Given their backgrounds, I think it’s safe to assume that Josephine and Leliana both speak Orlesian. And as a Nevarran princess, Cassandra was probably taught at least the basics of the Orlesian language as part of her early education.
So am I the only one who imagines the Ladies gathered around the war table and gossiping in fluent Orlesian, while Cullen just stands there, not understanding a single word, and politely pretending that he doesn’t know perfectly well they’re talking about him and the Inquisitor all the time?
OR BETTER STILL- As an officer candidate who might one day have to deal with the Templar command in Orlais Cullen was taught Orlesian and because he was always an eager student he learnt it pretty fluently. But when he joins the Inquisition he never lets on, because he refuses to be drawn into the pettiness of the Game.
So the ladies of the war council gossip and giggle, with many amused looks his way, and think the content of their conversations a complete secret. Until one day while they are speculating about whether the Inquisitor objects to sleeping under the holes in his roof he quietly interjects, in fluent if poorly accented Orlesian, that actually she likes to see the stars.
For a while they’re mortified: He’s known what they were talking about the whole damn time and made fools of them. But then Leliana starts deploying him to take notes when left alone with their oblivious Orlesian allies and he wishes he’d kept his damned mouth shut. Stopping Leliana and Josie from giggling about his liaisons with the Inquisitor was not worth this.