Spanish
Español
Spanish has the second-largest number of native speakers in the world, far beyond its original European population. Its spelling is among the most regular in Europe: you pronounce very nearly what is written. It is the only language to open questions and exclamations with an inverted mark, ¿ and ¡. The ñ, born from a medieval shorthand for a double n, has become its emblem.
- Family
- Romance
- Script
- Latin
- Speakers
- ≈ 480 million
- Where
- Spain (and Latin America)
- In the game
- Common language
How to spot it
The ñ, the upside-down ¿ and ¡, the doubles ll and rr, and a great many words ending in -ción.
A few sentences
-
Todos los domingos comemos en casa de mi abuela.
Every Sunday we eat at my grandmother’s house.
-
Mi hermano estudia arquitectura en la universidad.
My brother studies architecture at university.
-
Me he levantado con dolor de cabeza.
I woke up with a headache.
-
El perro se ha escapado otra vez.
The dog has escaped again.
-
Me duele la espalda de tanto estar sentado.
My back aches from sitting so much.