Bilingual character with near perfect fluency in their second language until you find out about the one word they just grossly mispronounce with utmost unflappable and total confidence
As a bilingual person who's been reading way too many fanfics with bilingual characters I reeeaaallly need to make a statement on how our minds work most of the time so people stop getting it wrong!
It's making me cringe so much 🥲
So I'm making a list of what I think is important to know when it comes to writing bilingual characters.
I've seen some simmilar posts on this topic, so some things might be repetitive but others are not, so stick with me. I'll be adding some personal examples to make it easier and more comprehensible.
So let's get started!
Master list to writing bilingual characters!
With no especific order os hierarchy.
1- This is the biggest mistake I see people making when writting bilingual character, so let's make this crystal clear: Bilingual people rarely mix their languages by accident!!!!
Especially if they've been living in a place where no one speaks their mother tongue and have little to no contact with their original culture.
Now, for the moments we do make those mix ups, it'll usually be with expressions we use all the time on our day to day lifes.
Let's work with examples!
I'm fluent in English, but my original language is Portuguese. In Portuguese, whenever someone is in a conversation we make this "éééééé" sound while we're thinking or unsure of what to say. It would be similar to the "uuuuhhh" people use in English.
I find myself and a lot of other Brasilian people saying "éééé" all the time even when speaking English, because that comes more naturally to us. It's an instict reaction that doesn't pass through the language shift that happens in our brain.
This also happens with more especific expresions. I don't talk to any foreign people, but when texting I catch myself trying to call people "amiga", which translates to "friend" and is normally used as an endearing term to call your friends or even strangers in a way to show friendliness. Now, not everyone in Brasil refers to their friends as "amiga", but I do, and I use it so much it slips in my vocabulary in English.
So, to summarize, there are expressions or words from our mother languages that come out almost as an instinct, but there usually aren't many of them and the frequency in which it happens is proportional to how much contact we have with speaking our native language.
2- Next up (and this is a funny one to me): it's easier to make math in our first language. If we were schooled in our first language, obviously. This could happen conciously or not.
So if you want your characters to have a funny moment, just have them do some math in their original language. This happens because we learned math and nurmbers in our mother language, and math is the same everywhere, so when we're learning another language we don't go through the same process with learning to use numbers practically like we do with words. So despite knowing what the numbers are called, it's still easier doing math in our language because our thought process is a lot faster and smoother in it.
3- We will revert completely to our mother language if we're emotional.
This could range from seeing a cute puppy and having a cuteness overload and instantly calling them cute pet names in our language to getting so mad that the only acceptable way to express our anger is to curse in our own tongue.
This sudden change happens naturally but they are intentional. We could totally curse and fawn in a different language but we choose not to because of the next point on this list.
4- Words are more meaningful in our own language.
I'll go straight to examples, because I know fic and romance writers are gonna have a field day with this.
When my dog was alive, I always talked to her in both English and Portuguese. But whenever I complimented her or told her I loved her in English, it felt fake. So I always repeated what I said in Portuguese and then I felt like I properly expressed my feelings.
So if i said something like "You're the cutest little baby in the world! I love you so much!" I always had to follow it up with. "Quem é a coisinha mais fofinha desse mundo todo? É o amor da minha vida? É, você é o amor da minha vida! Eu te amo mais que tudo nesse mundo!"
Only then did I consider she understood the depths of my love for her.
This also works in more angsty ways:
My parents were always very distant, so during one especific Father's day, when I was a kid, my school, as usual, had us making DIY presents for our fathers. We were supposed to write messages on the gifts and all my classmates were writing "eu te amo" on theirs. I couldn't write it, but it still felt like I had to or it would be weird. So I wrote "I love you" instead, because it felt less like a lie. Now, let's focus on the fact that I was a child. I had barely started learning English. I was nowhere near fluent. But it still felt easier to write "I love you" than "eu te amo". I never said "eu te amor" to my parents again.
Now, we had some fluff and some angst. Now let's get to humor!
Swearing always feels better in your own language. Do with that what you will.
5- On the subject of swearing, we will talk shit about anyone right in front of their face in a language they don't know and use different languages to mess with people.
This doesn't even need to be done with our first language (although it would feel more satisfying). Any language would do as long as the other person doesn't understand it. Bonus points if we get to do that with a friend/group of friends.
When I was a teenager I had just one friend that was also fluent in English. We used to talk to each other mostly in English for three reasons: the first one was obviously to practice, the second was to gossip with each other without people understanding and the third was so we could pretend we were foreigners and see people's reactions. We were two little shits that talked about the craziest stuff and no one bat an eye.
6- Now, let's finally look in the correct and conscious ways in which we change languages in the middle of a conversation.
First one and the one that happens the most is when we forget a word in one language.
I do this all the time and it sucks! I constantly forget how to say "concealer" in Portuguese and go around asking my family what's the translation even though no one speaks English in my house. I can't even remember the translation right now! A few days ago I couldn't remember how to say "pulseira" in English. It means "bracelet". It's an easy word. I still forgot it. Although I would recognize it if I saw it somewhere or if someone told me, my brain wasn't willing to do that work on its own.
So when this happens in real life, we'll always ask the people around us for the translation, even if they don't know the other language we speak, just in the hopes that they will understand the ✨ vibe ✨.
It's also really funny when this happens and the other person does speak both languages and also can't remember the translation. And sometimes we forget the word in both languages and have to resort to describing "the thing", which usually leads to a lot of misunderstandings.
Another way in which we change languages is when we want to use a very especific expression or memes in another language.
I'm gonna use Brazilian expressions for this because they're pure gold!
One that I find really funny (and somewhat family friendly for this post) is "o que o cú tem a ver com as calças?" which literally translates to "what does the asshole have to do with the pants?". If you think a little bit, you can still understand the meaning, but not all expressions work like that. If anyone's confused, the expression means that the other person is trying to talk about two different subjects that aren't at all correlated. You're basically asking "what does one thing have to do with the other?" with more crude language.
When we do this we can either just throw the expression in a different language and not elaborate on it, or try and explain it to the people around. It can vary.
7- If you have friends or family that also speak the same languages as you, you'll be shifting languages all the time without any warning.
I have a friend that most of our hangouts consist of watching K-dramas together. We live in Brasil, so we speak Portuguese, but we watch the k-drama in Korean and the subtitles are in English. During out binging marathon, we will speak all three languages with each other, even if none of us speak Korean. Sometimes we mix the words in all the languages, sometimes we have a full conversation in one language then switch to another on another point in time. Forgeting words in one language doesn't mean a thing in situtations like this. We'll just say the word in the language we remember and move on with the conversation.
This is everything I can remember for now. If anyone remembers other quirks of bilingual people, feel free to add on. If I remember more I'll keep adding to this post.
