first language

noun

1. a person's native language

Example Sentences

That figure includes a wide range of different needs, including those with dyslexia; those for whom English is not their first language; and those with severe physical and intellectual disabilities.

From BBC

His first language is Marathi and Mr Sawant speaks "very little" English.

From BBC

With German as their first language, English as their second and the “tiny bit of Spanish” Van Tass speaks, the Clairvoyants are prepared to acclimate.

From Los Angeles Times

Martin Van Buren, the only American president whose first language was not English, was a manipulative and prevaricating weasel.

From Salon

"People are literally walking in with their phones, particularly if English isn't their first language, and they're holding up pictures or showing us reels and saying: 'I want this'."

From BBC