BREAKING: Catalonia Declares Independence

[Velasco]

Even though I don't like him I have to admit, Puigdemont does know a lot of languages (Spanish and Catalan obviously, but also French and English). He seems to be very good with languages, I wouldn't be surprised if he picked up decent German in 2 years or so.

Meanwhile, the Spanish PM... yeah, nothing. Not even Galician! (no Spanish PM has ever spoken a foreign language in fact, though Aznar did learn English after he left)

Pedro Sánchez must be the first Spanish PM in the present democratic period who is fluent in English. Sánchez co-religionist Juan Negrin,  who led the Spanish Republican government during the Civil War, is probably the most multilingual of all. Negrin was able to speak German (he studied medicine at Kiel and Leipzig universities), French, English,  Italian and Russian... and apparently he was studying Chinese during his final years in exile (Negrin died in Paris). I am certain that Sánchez is more skilled than Puigdemont in the Shakespeare's tongue, but the Catalan politician also speaks some French...

[Velasco]

Even though I don't like him I have to admit, Puigdemont does know a lot of languages (Spanish and Catalan obviously, but also French and English). He seems to be very good with languages, I wouldn't be surprised if he picked up decent German in 2 years or so.

Meanwhile, the Spanish PM... yeah, nothing. Not even Galician! (no Spanish PM has ever spoken a foreign language in fact, though Aznar did learn English after he left)

Pedro Sánchez must be the first Spanish PM in the present democratic period who is fluent in English. Sánchez co-religionist Juan Negrin,  who led the Spanish Republican government during the Civil War, is probably the most multilingual of all. Negrin was able to speak German (he studied medicine at Kiel and Leipzig universities), French, English,  Italian and Russian... and apparently he was studying Chinese during his final years in exile (Negrin died in Paris). I am certain that Sánchez is more skilled than Puigdemont in the Shakespeare's tongue, but the Catalan politician also speaks some French...

Yes, that is all correct. Negrin's language skills are very impressive indeed being fluent in so many languages; especially by 1930s standards.

I have heard some rumours that short lived PM Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo was fluent in French but I have never been able to confirm them. Other than him I believe Sanchez is the only PM to speak a foreign language fluently, though I do expect Spanish PMs to be fluent in English as the norm from now on

I was wrong overlooking the short-lived PM who succeeded Adoldo Suárez and was replaced by Felipe González. I believe the latter speaks some French without being fluent (Puigdemont style)

According to Wikipedia,  Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo was fluent in French, English, German Italian and Portuguese!

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopoldo_Calvo-Sotelo