Feeling stupid about forgetting your own language?

Question

Okay, I speak English very well. That's because I came to the U.S when I was 10 years old. The thing is, the more perfect I get to speaking in English, the more I forget my own language. I get anxiety when I'm around people from my country because they will start speaking the language and when I start to talk, I sometimes add few English words there and they look at me in a shameful way because I'm forgetting my own language.

Answer 1

Almost all the above answers reach the point, yet.....Let me give you my example, I travel a lot and spend more than 9-10 months abroad, outside my native country. Most of the time I speak either English or Portuguese, rarely Italian. Well, I often call home and talk to my folks there and suddenly I want to say something, I know WHAT IT IS but I cannot recall of it in none of the languages I use. All one can do is take a deep breath and concentrate.

On the other hand you should not be ashamed making mistakes while you speak your native language for you would just make things worse - keep on forgetting it for not using it!!!

You are are a very rich person, you are almost a perfect bilingual, DON'T waste it, please...

Answer 2

Don't feel ashamed, it's ok, I mean your mother language will remain your mother language forever, look at the bright side, it's really good to learn English and try your best to perfect it. I, myself, am not an English-native speaker and try hard to speak it better, I always use English words while speaking my own language, it's ok, but still don't neglect your own language and give the attention it deserves

Answer 3

That would be me! I lived out of the country long enough to forget English and it was very embarrassing when I came back to the US! MAN! Where I went NO ONE SPOKE English but my ex-husband......can you imagine only communicating with 1 person for a very long period and that person doesn't even know YOUR LANGUAGE that well???!!!! That would be my story. I'm still trying to learn English!

Answer 4

I agree with Jakob, dissturbb and a7la you haven´t forgotten your language is simply that you are out of practice because normally you don´t speak it.

Even if you would be for a couple of hours just speaking your own language it will make a difference and you will notice it. Try to use it more often.

Answer 5

Nothing is stupid, it's normal, everybody has the same problem, we should be happy because we can speak many languages. Anybody look at you in a shameful way - they are the ones who are stupid - not you

Answer 6

If you spent more time speaking your native language, it would come back quickly, probably just a couple of weeks. This is natural and I've heard many people talk of this phenomenon.

Answer 7

some every physique is immersed interior the hot language plenty, that they do ignore the previous language. yet while the language is rather diverse (say, eastern to English) then one is far less possibly to ignore eastern. some one immersed in Latin after understanding English is greater possibly to ignore English simply by fact a million/2 of English words are Latin or derived from Latin. (Schola is Latin for college, and intercourse is Latin for 6, for some examples.) ((I do understand Latin is a ineffective language, I merely needed an occasion i'd desire to narrate to.))

Answer 8

its not your fault. your just trying to survive in this society. tell them your sorrounded my english everyday and just becuase your forget your language dosnt mean your forgetting where you came from and your heratige.

Answer 9

you havent forgot it your mind just stored it in an area harder to get to, if you go back to your home land for a while it will all come back to yea

Answer 10

huh
?