LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH TEACHERSDREAMING IN OTHER LANGUAGES
Sep. 9, 2026
Level: Intermediate (B1-B2)
Type of language: General English
Tags: Describing Feelings and Behavior; Memory, Brain and Mind; Paraphrasing and Explaining; Analyzing Case Studies; Speaking; Vocabulary Lesson; 16-18 Years Old; 18+ Years Old
Publication date: 09/09/2026
In this lesson, we talk about dreaming in another language. First, students watch a short video on the topic, and answer some questions. Then they learn some vocabulary from the listening tasks, showing extracts from a podcast talking about the topic. After a fun game of taboo, they will read about a funny story on dreaming in another language, and two extension activities call back on previous tasks, while giving them the opportunity to talk to other people about their dreams. (by Edward Alden)
- CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in American English.
- CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in American English.
- CLICK HERE to download/listen to the audio 1 in American English.
- CLICK HERE to download/listen to the audio 2 in American English.
- CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in British English.
- CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in British English.
- CLICK HERE to download/listen to the audio 1 in British English.
- CLICK HERE to download/listen to the audio 2 in British English.
AUDIO TRANSCRIPTS
Audio 1 - Task 4 (part of Task 9)
Mark: Hello everyone and welcome back to Talking It Out, your favorite podcast about random questions you probably have wondered to yourself. I’m here again with my friend Paula, and this episode was actually inspired by something she asked me last week.
Paula: Yeah! So, both Mark and myself are bilingual, and we were talking about weird dreams we had before. It got me thinking; which language do we dream in?
Mark: Paula is half Brazilian and I’m German, but we both seem to dream in English a lot! And Paula even said there was a time she dreamed in French, even though she doesn’t speak the language!
Paula: So, we took it upon ourselves to do some research on the topic; why do we dream in different languages? Mark, would you like to share your findings first?
Mark: Yes, thank you, Paula. I read some articles on it, so I’m by no means an expert, but I found some really interesting stuff. Apparently, researchers think we associate languages to different aspects of our lives. For example, if you dream about being a kid again, it’s likely that dream would be in your native language.
Paula: Do you think that applies to dreaming about people too? Like, if I dreamed of my parents, I would dream in Portuguese, but if I dreamed I was at college and talking to my classmates, for example, I would probably dream in English?
Mark: Funny you should mention that, because that’s exactly right! And if you dream of both your parents and your classmates, it’s possible you would be switching between languages in your dream, without even thinking about it!
Paula: Well, that makes sense! But what if you dream you’re in an entirely different place, speaking a language you’ve never heard before?
Mark: Hm, I think it varies from person to person. But I actually did read something about an English guy who dreamed he was in Germany, and this guy spoke complete gibberish before they both realized they spoke English! So, I think, since he never spoke Dutch before, he probably dreamed of what Dutch sounded like to him.
Paula: Well, that makes sense! But I’m pretty sure I understood the French in my dream.
Mark: Were you in Paris when you dreamed in French?
Paula: I was in Marseille, actually! So that might explain it. But here’s the thing; I have never been to Marseille, and all the French I know comes from a TV show I watch with English subtitles! So how do you think I dreamed in fluent French?
Mark: Well, I have no idea! But I’m sure you have some sort of explanation from your research.
Paula: I do, in fact! And I’ll share with you after a quick break!
Audio 2 - Task 5
Paula: Hey guys welcome back from our ad break. Just in case you forgot, we’re here today talking about dreaming in different languages; why we do it, and how we do it. I’m just about to share what I found out about learning languages in your sleep.
Mark: Wait. You can actually learn new languages while asleep?
Paula: You see, it’s possible, but not in the way you would go about it when awake. You see, when you’re learning a new language, you’d usually hold yourself back from speaking any words you don’t know the meaning of, or don’t know how to pronounce.
Mark: Yes! It was hard to overcome my speaking anxiety when I was learning English.
Paula: Well, some theories suggest that when you dream, you lose your insecurities, because you’re essentially speaking to yourself. So, you can practice speaking and listening confidently!
Mark: Okay, sure. Doesn’t explain how you were dreaming and understanding French.
Paula: Remember that French show I mentioned, the one I watch with English subtitles? Well, some scientists say that we process all we learned in the day when we’re asleep, and that we sometimes use dreams to better understand and store new information. That means that, without realizing it, I was learning a few French words through my show, and inserting them into my vocabulary in my sleep.
Mark: That’s actually incredible! Now that I think about it, I do remember sometimes dreaming of English words I had learned in class that day.
Paula: And this is for any language, even your native one!
Mark: But does that mean you can only learn the words you come about while awake? Isn’t that just practicing in your sleep, rather than learning?
Paula: Thank you for bringing that up, because I found out there are many scientists looking to prove that we can discover and learn new vocabulary while completely asleep.
Mark: And how would that happen?!
Paula: Well, what they do is they select words from a completely different language and pair them up with translations to the participant’s native language. For example, arbre, tree in French. They would then play a recording of someone saying these pairs out loud to the participant while they slept. Can you believe that over half of the participants remembered arbre being something related to nature?
Mark: So, I could stop going to my English lessons, and just play a few recordings during my afternoon naps?
Paula: (laughing) Not exactly! That’s the thing, they didn’t remember arbre meaning tree exactly, just that it had something to do with nature. So, unfortunately, it’s not a fail-proof plan.
Mark: Well, there goes my revision strategy!
Paula: But it is interesting, right? How much languages can affect us.
Mark: It is! Hey, do you think learning languages can change our actual brain structure?
Paula: Well, Mark, I think that’s a question for next week’s episode!
Adapted from: https://www.linguahouse.com/esl-lesson-plans/general-english/dreaming-in-other-languages. Accessed on September 14, 2026. LinguaHouse.com © 2008–2026. All rights reserved.
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