The idea that Hitler was completely monolingual is false.
German was the only language he was fluent in. In a very typical Hitler manner, he refused to study any other languages. His excuse? He believed he would only butcher the language and embarrass himself. Maybe this is true. Maybe he would have sounded absolutely ridiculous trying to pronounce the word “squirrel” and nobody would have taken him seriously ever again. The other, far more likely option, is that he held a functional understanding of French and English.
“Hitler seemed able to follow a conversation in English or French if it was not spoken too quickly but explained: ‘I have not made the effort to be fluent in a foreign language because in talks with foreigners every word counts. While my interpreter translates, I gain time to think of new appropriate ways to phrase a thing.’”
– He Was My Chief: The Memoirs of Hitler’s Secretary
Hitler most likely picked up both French and English during his lifetime. He took French in school as a secondary language (although refused to study it seriously), served in France during WWI, and was known to have English newspapers included in his media diet. Given his near photographic memory it’s not surprising that he would have picked up certain aspects of language easily.
He seemed quite content to allow others to believe he couldn’t read a French menu much less understand what was being said. There wouldn’t have been any advantage for him to have revealed otherwise. In fact, only speaking German may have played well into his nationalistic image.
Write By: Halle Schultz
