What Language is Spoken in Spain? Top 6 Common Languages in Spain

Spain is known as a country with a unique language system. If you’re planning to work, study, or reside in this country, you might be wondering: What language is spoken in Spain?

Explore this article by Thao & Co. to find out!

What language is spoken in Spain?

The official language

The official language of Spain is Spanish, a Romance language from the Indo-European language family (the Italic branch). Almost 99% of the citizens of Spain use Spanish as their primary language.

Spanish is quite similar to Portuguese as they share a large portion of vocabulary, up to around 90%.

In addition, Spanish is considered one of the most widely spoken and influential languages globally, along with English and French.

Other native languages

Beyond Spanish, several native languages are spoken across Spain, including:

1. ● Catalan: Around 20% of Spanish citizens use Catalan in autonomous administrative areas such as Catalonia, Valencia, and the Balearic Islands, with slight differences in vocabulary, pronunciation, and usage.

1. ● Aranese: In regions like Catalonia and northwestern Catalonia, the Aranese language ranks as the second most spoken language after Spanish, with around 10% of the population speaking it.

1. ● Basque: Mostly used in the Basque country and northern Navarre. However, only around 2% of the local population speaks this language due to the complexities of linguistic structures and phonetics.

1. ● Valencian: Linguists typically consider Valencian and Catalan to be different regional names for the same language. It is mostly used in the Valencian community alongside Spanish.

1. ● Galician: It is spoken in the community of Galicia, located in the northwest of Spain. Galician shares many similarities with Portuguese.

Is English spoken in Spain?

English is not frequently used in the daily lives of most Spanish people. According to the EF English Proficiency Index, Spain ranks at a moderate to low level of English proficiency.

That said, many young people in the country can communicate in English, although not as fluently as those in countries like Finland, Denmark, and Norway. In popular cities and tourist attractions, visitors can generally get by with English.

Common languages spoken in Spain

Overall, there are 6 culturally dominant languages in Spain:

1. 1. Spanish (the official language),
2. 2. Catalan,
3. 3. Aranese,
4. 4. Basque,
5. 5. Valencian,
6. 6. Galician.

As Spanish uses the Latin script, it is considered easier to learn compared to other languages. Yet, Spanish grammar is much more complex than English and quite distinct from most Asian languages.

In Asian countries, Spanish isn’t widely taught, making it challenging to find a good Spanish translator for translation, whether for overseas study or international business projects.

Consider choosing Thao & Co. when you need assistance with your Spanish documents. We offer a wide range of professional translation solutions for many file formats, such as texts, images, and audio, translating from Spanish to over 50 languages and vice versa.

With an optimized and secured workflow, the translation accuracy and delivery timeline are ensured. We also provide a transparent quote upfront with no hidden fees.

Key takeaways

So, what language is spoken in Spain? Now you know the answer! To sum up, Spain boasts a diverse multilingual setting, and learning Spanish is essential if you intend to settle in this country.

Looking for a Spanish translation agency? Feel free to leave your information on our Get A Quote page, and Thao & Co. will get back to you promptly.

Our team of expert linguists guarantees top-quality translations!