What Languages Are Spoken In Barcelona? (Answered!)

Catalan and Castilian Spanish are the two official languages of Barcelona, Spain. Because Barcelona is popular among immigrants, it is a polyglot city with over 300 languages spoken by various immigrant groups. Most of Barcelona’s residents are at least bilingual.

Barcelona is the second biggest city in Spain with 1.62 million residents.

It is also the capital city of Catalonia, one of Spain’s 17 regions in the northwest of the country.

Catalans are very proud of their language and have even held referendum votes for independence.

Catalan was even banned twice for political reasons, but it is now receiving the cultural recognition it deserves.

Castilian Spanish is spoken by more people than Catalan in Barcelona.

In This Article

What is Castilian Spanish?

Spanish is the fourth most spoken language in the world after Chinese, English, and Hindi, with over 500 million speakers worldwide.

Most of these Spanish speakers are located in Latin America and Spain.

Castilian Spanish is the variety of Spanish considered the purest.

The name Castilian comes from the region of Castile in central Spain where Spanish is believed to have originated in its most pure form.

Things like accent, pronunciation, word use, and grammar vary slightly from country to country, making it difficult to standardize Spanish.

That is why linguists started referring to Castilian Spanish as the pure form of Spanish, even though most Spanish speakers speak other varieties.

98% of Barcelona’s residents speak Castilian Spanish, allowing you to just learn a single language to be able to get by in the city.

What is Catalan?

While some people believe Catalan to be a dialect of Spanish, it is actually a language in its own right.

Catalan developed from Latin like all the other Romance language (French, Spanish, Italian, etc.) and thus shares many similarities with them.

Its origins date back to the 8th century during the Spanish march, after which the language spread down south.

Approximately 7.3 million people can speak Catalan, and most of them live in the Catalan region. 28% of Spain’s population lives in regions where Catalan is an official language.

Around 60% of Barcelona’s population speaks Catalan, although most Catalan speakers can speak Castilian Spanish too.

It’s rare to find a Catalan who can only speak Catalan.

Catalan has had a difficult history. Use of the language was forbidden from 1939 to 1975 under the dictator Franco’s military rule.

After that, it took another 8 years before the language recovered enough to be taught in schools and universities.

Catalan is not too difficult to learn if you’re already familiar with another Romance language.

It is still quite different from Spanish, so don’t expect to be able to understand Catalan if you know Spanish.

Do Catalan and Spanish speakers dislike each other?

No, most Catalan and Spanish speakers live at peace with one another, even if they recall the various conflicts the two languages have had over the centuries.

There are still some who hold resentment against one another for past actions (such as the prohibition of Catalan during the Franco military dictatorship), but these differences have mostly been settled.

Recently, Catalonia has tried to become independent from Spain by holding a referendum.

The results were close, but most Catalans voted to continue being a part of Spain.

This has stirred some underlying resentment among people from Catalonia and other regions of Spain, so it’s best to not bring up the topic with strangers.

Most people are still open to talking about it though, but it’s difficult to know if they’ll react well to it until they breach the topic themselves.

Is everything in Barcelona written in Catalan?

No, written media in Barcelona doesn’t use a single language exclusively.

Most street signs, restaurant menus, and other written media are bilingual, usually in Spanish and Catalan.

It’s rare to find some kind of signage only in one language but is still possible.

Most governmental and legislative functions are carried out in both Spanish and Catalan too.

Much of mainstream media, including newspapers and advertisements, are bilingual.

There are only 10 daily newspapers published exclusively in Catalan.

Is English spoken in Barcelona?

Yes, many people in Barcelona can understand English as a second language even if they are natively Spanish.

Because of Barcelona’s cosmopolitan nature and the large influx of foreign tourists and immigrants, most residents understand at least a little bit of English.

Most areas that receive many tourists will have signage and information in English to help tourists find their way.

If you do get lost, most Spanish people are easygoing when approached and asked for directions in English.

Spanish people are used to traveling to other countries such as Portugal, France, and Italy where they speak different languages, so they are understanding as long as you are courteous.

There are 29,000 native English speakers in Barcelona according to a 2018 survey.

The number of second-language English speakers is much higher, although the exact number is unknown.

What foreign languages are common in Barcelona?

Interestingly, both Arabic and Romanian are more common as native languages in Barcelona than English.

There are 114,000 native Arabic speakers and 58,000 native Romanian speakers residing in Barcelona as of a 2018 survey.

This is likely due to the availability of work in the city, as Barcelona is a hub for international commerce.

Many immigrants move to the city seeking work, especially from less prosperous countries.

There are many Arabs in Barcelona because Spain is the first stop for North African migrants on their way to other parts of Europe.

French is slightly less common than English, with 26,000 speakers in Barcelona.

It is still relatively common as a second language due to the Catalan region’s close proximity to France in the north.

Barcelona is a multilingual city that’s quite accommodating to foreigners.

Even so, it’s a good idea to make an effort to learn at least Spanish or Catalan if you want to spend an extended period in the beautiful Catalonian city.

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Founder - @PollyWebster

Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

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