How much regional language to learn
You can decide, for your place and situation, between ignoring the regional language, understanding it, using courtesy words or aiming for working level.
Moving to Spain often raises one question: do you need Catalan, Basque, Galician or Valencian, or is Spanish enough? This topic helps you answer it for your own place and situation. It turns the map of regional languages into a personal decision.
Pick the article that fits your situation
Does Catalan, Basque or Galician really matter for your life in Spain?
Spanish is enough to live in every region, and no law makes you learn Catalan, Valencian, Galician or Basque. This page shows how much the local language still matters in daily life, work and social life, region by region and zone by zone.
Regional language for retirees, remote workers, families and job seekers
How much of Catalan, Basque, Galician, Valencian or Balearic Catalan you need depends on how long you stay, how you work, your health and service contact, and your household. This page is for retirees, remote workers, families and job seekers in co-official regions.
Should you learn the regional language, and in what order?
Learn Spanish first, then add the regional language only if work, belonging or your children give you a real reason. This page helps newcomers in Catalonia, Valencia, the Balearics, Galicia, the Basque Country and Navarre pick the order and the depth.
Understanding the regional language without speaking it
Understanding a regional language without speaking it is a realistic middle path for daily life in Catalonia, Galicia, Valencia or the Basque Country. This page shows where it works, where it falls short, and how much it depends on the language. It is for Spanish speakers and newcomers who are not…
How hard each regional language is for Spanish and English speakers
Catalan, Valencian and Galician are much easier than Basque for Spanish and English speakers. This page helps you judge the effort for each and choose which regional language to start with, wherever in Spain you settle.
Living in an English-speaking bubble: what it costs you
English is enough for shopping, eating out and many private services in expat enclaves, but not for official paperwork, public health care or local friendships. This page helps you weigh that trade-off if you are considering Barcelona, Palma or the Costa Blanca.
What changes if you move from one Spanish region to another
A move to another Spanish region changes the language you meet in offices and daily life. This page shows what changes, how much of your language effort carries over, and how far certificates are recognised. It is for anyone relocating within Spain.
About this topic
It is for anyone considering, planning or carrying out a move to Spain. By the end, you can choose between ignoring the regional language, understanding it, using courtesy words or aiming for a working level.
Start with "Does Catalan, Basque or Galician really matter for your life in Spain?" It gives an honest overview of how much each language matters in daily life, work and social life, region by region.
From there, the pages follow the questions most people ask next:
- How the answer changes with your age, work and household.
- Whether to learn the language, and in what order after Spanish.
- How far you can get by understanding without speaking.
- How hard each language is.
- What an English-speaking bubble costs you.
- What changes if you later move to another region.
Choosing a region, children's school language and course providers are covered elsewhere.
Key rules
- Stay length: For stays under a year or two Spanish is enough, and learning the language starts to pay off from around two to three years.
- Legal duty: You must know Spanish, but no law requires ordinary residents to know Catalan, Valencian, Galician or Basque.
- Dealing in Spanish: You can always deal with public bodies and health services in Spanish, and staff switch to it on request.
- Order: Learn Spanish first, then add the regional language for work, belonging or your children.
- Catalan and Galician: If you speak Spanish, you will follow much of the written language without study; speech takes longer.
- Basque: Basque is unrelated to Spanish, so passive understanding does not come for free.
Documents you may need
- Sworn translation — Living in an English-speaking bubble: what it costs you
How much regional language to learn: questions that cross several articles
Do I need a certified regional-language level to work in the public sector?
Yes, for many public posts in co-official regions you need a certified level, often B2 or C1 depending on the post. Teaching and regional civil service posts in Catalonia, the Basque Country, Galicia and the Balearics usually ask for it, while state posts such as national police do not. Read the specific call for the exact level, and see "Should you learn the regional language, and in what order?" and "Regional language for retirees, remote workers, families and job seekers".
Which regional language is easiest to start with?
Catalan or Galician is the easiest start, because both are close to Spanish and quick to read. Catalan has the most courses, apps and media, while Basque is the hardest and best chosen only for a clear reason such as living in the Basque Country. Read "How hard each regional language is for Spanish and English speakers" next.
Which paperwork still needs Spanish if I live in an English-speaking bubble?
Residency, tax, Social Security, your town hall registration, the DGT (traffic office), notaries and courts all run in Spanish, and in co-official regions also in the regional language. Foreign documents need a sworn translation (traductor jurado) for official use, and many expats use a gestor (administrative agent) or bilingual lawyer. Private clinics in the enclaves often offer English, but public health staff may not. See "Living in an English-speaking bubble: what it costs you".
Will my Catalan certificate still count if I move to another region?
Yes, Catalan, Valencian and Balearic certificates are mutually recognised through equivalence agreements, so a Catalan certificate generally counts in Valencia and the Balearics. Galician and Basque certificates are valid in their own regions, and a specific job or exam elsewhere sets its own rules. Read "What changes if you move from one Spanish region to another".
What language will local offices expect me to use?
Offices in co-official regions work in both languages, and forms and notices are usually bilingual. Some offices use the regional language internally, but staff switch to Spanish on request and you are not assumed to be fluent. Read "Does Catalan, Basque or Galician really matter for your life in Spain?" and "Understanding the regional language without speaking it".
Explore places
Where you live changes the details. See how Spanish regions and cities compare on rent, jobs, weather, safety and healthcare.
What to read next
More in Regional and co-official languages
Where regional languages apply
You can name the language that is official where you will live, judge how visible it is in your town and avoid the common naming mix-ups.
Regional languages at work
You know when the regional language is a hiring edge, a formal requirement or irrelevant for your kind of work.
Regional language certificates
You can pick the right certificate for your region and goal, register for it and check it will be accepted before you pay.
Also in Language and integration
Need certainty before you act?
For important relocation decisions, speak with a qualified human specialist.
Always verify important information with the relevant official authority or a qualified adviser before acting. This website uses large language models together with various public data sources, official government documents and other established sources. Due to the amount of data on this website, some information might be wrong. Information may also be incomplete or outdated.