How to Make Google Assistant Bilingual

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You can now speak to Google Assistant in two languages. Here's how to set it up.

Recognizing that increasing numbers of households speak more than one language, Google has added multilingual capabilities to its Google Assistant. Now, the Assistant can understand any pair of the following languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, and Japanese.

So, for example, you can now say "Hey Google, what's the weather" and "Hey Google, che tempo fa oggi" (Italian for "what's the weather) and get a response in the language that you asked the question. That's something you can't do with Alexa.

Here's how to set up multi-lingual capabilities with Google Assistant.

1. Open the Google Assistant app.

2. Press the little circular icon in the upper right corner.

3. Press the ellipses (...) in the upper right corner.

4. Select Settings from the menu that appears.

5. Select Preferences on the next screen.

6. Select Assistant Language.

7. On the next screen, press "Add a language."

8. A list of available languages will then appear. Select the language you want to add.

You should now be able to converse with Google Assistant in two languages. Keep in mind that it will respond in the language in which you asked the question.

For more Google Assistant-related tips, tricks, and how-tos, check out our complete guide to Google Assistant.

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Mike Prospero
Mike Prospero
U.S. Editor-in-Chief, Tom's Guide

Michael A. Prospero is the U.S. Editor-in-Chief for Tom’s Guide. He oversees all evergreen content and oversees the Homes, Smart Home, and Fitness/Wearables categories for the site. In his spare time, he also tests out the latest drones, electric scooters, and smart home gadgets, such as video doorbells. Before his tenure at Tom's Guide, he was the Reviews Editor for Laptop Magazine, a reporter at Fast Company, the Times of Trenton, and, many eons back, an intern at George magazine. He received his undergraduate degree from Boston College, where he worked on the campus newspaper The Heights, and then attended the Columbia University school of Journalism. When he’s not testing out the latest running watch, electric scooter, or skiing or training for a marathon, he’s probably using the latest sous vide machine, smoker, or pizza oven, to the delight — or chagrin — of his family.