If you read all the way to the end, thank you and congratulations!
First of all I am OBSESSED with your Midnight Expresso-verse fics!!!! Second, do you have any tips on writing bilingual characters? I am not bilingual, but my character is and I don't want to come off as a bad representation
Oh thank you so much! 🥹💜 It always makes me so happy when people tell me they like the Midnight Espresso-verse!! ☕ I have a new fic for that series coming soon to Tumblr. 🥰
But your question is a good one. My Spanish is basic/conversational, but I've grown up listening to and understanding most of it. There are certain phrases and ideas that are just embedded in my brain lol, but I do have some rules I give myself when I include another language in fics.
5 tips on writing bilingual characters in stories (incorporating a second language):
1. Include no more than a line or two of a secondary language at once. Any more than that, and you start to lose readers who don't speak the 2nd language.
2. ^The workaround this is if you include translations in parentheses or italics <- stylistic choice. But again, I wouldn't do too much of it at a time. Even if it's a back and forth dialogue between two characters, still try to keep it brief. I think of it as "sprinkling in" like seasoning. Too much, and your tongue gets confused lol (in this case, your readers).
3. If you're using a phrase mixed in with English (like Spanglish), make sure it makes sense grammatically overall, and that it reads/flows well. If it doesn't trip off the tongue naturally when you say it out loud, it's not going to read well, even for people who understand both languages.
4. When there's a phrase I think is meaningful to include because it exemplifies who the character is (ethnicity, attitude, etc.), but I'm unsure about exact grammar or usage, I check with a friend or family member who's more fluent in the language. They can help you figure out the tone, spirit, and grammar of what you want to say.
5. If you don't have a friend/family member as a resource, search YouTube clips or relevant TikToks. Don't rely on Google Translate. 😂
I've seen this kind of post for a bunch of bilingual characters and their partners but guys when someone is speaking a language for the first time it sounds FUNNY. It's natural! Don't get me wrong I am not making fun of anyone, but it does sound funny it's not sexy AND IT IS OKAY.
If my boyfriend butchered a 'harder, please' in my native language during sex out of absolutely nowhere I WOULD LAUGH, not come instantly.
Written for the Carlando Winter Break Exchange 25/26
Chapter 6: Saturday 21st & Sunday 22nd February
Masterpost 👈🏼
Chapter Summary: A change for the better and some truths revealed 🤭
Rating: T
Chapter word count: 8.2k
Chapter: 6/7
Warnings: Discussion of Contamination OCD, implied/referenced homophobia and abuse, and mentioned past character death.
Read on AO3 | or read below 👇🏼
~
Lando woke up to his phone vibrating on the side table. Untangling himself from Carlos as they both groaned, he saw both that it was his mum calling, and that it was past ten o’clock.
They’d slept almost twelve hours.
“Hi,” he grumbled, flopping onto his back, smiling as Carlos immediately curled up on his chest. He stroked his free hand through his hair.
“Good morning, my darling! Oh I’m sorry, did I wake you up? How are you feeling?”
“It’s fine, we slept a lot already.” He breathed through his nose. “Everything’s good. What’s up?”
“Sorry, darling, we tried to leave it as late as possible. Dad and I will be shopping today for you and your flat, so could you try and gather a list within the next hour of things that your boys need replacing before Monday, please?”
He swallowed, touched by the simple kindness. It wasn’t a surprise, his parents had taught him a lot about doing things for others growing up, but still, the way they’d immediately focused on him and his friends because they were in trouble…hit him hard.
“Mum, you already did so much for us last night! Are you sure?”
“Lan, it would hardly be fair to take care of you and not your friends after what happened! Now, George needs extra things, like you, yes? I would invite them out but they won’t all fit in the car, and poor George is sick, but you are more than welcome to invite Carlos! How long do you think you need to get ready and sort out the list?”
It wouldn’t take him long to get dressed at all given the limited options in clothing. Trying to get everyone organised was a whole other story. He’d be straight to George’s door enlisting his help if he wasn’t sick.
He’d have to do it himself.
Cool. Sure. He could do that.
“Honestly not sure. I’ll message everyone and try my best to be done within the hour. Are you picking us up or do you want us to meet you?”
“We’ll pick you up, darling. We were going to drop in and talk to the staff to see what else they need for anyone that can’t get in touch with their families.”
He smiled. “Thanks, Mum. I love you.”
“I love you too, darling. See you soon!”
Placing his phone back on the bedside table, he cuddled Carlos closer. He was awake, he could tell as he was a little tense, just snoozing. “Buenos días.”
Carlos groaned, lifting himself just enough so he made eye contact. “Buenas, cariño. You sound so good speaking different languages in the mornings.”
Lando couldn’t help but laugh, feeling his cheeks burn. “I wish I spoke more.”
“You’re bilingual, no? You were speaking some Flemish there. You don’t do that very often.”
Oh. He hadn’t realised.
“I was?”
Carlos chuckled. “That I can relate to. You can’t always tell which language you’re speaking when it all makes sense inside your head. Sometimes it comes out mixed and you don’t even notice.”
“Huh. Interesting.” Usually when he talked to his mum in her language, he had to rehearse in his head what he wanted to say. Some things came more naturally, such as simple conversation, but he’d never spoken so much Flemish without even realising he was doing it. Mum hadn’t said anything. And it wasn’t like he was tired either.
Maybe that was the secret. A good night’s sleep and not overthinking.
“Why don’t you speak it often? I love how it sounds.”
Lando shook his head, his lips pressed together. “I’m terrible at learning languages, always have been. Mum would definitely like me to speak it more than I do, but I struggle with it. I’ve been raised around her talking with us, right, so you’d think I’d be better. I practice with her side of the family, but we only see them in the school holidays. So I try on the phone with her when I remember. All of us can understand it and my siblings can speak a lot better than me. My baby sister is the best of us kids, she is fluent. Then again, she’s named after Mum, so maybe that was always the plan.”
Carlos leaned in closer, eyes dropping to his lips. Lando licked his own in anticipation. “You sounded comfortable. I know maybe you don’t have people here to speak it with, but you could teach us. You’re getting better with the Spanish I teach you.”
Lando scoffed lightly. “Hardly. Saying: ¡Hola! ¿Qué tal? ¡Todo bien, gracias! is minimal. I’m still very much a beginner and my dyslexia doesn’t help there either.”
“Okay then, another lesson.” Carlos cupped his jaw. “¿Te puedo besar?”
“¡Bésame, por favor!” he replied immediately, his belly fluttering. Then when Carlos looked shocked, he said, “Obviously I’ve looked that up before!”
His laugh was cut off by their lips meeting. Sliding one hand round Carlos’s neck and the other into his hair, he sighed into the familiar feeling. Warm and safe and taken care of. His favourite way to wake up.
