At mealtime, your daughter grabs her spoon and asks you for “water” before adding a whole sentence in French. This mixing of two vocabularies often surprises parents. Is it normal for a young child to mix languages in everyday life?
Yes, a child who mixes languages is using a natural communication strategy called code-switching. The child looks for the word that comes most easily to mind to express a thought without interrupting the flow of speech. This phenomenon begins to fade around age six, as the child’s vocabulary becomes more structured.
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When a child mixes languages within a single sentence, they are engaging in what is known as code-switching. This phenomenon is also referred to by the English term “code-switching.” The child is not trying to create a mixed language. They simply choose the word that comes to mind at the moment they speak.
Language development in young children is based on concepts rather than linguistic labels. A child takes in an idea or an image and then associates it with the word they often hear in their daily life. If the word “water” is easier to pronounce than the word “eau,” they will use it without hesitation in a French sentence.
This flexibility demonstrates the great plasticity of the child's brain. The child draws on his or her overall vocabulary to construct thoughts without interrupting the conversation. The child would rather use a foreign word than stop in the middle of a sentence.
As children grow up, they quickly come to understand the social context of each language. They learn to identify which speaker is speaking which language. They then adapt their vocabulary depending on the person they’re talking to, whether at home or at school. To better understand these stages of bilingualism, you can read our article to learn why you should choose a bilingual school for your child.
Mixing languages is not a sign of language delay in young children. It is a typical stage in the simultaneous acquisition of two languages.
A monolingual child who is searching for a word pauses or hesitates. A bilingual child has an additional tool at their disposal: they borrow the equivalent term from their second language. This reflex demonstrates their ability to find quick solutions to keep the conversation going with those around them.
Grammatical structures develop distinctly over the course of several months. The child does not mix up the rules for sentence construction in a haphazard way. Most often, the child inserts a noun or adjective from one language into the structure of the other.
This phase of lexical borrowing diminishes as vocabulary expands in both languages. By the age of five or six, the two linguistic systems are clearly distinct. If you’d like to compare schools that support this development in Paris, check out our list of bilingual preschool and elementary schools in Paris and the Île-de-France region.
In the classroom, the teaching staff welcomes code-switching with openness. The goal is to provide the correct language model without stifling the student's desire to speak.
When a student mixes languages, the teacher does not correct the student harshly. She does not ask the student to repeat the entire sentence. Instead, she rephrases what the student said using the correct form in the language of the activity.
For example, if the child says in French, “Je veux le red ballon,” the French-speaking teacher calmly replies, “Ah, you want the red balloon?” The child hears the exact word in context, without feeling judged.
In every classroom at theÉcole M, a French-speaking teacher and a native English-speaking teacher are present all day: the language used for each activity is that of the teacher leading it. We call this approach “reciprocal immersion.”
This simultaneous presence helps establish very clear human points of reference. Each teacher speaks to the students in her native language. The child identifies the teacher she is speaking with and adapts her language as the days go by.
At home, the best approach is to maintain a consistent language model. You don't need to act like a language teacher by correcting every single mistake.
If your child speaks to you using a mix of French and English, listen to what they’re trying to say. Respond in your native language using your usual tone of voice, and include the correct word in your response. This gentle rephrasing is an effective way to help them absorb the language.
Language development takes time. To learn more about how to support your child’s learning at home, read our tips on how to provide a bilingual education for your child in Paris. You can also review the details of our daily scheduleto see how school time is structured.
At theÉcole M, our educational program is tailored to each child to foster their growth and independence. We support language learning without pressure.
There are no language requirements for enrollment at theÉcole M, neither in English nor in French. Children who do not speak either language are welcomed and are able to attend school without any particular difficulty.
Every day, our teams monitor each student’s individual progress in a supportive environment. Our small class sizes allow us to provide personalized attention to every student. To learn more about the principles that guide our schools, visit our page dedicated to our educational philosophy.
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