What is your first language?

When the USCIS officer asks about the applicant's first language, the applicant should respond with the language the applicant grew up speaking and that the applicant uses with the most fluency. The N-400 application asks about language abilities. The officer asks the question for several reasons. First, the answer is part of biographical information. Second, the answer helps the officer understand the applicant's English-language journey: applicants whose first language is something other than English have learned English as a second or additional language, and the officer is testing that learned English ability. Third, applicants who qualify for testing accommodations under the 50/20, 55/15, or 65/20 rules take the civics test in their native language, so the officer needs to know what that language is.

Common first languages for American naturalization applicants include Spanish (the most common), Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Tagalog/Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, Arabic, French, Russian, Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, Portuguese, Polish, Japanese, German, Italian, Persian/Farsi, Haitian Creole, and many others. The applicant should give the language name in English (Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Russian, etc.) rather than in the language itself (Espanol, Zhongwen, Hangul, Russkij), although the officer typically understands either.

Some applicants speak multiple languages from childhood and may not have a single first language. In that case, the applicant can mention all the languages of childhood and indicate which is the primary language used. Applicants from multilingual families (parents from different language backgrounds, immigrant families maintaining heritage languages) should describe the situation honestly. Applicants from countries with multiple official languages (Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, India, South Africa, etc.) may speak more than one language at native level. Applicants whose first language is English (perhaps because they grew up in the Philippines, India, Nigeria, or another former British colony where English is widely used in education and government) should say so.

The applicant's first language does not affect naturalization eligibility (assuming the English requirement is met), but it does affect testing accommodations and may affect the kind of help the applicant needs. Applicants who request an interpreter under one of the age/residency exemptions should bring an interpreter to the interview; USCIS does not provide interpreters automatically except in limited circumstances. The interpreter must be qualified, fluent in both English and the native language, and not a relative or attorney of the applicant. The officer may also ask follow-up questions about education and work history that involve the first language to confirm consistency.