“I’m sorry,” Carlos said when they broke apart, “for last night and the night before.”
Lando tilted his head. “We already talked about the night before, yeah? It’s all good. As for last night? Carlos–” He gently wrapped a hand around his wrist, bringing up Carlos’s hand to his eyeline. It was still red and dry and cracked, rough skin splitting around his knuckles. He kissed it gently. “–I’m sorry you have to go through this. I’m glad it’s not a secret anymore and you’re not alone with it now. Thank you for letting me in. That can’t have been easy for you.”
Their rooms here had no communal space. Carlos could’ve spiralled in the privacy of his own ensuite bathroom last night. He’d chosen to let Lando see this part of him.
Carlos ducked his head. “It is not always as intense as what you saw, but when it does get like that it is impossible to stop. All that is happening inside my head is these horrible, terrible thoughts. That another fire will happen. The room will make me sick. All the new clothes are dirty. That we will die in our sleep.”
Lando squeezed his hand, kissing him gently on the forehead. It truly sounded horrible to deal with all the time.
“Washing my hands has been the only thing to calm them down. Like it takes away the worry and the dirty feeling. Other days I don’t want to get sick so I avoid touching things, or make sure food won’t make me sick, and I’m washing my hands between everything. Back home in Spain, my bedroom got so dirty I wouldn’t even be able to touch anything to clean it because everything was disgusting to me. Blanca hired a cleaner so our parents didn’t ever know. It’s so embarrassing.”
“Hey,” Lando waited until Carlos was looking at him, “do you ever think my anxiety and panic attacks are embarrassing?”
“No! Of course not!”
“Exactly. When I get anxious, I avoid things and go quiet and want to get the fuck out of there so I don’t draw attention to myself. It’s real in the moment, even if it feels different later once we’re out of it. It’s not embarrassing. Honestly, it’s a pretty reasonable reaction given all the shit that’s happened this week. Everything out of our control. It’s worrying, yes, but not embarrassing. I care about you and I wanna help.”
Carlos kissed him again.
“And what about the two of us?” he asked tentatively, like he hadn’t just made Lando’s whole day with his sweetest, tenderest kisses. “I want this, us, all of the time.”
“Yeah?” Lando’s heart raced and his belly flipped in the most delicious way. I love you. “Me too.”
He watched as Carlos sighed, resting his forehead against Lando’s shoulder. “Gracias a Dios.”
“I thought I made that clear before. The whole reason we fought in the flat was because I thought we couldn’t be together.”
Carlos kissed his neck and he sighed. “I know. I think I just needed to be sure that nothing has changed.”
“Ik zie u heel graag, mijn schatteke,” he whispered. I love you so much, baby.
Carlos’s breath hitched as he lifted his head back up, his huge, dark brown eyes wide and shining. Even if he didn’t know precisely what he’d said, Lando’s soft tone had made it clear enough.
“Te amo muchísimo, mi vida.”
Lando nodded, unable to keep the wide grin off his face as they kissed, harder and more heated, both of them finally on the same page with their feelings. There were still important things to talk about, things to work through together, but they weren’t alone anymore.
“Okay,” he said, giving his best cheeky smile. “We can be together on one condition.”
“Name it.”
Lando looked at him with an eyebrow raised. “Have you told your parents about the fire yet?”
~
He was ready to leave fifty-five minutes later.
Getting everyone’s lists was pretty easy in the end. They were all awake, some already down in the hotel restaurant having breakfast.
George had already made a list (because of course he had), while Alex added on some meds, tissues, and sports drinks for him, as well as a few extra clothes items for himself.
Yuki sent a small clothes list, then some puzzle books, small weights, and a yoga mat. Lando had tried to get his upset friend to come with him to get him outside, but it was no use.
Esteban refused to send for anything as he apparently already had his things covered. When Lando tried to insist, Este asked to come and see him.
Pacing in front of the bed, he told them he had a boyfriend called Lance who he’d been secretly seeing for eight months. When Lando tried to ask if he knew about his job, Esteban interrupted and said no because he would try and help, and he didn’t deserve that.
Lando and Carlos had looked at each other, the latter sitting against the headboard still under the covers, and he’d seen the utter understanding in his expression.
He’d then tried to ask how this time was different with the fire. Esteban deflated, saying he couldn’t hide that because Lance and his family were involved in the University, which was how Lando learned Esteban’s boyfriend was Lance Stroll, son of Lawrence Stroll. A guy rich enough to have a statue dedicated to him on campus.
“I can hide my job and my boss. I couldn’t hide the fire because he knows where I live and it’s a pretty fucking big story. So he’s offered to take care of all my things, and he’s probably also going to offer to house us all until the end of the year too.”
“So tell him about your boss, Este, please!” Lando begged. “He can help! You could get justice and then you’d never have to work for that greedy bastard ever again.”
“Let him help you, Esteban,” Carlos urged, shuffling out of bed and walking over to him. “You deserve it, and it’ll be a huge weight off your shoulders. Lance wants to help you because he loves you. If you care for him too, let him be there for you.”
Esteban hugged him, then Lando, thanking them before he made his exit.
As for Carlos, he used the bathroom then crawled back into bed, burying himself beneath the sheets. Lando knelt beside it and stroked a hand through his hair.
He didn’t want to leave which Lando thought was fair, given how stressful things were, and so he took a brief list of things Carlos could think of that he still needed (Lando adding on hand cream and a first aid kit to the end of it), before kissing him and letting him know he was just a message or call away if he needed him.
Carlos said he could use his backpack, so he emptied it out onto the desk as quietly as he could as his…boyfriend, was falling back asleep.
Leaving one last kiss to his forehead, he made sure he had his room key to get back in, before leaving and shutting the door quietly behind him.
~
They spent a good few hours at the closest retail park, ticking off everyone’s lists including Lando’s, from new basic clothes, a backpack, and stationery to a replacement tablet, laptop, and hard drives. Dad dropped off things at the hotel with everyone’s names on bags when the car got too full.
Carlos had even sent him the brand of hand cream he preferred, as well as some comfort snacks he wanted. Lando hadn’t been able to get him to go to the hotel breakfast, but he’d promised he’d eat some of the emergency snacks over the day, then the flat were all going to eat dinner together that evening.
Even once they were done, Lando still had some little things he wanted to pick up, so they ventured into town for lunch so he could get the last few things he could put in his backpack. His parents offered to drop him off with the rest of the stuff, but Lando felt the familiar tingle in his limbs and the need for fresh air. Letting them know, he hugged and kissed them goodbye, thanking them once again for their support, before they separated.
A short while later, he was walking through the high street. Music on, mind drifting to Carlos waiting for him, he paused when he came across a newly renovated store font with Opening Soon signs in the windows. The white lettering emblazoned across the vibrant navy blue read: Button’s Books.
