Dreaming in Korean

I love to ask bilingual people this question: “Which language do you dream in?” Since our dreams are determined by our subconscious mind they are in many ways a true reflection of the exposure we get to a certain language.

I came to think about this yesterday, when I woke up from a dream in Korean. As a speaker of many languages I have had frequent dreams in all of them, but mostly I dream in Danish or English. Also, it varies greatly with the main topic of my dream. If I’m dreaming about my husband or my family, the dream is almost always in Danish. If I on the other hand dream about work (nightmares included) I usually dream in English.

Lately I find that I’m dreaming quite a lot in Korean. This is probably due to the very high degree of exposure I’m under right now. From the moment I get up I have made a habit of reading news in Korean. I’ve really come to like this Korean online news site: Hankyoreh. Then, I listen to Korean podcasts on my way to work (and quite often while working, too – shhh), talk in Korean with my LP for 2-3 hours every afternoon, watch a Korean drama episode in the evening, text in Korean on HelloTalk/KakaoTalk, and review everything in my head before I fall asleep.

Lately I have been neglecting my grammar and text books, but last Saturday I spent quite a few hours reviewing them and it felt so good to discover that topics, which I previously found difficult, now seemed super simple. I therefore cannot stress enough how important it is to review. Not only does it help things stick to your brain – it makes you realize your achievements and that just feels so good!

Since this post is about dreaming, you can watch TTMIK’s teacher Kyeongeun talk about her dreams in Korean.

소희

November 17, 2015

Daily life, Korean progress

Daily life, Motivation

4 responses to “Dreaming in Korean”

shin lee

November 19, 2015 at 4:46 am

When I first came to Australia, I think it was about 2 years before I started dreaming in English
Initially it was about talking to my class mate. Later it was discussing some issues eg newspaper I have read . I am very delighted there are more people like you learning Korean . Please keep up the good work. I would also like you to attend Korean history class . I believe you will better understand what differentiate Koreans to Chinese and Japanese.

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1. Melanie
  
  November 21, 2015 at 2:13 am
  
  Korean history (what little I know) is truly amazing to me, and causes me to admire its people in many ways. It’s part of what draws me to learning the language and learning more about the country. Your comment prompts me to read more of the history. It may be some time before I’m able to go to Korea, but I’d really like to see part of each province, especially some of the historical landmarks and some museums.
  
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Melanie

November 21, 2015 at 1:33 am

This is a fascinating topic. I’m getting the grammar and syntax down, but really need to build my vocabulary. If I were to dream in Korean right now, it would probably be a bunch of particles!

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1. 소희
  
  November 22, 2015 at 9:58 pm
  
  Haha! I often do that too!
  
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