Are there any foreign leaders who speak English better than King Abdullah?

[Cardboard]

In countries where English isn’t the main or an official language, that is.

Abdullah’s English is almost flawless.

[MrDibble]

@Cardboard

In countries where English isn’t the main or an official language, that is.

Abdullah’s English is almost flawless.

Is it really so remarkable? I mean, Abdullah was educated in England and the US, and served in the UK armed forces, it’s no surprise he speaks English well.

[AK84]

@Cardboard

In countries where English isn’t the main or an official language, that is.

Abdullah’s English is almost flawless.

What are the “flaws” therein?

As it is the wiki article on languages in Jordan says

@Wiki

English, though without an official status, is widely spoken throughout the country and is the de facto language of commerce and banking, as well as a co-official status in the education sector; almost all university-level classes are held in English.

So it is a main language there.

OTH, here is then Prince Filipe of Spain speaking English

[Flyer]

I would think that Bashar al-Assad and Fidel Castro would be candidates. Assad studied ophthalmology in London, and Castro is famous for his long speeches.

And for certain values of “leaders” there is also Queen Noor, the widow of King Hussein–she’s actually a native American (“native” in the PROPER sense of the term).

[BrotherCadfael]

He certainly speaks better English than Jean Chrétien!

[John_Mace]

Bibi Netanyahu. (Oh, never mind. English is an official language.)

Abdullah’s mother was British.

[The_Second_Stone]

Queen Noor of Jordan

Queen Noor is British only in the same sense that all people of Swedish and Syrian descent born in America to American citizens in D.C. are British. That is, not at all.

[Dewey_Finn]

What is your point? Abdullah’s mother is not Queen Noor.

[dougie_monty]

Didn’t Leonid Brezhnev (U.S.S.R.) and Chou en-Lai (China) speak English?

[Skald_the_Rhymer]

@Flyer

I would think that Bashar al-Assad and Fidel Castro would be candidates. Assad studied ophthalmology in London, and Castro is famous for his long speeches.

And for certain values of “leaders” there is also Queen Noor, the widow of King Hussein–she’s actually a native American (“native” in the PROPER sense of the term).

Just what is the PROPER sense of native?

[dougie_monty]

Fidelissimo speaks English?

[slash2k]

@The_Second_Stone

Queen Noor of Jordan - Wikipedia

Queen Noor is British only in the same sense that all people of Swedish and Syrian descent born in America to American citizens in D.C. are British. That is, not at all.

So?

King Abdullah’s mother is Princess Muna al-Hussein, born Antoinette Avril Gardiner in the United Kingdom to U.K. citizens.

[Captain_Amazing]

@Flyer

I would think that Bashar al-Assad and Fidel Castro would be candidates. Assad studied ophthalmology in London, and Castro is famous for his long speeches.

Here’s Assad speaking English.

And here’s Castro.

[Cardboard]

@AK84

What are the “flaws” therein?

As it is the wiki article on languages in Jordan says

So it is a main language there.

OTH, here is then Prince Filipe of Spain speaking English

I had no idear. On the country’s Wikipedia page it said their official language is Arabic, so I assumed that would be what everyone spoke.

[Cardboard]

@MrDibble

Is it really so remarkable? I mean, Abdullah was educated in England and the US, and served in the UK armed forces, it’s no surprise he speaks English well.

A lot of leaders were educated in the USA, but still speak with super heavy accents. But King Abdullah’s English is without much noticeable accent.

[psychonaut]

@dougie_monty

Didn’t Leonid Brezhnev (U.S.S.R.) and Chou en-Lai (China) speak English?

I don’t see how Brezhnev could have spoken English when he could barely speak his native Russian properly.

[Cardboard]

@psychonaut

I don’t see how Brezhnev could have spoken English when he could barely speak his native Russian properly.

Brezhnev’s counterpart Josef Tito spoke decent English if I recall.

I’ve heard Assad speak before, he’s understandable but a little lispy as I recall.

Another one who speaks English decently is Angela Merkel.

[Steken]

Helle Thorning speaks it fairly well. Her husband is British.

[dougie_monty]

@Cardboard

Brezhnev’s counterpart Josef Tito spoke decent English if I recall.

[…]

I read somewhere that Tito claimed he learned Esperanto in jail! :eek:

[Flyer]

@Skald_the_Rhymer

Just what is the PROPER sense of native?

Merriam-Webster–
“Belonging to a particular place by birth.”

I felt it necessary to point that out, due to the PC crowd who has hijacked the term “native American” and twisted it to mean only a certain ethnic group.