Castellano, català, galego, euskara
Around four in ten Spaniards live in a region with two official languages. Catalan and Galician are Romance languages like Spanish, so you can often guess them; Basque (euskera) is unrelated to any other language in the world. Street signs, schools and regional TV use them every day. Tap a cell to hear the Spanish.
| English | Castellano | Català | Galego | Euskara |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| hello | hola | hola | ola | kaixo |
| good morning | buenos días | bon dia | bos días | egun on |
| thank you | gracias | gràcies | grazas | eskerrik asko |
| please | por favor | si us plau | por favor | mesedez |
| goodbye | adiós | adéu | adeus | agur |
| street | calle | carrer | rúa | kalea |
Speakers often call Spanish castellano (from Castile) rather than español, especially in bilingual regions. Valencian (valencià) is the name used for Catalan in the Valencian Community.
Madrileño, sevillana, vasco: what people are called
A gentilicio is the word for someone from a place. It works like an adjective: lower-case, with -o / -a for man and woman, and -s in the plural. The ending varies, and some are irregular. Tap to hear both forms.
País, comunidad, provincia, pueblo
Spain has four levels of place. Learn the words, because Spaniards use them constantly: “Where are you from?” usually expects a pueblo or provincia, not a country.
Hearing where someone is from
You will hear these differences as soon as you travel. All are correct Spanish; full detail is in regional Spanish.