Having only been in French class six months now, I know that my skills are improving slowly, but I have a long, long way to go. I am frustrated b/c I do better trying to express myself rather than understanding other people who are speaking.

I wondered if those of you who have mastered a second language could tell me at what point you finally stopped "translating" what you read or heard into your mother tongue as you attempted to understand it? I cannot seem to move toward reading or hearing French and understanding without doing this translation thing in my head.

(Apologies to OP as I am not trying to derail; this seemed like a good thread within which to ask this question .)