The mother tongue should be treated as an ally in the process of foreign-language teaching and consciously used rather than being ignored and avoided at all costs. From a psychological point of view, it cannot be avoided and that, from a pedagogical point of view, it can facilitate learning if used wisely and deliberately. There is no doubt that the language learner already knows his or her mother tongue, through which, more or less consciously he or she tries to perceive and assimilate the elements of the target language. Utilizing and controlling this tendency instead of ignoring or fighting it will go a long way towards facilitating learning and ensuring success.
