mother tongue
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"So I usually switch between my mother tongue, which is Marathi, and English," she said.
From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026
He dropped his English name, James, and resolved to write only in the language of the Kikuyu people, his mother tongue.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025
It just created this real, almost, like, subconscious intimacy because it’s the mother tongue.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2025
As the young children enthusiastically sang out phrases, Esau interjected occasionally to correct their pronunciation of the distinct sounds and deep clicks of her mother tongue, of which she is the last first-language speaker.
From Barron's • Oct. 10, 2025
It was like switching from passively watching a film in a foreign language to actively debating in one’s mother tongue.
From "The Annotated Mona Lisa" by Carol Strickland and John Boswell