Several posters in the window caught his eye, and he made his way closer to read. One with an opening date of Saturday 7th March, the following weekend, another with a list of different types of books they’d be stocking, from fiction and non-fiction to a family-friendly section, and graphic novels. The final one was asking for potential staff to contact a Jenson at the email listed.
He was stepping forward with his phone up to capture the sign to send to Esteban, so he missed the man exit the shop to his right before they collided, and Lando failed to catch himself before he went sprawling to the floor. His headphones askew, the noise of the high street flooded his ears, his phone clattering to the floor beside him.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” the man apologised. “Are you okay?”
Lando picked up his phone, which was thankfully unharmed from the thick case his parents had bought him. Carlos’s coat had mostly cushioned his fall. “Yeah, no worries, mate.”
“Come on, let me help you up. Great first impression this is! Jesus, I am so sorry.” The man offered his hand which Lando accepted and allowed himself to be pulled back to his feet. He was handsome, with dark blue eyes and dirty blonde hair, and strong arms as he’d helped Lando up like he wasn’t a still-growing twenty-year-old.
“You’re a student, right?”
Lando looked around him, hyper aware that people would be looking at him after his tumble. Not feeling any eyes on him, he took a breath. “Uhh, yeah. I was just taking a photo of the vacancy sign.”
“You interested in applying? The least I could do after knocking you over like that is offer you a job. I’m Jenson by the way.” He held out his hand again and Lando shook it.
“Lando. I actually have a flatmate who’s huge about comic books, loves Spider-Man. He’s French, and his current manager is a shitbag who is financially abusing him. He needs it more than I do.” Then he remembered what his friend had said about the younger ones. “H-He’s got two younger coworkers too, first years, that he’s been protecting. They could all do with a fresh start. You absolutely don’t have to – I just – They could do with some good news right now.”
Jenson looked thoughtful as he listened, nodding along. He then reached into his pocket for his phone. “Tell you what, don’t bother with that email, lemme give you my number.”
Lando immediately opened his contact information with a grateful smile.
“I think having a roster of young students working here would be a great opportunity, and I can guarantee they will be welcome here. Pass on my info to all three of them, yeah?”
“I will do, thank you so much!”
“And Lando?” Jenson turned to carry on with whatever he’d been doing. “I’ll put your name down on my list too. You’re a good person with a heart of gold. I could use that on my team.”
He shook his head, lips pressed together. “Thanks, but I – I struggle with people and under pressure. I tend to flunk out of jobs because my anxiety gets too much.”
“Employers not giving a damn?”
Lando nodded, ducking his head.
“I can assure you I will do my best to find something that suits you. What are you studying?”
Lando told him, and how he loved drawing more than reading.
Jenson shrugged with a grin. “There’s more to running a bookshop than just customer service. You could design the interior signs, any posters we need for events, stuff like that? There’s back offices so you wouldn’t even need to show your face if you didn’t want to.”
A warm sense of relief flooded through him, a genuine smile as he pictured everything Jenson said. It honestly sounded perfect.
“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.” They bid farewell and started to move in separate directions when Lando remembered Yuki and Laurent’s. “Wait, sorry, I have one last question.”
“Shoot.”
“Do you have plans for a café?”
~
His mind busy replaying everything that had happened so far in just that one day, he hadn’t been paying attention to where he’d been walking. It was only when he saw the police tape and the blackened ruins of the familiar building that he stopped.
Fuck. It looked even worse in the daylight.
There was no doubt they’d never be coming back. The lower floors had survived, but theirs was one with blown out windows with nothing behind them.
All of those memories…
His vision blurred and he wiped his eyes, breathing in and out. Well hadn’t that put a damper on his day? He wasn’t sure he even remembered how to get back to the hotel from here. Fuck.
He was about to call Carlos, when he noticed someone hovering around the taped-off entrance, looking even more lost than he felt. Maybe they’d lived here until yesterday like him, except he wasn’t wearing any sign of the emergency clothes his parents and other staff had provided.
“Hey,” he said as he walked over. “You okay? This was my building.”
“Yuki? Please, do you know Yuki?” he urged. He was bouncing on his feet, the Paris Saint-Germain holdall jostling at his hip.
“Tsunoda?” he clarified. The guy nodded and Lando smiled, figuring he must be one of Yuki’s course mates. He didn’t recognise him from Laurent’s. “Yeah! He’s my flatmate. We’re in the conference hotel not too far away. I walked the wrong way home from town.”
“When did this happen?” He had a thick French accent, missing the h.
“Last night. I’m guessing Yuki didn’t say anything? He wasn’t here when it happened,” Lando added when he looked upset. “I was, b-but everyone got out okay!”
“No. He hasn’t been answering my messages. He told me about Laurent’s, he was devastated. I only knew his address here. I don’t know where else to go. I’d call him but my phone is dead.”
“I’ll take you to him. Do you wanna call him on my phone? What’s your name?”
“Yes, please. Pierre. Who are you?”
“I’m Lando.”
“Ah, yes, Yuki has told me about you before.” Pierre’s eyes lit up. “You’re the sushi hater!”
Lando groaned as he scrolled to Yuki’s contact in his phone. “I hate all fish and seafood, okay! My worst personality trait to a Japanese chef, I’m sure.”
Pierre chuckled as he accepted the device, holding it to his ear. “He told me I could have one of those sushi toys you picked up from the fair. Yuki-chan! It’s me!”
Lando stood with his hands in his pockets as Pierre started pacing along the pavement, speaking a language that wasn’t French. Japanese if he had to guess. It had to be good for Yuki who had mentioned missing home.
“He wants to speak with you.” Pierre was handing him back his phone, tears in his eyes.
“Hi, Yuki.”
“Lando, thank you so so much for finding him, oh my fucking God. You have no idea what this means!”
“Hey, it’s fine. I accidentally walked the wrong way home and ended up here.”
How lucky was that?
“Pierre’s my partner, okay? I’m sorry I didn’t say anything to any of you. We’ll talk when you get back. I’m gonna shower. But thank you.”
His eyebrows were in his hair as he looked at Pierre, who was looking both happier and more anxious than when they’d met. “Don’t apologise, yeah? I’m sure you had your reasons. We’ll see you soon.”
He placed his phone back in his pocket with a deep breath.
“Are you okay?” Pierre asked.
“Yes!” Lando nodded, burying his face in his hands. “This has been the wildest week of my entire life, fucking hell.”
“You don’t have a problem with us?” Pierre sounded annoyed.
“Nooooo! Oh my God, no, I’m so happy for you and Yuki. I also have a boyfriend, Carlos, though we haven’t actually told anyone else yet, and two more of our flatmates are boyfriends, too.”
“Alex and George? I thought they’d broken up.”
