Spanish language

Brief info on the Spanish language and where Spanish is spoken.

Where is Spanish spoken?

As a first or native language, Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world (after Chinese). As many as 480 million people speak Spanish as a first language, and it is one of the world’s most studied languages in universities and language classes. Spanish is the official language of 21 countries, most of which are in Latin America. Spanish is also an official language of the African country of Equatorial Guinea, and the second most spoken language in the USA. Spanish is one of only six official languages of the UN and is the third most used language on the internet.

Briefly about the language - history and linguistics

Spanish is a Romance language and derives from the Vulgar Latin dialects spoken in the Iberian Peninsula during the classical period (Roman Empire). Around three quarters of Spanish vocabulary has its origins in Latin, while Arabic was also quite influential in the development of Spanish during the Middle Ages. Spanish became a major world language with the Spanish colonization of Latin America. Most Latin American countries call the Spanish language ‘español’, but Spain and a few Latin American countries refer to the language as ‘Castellano’.

For interactive language learning materials, visit the main learn Spanish games page, where you will find resources for learning Spanish colors, several useful Spanish phrases, a wordlist with audio of the Spanish numbers up to 100, important Spanish vocabulary and many more great educational resources. Romance language learning sections with several language arts games and phrase lists and wordlists with audio on the Digital Dialects portal include the French games language learning page, the learn Italian language resources, the Brazilian Portuguese language materials, the European Portuguese language games and the learn Romanian language games section.

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