My child mixes Arabic and English. Is that normal?

Why bilingual children mix languages, what it means, whether you should correct it, and when it might be worth looking more closely.

Quick answer: is it normal for bilingual children to mix languages?

Yes. Mixing languages is a normal part of bilingual development.

• It does not mean your child is confused.
• It does not mean two languages are too much for them.
• Children may switch between languages from one sentence to the next, or mix words from both languages inside a single sentence.
• What matters is why they are mixing, what they can do across both languages together, and whether there are wider concerns about their communication.

Here is the kind of sentence parents worry about:

⁧ماما بدي⁩ my shoes.

That sentence does not show a child who cannot keep Arabic and English apart. It shows a child talking to someone who understands both, reaching for whichever words arrive first. Guidance for parents is blunt about it: mixing is normal and does not mean your child is confused.[1] Researchers reviewing the evidence go further, describing it as a normal part of bilingual development that children have good reasons for.[2]

Read this article in Arabic

1. What does “mixing languages” actually mean?

Two things get called mixing, and they are slightly different.

Switching between languages, one sentence to the next:

I played with Sara today. ⁧بعدين رحنا عند تيتا⁩.

Mixing inside one sentence:

⁧بدي ألبس⁩ my blue shoes.

You may see the term code-switching, which covers both. You do not need the word to understand your child, but it helps to recognise it if a teacher or therapist uses it.

There is also borrowing, which is different again. Some English words are simply part of how Arabic is spoken in your community. A child saying ⁧موبايل⁩ or saying they have a “break” at school is not reaching across for a missing word. They are using the word their community uses.

2. Why does my child mix Arabic and English?

There is rarely one reason. All of these are common, and most children do several.

• One word arrives faster. Retrieval is not the same as knowledge.
• They know that particular word better in one language.
• They learned the concept in that language. School vocabulary tends to arrive in English; food, family and religious vocabulary tends to arrive in Arabic.
• The person they are talking to understands both. Mixing with you is efficient. It would not work with a monolingual grandparent.
• They are matching the person or the situation.
• The conversation itself has moved. If the last three sentences were in English, the next one often is too.
• Because that is how bilingual people talk. Fluent bilingual adults mix too. RCSLT includes code-switching among the normal processes seen in bilingual language use.[10]

That last point matters. It is tempting to read every switch as a gap in vocabulary. Often it is not a gap at all.

The conversation effect has been measured. In one study, six French-English bilingual children with an average age of two years four months talked with adults who deliberately changed how much they themselves mixed. When the adult’s mixing rate went up from about 15% to about 40%, the children’s own mixing rose in step, from around 16% to around 41%, and dropped again, to around 29%, when the adult went back to mixing less.[3] The children were reading the conversation and matching it.

3. Does mixing languages mean my child is confused?

No, and this is the myth worth dismantling properly.

The old assumption was that if both languages turn up in one sentence, the child must have one muddled system rather than two. That assumption has been tested. In a study of five children aged between one year ten months and two years two months, the children did mix, and they were nonetheless clearly able to differentiate between their two languages.[5] Mixing and separating are not opposites.

The evidence in the previous section points the same way. A child who raises and lowers their mixing to match the adult in front of them is not a child who cannot tell the languages apart. They are tracking two systems well enough to move between them on purpose.[3] Even two-year-olds show some ability to adjust their language to the person they are speaking with.[2]

So the distinction to hold on to is this.

Mixing languages is not the same thing as confusing languages.

4. What if my child knows the word only in English?

This is extremely common, and it is not a deficit.

Your child may know excavator from nursery but not ⁧حفّارة⁩. They may know rectangle from school but not ⁧مستطيل⁩. Meanwhile they may know ⁧سُحور⁩ or ⁧عيدية⁩ perfectly and have no English equivalent at all, because there isn’t a neat one.

Bilingual vocabulary is distributed. Children learn words where they meet them, so their two languages carry different parts of their knowledge rather than duplicating it.[6]

This is why counting only one language underestimates a bilingual child. In a study of 47 Spanish-English bilingual toddlers aged 22 to 30 months, adding up all the words a child knew across both languages produced average vocabulary sizes and growth rates similar to monolingual children. Counting concepts only once, so a child who knows both words gets credit for one, gave smaller scores that grew more slowly.[6]

That is a whole topic of its own, and it belongs in the conversation about assessment rather than here. The short version for now: what your child knows is the sum of both languages, not whichever one you happened to count.

5. Why does my child mix more after starting an English-medium school?

Because a lot changes at once.

English exposure rises steeply. Playground and classroom vocabulary builds up in English specifically. English becomes quicker to reach for on certain topics, particularly anything to do with school. Arabic often stays stronger for home, family and the things that only happen at home.

