Heroes - Hiro - English?

Can Hiro speak english or not?
Two episodes ago he talked in english to the flying governor
in the diner, and last episode he could not understand the english
speaker on the phone ("he said he has a message for you" was
translated to him).

Or am I just confused?

Jon Purkey...

I took it as meaning the governor could understand him because he had
special abilities (flying.) That is, Hiro may of been
speaking/hearing Japanese, but the governor was hearing/speaking
English? Does that make sense?

Has Hiro met any of the others with special abilities? Maybe they'll
be able to understand him too.

Brandy Alexandre...

They would explain it if that were the case. I think Hiro speaks and
understands some English, but has a really hard time participating
conversationally, especially when he's stressed.

EGTea...

The "Hiro from the future" speaks English much better -- and with an
American accent -- probably as a result of more experience.

William George Ferguson...

From the beginning, we've known that Hiro knows a little bit of English,
and can string together some of the phrases he knows. His comprehension of
what English-speakers say is very low (at least for present-Hiro). We have
not seen him really follow a medium to long conversation in English, at
most he's understood a phrase or maybe the gist of a sentence. That's why
he needs Boy Wonder Ando.

altec3220...

He seems to be able to understand and speak English in fits and starts.
Broken English, in other words.

Quiet Desperation...

I figured he was just having trouble understanding the English over a
cell phone. Not the clearest of communication links.

Victor Velazquez...

Understanding an unfamiliar language is hard to do over the phone (any
phone). No "lip-reading" and no non-verbal cues make for very poor
comprehension.

mcgahee...

Well, I guess it wasn't as blatant as I thought it was. I am not motivated
enough to download the episodes and check again. Oh well, I won't
lose any sleep over it, I am enjoying this show quite a bit.

It just seemed to me that before the diner scene, Hiro needed his friend to
phonetically teach him an English phrase and Hiro had absolutely no English
skill;
also in future New York Hiro had zero english skills.
Then in the diner Hiro had a conversation in English (he was chatting).
Then after the diner, Hiro again could not understand anything
at all during the cell phone call.

One thing that occurred to me, are these all "current Hiro"? Perhaps the
level
of english is a clue, and the no-english Hiro is the current time line Hiro,
while
the chatting Hiro in the diner is a future version of Hiro who specifically
targeted
the diner to meet the flying Petrelli. (I don't think that jives with the
preceding scene though)

~consul...

That would be veeeeery very detailed and complicated, that even though we are seeing
consecutive scenes, we are not seeing consecutive Hiros.

Very detailed and complicated, but very cool if true.

Bill Steele...

Understanding any foreign language is harder than speaking it. I could
probably say in Japanese the stuff Hiro said in English, but I only
understand about a third of what Hiro and Ando are saying to each other.

Chiarida wo tasukereba, sekai wo tasukete ni naru.