Parles Català? (Do you speak Catalan?) Foreigners who come to live on La Costa Brava, or anywhere else in the Province of Girona, realise pretty quickly (if they didn’t already know) that Catalan is the first language spoken here, not Spanish. Spanish is also spoken, of course, but primarily as a second language. However, espanyol isn’t even what Catalans usually call the language we refer to as “Spanish”, but rather castellà. So why is that? What’s the story?
Catalan Is a Language
First of all, let’s get one thing straight: Catalan is not a dialect of Spanish, as some foreigners mistakenly think. It is a language, just as much as Portuguese, French, or Italian, languages with which Catalan shares Latin roots. Nor is Catalan just a “mix of Spanish and French”, another common misconception.
That would be like saying that Dutch is no more than a mix of German and English, for example. Dutch, German, and English are three distinct languages, among others, that evolved from common Germanic roots, in the same way that Spanish, Catalan, and French have evolved into different languages from their Latin origins. Despite the similarities between, say, Spanish and Portuguese, you never hear anyone saying that Portuguese is a dialect of Spanish, and rightly so, because it is not. Neither is Catalan.
Spanish or Castellano?
The reason Catalans almost never say “espanyol” when referring to the language we call “Spanish” in English is that, for them, that language is castellà, a tongue that originates from Castilla and is just one of several languages native to the Iberian Peninsula. Hispania is what the Romans called the entire Iberian Peninsula, and from that name came España, or Spain.
Portugal later became its own sovereign country, and Castilian (Castellano) is just one of several languages native to what is now Spain; others include Galician, Basque, and Catalan, which are the most widely known. Less well-known are Aragonese and Astur-Leonese, but they are also languages, not dialects.
There are dialects of Spanish, too, of course, like Canarian or Andalusian, but the ones mentioned above are fully recognised as languages. Check out this updated video map to follow the progression of the main languages spoken throughout Hispania over the centuries, up to 2023.
So why is “Spanish” used to refer to the Castilian language, where there are numerous other “Spanish” languages? Well, there’s no one answer to that, really, but rather a number of reasons.
Language Suppression
Throughout history, various events, including wars, alliances between crowns, migration, and conquests, have occurred. Eventually, Castellano (as it is referred to in its own language) became the dominant language in most of Spain. Unfortunately, at certain times, the country’s rulers intentionally suppressed other languages in an effort to eliminate them and replace them with Castellano. This was particularly evident during Franco’s rule in the last century
Following the victory of Franco’s forces in the Spanish Civil War, speaking Catalan in public was forbidden, with harsh penalties for anyone who disobeyed; as a result, the language was forced underground. All schools taught in Castellano only, and, as a result, many Catalans over a certain age have some difficulty writing their native language, as it was, for the most part, only an oral language for them.
Catalan was only reestablished as the official language of education in Catalunya in 1983, and there is still much debate today around which language should be used and/or to what extent in Catalan schools.
From the 2025-2026 school year, teachers in public schools are required to have C2-level proficiency in Catalan. This builds on the ongoing policy (in place since the 1990s) that Catalan must be the everyday language of instruction in classrooms, with certain exceptions. While today’s policies strongly promote Catalan in education, this has not always been the case.
As recently as October 2012, the then Minister of Education (no less!) declared that the objective of the right-wing Partido Popular government at the time was to “Spanishize” or “Spanishify” (there isn’t even a proper word for that!) the Catalans. His actual words were españolizar a los niños catalanes – “make the Catalan children Spanish”. Naturally, those words were very warmly and enthusiastically welcomed in Catalunya! (Insert emoji for ‘raising eyes to heaven’ 🙄 or ‘completely blowing top’ 🤯!)
Speak “Mexican”!
Imagine, if you will, that Europeans never colonised Mexico, and the various nations that were living there continued to evolve on their own without outside interference: the Aztecs, Mayans, and Olmecs. (There were others, too, but let’s just keep it simple to illustrate the point.)
Each had its own language, distinct from the others, although related. But imagine that over time, the Aztecs came to dominate the entire country, rule over it, and then try to impose their Aztec language on the others. Not only that, but now they referred to their language as “Mexican”, although the other languages were also native to Mexico. Understandably, the Mayans and Olmecs would be less than happy. So it is with Catalan, or at least something similar.
Or take the country of India as another example. There are 22 official Indian languages, with numerous other unofficial languages that number in the hundreds. Although Hindi is spoken by more Indians than any other language in the country, it is never referred to as “Indian”; instead, it is referred to as Hindi.