Children’s skills in each language are related to the relative amount of input they receive in that language,[4] so a big change in the balance of input shows up in how a child talks. That balance does not have to look the same in every part of a child’s life.

Two things worth saying plainly. A child answering you in English does not mean they have stopped understanding Arabic.[7] And more English in your child’s speech is not a reason to switch the household to English.

There is more on that in “Should I stop speaking Arabic to help my child learn English?”

6. What if my child mixes in almost every sentence?

Frequency on its own does not tell you much, and it certainly does not diagnose anything.

Two studies have looked at this directly. In one, 58 Spanish-English speaking children with and without a language impairment were recorded telling stories and in conversation. The children with the impairment did not mix more than their typically developing peers, and did not show more unusual mixing patterns.[9] In another, 62 Spanish-English children aged five to seven, 24 of them with developmental language disorder, were compared once the researchers controlled for proficiency in each language. Diagnosis had no significant effect on how often children switched, and the authors concluded that the frequency and type of code-switching should not be used as an indicator of developmental language disorder.[8]

So look past the mixing at everything else:

• Can your child get their message across?
• Do they understand what is said to them, at a level that fits their age?
• Can they build sentences?
• What happens when they talk to someone who speaks only one of their languages?
• Is one language clearly stronger?
• How much exposure have they actually had to each?
• Are you seeing concerns in both languages, or only in one?

A child who mixes constantly with bilingual family and communicates well is in a completely different position from a child who struggles to put a sentence together in any language.

7. Should I correct my child when they mix languages?

Not as a rule, no. Turning ordinary conversation into correction usually costs you more than it gains.

Instead of:

Child: ⁧ماما بدي⁩ juice.

You: ⁧لا. قول عصير⁩.

Try:

Child: ⁧ماما بدي⁩ juice.

You: ⁧بدك عصير؟ تفضّل⁩.

You have acknowledged what your child meant, and given them the Arabic word, without stopping the conversation to run a drill. They hear the word either way. One version keeps them talking.

This is a practical communication strategy rather than a claim that correcting your child causes harm. Some families do ask for a word in Arabic sometimes, and that is fine. The thing to avoid is every exchange becoming a test.

8. Should I ask my child to speak only Arabic at home?

You can create situations where Arabic is genuinely expected, and that is different from policing it.

The useful distinction is between making Arabic required and making Arabic worth using. Instead of making every exchange about whether your child used Arabic, think about where Arabic has a real job to do. A grandmother who does not use English, cousins who play in Arabic, a story only told in Arabic, a game whose rules are in Arabic, an outing where Arabic is what gets things done: these give your child a reason rather than an instruction.

You do not need to pretend you cannot understand English. You can understand what your child meant while continuing to model and make space for Arabic.

There is a lot more on building this into ordinary days in “Everyday routines that build both of your child’s languages”.

9. What if my child understands Arabic but always answers in English?

Very common once school takes over, and worth separating into two things.

Understanding is what your child takes in when someone speaks to them. Expressing is what they produce themselves. These do not have to be equal, and in bilingual children they very often are not.

A study of 115 Spanish-English bilingual two-and-a-half-year-olds found the children were more likely to switch languages when responding to Spanish than to English. Across the group, their expressive vocabulary was stronger in English while their understanding of the two languages did not differ. Children who switched into English tended to be the ones with stronger English expressive skills specifically. The authors are careful to say this applied to some children and not all.[7]

That is a fair description of what many Arabic-speaking families see: the Arabic is going in, and the English is coming out faster.

What helps:

• Keep speaking Arabic. If you stop, the input stops.
• Do not translate everything you say into English straight away.
• Model rather than test. Say the Arabic version yourself instead of asking for it.
• Add people and places where Arabic actually gets things done.
• Give it time. Which language comes more easily can change as your child’s experiences and opportunities change.
• Resist making every answer a request to say it again in Arabic.

10. Will my child eventually stop mixing languages?

Possibly less, in situations that call for one language. But stopping is not really the goal.

As children get more experience in each language, they generally become better at staying in one when the situation needs it, which is what lets them talk to a monolingual teacher or grandparent. That is a skill worth having.

But mixing is not simply something bilingual people grow out of. RCSLT includes code-switching among the normal processes seen in bilingual language use,[10] and bilingual adults go on doing it too.

So success is not “my child never mixes languages.” It is closer to “my child can communicate well and use both languages flexibly, depending on who they are talking to.”

