Languages of Spain: A guide for Spanish learners

🤔 What are the top 3 languages in Spain? 

Spain has four official languages, but the top three most spoken are:

Spanish (Castilian): Spoken by nearly everyone. Let's face it, if you don't speak Spanish in Spain, you might end up ordering something unexpected in a restaurant! 🍽️

Catalan (Catalán/Valencian): Spoken by around 10 million people in Catalonia, Valencia, and the Balearic Islands. It sounds like Spanish… but not quite! 🤯

Galician (Gallego): Spoken by around 2.5 million people in Galicia, and if you understand Portuguese, you might get the gist!

🎤 Official and co-official languages in Spain 

Spanish (Castilian)

Spanish originated from Latin around the 9th century and became the dominant language of Spain by the 15th century. Today, it is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, with over 500 million speakers. Spanish, also known as Castilian (Castellano), is the official language of Spain and the most widely spoken. It evolved from Latin, absorbed some Arabic influences, and later took a few words from English (Hola, ¿un 'selfie' por favor? 📸).

Catalan (Catalán) and Valencian (Valenciano)

Catalan dates back to the 9th century and developed from Vulgar Latin. It was once the official language of the Crown of Aragon and has a long literary tradition dating back to the Middle Ages. Catalan is spoken in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and Valencia. In Valencia, it's called Valencian (Valencià), but trust me, they understand each other!

Galician (Gallego)

Galician evolved from the Galician-Portuguese language spoken in the Middle Ages. It was widely used in literature as early as the 12th century and shares a deep connection with Portuguese. If you speak Portuguese, you’re in luck! Galician and Portuguese were once the same language. Imagine ordering a 'café' in Portugal and being perfectly understood in Galicia! ☕

Basque (Euskera)

Unlike the other languages, Basque is a total mystery! It is one of the oldest languages in Europe, dating back over 2,000 years, and has no known linguistic relatives. If you manage to learn it, you officially earn linguistic bragging rights! 🏆 Unlike the other languages, Basque is a total mystery! It has no known relatives, so learning it is like cracking an ancient code. If you manage to learn it, you officially earn linguistic bragging rights! 🏆

In this video you can see what these languages sound like 👂

❓ Common questions about languages in Spain 

❌  Does all of Spain speak Catalan? 

❌  Nope! Catalan is mainly spoken in Catalonia, Valencia, and the Balearic Islands. Outside of these areas, you’ll mostly hear Spanish. So don’t panic, you won’t need to learn Catalan for a trip to Madrid! 😅

🤷 Is English a main language in Spain? 

🤷 Not really. While English is taught in schools, let’s just say the average Spanish person's confidence in speaking it depends on how many tapas they've had! 🍷😂

❌  Is Basque the same as Catalan? 

❌  Not at all! Catalan is a Romance language, like Spanish and French, while Basque is… well, nobody knows! It's an isolated language with no linguistic cousins. Pretty cool, right? 🤓

💬 Have you heard any of these languages when visiting Spain? Share your thoughts in the comments!