So What About Catalan Itself?
Catalan descends from the Latin language, which was first introduced to the Iberian Peninsula by the Romans over 2,000 years ago, in 218 BCE. Before that, various Celtic, Celtiberian, and Iberian languages were spoken throughout the peninsula; in this part of the country, the Iberian language was spoken. It was right here on the very same Costa Brava that the Romans began what was to become their conquest of the entire Iberian Peninsula!
During their Second Punic War with the ancient city of Carthage, they landed at the trading colony of their allies, the Greeks at Empuriès (now L’Escala), and set up a fortress to prevent their enemy, Hannibal, and his Carthaginians from controlling Iberia and, from there, threatening Rome. (He did anyway, but that’s a whole other story!) Although it took the Romans nearly two centuries to complete their conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, they retained control of it for over six centuries. Roman rule was bound together by their laws, the Roman road, and, of course, their language. (What have the Romans ever done for us?!)
Long after the Romans themselves were gone, their language remained, and between the 3rd and 8th centuries, Vulgar Latin, the non-literary Latin spoken by the general population, evolved in the lands of their former empire into various modern languages, including Catalan. Collectively known as the Romance languages, the six most widely spoken languages by number of native speakers worldwide are Spanish (489 million), Portuguese (283 million), French (80 million), Italian (67 million), Romanian (24 million), and Catalan (14 million).
14 million Catalan speakers? But the population of Catalunya is only around 7 million. Yes, but Catalan is also spoken in Valencia, the Balearics, and Andorra – but more on that in a moment…
As you can see from the map above, numerous languages evolved from Vulgar Latin within what was once the Roman Empire, many of which are no longer widely spoken. Although it is a complicated and debatable subject, the still-living languages can be categorised into eight groups (which we won’t go into now), and some languages can straddle two or three groups, depending on which linguist you’re asking. That’s all, far too complicated to get into here, but what is certain is that the closest relatives to Catalan, linguistically speaking, are Occitan and Gascon from the other side of the Pyrenees in France.
According to some linguists, Gascon is a variety of Occitan, but others consider it a language in its own right. Occitanie was never a country or a kingdom, but its language was one of the most important in medieval Europe. In Catalunya today, Occitan is spoken in the Aran Valley, although it is known as Aranès, and Occitan-Aranès is a co-official language there, along with Català and Castellano. Modern-day Catalan and Occitan speakers can understand each other pretty well, with each speaking in their own language.
What about Valenciano?
As we mentioned earlier, there are more Catalan speakers in the world today than people living in Catalunya. That is because Catalan is also spoken in other parts of Spain, but it is known by different names. In Valencia, it’s referred to as Valenciano, and in the Balearic Islands, you have Mallorquín in Mallorca, Menorquín in Menorca, and Eivissenc in Ibiza/Eivissa. It’s all Catalan, though, with a few regional differences. However, in the region of Valencia, you might sometimes see it written as català-valenciano (or vice versa) as a form of compromise.
If you travel to the southern part of the Valencia region, near Alicante, the language remains the same, but it is now referred to as Alacant. However, in both Valencia and Alicante, Castellano is now the dominant language. Of course, the local tongue (under whatever name) exists alongside Castellano-Spanish in all those places.
In the Autonomous Community of Valencia, the language debate has been a contentious issue at various times, with some Valencians refusing to accept that Valenciano is the same as Catalan. This is often politically motivated, and indeed, the Partido Popular at one stage, back in 2013, moved to officially recognize Valenciano as a separate language – only to be shot down by the Valencian Academy of Language AVP themselves, who confirmed that the two are one and the same language and castigated the P.P. for trying to use language as a dividing wedge and a political tool.
One of the reasons why many Valencians dislike being confused with Catalans or being called their language Català is that when the Crown of Aragón expanded to include Catalunya, Valencia was still under Moorish rule. When King Jaume I of Aragón conquered it in 1238, it was incorporated as the Kingdom of Valencia under the Crown of Aragon, and not into the Principality of Catalunya. As a result, it was never considered “Catalan” in its own right, but rather both were under Aragonese rule.
“Spanish” Is Okay in English
Hopefully, that explains some of the linguistic complexities of Spain to some degree. There is no need to switch from saying “Spanish” to “Castilian” when speaking in English (or whatever your native language may be), but here in Catalunya, when asking someone if hablas español, maybe try asking instead if hablas castellano? If the person is a non-Catalan Spaniard, they won’t mind either way. Still, if they are Catalan (or Basque, or Gallego!), they might just appreciate the fact that you are aware that castellano is not the only “Spanish” language and that the others are not just “Spanish spoken badly”!
