All Of The Languages Garcia Speaks On Criminal Minds
Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) is one smart cookie. That's to be expected of a professional hacker who works for the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) and someone who also spends time breaking into highly secure places to deliver sensitive information to their colleagues.
Garcia's jobs — initially, she works as a technical analyst, then as a Supervisory Agent — require her to think on her feet and use her brain frequently. Keeping in close contact with the agents on the ground, she's the BAU's eyes and ears on the information superhighway.
During "Criminal Minds" 15 seasons, Garcia reveals a flair for science, math, and computer-related skills. She also has a penchant for languages, much like her fellow smartypants colleague Dr. Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler). We hear her speak at least two different languages besides English during the series — and fail in her attempt at speaking a third. Do you remember what those languages were?
Garcia is fluent in at least two languages
Aside from being a native English speaker, Penelope Garcia can be heard speaking French fluently in the Season 2 episode "Empty Planet." She knows the language well enough to use it to flirt with her close friend Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore). Morgan, who often enjoys flirting right back at Garcia, promptly declares that the sound of her speaking French "drives him wild."
Garcia is seen trying to learn Italian in the Season 3 episode "In Heat." It's not known whether or not she manages to become as fluent in the language as she is in French.
There is one language that Penelope absolutely hasn't mastered, though — and it's Spanish. In the Season 1 episode "Machismo," she explains that she has no fluency in the language and her surname comes from her stepfather. When trying to speak a snippet of Spanish aloud, she blunders. Call it proof that nobody's perfect.