11. Does mixing languages mean my child has a language disorder?

Not on its own, and the research on this is unusually direct. Diagnosis had no significant effect on how often bilingual children switched languages, and code-switching should not be used as an indicator of developmental language disorder.[8] Children with a language impairment did not mix more, or more oddly, than their peers.[9]

RCSLT guidance makes the same point from the other direction: understanding what ordinary bilingual language use looks like, including code-switching, matters precisely so that these normal processes are not mistaken for a language difficulty.[10]

What would make a therapist look more closely is different from mixing:

• Difficulty understanding language, across both languages
• Difficulty putting sentences together, across both languages
• A small vocabulary even when both languages are counted together
• Slow progress in learning new language despite plenty of opportunity
• Difficulties that show up in more than one setting
• Losing words or skills the child previously had
• Your own concern about something beyond which language they are using

The distinction underneath all of it: a language disorder affects a child’s ability to learn and use language itself. Using two languages inside one conversation is not, by itself, evidence of one.

If your worry is that your child is not saying much in either language, that is a different question. There is more on it in “My bilingual child isn’t talking yet. When should I worry?”

12. What should nursery or school do when a bilingual child mixes languages?

“They mix Arabic and English” is an observation, not a finding. On its own it does not tell anyone whether there is a difficulty.

Useful questions to ask, and reasonable ones for you to raise:

• What was my child trying to say?
• Did they understand the idea, even if the words came from both languages?
• Could they get the message across using everything they have?
• How long have they been learning English?
• What happens in Arabic, and who has actually seen that?
• Is the concern the mixing, or something underneath it?

Professional guidance on assessing multilingual children is clear that patterns which come from one language influencing another are not signs of a disorder,[11] and that bilingual people are vulnerable to misdiagnosis when difference is mistaken for disorder.[10]

13. When should I actually seek advice?

Not because of mixing. Mixing is the thing that gets noticed; it is rarely the thing that matters.

Seek advice when you have broader concerns about your child’s understanding, their ability to express themselves, their progress over time, a loss of skills they used to have, or how they are managing at home and at school, once you look at their whole bilingual picture rather than one language.

And when you do, ask for an assessment that considers all your child’s languages. Bilingual children can be both over-identified and under-identified with language disorder. Research also shows that scores from testing in a single language are associated with how much exposure a bilingual child has had to that language.[12] Guidance on multilingual assessment recommends gathering samples in every language the child uses, with an interpreter where needed.[11]

The one thing to take away

Your child does not need to keep Arabic and English in two perfectly separate boxes to be successfully bilingual.

Two languages in one sentence is not two languages confused.

The goal was never perfect separation. It is two languages your child can actually use, with the people in their life, for the things they need to say.

Frequently asked questions

Is it normal for bilingual toddlers to mix languages?

Yes. Mixing is a normal part of bilingual development and does not mean your child is confused.[1][2] Toddlers mix for ordinary reasons: one word arrives faster, they know that word better in one language, or the person they are talking to understands both. Even two-year-olds show some ability to adjust their language to their listener.[2]

Does mixing languages confuse a child?

No. Mixing and separating are not opposites. In one study, children under two and a half mixed languages and were still clearly able to differentiate between them.[5] Children also raise and lower their own mixing to match the adult they are talking to,[3] which is the opposite of not being able to tell two languages apart.

What is code-switching?

Code-switching is the term for moving between two languages, either from one sentence to the next or within a single sentence. It is a normal feature of bilingual communication, and RCSLT includes code-switching among the normal processes seen in bilingual language use.[10] You do not need the term to support your child, but you may hear it from a teacher or therapist.

Why does my child speak English but understand Arabic?

Understanding and speaking are different skills, and they are often unequal in bilingual children. In one study of Spanish-English bilingual toddlers, understanding of the two languages did not differ while expressive vocabulary was stronger in English, and children who switched into English tended to be those with stronger English expressive skills. The authors note this applied to some children, not all.[7] Keep speaking Arabic; the input still counts.

Why does my child answer me in English when I speak Arabic?

Usually because English has become faster to produce, particularly after starting an English-medium school. Children’s skills in each language are related to the relative amount of input they receive in that language.[4] It does not mean Arabic has stopped going in. Respond to what they meant and keep modelling Arabic rather than requiring it.

Should I make my child reply in Arabic?

You do not need to make every response a request to say it again in Arabic. Instead, give Arabic real jobs to do: relatives who do not use English, playdates, games, stories and outings where Arabic is genuinely what gets things done. You can occasionally offer the Arabic word yourself, while keeping the conversation moving.

Should we speak only Arabic at home?

You can make Arabic the expected language in some situations, and many families do. The distinction that matters is between making Arabic required and making Arabic worth using. You also do not need to pretend you cannot understand English, which tends to make the conversation about compliance rather than communication.

What if my child doesn’t know the same words in both languages?

That is how bilingual vocabulary works. Children learn words where they meet them, so school words arrive in English and family words in Arabic. Counting all the words a child knows across both languages gives vocabulary sizes and growth similar to monolingual children; counting only one language does not.[6]

Will my child grow out of mixing languages?

