Practicing to think in English with PREP for 30 minutes every day

Have you ever “blurted out” an English word when conversing with someone speaking your mother tongue? Or have you ever had a dream entirely in English? If you’ve experienced this, you’ve unconsciously started to “think in English”. Unconscious thinking in English is the best way to truly master the language. Let PREP reveal the secret of attaining high scores in the IELTS exam through daily practice of English thinking!

I. The truth about training to think in English

First, let's explore an example. Imagine you visit a zoo and see a large animal with a long trunk used for grabbing food. Will you think of "elephant" or elephant in your mother tongue first?

• If you think in your mother tongue, and then you need to introduce this elephant to an English speaker, you'll have to go through the additional step of translating from your mother tongue to English. The speed and accuracy of translation will vary depending on each individual's thinking speed and translation reflexes. Unless you are at a professional translator level, this translation process can significantly slow you down when you could have simply expressed it in English.
• There is a way to bypass this translation process by thinking directly of the word "elephant" without going through the intermediate step of your mother tongue. In other words, you should "think in English."

Speaking itself might seem straightforward, but figuring out how to go about it can be a bit challenging. However, fret not! In this article, PREP will share the simplest method to cultivate English thinking.

Just like any other skill, if you want to become proficient, you need to practice. Before you can unconsciously and reflexively think in English, you need to go through a phase of consciously and intentionally thinking in English.

Don't think that you have to be at an advanced level to start training to think in English. In fact, training to think in English can begin at an early stage, as soon as you have enough vocabulary to describe the basic and simplest things.

II. Effective Steps to Train Yourself to Think in English

1. Step 1: Allocate "English time" every day

Set aside dedicated "English time" each day, during which you will think exclusively in English. For PREP, the early morning is the most suitable time to do this. You only need 30 minutes of practice each day.

2. Step 2: Accurately describe actions/objects around you

During the 30-minute practice of thinking in English, try to describe, either silently or verbally, what is happening around you accurately. For example, if you are going to drink some water, describe each action and the surroundings:

• I’m going to drink some water.
• I’m walking towards the cup of water.
• As I take this step, I’m getting closer to the cup.
• The cup is here on the table.
• I’m holding the cup in my right hand right now.
• I’m taking the first sip.
• I’m taking the second sip.
• I’m no longer thirsty.

Remember to describe each action. Actively convert everything around you into English. In terms of vocabulary and grammar, PREP is optimistic that most of us have enough vocabulary to fully describe the process of "drinking water." However, due to the habit of thinking in your mother tongue, some words might try to "pop up" in your mind during the process. We will address this in step 3.

3. Step 3: Actively block any thoughts in your mother tongue

During the 30-minute practice of thinking in English, actively block any thoughts in your mother tongue that may arise. Just in case, gently remind yourself that you are in the middle of English time, and any non-English words would be more appropriate. It's certain that you will face some difficulties, but this will be the time for you to demonstrate your perseverance in training yourself to think in English.

4. Step 4: Expand the scope during English time

Expand the things you do during English time. Initially, it may be as simple as taking steps and drinking water, but gradually you can do everything during English time. Are there areas where you don't know enough vocabulary? Never mind, you can look up the vocabulary you need in advance to use during English time the next day for effective training in thinking in English.

5. Step 5. Practice regularly

After repeating the process multiple times, things that were initially challenging for you to think in English will become easier, and the phrases in your mother tongue that were difficult to block will become lighter. After about 3-6 months of training yourself to think in English, you will find it much easier to naturally think in English. But before achieving any results, you need to persevere the habit.

Teachers at PREP have succeeded with this method and achieved the desired IELTS band score. Therefore, we believe that everyone can succeed in the same way if they are persistent and follow the correct method to think in English described above. If you have any questions about thinking in English, please don't hesitate to leave a comment below!