If time were a line,
which direction does it flow?
מימין
לשמאל
English speakers often visualize time as a horizontal line—mirroring our left-to-right reading direction
—while Hebrew speakers naturally map time from right to left,
—and
Mandarin
speakers
typically
picture
time
vertically,
with
the
past
above
and
the
future
below.
過
未
在
在
去
上
來
下
DRAW
simple
A
could
שינוי
יכול לשנות
shift
redefine
כיוון
את
in
your
הקריאה
תפיסת
reading
sense
העולם
direction
of the world
方
向
世
界
閱
讀
翻
轉
改
變
可
以
Decaf
faced
Emit
TIME
desserts
stressed
Star
Rats
parts
strap
behind you
The future could be
Aymara, a native language by indigenous people in South America, the future is perceived as “behind” because it’s unseen, while the past lies ahead. Similarly, many Mandarin speakers describe the recent past as “up” and future events as “down.”
in front of you
The future could be
depending on the language you speak
影
響
嗎
？
表
達
方
式
對
未
來
的
語
言
可
能
被
你
的
財
務
習
慣
像德語以及某些中文語言，甚至沒有專門的未來時態。研究顯示，這些語言的使用者往往更會儲蓄、對未來規劃得更完善，甚至在健康方面也能獲得更好的結果
당
신
의
언
어
가
미
래
를
다
루
는
방
식
의
재
정
습
관
에
영
향
을
미
치
고
있
을
까
요
?
독일어와 일부 중국어 같은 언어들은 전용 미래 시제가 아예 없습니다. 연구에 따르면, 이런 언어를 사용하는 사람들은 더 많이 저축하고, 미래를 더 철저히 계획하며, 심지어 더 나은 건강 상태도 누린다고 합니다.
האם האופן
שבו השפה
שלך
לעתיד עשוי להשפיע
על ההרגלים
הכלכליים שלך?
שמחקרים מראים שדוברים של שפות אלה נוטים לחסוך יותר, לתכנן טוב יותר לעתיד, ואף ליהנות מתוצאות בריאותיות משופרות.
Could your
language’s
treatment of the
future
affecting your
financial habits?
Languages like German and some Chinese languages don't even have a dedicated future tense. Research shows that speakers of these languages tend to save more, plan better for the future, and even enjoy better health outcomes.
Spanish and Greek speakers often describe time in terms of volume—using words like "big" or "small" rather than "long" or "short." In classical (Newtonian) physics, time is seen as a linear progression, flowing steadily forward.
Did language limit
our understanding of time?
Could our very notion of time be entirely different if it had been shaped by Spanish or Greek perspectives?
Each language flips, twists, and confronts our sense of time, revealing fresh facets of culture. This journey—powered by Wix Lab’s scroll animations—invites you to keep exploring the many ways words reshape the world.
© Designed & built by Christie Wu on Wix Studio
Wix Web Lab 2025