Over 25% of Spaniards uses other languages other than Spanish as their mother tongue! In fact, besides the main language, Spanish or Castellano, there are a series of dialects and languages spoken in various corners of the country, out of which three are considered official languages. These are an important part of the Spanish cultural patrimony.
Spanish or Castilian
Castilian language is official throughout the country and is one of the most spoken languages in the world. Besides Spain, it is also used in Gibraltar, Andorra, Latin America and North America. The Spanish language as compared to other European languages is relatively easy to learn, especially for English native speakers.
Catalan
Almost 4 million people speak Catalan as their first language. This major language is spoken by in the Catalonia region, Arragon and Balearic islands of Spain, as well as parts of Andorra, France and Italy. If you speak Spanish, it is not difficult to understand Catalan. A mix between French and Spanish, Catalan is quite an interesting language to learn and use.
Today, it is the second most spoken language in Spain, next to Castilian.
Galician
Galician is spoken mainly in Galicia, as well as Asturias and Castilla y Leon in Northern Spain. Out of the 4 million people who speak Galician, 3 million are in Spain, with the rest in Portugal and parts of Latin America. Resembling Portugese, Galician is similar in terms of pronunciation and usage.
Basque language or Eureska
Spoken by 600,000 people in the Basque Country, Northern Spain, Euskara or Basque is an intriguing language that does not belong to any group of languages.
Basque is distinctive with verbs and phrases of its own. Even Spaniards from other regions of Spain cannot understand the language.
In Madrid, there is no dialect, people speak only Castilian. If you are planning to go to Valencia, Barcelona or north of Spain people will be able to speak Spanish. So don’t worry!
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