This is probably already answered somewhere else, but I was wondering: how much of the lines in FM are Gordon's thoughts and how much of it are him actually talking out loud?

I think that things like "Don't step in the blood!!" are thoughts....And things like "Are you trying to say something about me?!" are dialogue.

I'm really not sure. A case could be made for almost all of the series being his thoughts. The effects for when he's underwater suggest he was speaking, meaning he was wandering around Black Mesa rambling to himself and the occasional soldiers and Xen aliens like a madman. Freeman isn't entirely above such behavior I guess.

Yeah I used to think that he's really speaking the whole time but there are occasions where things are little bit ambiguous. So for example, he blatantly insults some of the scientists and guards, often to their face. I suppose you could say that the npcs aren't programmed with any 'responses' as such, so the only explanation would be that they know Gordon so well that this sort of thing happens all the time and everyone just ignores him. But then there's that time where he ponders on using the scientist as a human shield and realises he said that out loud, which implies that some of his lines were actual thoughts. And what about the times when he's trying to sneak past soldiers but is still speaking out lines; it seems completely stupid to say things out loud when you're trying to be stealthy.

I've always thought that he alternates, because sometimes he's clearly talking to people like when he says, "Hey you wanna be my human shield?" and the scientists says, "Shut up." But other times, unless he's rambling to himself while he walks, he's just thinking.

Yeah, I am pretty sure he alternates as well. When he mumbles underwater I think that's just for a comedic effect.

I think there were more thoughts in the beginning but since he really has no one to talk to and the fact that he's probably going a little insane that even his thoughts may be coming out of his mouth so it's really kind of hard to say what might be thoughts and what might be audible.

I've always imagined that everything was thought, even if it sounded like it was being said out loud.

I think unless he is directly talking to someone, or in a situation where he would scream or yell or something like that (eg: falling off the conveyer belt into giant masher teeth) then he is thinking.

Basically this. Generally when he rambles to himself while moving about, he's thinking, while loud outbursts and direct conversations with people (including yelling at soldiers and aliens) are spoken dialogue. The underwater mumbles are there just to be funny.

It gets even funnier when you factor in the fact that his movements reflect his dialogue; i.e when he's yelling he swivels his view around alot while standing still. But if it's just him thinking, does that mean he's standing there in the corridor flailing around like a psycho, but completely silent?

Someone needs to make a youtube video on that.

Common sense dictates that if someone replies to him directly, you can safely deduce that he spoke out loud, and likewise you can deduce that he wasn't speaking out loud if no one heard him.

Whether it is vocal or mental doesn't matter at all in situations where there is not already an implication that it is one or the other. Seems kind of pointless to even think about it.

Took the words right out of my mouth.


tl;dr: If he's not speaking to someone or something, then it's usually his mind. But dialogue will happen if he's interacting with an NPC(Scientist, guard, etc...).

That still leaves my query open: what about the movements he does when yelling, even when no one's around? Do YOU flail around like a madman for no reason apart than the demand of your inner monolouge? Because I usually don't...

If I burn myself or something, I tend to howl out various cries and obscenities whether there's anyone around or not.

Doubly so in adrenaline-packed encounters with life obstacles such as wasps.

I don't think it would be unrealistic. Unreasonable, maybe. But one man's reason is another man's... Thing that isn't there.

That won't stop me from trying!

You have to use your intuition or guess. I do it this way...
But as some people suggested, if he is talking with someone or obviously replying, then he speaks it out loud.

I don't believe that there's a formula or method of figuring out whether or not what Freeman articulates is dialogue or thoughts; I think Ross just writes what seems funniest.

That's also true more or less