Where regional languages apply

It is for anyone thinking about, planning or carrying out a move to Spain. When you finish, 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, such as Valencian versus Catalan or Galician versus Portuguese. It also covers Spain's other protected languages and how to check which language rules apply now, since some policies are still changing.

Start with "Which regions of Spain have a co-official language?" It gives you the region-by-region map. After that, "How much regional language you will meet in your own town" helps you judge your own city, coastal town or village.

Key rules

• Six communities: Six communities have a co-official language besides Spanish: Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, the Valencian Community, Galicia, the Basque Country and Navarre.
• Partial areas: In Navarre and the Valencian Community, the second language is co-official only in certain zones.
• Legal status: A co-official language has the same legal status across its whole region, but how visible it is differs from town to town.
• Formal zoning: Only Navarre and the Valencian Community divide their territory into legal language zones.
• Name: Say Valencian (valencià) when you talk about the language in the Valencian Community.
• Linguistics: Linguists treat Valencian and Catalan as one language system, but the name is sensitive locally.

Where regional languages apply: questions that cross several articles

Does the whole of a co-official region use its regional language in the same way?

No, the regional language is not used the same way everywhere in a co-official region. In the Valencian Community, coastal and many interior towns are Valencian-speaking, while parts of the inland west and south are Castilian-speaking and the administration works in Spanish. In Navarre, Basque is co-official only in the Basque-speaking and mixed zones. Read "Which regions of Spain have a co-official language?" for the map, then "How much regional language you will meet in your own town".

Will I hear the regional language less in big cities than in villages?

Yes, in most co-official regions you hear the regional language less in the biggest cities than in rural areas, though knowledge is usually high everywhere. This is clearest in Galicia, the Basque Country and Valencia, and in Barcelona and Palma compared with inland Catalonia and Menorca. Basque is an exception, because schooling has raised use among young city people.

Do Madrid, Andalusia or the Canary Islands have a co-official language?

No, Madrid, Andalusia and the Canary Islands have no co-official language besides Spanish, and neither do several other communities such as Aragon and Asturias. Some of them protect regional languages without making them official, such as Asturian and Aragonese. Read "Which regions of Spain have a co-official language?" and "Aranese, Asturian and Aragonese: Spain's other languages".

Is Aranese official, and does it matter outside the Val d'Aran?

Yes, Aranese is official in Catalonia and is the language proper of the Val d'Aran, alongside Catalan and Spanish. Its use is mainly local: the Val d'Aran's own council prefers it, and schools there teach in a trilingual model that includes it. Read "Aranese, Asturian and Aragonese: Spain's other languages" to see whether it matters to you.

Where can I find figures on how many people speak the regional language?

Each co-official region publishes its own language survey, run by its statistics institute or government. In Catalonia about 94% understand Catalan and about 80% speak it, and in the Valencian Community about half can speak Valencian. Figures vary by city, with lower use in places like Barcelona, Vigo, Bilbao and Alicante. Read "How much regional language you will meet in your own town" for how to use them, and "Staying up to date as regional language rules change" for checking current rules.