In the 17th century, yes. African slaves at this time were taken from Africa to Barbados, where they learnt English working on the sugar plantations. This was because there was no direct trade between America and Africa at this point. When they left Barbados, they often had been there for a few years, long enough to pick up the language. This led to a small window in the late half of the 17th century where whtie indentured servants and black slaves in Pennsylvania and other colonies were able to communicate well and shared a common frame of reference in terms of working for plantation owners. This led to several rebellions and uprisings, of which Bacon's Rebellion is the most famous. By 1700, slaves were being shipped direct to America from Africa, and thus not learning English in the Caribbean as the previous generation had. This resulted in a widening gap between poor whites and black slaves, as the lack of communication made common society between the groups nearly impossible. This resulted in a three class system for whites, and a separate class for blacks below the rest.