“Yeah, they did,” Lando laughed, “but I think they’re back together now after last night. I can’t wait for you to meet them all! What are you studying?”
Pierre’s face fell. “Oh. I’m not. I don’t live here.”
“In London?”
“England. I’ve come from France. I ran away from my parents’ house.”
“Holy shit. Fuck. Well, hey, we can look after you!” He got his phone back out to check the map for how to get to the conference hotel from where they were. He pouted. “I’m sorry you didn’t get to see our flat. It was so lovely.”
“Yuki sent me some pictures, it looked homely. I’m sorry it’s gone.”
“Yeah. And Yuki just lost Laurent’s too, I’m sure he needs a cuddle right now.”
“He’s not the only one.”
They began walking, around ten extra minutes away. He messaged Carlos to let him know he was on his way back, not mentioning he had an extra visitor so as not to overwhelm him.
“Did you travel from France today?”
“No. I, uh, I started travelling Thursday. Hitchhiked most of the way.”
“Oh my God! Is that even safe? Tell me you’ve been sleeping and eating at least!” Lando imagined him flagging down strange cars for lifts. He was braver than he looked. Lando hadn’t ever travelled anywhere abroad on his own, let alone hitchhiked.
“And I thought George was the flat mother hen.”
Lando grinned in spite of everything. It was nice that Pierre already knew a lot about them. “Well, he’s sick at the moment so I guess someone has to step up. But I care about you anyway, especially as you’re important to Yuki. He’s a wonderful person.”
“Thanks, that means a lot. I didn’t want to sleep in the cars I was in, in case something happened, you know? But I had some cash for hostels. Enough for a bed and a shower. Then some water and protein bars.”
“We’re not supposed to have visitors but we’ll order you food if you can’t eat in the restaurant without a student ID. If we’re lucky, it’s still chaos from last night so we might just be able to walk in and they’ll be none the wiser. You look like a student. You’ll blend right in.”
“I appreciate that, you are very kind.”
Lando smiled and they walked on in silence for a bit, checking the map every so often to make sure they were going the right way as he didn’t recognise all the roads.
His mind kept retuning to the fact that Pierre had run away from home. To another country. Lando didn’t want to badger him for information. That wasn’t fair on his new friend, Yuki’s partner, and he didn’t need to know. Pierre was no doubt dealing with a lot right now.
But he trusted him, it seemed, as he volunteered it himself. A mixture of nervous rambling and relief if he had to guess. Lando was one of Yuki’s friends and he was honoured Pierre felt like he could trust him despite only just meeting him. Yuki had clearly talked a lot about them all.
“I couldn’t stay there anymore. My parents are super religious,” he blurted out. “I was raised Catholic, to believe that being gay is a sin. That it’s wrong. I suffered a lot because of that.”
Lando felt his heart clench as Pierre explained more of his situation. He always knew he was lucky for the loving family he grew up in, his parents encouraging him and his siblings to be whoever they wanted. Lando had never felt unsupported in his coming out, in any of his previous, albeit short, relationships.
While for Carlos, there were expectations to meet within his family, they were still close and loving to him. When they’d talked this morning, Carlos had been quietly confident his family would accept his coming out to them. His public relationship with Lando might be another story, given his mother’s legacy, but it wasn’t abusive.
He couldn’t imagine the intense pain Pierre had suffered growing up.
“Fucking hell. I’m so sorry, that’s… that’s horrible. You didn’t deserve any of that.” He didn’t know what else to say and almost wished he didn’t know. But if Lando had learned anything over the past couple of days, it was that he could be a good listener, and perhaps a decent problem solver when he stopped avoiding things.
“Yuki’s been my rock. I learned Japanese off of him so I didn’t have to speak French all the time. I learned English at school.”
Lando asked how long they’d been together and how they met, more than prepared for Pierre to shut down, but instead he brightened up.
Turned out that they were both heavily into Japanese motorsports, and Pierre had gotten to know him a few years ago through a watch along discord server following Super GT and Super Formula. They’d quickly taken to social media instead where Pierre had a private burner account, transitioning to video calling almost every day.
They’d met in person twice before, Yuki stopping off in France on his way home for summer. Pierre’s parents had been on holiday for the week, visiting one of his older brothers down south before heading abroad to a retreat. They’d stayed at one of Pierre’s friends to avoid getting caught out by any of the neighbours.
“I’ve never been to Paris!” Lando gushed. “Is it as nice as it’s made out to be in the films?”
Pierre shook his head with a chuckle. “I’m not from Paris, I’m from Rouen further north. PSG are my football team.”
Lando knew the name Rouen sounded familiar but he couldn’t place it. Maybe Esteban would know. They turned the final corner and Lando put his phone back in his pocket.
“Pierre!”
“Yuki,” Pierre’s voice cracked before he was sprinting.
Lando watched as he shed his bags onto the pavement, before rocketing the final meters and they crashed together. Yuki jumped into his arms, Pierre spinning them around as they clung to each other.
He scooped up Pierre’s duffel and backpack as he joined them, smiling as he watched them. Both were crying, mumbling in Japanese, neither of them wanting to let go. Yuki’s legs unattached themselves from Pierre’s waist but they kept embracing as Pierre kissed his head.
“Thank you, Lando, thank you!” Yuki sighed when they caught eyes.
Lando could only nod as he smiled, swallowing the lump in his throat.
~
He entered their room quietly, in case Carlos was still sleeping.
Yuki had taken Pierre into his room along with his bags from Lando’s parents, and they were going to introduce him to the rest of the flat in a little bit. Lando had brought up Carlos’s bags with him. He’d collect his own later after dinner.
“You’re back?” came Carlos’s voice as he placed the bags on the floor under the desk. His new headphones on top of it. The curtains were half open, keeping the bed in shade. His boyfriend was wrapped up in the sheets, cosy and safe.
“Yeah, sorry, I walked back for some fresh air. Were you sleeping?”
Carlos shook his head.
He shrugged off Carlos’s coat and hung it up by the door, rescuing his phone before heading over to the bed. Greeting him with a kiss, he knelt down beside the bed.
“How are you feeling, baby?” There were some empty packets and a half-empty water bottle on the bedside table, so he had grazed on a few snacks like he’d promised. He could also see the dried tear tracks down his cheeks as he stroked a hand though his hair.
“Alex tried to get me out for lunch, but I couldn’t. I’m sorry.”
“We agreed we’d do dinner anyway, yeah? I’m pleased you ate something.”
“George is sick,” he sniffed, his lips wobbling. “So I couldn’t have Alex near me in case I got sick too and contaminated our room, but I couldn’t tell him that.” He covered his face with his hands, letting out a hiss.
Lando’s heart broke seeing the state of his hands, freshly raw, angry, splitting skin, knuckles sporting a few what looked like papercuts. He gently rubbed his thumb over Carlos’s wrist.
