Should you learn the regional language, and in what order?

Key rules

• Order: Learn Spanish first, then add the regional language for work, belonging or your children.
• No legal duty: No law requires ordinary residents to know Catalan, Valencian, Galician or Basque.
• Working level: Working level usually means B2, and teaching or some public posts need C1.
• Basque: Basque is unrelated to Spanish, so start it early only if you have a specific reason.

Learn Spanish first, then add the regional language

Start with Spanish. Keep going until you can handle offices, clinics and contracts in it. Then add the regional language if you have a real reason, and aim only as deep as that reason needs.

You must know Spanish, but no law requires ordinary residents to know Catalan, Valencian, Galician or Basque. Learning one is a choice, not a duty.

What order works best

The usual advice is to reach a working Spanish first, roughly A2 to B1, and then add the regional language.

• Catalan and Galician are close to Spanish. You can start early, especially if your children are in school or you work in public services.
• Basque is unrelated to Spanish. It needs its own learning path, so start with Spanish unless Basque is a priority for you.
• Both at once is possible if you have plenty of time or already speak a Romance language.

Learning Catalan or Galician will not hold your Spanish back. Beginners sometimes mix up words or spelling, but the effect is neutral or slightly helpful.

How deep to go

The four depth levels are ignore, understand, courtesy words and working level. These levels are a practical guide, not an official scale.

• Ignore: below A1. Spanish alone is enough for daily life.
• Understand: roughly A2 to B1 in reading and listening. You can follow signs, notices and slow, clear speech on familiar topics without speaking.
• Courtesy words: A1. Greetings, thanks, numbers and simple set phrases. This is a friendly gesture that locals notice.
• Working level: usually B2. You can follow meetings, write routine documents and talk with spontaneous fluency. Teaching and some public posts need C1.

The decision below helps you choose.

Match the depth to your real need

• Work: check the job ad or ask your employer. Teaching and public-sector jobs are where the regional language most often counts.
• Belonging: for friends, neighbours and local life, understanding plus courtesy words often goes a long way. Go further if you want to join in fully.
• Children: ask the school which languages lessons are taught in. Plan your own learning around that, since your children may pick it up fast.
• Time in Spain: if you plan to stay only a year or two, Spanish is usually enough.

Where to find a course

Catalan is the easiest language to get support for. It has free council courses, apps, TV and radio, and a large speaker base. Galician is the closest to Spanish and Portuguese, but has fewer resources. Choose Basque for a specific reason, such as living in the Basque Country. Ask your town hall about courses in your area.

Decide how deep to go with the regional language

How deep should you go with the regional language?

• Ignore it: You expect to stay under a year or two, have no plans to work locally, and have no children in local schools. Spanish is enough.

• Learn courtesy words: You want goodwill from the start: greetings, thanks, numbers and simple set phrases (A1 level). It is worth doing from day one, whatever your plans.

• Aim for working level: You plan to stay two to three years or more, settle long term, work locally or in the public sector, or want to integrate fully. Working level usually means B2.

Start from your stay length: under a year or two, ignore it or learn courtesy words; two to three years or more, aim for understand or working level. Move up a level if you will work locally, want a wide social circle in the language, or will settle for good. Check the exact level each job or public call asks for, and see the work and etiquette guides for detail. Your children's school language is a separate choice: each region sets its own school model, so ask the regional education department about the schools you are considering.

Checklist

• Put Spanish first and keep studying it until you can handle offices, clinics and contracts in it.

• Work out how long you plan to stay: under a year or two, Spanish is enough, and the regional language starts to pay off from around two to three years.

• Check whether your job needs the regional language by asking your employer or reading the job ad; teaching and some public posts need C1.

• Decide whether you want the regional language for belonging, such as friends, neighbours and local life, and name the situations where you would use it.

• Ask your children's school which languages lessons are taught in, and plan the regional language around that.

• Choose the depth that matches your real need, using the depth choices set out in this article, and add the regional language only once Spanish is working.

Quick answers on learning a regional language

Will learning Catalan or Galician slow down my Spanish?

No, learning Catalan or Galician is not likely to slow down your Spanish. Pupils taught in the regional language reach the same Spanish level as peers elsewhere. Beginners may mix up some words or spellings, but the effect is usually neutral or slightly helpful.

Can a Portuguese speaker learn Galician easily?

Yes, Portuguese speakers learn Galician easily because the two languages are very close in vocabulary and grammar. Most understand it within weeks. You mainly need to adapt to the spelling and pronunciation. A formal certificate still needs study of Galician rules.

How long until I can follow a conversation in Catalan, Galician or Basque?

For Catalan or Galician, you can usually follow a conversation within a few months of regular study if you speak Spanish or another Romance language. Basque is unrelated to those languages, so it normally takes a year or more of intensive study. Course hours for each level are set by the regional language bodies.