Do you speak Spanish? If you do, well, that will get you far here in Spain. But if you are in Catalonia, for example, or the Basque Country, or a handful of other regions, you may still feel lost reading some signs and menus that appear to be in a completely different language, that’s because they are.
Besides the obvious Spanish, there are several other languages commonly spoken in Spain. Depending on where you are in the country, you may hear any of the regional co-official languages, in addition to the Spanish you are already familiar with. In some cases, the regional language is even more commonly spoken than Spanish itself.
Official language of Spain
Spanish , also known as Castilian or simply Castilian, is the official national language. You will see it called Castilian here in Spain.
The Spanish spoken in Spain is largely the same as that spoken in Latin America, but with some key differences. The main thing you will notice is the different accent, although there are also some differences in the use of vocabulary and grammar.
Spain is a great place to learn Spanish that can be used with any Spanish speaker around the world. Some cities, like Salamanca, are especially known for their clear and easy-to-understand dialect, which makes them especially perfect for new students.
Other important languages spoken in Spain
The autonomous community system allows each of the regions of Spain to choose a common language. Six regions have taken this option.
Catalonia and the Balearic Islands have Catalan , which is the most widely spoken minority language in Spain. Catalonia is perhaps where you will most often see a menu written in a regional co-official language.
In Valencia, many locals speak Valencian (seen by many, including the Royal Spanish Academy) as a dialect of Catalan, although some disagree. However, in general, Valencian speakers feel less about their regional language than Catalans.
In total, around seven million people speak some type of Catalan, including Valencian. Catalan is intelligible when written if you speak Spanish (and / or French) but the pronunciation is quite different.
The Basque Country and Navarra have Basque , a complex language that is often called the most unique in Europe. Despite the infamous ETA terrorist group based in the Basque Country, Basques are generally more willing to speak Spanish than Catalans.
In Galicia , many people speak Galician, with a variant called Eonavian (also known as Galician-Asturian) that is spoken in Asturias. About three million people speak the language. Of all the regional languages in Spain, it is the easiest to read and understand if you already speak Spanish. And if you also know a little Portuguese, you shouldn’t have a problem understanding the language – Portuguese actually came from Galician.
Ready to start brushing up on your Catalan, Basque and / or Galician? See some common phrases in these languages at the bottom of the page.
Attitudes towards Spanish (Castilian) in the Catalan, Basque and Galician speaking regions
Genuine hostility towards Spanish speakers is rare in regions with co-official languages, and even rarer when said Spanish speaker is a tourist who is actually making an effort to speak the national language. That said, mild animosity is not unheard of. It is often said that some Basques or Catalans prefer English to be spoken to them than Spanish. If you know such a hostile person, ask yourself if you really want to talk to them, and remember that they are not representative of all members of the local community.
While the Basques are proud of their regional identity (to the point that many identify as Basque, rather than Spanish), here in Spain Catalans are often considered the most fervent nationalists of all Spanish regions. In the Basque Country, street names are often written in both Spanish and Basque, while in Catalonia they only appear in Catalan. Confusingly, Spanish speakers in Catalonia often call Catalan street names by their Spanish equivalent, which can be quite frustrating when looking for it on a map.
It is rare for Galicians to resent the use of Castilian Spanish in Galicia.
Spanish is spoken in all towns, except in the most remote of these regions. You don’t need to learn any of these languages to the point of fluency, but you will definitely learn the phrases at the end of this article.
Other languages spoken in Spain
Aranese (a dialect of Gascon, itself a variant of Occitan) is an official language in the small Val d’Aran, in northwestern Catalonia, although it is not recognized in the rest of Catalonia.
Valencian is recognized as a dialect of Catalan by most authorities, although in Valencia it is seen as a separate language. This means that there are four, five or six official languages in Spain, depending on your position on Valencian and if you want to include Aranese.
In addition to these official languages, there are several unofficial languages in Spain. Asturian and its Leonese variant are understood to some extent in the Asturias and León regions, respectively, but are generally considered dead languages. Aragonese is spoken around the Aragon River and the province of Huesca in Aragon.
He said that these languages form a continuum: Portuguese, Galician, Asturian / Leonese, Spanish, Aragonese, Catalan, Aranese / Gascon / Occitan, to Italian. It’s hard to say exactly where one ends and the next begins.
In Extremadura, a region southwest of Madrid, you will also find Extremaduran (considered by some to be a dialect of Spanish) and Fala , a variant of Portuguese.
Finally, there are large communities of English- and Arabic- speaking immigrants in Spain. Some estimates claim that there are a million native English speakers living in Spain, which makes English as widely spoken in Spain as Basque. In some parts of Andalusia, road signs appear in English and some (around Almería) even in Arabic due to its proximity to Morocco.
Thanks to Tim Barton of www.timtranslates.com for his help with this page.