Indeed, it would also help if Spaniards themselves were taught that Spain is a country of several languages and maybe even encouraged to learn one or two of the others aside from castellano. As recent history demonstrates, when one group tries to suppress another group’s language—the very cornerstone of any culture—the only likely reaction is resistance. Some would argue that the Catalans “should just speak Spanish”, but then why should they?
Of course, they can all speak Spanish as well, and they do, but why shouldn’t they talk to Catalan first? Should the Dutch abandon their own language for German just because Germans are more numerous, for example?
Which to Learn?
Foreigners in Catalunya tend naturally to learn Spanish rather than Catalan, and understandably so for many reasons. (At least the ones who bother to know anything at all, that is!) Some may not have even been aware of the existence of Catalan before coming here, and others will have already learnt some Spanish in their home countries. At the same time, it is much less likely that Catalan would’ve even been available to learn in schools in other countries. You can indeed do just about everything in Spanish here, and it is also more helpful for travel to different parts of the world, especially in the Americas.
However, for those coming to live in Catalunya, learning at least some Catalan can only bring positive benefits, as it is the spoken language here, especially in the province of Girona. In the city of Barcelona and Camp de Tarragona, you’ll hear more Castellano spoken, and even in Girona Province, you can get by without Catalan by speaking ‘Spanish’, but learning even just a few words and phrases here and there in català will endear you a lot more to the locals and probably help you to have a more positive experience overall. After all, what disadvantage could there ever possibly be to being able to speak another language?
Catalan: Facts & Figures
According to the most recent 2023 figures, 93.4% of people aged 15 and over in Catalunya understand Catalan, 80.4% can speak it, 84.1% can read it, and 65.6% can write it. Between 2018 and 2023, the language gained over 267,000 new speakers, including more than 127,000 daily users, confirming its steady growth. However, habitual use has declined slightly, with 32.6% of respondents speaking Catalan regularly, compared to 36.1% in 2018.
Among residents born abroad, only 8.6% use the local language regularly, compared to 72.9% who primarily use Spanish. This highlights the ongoing challenge and opportunity for integration and language outreach efforts.
According to a 2025 report, 82.4% of people in Catalunya consider Catalan necessary for career advancement, reinforcing the case for newcomers to learn it for both social and professional benefits.
Free Catalan Courses
The Catalan courses always start in September in towns across Catalunya and are open to all levels. Sign up online or at your nearest Servei Local de Català or Centre de Normalització Lingüística. If you are a new student, you first take a short level test (1 – 4 September). For returning students, registration runs from 15 to 16 September, and for new students from 17 to 22 September, depending on the level. Lessons cover speaking, reading, and cultural tips. Most courses are free thanks to Generalitat funding and form part of the broader Pacte Nacional per la Llengua, a regional language initiative aimed at strengthening the language across society by 2030.
In 2025, Barcelona launched a campaign urging the use of fewer English loanwords and promoting Catalan in restaurants and bars. The regional aim is to gain over 600,000 new speakers by 2030 and make Catalan fully official in public institutions and services, all part of the broader Pacte Nacional per la Llengua strategy.
De mica en mica s’omple la pica – little by little, you’ll get there – and the local lingo will no longer sound like a mystery!
NjOY! Tip: New here or living here and struggling with the local paperwork? callCarlos can help with NIEs, permits, healthcare, business, driving licences, and more, so you can focus on learning Catalan.
“Merci”? Isn’t that French?
The Catalan word for “thanks” is gràcies, pronounced the same way as it is in Castellano, only spelt differently. However, you will very often hear Catalans saying “merci” instead to express gratitude, so what’s the story with that? Well, there is no one definitive answer to that, but rather a couple of theories. One argument is that it indeed originates from French, and this claim is supported by the fact that “merci” is rarely heard outside the Province of Girona, which, of course, borders France.
As to why it is used, well, some say that as Girona is the region most in favour of independence, the locals prefer to use a French word rather than their own “gràcies”, which sounds exactly like the Spanish – just to be different! Sound plausible? We’re not so sure…
The other most common explanation is that merci, in both French and Catalan, evolved from the Latin word “merces,” which means “reward.” Indeed, in older Catalan, it was common to say “moltes mercés” rather than “moltes gràcies” (thank you very much), so it isn’t too much of a stretch to think that that evolved into “merci” in both languages. Whatever the truth, you’ll hear it said a lot here.
