first language
fɜːst ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ
Definition Synonyms

Definition of first language - Reverso English Dictionary

Noun

1.
native languagelanguage learned from birth and used at home
  • Spanish is her first language.
mother tongue native tongue
2.
comfort languagelanguage one feels most comfortable using
  • English is his first language at work.
mother tongue native language
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Terms with first language included in their meaning

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primary language
first language learned at home in childhood
primary language
first language learned by a person
word history
tongue with no first-language community, not used for everyday talk
language proficiency
speaking a language as a first language
first language
language learned from childhood or tied to cultural identity
linguistics
person speaking a language not their first
EFLabbr.
abr: English as a foreign language
learning English for people whose first language is not English
sociolinguistics
person whose first language is not the majority language

Examples of first language in a sentence

  • Mandarin is the first language of many in China.
  • Spanish is her first language at home.
  • He prefers to write in his first language.

View all translations of first language

Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
  1. French:langue maternelle, langue principale, ...
  2. German:Muttersprache, Hauptsprache, ...
  3. Italian:lingua madre, lingua principale, ...
  4. Spanish:primer idioma, idioma principal, ...
  5. Portuguese:língua materna, língua principal, ...
  6. Chinese:母语, ...
  7. Japanese:母語, ...
  8. Arabic:لُغَةٌ أُمّ, لغة أولى, ...
  9. Hebrew:שְׂפַת אֵם, שְׂפַת אֵם, ...
  10. Russian:родной язык, основной язык, ...
  11. Ukrainian:рідна мова, основна мова, ...
  12. Hindi:मातृभाषा, प्रथम भाषा, ...
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