I was looking forward to this, or rather, I was curious about it.

Mixing languages is a stage most bilingual kids go through, and normally it sorts itself out with time, once the child realises there are two different sets of vocabulary and how to use them. Correcting is not recommended, at least not in the early stages, mainly for two reasons: a) the child doesn’t make the difference yet but will do so given there is a clear separation between the languages the child hears, and b) being corrected all the time would only frustrate the child and curb his or her desire to communicate. Frankly, how would you like it if someone corrected you as soon as you opening your mouth to say something?

My little girl has been using “pas” (not, French) in abundance recently, notably in sentences like “pas dodo” (I don’t want to sleep, French/baby-French) or more simply “pas ça” (not that, French).

Since I often ask her to choose between things, such as her trousers, for instance, she’ll hear from me “Welche Jeans möchtest du anziehen?” (Which pair of jeans do you want to wear, German) “Die da (pointing to one) oder die da (pointing to the other)?” (This one or that one, German)

Last week she told me which one she didn’t want: “Pas die da!”

Another expression she’ll hear from me is “da lang” (that way, German) when we walk to the nanny’s in the morning.  There are several options, and of course you can often take either sidewalk of a given street. She shows that she knows that when she says “pas da lang” (not that way).