A few days ago, I watched a YouTube video about things bilinguals say/do. While I'm not fluent in German yet, I did live in Germany for one month last year during my study abroad, and can say I did some of these a lot. So here are 6 things Bilinguals do.
1. Code Switching.
This is a big one, and since I was raised in Houston with a huge spanish-speaking population, I frequently switch between German, English, and Spanish. I don't do this as much now, but I still catch myself doing it when talking to a few of my friends I went to high school or middle school with.
2. Thinking in two or three languages.
I've talked to a few people, and they usually say that they still think in their native tongue, but I don't. Yes, usually, I'm thinking in English, but sometimes, I'll randomly switch to German. Usually after listening to German music or reading something in German. Even one word will cause the switch.
3. Eavesdropping.
I didn't do a lot of this in Germany because usually Germans were quiet in public places like the U-Bahn. But every so often, I'll find a few people who are speaking German in my travels in the States, and then I'll listen. But I usually later converse with them in German.
4. Talk about others in foreign language.
I did this more in Germany than in the States. Mostly, because I don't know that many people who speak German. But I'd talk about somebody in English in Germany. It wasn't that often though... And usually something like "That American is making us all look bad" (There was this time when I was on the U-Bahn and this elderly German started talking to me about "The American" so I just smiled and nodded).
5. People always telling me to "Say something in German."
This is the most annoying thing about learning a new language. Yeah, its fun to show off my language skills, but seriously....
So I got to the point that when I was asked for something, I'd always say etwas... Which is the German word for something. Well, they asked me to say "Something in German!" Actually, usually I say "Etwas in Deutsch".... Which is "Something In German...." In German... Get it? No? Ok....
