How does Chidi suddenly speak English?

Note: Please upvote the question too!

Good question. No explanation as of the Season 2 finale. But, this is explained in the Season 3 premiere: (Maybe they made this explanation BECAUSE of this question. LOL. Edit: See below!)

His native language is French, but he went to American schools. He says

I grew up in Senegal so my native language is French. But I went to American schools, so I also speak English.

Here are some screenshots:

This may have been different in the reality where they all died as they originally did, but you're asking about the reality where Chidi speaks English.

Edit: Actually, that the season 3 premiere addresses this question is mentioned in some articles: 1, 2 (this article claims this Chidi thing to be a 'massive' plot hole. lol 'massive' really?), 3. Apparently, a lot of people had this question at the end of s2.

Actually there's another question that one of the above articles asks

Why does Chidi have an American accent, then?

The same article gives an official answer:

Well, according to The Good Place's creator Michael Schur, it was just a helluva lot easier that way.

• My thoughts: Or he just has a good American accent. There are lots of multilingual people who are very good in multiple accents, like they really sound American when speaking (American) English and then they really sound German when speaking German.

Realistically it's a plot hole, if you wanted an in-universe explanation then technically it's never stated that Chidi can't speak English, and it would still make sense for it to be translated into French in the Good Place if it was his first language since that's pretty much always going to be more comfortable even if fluent in the secondary language.

He teaches at an English-speaking university, of course he speaks English

While he assumes he is in the Good Place Chidi might well choose to speak French, his native language, but when Eleanor meets him in the real world he is is a Professor at an English-speaking university in an English speaking country. It is totally natural for him to default to English there.

And we know he is a cosmopolitan person who has travelled and been educated in more than one country. While his native country's language is French, he was probably educated in English from a young age and, since he has worked in english-speaking countries for some time (it must have taken him some time to write his long book and climb up the ladder of his profession) we can assume his English is good.

So there is no obvious plot hole or contradiction in what the show shows us. Chidi is fluent in more than one language. While in the Good Place he might choose to speak French (and this gives the show an excuse to show us some of the features supposedly making it the good place) there is no contradiction to his speaking English fluently while in an Australian university in the real world.