in overthinking.
Lesser Vocabulary – It is not important to know very fancy and complex words in order to think in English. Your vocabulary develops over time. Start with sentences in simple English such as ‘I am tired’ instead of ‘I am fatigued’.
Slow thinking speed – Your thinking speed develops with more practice and consistency. To build your thinking speed, try the following tips
- Do not switch to Hindi
- Do not think about the perfect word for the situation
- Use substitutes like “something,” “somewhere,” or “that thing” to stay on the English track.
With practice, your brain will automatically start filling in gaps and will be able to think in English with more speed and efficiency.
A daily routine to refine your thinking ability
It is important that you prioritize consistency over intensity. To train your brain consistently, use this 10-minute simple routine
Morning Routine – 3 minutes
- Plan your day mentally in English.
- Form some simple sentences in your head in English.
- For example, “I will eat icecream today”
Afternoon Routine – 3 minutes
- Try to describe the things around you in English.
- For example, “the market is crowded today.”
Evening Routine – 4 minutes
- Prepare a mental summary of your day in English.
- Think about how often you thought in English today.
- Reward yourself when you small improvements
You will notice that after following this simple routine for at least 30 days, your brain will naturally start to think in English and it will boost your confidence.
Conclusion
Training your brain to naturally think in English is a long process and can not take place overnight. The ability to think in English is built through consistency and practice. By being consistent, you can reduce your the need to translate words and phrases from English to Hindi and then from Hindi to English and become more fluent and confident in English naturally.