“I’m sorry,” he sobbed. “I didn’t want to do it again.”
“Come here,” he soothed, perching on the bed and helping Carlos to sit up. He then embraced him tightly, kissing his neck and rubbing his back as he got it all out. “I love you. We’ll get through this.”
“Te amo, cariño. Gracias.”
Lando let go when he felt Carlos drawing back. Cupping his cheek, he thumbed away a stray tear. “Thank you for being honest with me about it. I’m so proud of you! We’ll look at getting you some help, okay? I know you said it isn’t always this bad, but is that something you think you could do?”
Carlos nodded his head. “Yes. It hurts so much.”
“I got the hand cream you asked for, it’s in one of the bags along with everything else. I got you a little surprise too, do you wanna see?”
“Okay.”
Lando loved seeing him smile. He rifled through the bags and his backpack until he found what he was looking for. Heading back to the bed, he handed Carlos the hand cream, keeping the surprise behind his back.
“I know it’s not the same as the one we lost, but I thought we could do with some extra magic,” he said, bringing the stuffed toy out into view. “Ta-da!”
She was a lot smaller than the humongous one Carlos had won at the funfair, but Lando had seen her in one of the shops when they’d been purchasing stationery, and she was obviously coming home with him. She was pink, her fur soft and extremely huggable, and would easily fit in the bed with them.
“Sparkles,” Carlos whispered. He didn’t reach out for her though.
Lando held her out. “Do you trust me?”
He saw Carlos take a deep breath, placing the hand cream to the side before he nodded. Taking her from him, he ran his hands carefully over her fur, his breath shallow and shaky. Then he hugged her to his chest, closing his eyes and leaning back against the headboard.
Lando kissed his forehead. “I’m gonna unpack the bags. If you feel the urge to wash your hands, come and hug me, okay?”
He’d done some research while he’d been out with his parents. When they’d stopped for lunch at a coffee shop, he googled a few things while they were ordering at the counter. He hadn’t wanted to disclose anything before Carlos was ready, and before they were even sure what he was struggling with.
From what he could find, the hand washing was called a compulsion. A repetitive action brought on as a response to the intrusive thoughts around contamination he’d disclosed, explaining why it was so distressing. While the hand washing and avoiding touching things was how it seemed to physically manifest with Carlos, it was covering the internal obsessive cycle that was plaguing him. Invisible and incessant.
He’d also read that delaying for fifteen minutes could help the immediate urges pass, as well as a hug from a loved one. Something to distract him.
While Carlos needed more professional intervention, Lando could do his best to love him through it all. Carlos trusting him as he had so far was a great start.
Lando’s social anxiety manifested in him overthinking and worrying over what people thought of him, avoiding social situations that would make him panic, embarrassed, or humiliated. Especially brand new ones.
Carlos had indicated that he only had episodes this severe when they were triggered by something huge.
He was in the middle of unpacking Carlos’s clothes onto the desk, when he heard a commotion from outside in the corridor.
“What the hell?” he muttered under his breath, before opening the door.
He saw Yuki and Alex looking shocked before he saw Pierre and Esteban. The two of them were hugging and crying, clinging to each other almost as tightly as he’d held Yuki earlier. They were speaking French so Lando couldn’t make out what they were saying.
Looking at Yuki, he asked quietly, “What’s going on?”
“They know each other!”
He gaped at them. “No way! What are the chances of that?”
“Tarot cards,” Alex nudged him gently. Lando automatically sent him a flat look, though he understood there was something more to that now. “A change for the better.”
Yuki nodded. “And I was hiding him from you all to protect him. We couldn’t risk anybody knowing, else his parents would kick him out.”
“But you told him about us all, he knows us like friends,” Lando said, puzzled. “How come he didn’t know about Esteban?”
“There was a reason he asked to learn Japanese. He told me what he said to you, about his family?”
Lando nodded.
“He wanted to disconnect from his culture. Once I mentioned I had a French flatmate, he shut me down from saying anything else before I even said his name. Esteban is a common French name, I suppose, but he just didn’t want to know.”
Carlos opened their door, hovering against it, asking what was going on. Lando smiled at him, noting he’d washed his face.
Pierre and Esteban separated, standing together as they wiped their eyes.
“This is Pierre, everyone. We grew up together,” Esteban said.
Lando’s jaw dopped. “Holy shit!”
“That’s soooo crazy!” Alex had his hands on his head.
“You said you were from Rouen. Oh my God, I knew it sounded familiar!” No wonder he’d thought Esteban might know.
They both smiled at him. “Yeah. We kind of lost touch when I moved to England six years ago,” Este said.
“Well, it was a bit heavier than that, mate.”
“I never told them, calamar.”
Yuki went to Pierre’s side, sliding an arm around him. Pierre thanked him, kissing his head.
Este turned to Alex, asking if George was still sleeping. He was, but Alex said he’d join them for dinner and he could pass everything along.
The two of them then talked about another friend of theirs, Antoine, who died in a car accident when they were thirteen. The grief hitting them hard, Esteban’s family moved away less than a year later. With Pierre’s parents getting more abusive towards him as his older brothers married and left, they’d encouraged him to forget and move on.
“It’s honestly crazy that you and Yuki ended up being flatmates. Like this was always meant to happen,” Pierre remarked.
“I’ve been learning that a lot, lately,” Esteban smiled, putting his arm around Pierre’s shoulder as he looked at them all, before keeping his eyes on Lando as he nodded.
It made him remember the bookshop. “Oh my God, wait! I have something for you! Carlos, could you grab my phone, please?”
“Of course.”
He found himself bouncing on his heels, beaming while they waited for Carlos’s return. When he did, Lando thanked him and rubbed his shoulder, before he went searching for Jenson’s contact in his phone to send over.
“I ran into someone in town. Literally, it was quite funny. I’m fine, it was an accident!” he insisted as he got some funny looks. “What’s important is that I got some information that you need to hear right now, and you can also pass it on to Jack and Oscar.” He forwarded the contact information as well as the vacancy sign he’d managed to snap before Jenson had knocked him over, along with a tiny explanation to contact the number instead of the email. “I hope it’s okay that I told him about you, but I think you need it.”
He didn’t want to be the one to air out Este’s secret, but he hoped this would encourage him to seek out the help with his current shitbag of a manager.
He watched as his friend opened the message and stood beside Carlos. “Today has been full of good surprises!”
“Putain de merde. Lando!”
“Umm, what are we missing?” Alex asked, as Esteban looked awestruck.
“Just a helping hand.” Lando beamed. Carlos hugged his arm, resting his head on his shoulder. “Yuki, I’ll send it to you later, as well. It won’t be immediately, but it could help.”
