The languages of Spain

Where each language is spoken

1. Catalan (català) — and Aranese Catalan is official in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. In the Val d'Aran, Aranese, a form of Occitan, is a third official language of Catalonia.
2. Valencian (valencià) The region's statute calls its language Valencian; the Valencian academy holds that Valencian and Catalan are one language with two names.
3. Galician (galego) Very close to Portuguese: in the Middle Ages they were one language.
4. Basque (euskara) Not from Latin; related to no known language. San Sebastián is also Donostia, and both names are official.
5. Basque, in the north Official only in the Basque-speaking north of Navarre.

• Article 3 of the 1978 Constitution makes Castilian the official language of the State and says the other Spanish languages are also official in their autonomous communities, in line with their statutes.
• Six autonomous communities have at least one official language besides Castilian: Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, the Valencian Community, Galicia, the Basque Country and Navarre.
• Catalan is official in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands and is the only official language of Andorra; in the Valencian Community the language is called Valencian.
• Aranese, a form of Occitan from the Val d'Aran, is official in all of Catalonia under the 2006 statute, giving the region three official languages.
• Galician is official in Galicia and very close to Portuguese; a Galician and a Portuguese speaker understand each other fairly well.
• Basque is official in the Basque Country and part of Navarre. It does not come from Latin and no related language is known; linguists call it a language isolate.
• Asturian and Aragonese are protected by law but not official.

En España no se habla solo español.

In Spain not only Spanish is spoken.

El catalán es oficial en Cataluña y en las Islas Baleares.

Catalan is official in Catalonia and in the Balearic Islands.

El gallego es oficial en Galicia, en el noroeste de España.

Galician is official in Galicia, in the north-west of Spain.

El euskera es oficial en el País Vasco y en una parte de Navarra.

Basque is official in the Basque Country and in part of Navarre.

No se conoce ninguna lengua pariente del euskera.

No language related to Basque is known.

Castellano, español — and the word to avoid

Castellano and español are two names for the same language. The Constitution says castellano, and in the bilingual regions people often prefer it, because it leaves room for the other Spanish languages; across most of the Spanish-speaking world español is more usual. Both are correct.

What is not correct is calling Catalan, Galician or Basque a dialect. Catalan and Galician grew out of Latin separately from Castilian — they are its sisters, not its daughters — and Basque is not related to it at all. Say it in Barcelona or Bilbao and you will annoy people, and be wrong.

In these regions official signs are usually in two languages, many young people have spoken both since they were small, and a conversation can switch language in the middle of a sentence.

• Castellano and español are two names for the same language; the Constitution says castellano, and in bilingual regions people often prefer it.
• Calling Catalan, Galician or Basque a dialect annoys a lot of people, and it is wrong: Catalan and Galician descend from Latin independently of Castilian, and Basque is unrelated.
• In Catalonia's schools the normal language of lessons is Catalan; Castilian is taught too, and how many hours go to each is an old dispute that keeps returning to the courts.

Castellano y español son dos nombres para la misma lengua.

Castellano and español are two names for the same language.

Llamar dialecto al catalán, al gallego o al euskera molesta a mucha gente.

Calling Catalan, Galician or Basque a dialect annoys a lot of people.

En las calles de Barcelona se oyen las dos lenguas, a veces en la misma frase.

In the streets of Barcelona both languages are heard, sometimes in the same sentence.

Banned, then official

In the early years of Franco's dictatorship these languages were shut out of school and public life; Castilian was the only official language and teachers who taught in the others could be punished. People spoke them at home, quietly. Over the decades the rules grew less strict, and after Franco's death the 1978 Constitution and the regional statutes made them official in their regions.

The Constitution's third article also says that the richness of Spain's different linguistic forms is a cultural heritage that deserves special respect and protection.

• During Franco's dictatorship, 1939–1975, the regional languages were kept out of school and public life, most harshly in the first years; people spoke them at home.
• The 1978 Constitution recognised them as official languages in their regions, and calls the diversity of Spain's linguistic forms a cultural heritage to be especially respected and protected.

La gente las hablaba en casa, en voz baja.

People spoke them at home, quietly.

La Constitución de 1978 las reconoció como lenguas oficiales en sus regiones.

The Constitution of 1978 recognised them as official languages in their regions.

Three ways to say good morning

el castellano

Castilian, Spanish

el catalán

Catalan

el valenciano

Valencian

el gallego

Galician

el euskera

Basque

la lengua oficial

the official language

En catalán se dice "bon dia", en gallego "bos días" y en euskera "egun on".

In Catalan you say "bon dia", in Galician "bos días" and in Basque "egun on": good morning.

¿Cómo se dice "gracias" en catalán?

How do you say "thank you" in Catalan?

Perdone, ¿me lo puede decir en castellano?

Sorry, could you say that in Castilian?