Pope Francis' native language is Spanish, as he was born and raised in Argentina
. He is also fluent in Italian, which is the everyday language of the Vatican and the Holy See
. Additionally, he speaks several other languages to varying degrees, including:
- Piedmontese (a dialect from northern Italy, his parents' region)
- Portuguese
- French (fairly well, though less practiced recently)
- German (basic and somewhat rusty)
- Latin (used in the Catholic Church)
- English (he struggles with pronunciation and phonetics and admits it is his weakest language)
Despite knowing multiple languages, Pope Francis prefers to deliver most of his speeches in Italian or Spanish and relies on interpreters to ensure clarity and accuracy in other languages
. He has also moved away from some traditional multilingual practices, such as greeting in many languages, to emphasize simplicity and clear communication
. In summary, Pope Francis primarily speaks Spanish and Italian fluently, with functional knowledge of several other languages but limited proficiency in English