Esteban cleared his throat before telling the rest of them about his job situation, tears escaping from his eyes again. “And now Lando has given us a way out. Thank you so much, frérot.”
“Group hug, guys, come on!” Yuki beckoned. “We air hug George too!”
Lando smiled, squeezing Carlos and Alex.
They were indeed able to pass Pierre off as a student, the staff not batting an eye as they headed into the restaurant for dinner. George did look the worst for wear, but he was able to talk and eat something. Carlos made sure they sat on the opposite side of the circular table from him, but Lando granted him that if it meant he was going to eat a proper meal.
Once they’d taken all their bags of supplies back to their rooms, all of them donating something extra each for Pierre, they all gathered in Yuki’s room with their leftover snacks. Bend It Like Beckham playing in the background, Carlos divulged what he was struggling with, showing them his hands.
Lando was proud of him for allowing them all to hug him, George included.
~
After breakfast in the morning, Lando was setting up his new electronics. While he’d lost some immediate university work from the past fortnight as it hadn’t been backed up, he could gather back remnants of their group project from Max, Ria, and Izzy to catch back up. Luckily they were still early into the semester.
It was his tablet with his personal drawings that he missed the most. The ones of Carlos, that formed a storyboard of falling in love with him. They’d stayed in a password protected folder he hadn’t backed up anywhere for fear of them being found.
So his jaw dropped as he signed back into everything on his brand new one, to find them all flooding back thanks to the cloud software that his laptop didn’t have. The sigh of relief he let out as the weight of grief fell off his shoulders, was audible to Carlos as he hugged it to his chest.
“Everything okay, mi amor?”
To his surprise, tears streamed down his face. He sniffed, placing the tablet onto the desk, burying his face into his hands. He felt Carlos drag the chair so he could stand between his legs, and Lando hugged his middle, sobbing against his midriff.
“I’ve got you,” Carlos whispered.
When he didn’t calm down, Lando figured he was releasing more than just relief.
Helping his friends with their problems, listening and comforting the best he could. Avoiding his own feelings by running away and distracting himself. Ushering George and other students out of the burning building. Keeping himself busy because it was the right thing to do. Not fully processing what he’d lost. His comfort, his stability, his safe space. So much change in such a short span of time.
Facing his feelings for Carlos and finally accepting them. Being happy together.
His boyfriend kissed his head. “The last few days finally catching up with you?”
“I-I think so,” he hiccupped.
“I did wonder when this would happen. You’ve been very strong, helping all of us. Not that that’s a bad thing, but knowing you, it was worrying me.”
Lando stood up, picking up his tablet. “I have to show you something.”
Following Carlos to the bed, they curled up against the headboard on top of the sheets. Lando then unlocked the hidden folder, before passing it over.
“What are these?” he asked, awe in his voice as he swiped through the first few. “Wait, are these me?”
Lando blushed, ducking his head. “Yeah. I’ve been adding to them for a while now. The last few get more intimate as it’s from us sharing your bed together. I think my muse knew I was in love with you long before I did.”
“How far back do these go?”
“Since first year, when we were new friends. Silly domestic things, you know? Studying, getting coffee, hanging out.” They were just black and white sketches, starting off simpler, then gradually becoming close up and detailed. Until they mostly became just Carlos’s face, head, and shoulders. Occasionally his arms or whole body when it came to playing padel, cycling, or Lando imagining him in his sports therapy duties.
Carlos kept swiping through them. “They’re gorgeous. This is how you see me?”
“Yeah. I kept them private before I even understood why. Realised pretty quickly after the tarot reading.”
“It did knock us all over the head, didn’t it?”
“It sure did!”
Carlos cupped his jaw, pulling him in and who was he to resist, colliding their lips together. Soft, warm, and sweet. “I’m glad, mi vida.”
“Me too, schatteke.” He smiled against his mouth.
~
They had one more surprise over lunch.
Esteban arrived with a guest, and Lando quickly put the dots together before the rest of them did. Bounding forward, he introduced himself to Este’s boyfriend.
“Hi, you must be Lance, right? I’m Lando.”
Lance beamed, not looking in the least bit surprised. “Nice to meet you, Lando. How’s it going?”
“All’s good, thanks. Crazy week, but I think you already knew that!” He’d replied before he registered that he’d been spoken to in Flemish. “Wait, you speak it?”
“My mother is Belgian. I’m multilingual, born in Canada.”
“Oh my God, no way!” He turned to Carlos with a wide grin, his boyfriend smiling back at him.
“Umm, does somebody want to catch us up?” George asked.
“Do you two know each other?” Alex laughed.
Lando took a step back, reeling, switching back to English. “Sorry, guys. We both have Belgian mums so we both speak Flemish. I don’t speak it very often unless I’m with my mum’s side of the family so not sure anybody but Carlos has heard me before.”
“Lance is my boyfriend,” Esteban filled in. After lots of hugs and congratulations, he finally told them all the whole story as they sat down with their food.
He and Lance had met through the Creative Writing society last spring and had basically had a summer fling over the holidays. Lance wrote poems while Esteban wrote and drew comic-style stories, as well as some Spider-Man fanfictions.
Their ‘summer fling’ never actually ended, and they kept seeing each other. He’d kept it from them because he didn’t want them all to think anything nefarious, given their financial differences. Especially when he was already struggling with that and his job.
Esteban looked to him. “I told him everything this morning.”
Lando, sitting beside him, rubbed his arm. “I’m proud of you.”
“We’re starting the process to sue Flavio for everything he owes and more.” Lance looked determined, holding Esteban’s hand on the table. He spoke with a Canadian accent. “I’m not sure Jack and Oscar will have cases, but we’ll try our best.”
“We’re getting it sorted, and I called Jenson; we can start next weekend! He also told me to bug you about it, too.”
Lando buried his face in his hands as he groaned. “I will, I will. He said he could have me in the back drawing up posters and things.”
“You’re getting a job?” Carlos gently nudged him. He bit his lip as he nodded, his face heating up. “Amazing, cariño!”
Lance then directed at Pierre that his lawyers would also take charge of everything for him so he could stay here permanently. He also spoke French, hailing from Montreal, and Pierre burst into tears, thanking him profusely. Yuki had his arm around him, soothing him in Japanese.
“Until it’s all sorted, well, and afterwards, you can live with my family,” Esteban added. “They’re looking forward to seeing you again. Unless you want to study something and we can enrol you here from next year, but it’ll be our last one so I don’t know how you feel about any of that, or what Yuki’s plans might be.”
Pierre stood up to hug him, both of them talking quietly in French.
“One final thing,” Lance continued. “I’m sincerely sorry about the loss of your flat. I’ve been talking with my father and we can house you in one of our new accommodation blocks within the next few weeks. We’re going to take care of all the costs associated with that, so don’t worry about any rent or bill payments. Same for next year. Your building wasn’t up to new safety standards and the fire service found numerous faults throughout. Something like this was always going to happen, unfortunately.”
