Spanish
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Written in the latin script. Uses SVO word order with fusional morphology. Notable features include 2 grammatical genders, a politeness/honorific system, pronoun dropping.
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Official in 21 countries
SpainMexicoArgentinaColombiaPeruVenezuelaChileEcuadorGuatemalaCubaBoliviaDominican RepublicHondurasParaguayEl SalvadorNicaraguaCosta RicaPanamaUruguayPuerto RicoEquatorial Guinea
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Common questions about Spanish
How many people speak Spanish?
About 485 million native speakers and another 75+ million who speak it as a second language. Mexico alone accounts for around 130 million. Spain, where the language originates, has fewer Spanish speakers than the United States does.
What's the difference between ser and estar?
Both translate as 'to be' in English, but ser marks inherent or defining traits (es médico — he is a doctor) and estar marks states or locations (está cansado — he is tired). The distinction extends to subtle meaning shifts: es aburrido is 'he is boring', está aburrido is 'he is bored'.
Latin American or European Spanish?
The two are mutually intelligible. The biggest grammatical difference is vosotros (informal you-plural), which Spain uses but Latin America replaces with ustedes. Vocabulary varies by country and pronunciation differs, but a learner of one can follow the other with minor adjustment.
Is Spanish hard for English speakers?
Among major languages it's one of the more accessible. Pronunciation is regular and matches the spelling closely. The grammar is loaded with conjugation patterns to memorise, and the subjunctive mood takes time to feel natural, but cognates with English are abundant via Latin and French.
Is Spanish the same as Portuguese?
No, but close. Spanish and Portuguese descend from Vulgar Latin and share around 89% of their vocabulary. Written, they look strikingly similar. Spoken Portuguese, especially European, is harder for Spanish speakers to follow than the reverse, mostly due to vowel reduction in Portuguese.