They will usually get better at staying in one language when the situation calls for it, which is what allows them to talk to a monolingual teacher or grandparent. But mixing is not something bilingual people grow out of. It is an ordinary feature of bilingual language use,[10] and fluent bilingual adults go on doing it.

Can language mixing be a sign of autism or a language disorder?

Not by itself. Diagnosis had no significant effect on how often bilingual children code-switched, and the researchers concluded that code-switching should not be used as an indicator of developmental language disorder.[8] Children with a language impairment did not mix more or more unusually than their peers.[9] Autism is identified through social communication and behaviour, not through which language a child uses. Children with developmental disorders do become bilingual, and a 2016 review of the research found that simultaneous bilingual children had communication skills similar to monolingual children with the same disorder when their stronger language or both languages were considered.[13]

Does code-switching affect language development?

Research hasn’t shown that code-switching itself holds language development back. Switching often reflects what a child knows and uses in each language: in one study of bilingual toddlers, children who tended to switch into English had stronger English expressive skills,[7] while children’s skills in each language are also related to how much input they receive in that language.[4] How often children switch does not distinguish children with and without a language disorder, so switching on its own is not a warning sign.[8][9] Rather than trying to stop the mixing, keep giving your child meaningful opportunities to hear and use both languages.

Should teachers correct my child for mixing languages?

Correcting the mixing itself is rarely the useful move, and “they mix Arabic and English” is not on its own evidence of a difficulty. Guidance on multilingual assessment is clear that patterns arising from one language influencing another are not signs of a disorder.[11] The more useful questions are what your child was trying to say, whether they understood the idea, and what happens in Arabic.

Where to go next

• Raising a Bilingual Child — What’s typical, what’s a myth, and how to plan the languages in your home.
• Family Language Planner — Work out which language each person uses, and when, in a way that fits your family.

References

1. American Academy of Pediatrics. Young children learning multiple languages: parent FAQs. HealthyChildren.org. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/gradeschool/school/Pages/7-Myths-Facts-Bilingual-Children-Learning-Language.aspx
2. Byers-Heinlein, K., & Lew-Williams, C. (2013). Bilingualism in the early years: What the science says. LEARNing Landscapes, 7(1), 95–112. https://www.learninglandscapes.ca/index.php/learnland/article/view/Bilingualism-in-the-Early-Years-What-the-Science-Says
3. Comeau, L., Genesee, F., & Lapaquette, L. (2003). The modeling hypothesis and child bilingual codemixing. International Journal of Bilingualism, 7(2), 113–126. https://doi.org/10.1177/13670069030070020101
4. Hoff, E., Core, C., Place, S., Rumiche, R., Señor, M., & Parra, M. (2012). Dual language exposure and early bilingual development. Journal of Child Language, 39(1), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305000910000759
5. Genesee, F., Nicoladis, E., & Paradis, J. (1995). Language differentiation in early bilingual development. Journal of Child Language, 22(3), 611–631. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305000900009971
6. Core, C., Hoff, E., Rumiche, R., & Señor, M. (2013). Total and conceptual vocabulary in Spanish-English bilinguals from 22 to 30 months: Implications for assessment. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 56(5), 1637–1649. https://doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2013/11-0044)
7. Ribot, K. M., & Hoff, E. (2014). “¿Cómo estas?” “I’m good.” Conversational code-switching is related to profiles of expressive and receptive proficiency in Spanish-English bilingual toddlers. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 38(4), 333–341. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025414533225
8. Kapantzoglou, M., Brown, J. E., Cycyk, L. M., & Fergadiotis, G. (2021). Code-switching and language proficiency in bilingual children with and without developmental language disorder. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 64(5), 1605–1620. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_JSLHR-20-00182
9. Gutiérrez-Clellen, V. F., Simón-Cereijido, G., & Erickson Leone, A. (2009). Code-switching in bilingual children with specific language impairment. International Journal of Bilingualism, 13(1), 91–109. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367006909103530
10. Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists. Bilingualism. https://www.rcslt.org/speech-and-language-therapy/clinical-information/bilingualism/
11. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Multilingual service delivery in audiology and speech-language pathology (Practice Portal). https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/professional-issues/multilingual-service-delivery/
12. Peña, E. D., Bedore, L. M., & Granados Vargas, A. (2023). Exploring assumptions of the bilingual delay in children with and without developmental language disorder. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 66(12), 4739–4755. https://doi.org/10.1044/2023_JSLHR-23-00117
13. Kay-Raining Bird, E., Genesee, F., & Verhoeven, L. (2016). Bilingualism in children with developmental disorders: A narrative review. Journal of Communication Disorders, 63, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2016.07.003