Lando leaned back in his seat, gently squeezing Carlos’s hand on his leg under the table. Blowing out a breath, he joined the rest of them expressing their gratitude for all of the help with sorting their immediate futures out.
“And Lando deserves a huge thank you too, while we’re at it, for everything he’s done to help us all over the past two days.”
“Stop it,” Lando blushed, shaking his head and waving him off. But George wasn’t joking around, even if his voice wasn’t fully back to normal yet.
“I mean it. You got me out the flat, you were helping other students around us, then your parents turn up with emergency supplies for all of us. And that’s without talking about yesterday. You made sure we were looked after.”
Lando was gonna cry again.
“Don’t they always say to look out for the quiet ones?” Alex teased.
“You brought me Pierre,” Yuki added, tears shining in his eyes. “I don’t know what he would’ve done if you hadn’t found him.”
Carlos cleared his throat. “You helped me too, and now you’ve found Esteban a safer job.”
“Guys – Oh shit–” His voice gave out. He was hiccupping as the tears came back in full force. Carlos’s hand was gently rubbing his back. There was the scraping of chairs as everyone got up to comfort him. He could hear Carlos kindly telling them all not to crowd him.
Taking a few deep breaths, he let George and Alex help him stand up so they could hug him. Both of them telling him how much he meant to them. Everyone then took turns to hug him too, and Lando felt a wave of gratitude for his friends. Lastly, Carlos was there, and Lando buried his face against his neck.
That evening they all went out to a restaurant for dinner. It wasn’t Laurent’s, but it was still good food and even better company. All eight of them hanging out and laughing and teasing each other. Just like old times, but with some new ones already in motion.
And when Lando and Carlos finally announced themselves as being together over dessert, sharing a kiss as they all held up their drinks in a toast, the grin didn’t leave his face as everybody teased them.
“About fucking time!”
~
<< Chapter 5 | Chapter 7 TBC ✍🏼
~
Translations:
¡Hola! ¿Qué tal? ¡Todo bien, gracias! – Hi! How are you? All good, thanks!
¿Te puedo besar? – Can I kiss you?
¡Bésame, por favor! – Kiss me, please!
Gracias a Dios. – Thank God.
Te amo muchísimo, mi vida. – I love you so much, love of my life.
Te amo, cariño. Gracias. – I love you sweetheart. Thank you.
Hi, I was just reading your post on being bilingual, and I was wondering how much being tired effects language use. Do you default in a direction or another? Get more mixed up?
I have a character that grew up bilingual and is now living in a place where she is speaking a third language, which she is at this point fully fluent in. Does it make sense for her to default to her native language(s) more when tired or in more casual settings where she is around other native speakers?
hi!
i normally default to english when speaking because of some speech impediment stuff, but that's just me. some of my other friends default to their first language, some default to their most used language, and some don't default at all, so there's a lot of creative liberty there.
she would almost 100% use her native language when with other native speakers though, it makes everything easier/more comfortable with everyone
being tired is super interesting too. like i mentioned in the original post, you can forget/blur/mix languages at the best of times, and being tired amplifies this by about 7 million percent. (this can sometimes make the people around you think they're having a stroke. or you're having a stroke.) i remember one time i was younger having a sleepover with my german friend, and she explained her dream to me in german for about 15 minutes before promptly falling back asleep.
sleep talking is super interesting too, if a bit tangential from your original question. apparently, i sleep-talk in spanish, but i remember all my dreams in english. there's probably some sort of science behind that idk.
Thoughts are in both languages, sometimes switching in the middle of a sentence
That's also when you're talking to someone who speaks both languages
Exclamations and filler words default to the language you use them in most when you're tired
Knowing the word in one language but being unable to translate it
You (sometimes) can't remember what language something was in, especially books and stuff
Writing in one language and switching to the other unconsciously
^^this also happens with talking
Comparing both languages and concluding that language is just weird
Thinking the word you want to say in one language and then attempting to translate it using similar sounds (but failing bc the translation isn't similar)
Your phone is in both languages, like your reading app in one language but your messages in the other
The same word meaning something different in both languages
Note: this is assuming the languages use the same alphabet. I don't speak languages that don't use the Latin alphabet, so it might not be accurate with those
Feel free to add your own tips! I'd love to hear them :D
Note: I am not bilingual, so please add or correct me if you can. This is what I have observed/learned from friends who are.
❃
➸ forgetting terms in [language A] and trying to explain with context clues or hand gestures ; it’s common to forget terms even in their primary language, not just a secondary one
➸ usually it’s just repeating “the thing” while trying to remember the term or using a synonym even if it doesn’t make as much sense
➸ inner dialogue switching between languages depending on connotation of thought and which language they have been conversing in lately
➸ counting in [language A] and then translating the final number into [language B] because it’s easier that way
➸ translating slang terms from [language A] that do not actually translate with the same meaning or make sense in [language B]
➸ speaking with grammar rules from [language A] that are incorrect in [language B]
➸ asking non-bilingual person if there’s a translation for a word before realizing they would have no idea
➸ never say something like “oops, it’s hard to switch back sometimes” — that’s lazy writing and doesn’t happen in real life
➸ language is a conscious action so when speaking [language A] people aren’t just going to throw in words from [language B] unless they are struggling to find a translation and then that struggle will be obvious
➸ if a character throws in a word from [language A] while conversing in [language B] it’s on purpose, usually because they’re messing with the other person or the word in [language B] doesn’t have the same connotation
➸ for example, curse words, nicknames, or other exclamations from [language A] may commonly be thrown in while conversing in [language B] but it is purposeful
➸ the only exception could be children who grew up bilingual; they may genuinely combine languages without thinking about it
➸ switching between languages may take a second for their brain to compute, even if they’re switching back to their primary language ; especially if they’ve been using one language consistently for a while
➸ when in an adrenaline-rush situation (like being panicked or in pain) a person will usually fall into their first language
➸ don’t try to transcribe accents — if your character has one, describe it and move on ; messing with dialogue too much will confuse readers
➸ there are different kinds of bilingual: fully (speak, read, and write), conversational (speaks fluently but does not read/write as well; this is common with immigrants), and comprehensible (can understand what someone says to them, but struggles to speak back; common with those who took school classes)
➸ people who grew up speaking primarily [language A] will commonly get anxious conversing in [language B] even if they are fluently bilingual ; this is something people can overcome with time
➸ when researching a language you do not speak but your character does, make sure to understand the culture too because it will influence how they speak
➸ culture affects expressions, idioms, forms, even basic vocabulary — you’ll need to understand this because every language breaks formal rules while in casual conversation & using this will make your character more realistic
