How many presidents spoke English as a second language?

Of the 45 persons who have served as presidents of the United States, at least half have displayed proficiency in speaking or writing a language other than English. Of these, only one, Martin Van Buren, learned English as his second language; his first language was Dutch.

Which president did not speak English as a first language?

Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren is notable as he was the first U.S. president born following U.S. independence; which may make it more surprising that he is the only U.S. president who did not speak English as a first language, instead growing up in a Dutch-speaking community in New York, while learning English in school.

Did all presidents speak English?

While Martin Van Buren remains the only president to learn English as a second language, he is not the only one with the ability to speak more than one language. John Quincy Adams spoke more languages than any other president, and 20 of the first 46 U.S. presidents spoke at least two languages.

How many languages can Barack Obama speak?

English
Barack Obama/Languages

How many languages did George Washington speak?

George Washington/Languages

How many languages did Abraham Lincoln speak?

Abraham Lincoln/Languages

How many languages did Lincoln know?

Which US presidents speak a language other than English?

About half of the men who have served as American presidents have displayed adequate knowledge of writing or speaking a language other than English. Martin Van Buren remains the only president who spoke English as the second language with Dutch being his first language.

How many US presidents were bilingual or multilingual?

List of multilingual presidents of the United States. Of these, only one, Martin Van Buren, learned English as his second language; his first language was Dutch. Four of the earliest Presidents were multilingual, with John Quincy Adams and Thomas Jefferson demonstrating proficiency in a number of foreign languages.

Do any of the US presidents speak Spanish?

George W. Bush (2001-2009) had some basic knowledge of Spanish from his many years living in Texas, and he even sprinkled it into a few of his speeches. Barack Obama (2009-2017) lived in Indonesia with his mother and stepfather from age six to ten and attended school there.

Did any of the US presidents speak both Greek and Latin?

James A. Garfield and Chester A. Arthur knew Ancient Greek and Latin, but it was Garfield’s ambidextrous ability that would lead to rumors that he could write both at the same time. Both Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke French, and Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D.