Our dog knows at least 200+ words (we’ve tested him ; )). It would be great if they could verbally communicate back (like the dog in Up!).
I think some can. I know my cat would talk to me!
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Ha ha, I guess dogs can learn to understand any language–probably more than one!–since they live all over the world. The key, obviously, is teaching them which behavior is associated with which word(s). That’s the step some people I’ve known don’t seem to get.
I have a relative who had the sweetest, though admittedly not the brightest, litte Westie. The relative never trained the dog, and would get frustrated and just yell at the poor thing, who wanted nothing more than to please, if only he knew what was expected of him. The dog absolutely loved me, because I was kind to him.
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D2 complains her dog is not well trained enough because he barks sometimes. But this dog will not eat any food off a table even within his reach, he will immediately go to his crate when told to do so and here is the best part (my training)…when we come back from a walk, I say “sit, don’t move until I wipe your paws.” He’ll sit very still until I come back with a wet cloth and wipe all 4 of his paws off. D2 said that he doesn’t do that other people.
I am not a dog person, but I do like D2’s dog quite a bit. I dog sit him when D2 is away sometimes. He is not allowed to sleep on the bed, but he’ll try to sneak into the bed when he thinks I am asleep (when I turn off the light).
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Of course they can. 
You mentioned English specifically, so that was the example I used in my post about how many words dogs can understand. They will learn words in the particular language they are addressed in.
I never counted how many, but my cat displayed understanding of certain words. I doubt she understood 160 though!
Well, not to belabor the point, but I only mentioned English because that’s what we’re speaking here. 
As far as learning words, I remember seeing a show about a dog, a Border Collie I think, who knew the names of a huge number of its toys. The filmers hid a big pile of toys out of sight behind the couch, and one by one asked for different ones. The dog invariably rooted through the pile and found the right toy. Super smart!
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I should work on that with my Aussies. The four-year-old knows lots of words. I love saying, “OK, Jazz, let’s get in the car!” and he runs right for it. He knows “toy” in general and “ball,” but I think I’ll start using more specific names. I’m not sure how much Louie, 14 months, knows yet, but he’s sharp.
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Those interested in getting their dogs to talk should look up What About Bunny and her buttons!
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My dog knows the name of all his toys too. He has two big bins and we can say “go find ______” and he’ll root through the bin until he finds what we asked for. He’ll also play hide and seek with toys.
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I looked it up-cats can recognize up to 40 or 50 words. 
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Our cat definitely knows her name. Period. But other than that I’m pretty sure it’s tone of voice, not words. Bless her beautiful, fat, fluffy, dumb heart.
We have had cats in the past that were so smart we said they “thought they were dogs.” 
Here’s Miss “But I’m Beautiful”
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Sounds nuts but my cat would talk to me like a conversation. When she really wanted me she’d call me MAMA. It was said so clear I’d swear it was a kid calling me. The first time she did it I about jumped out of my skin. I knew exactly what she was saying and I’m sure she knew what I was saying in return.
Another cat we had would go to the bus stop and wait for the kids to walk them home in the afternoon. He was a dog at heart.
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I believe it! Our last cat (rip) was like that. Opened doors. Played fetch. Knew it’s favorite toy’s name. Etc.
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Friend’s family cat in HS had a Burmese who loved to play hide n seek. Just say “wanna play hide n seek?” and the cat would run off to hide. After you found him it was your turn to hide and he’d hunt you down. It was hilarious.
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We had a Maine Coon cat we nicknamed Crimson because when it meowed it sounded like “BAMA”. Would sit on a window sill and stare and you would hear BAMA BAMA BAMA. Nick Saban would have been proud.
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The closest my dog comes to speaking is “mmmhmmm”. I’ll ask him if he wants a treat and he mimics how I say “mmhmmm”. Cracks my H up every time.
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We had a dog that smiled. He copied us. It looked weird to other people and they thought he might be angry because he bared all his teeth, but that was just the best way he could smile and show his teeth like we did.
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Ours too!
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Unfortunately, “NO!” isn’t one of them! 
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