Learn About Spanish

Español • 500 million speakers worldwide

Romance Family•Easy Difficulty•ISO: es
Language Sample

"Hola, ¿cómo estás? Me gusta aprender idiomas."

Pronunciation: OH-lah, KOH-moh ehs-TAHS? Meh GOOS-tah ah-prehn-DEHR ee-dee-OH-mahs

Translation: Hello, how are you? I like learning languages.

Language Overview

Speakers

500 million

Language Family

Romance (Ibero-Romance)

Writing System

Latin script

Official Status

Official language in 21 countries

Regions (21 countries)

SpainMexicoArgentinaColombiaPeruVenezuelaChileEcuadorGuatemalaCubaDominican RepublicHondurasParaguayBoliviaEl SalvadorNicaraguaCosta RicaPanamaUruguayPuerto RicoEquatorial Guinea
History & Origins

Spanish evolved from Vulgar Latin in the Iberian Peninsula. It began to diverge from other Romance languages after the fall of the Roman Empire. The language was standardized in the 13th century and spread globally through Spanish colonization. The Royal Spanish Academy, founded in 1713, continues to regulate the language today.

Language Characteristics

  • Phonetic spelling - words are pronounced as they are written

  • Gendered nouns (masculine/feminine)

  • Verb conjugation changes based on subject

  • Rolling 'r' sound (rr)

  • Five vowel sounds: a, e, i, o, u

  • Syllable-timed rhythm

  • No auxiliary verbs for questions

Common Words
hello:hola
goodbye:adiós
please:por favor
thank you:gracias
yes:sí
no:no
water:agua
food:comida
house:casa
family:familia
Numbers 0-10
0:cero
1:uno
2:dos
3:tres
4:cuatro
5:cinco
6:seis
7:siete
8:ocho
9:nueve
10:diez
Major Dialects

Castilian Spanish (Spain)

Mexican Spanish

Argentinian Spanish

Caribbean Spanish

Andalusian Spanish

Rioplatense Spanish

Chilean Spanish

Colombian Spanish

Learning Tips

  • Focus on pronunciation - Spanish is very phonetic

  • Learn gender patterns for nouns

  • Practice verb conjugations regularly

  • Listen to Spanish music and podcasts

  • Start with present tense before moving to other tenses

Cultural Notes

  • Spanish-speaking cultures value family and personal relationships

  • Formal vs informal address (tú vs usted) varies by region

  • Meal times are typically later than in English-speaking countries

  • Spanish literature has produced many Nobel Prize winners

Fun Facts

Spanish is the 2nd most spoken language by native speakers worldwide

It's an official language in 21 countries across 4 continents

The Royal Spanish Academy regulates the language with 23 associated academies

Spanish has Arabic influences from 700 years of Moorish rule in Iberia

The letter 'Ñ' is unique to Spanish and a few other languages

Spanish is the fastest growing language on the internet

There are more Spanish speakers in the US than in Spain

Ready to test your Spanish knowledge?

Try our interactive language guessing game and see if you can identify Spanish from text samples.