Local languages: Catalan and Spanish

Use of local languages

More than 300 languages are spoken on the streets of Barcelona thanks to the vibrant international community living here, but the two official languages are Catalan and Spanish. 

The vast majority of people from Barcelona consider themselves fully bilingual. This means that they can almost effortlessly switch from Catalan to Spanish. 

Catalan is a key part of Catalan culture and the identity of many Catalan families. It is the language used in local government bodies and institutions and is the main language of education in schools in Catalonia, where Spanish and another foreign language such as English are also taught. Catalan is the language used at universities for institutional and administrative matters. 

Meanwhile, Spanish is one of the most-spoken languages in the world and is also commonly used in Barcelona. Many Barcelona residents are immigrants or descendants of immigrants from other parts of Spain and use Spanish as their native and everyday language.

Therefore, both Catalan and Spanish will figure prominently in your day-to-day life in the city.

Learning Catalan

Knowing the local languages will help you to integrate into Catalan society and open doors for you professionally, socially and personally. It will also enrich your experience of living in Barcelona and allow you to enjoy the city’s incredibly rich cultural and entertainment options. 

If you decide to learn Catalan and Spanish, you should know that they’re both Romance languages and therefore related. If you already know French, Italian or any other Latin-derived language, you’ll have an edge when learning Catalan and Spanish.

Barcelona has many centres where you can learn them, both private schools and universities. Options for learning Catalan include the following: 

Language schools (official classes)

The Consortium for Linguistic Normalisation (CPNL) offers free and subsidised Catalan classes at the following levels: 

• Beginner, equivalent to A1 in the European framework.
• Basic, equivalent to A2.
• Elementary, equivalent to B1.
• Intermediate, equivalent to B2.
• Advanced, equivalent to C1.
• Proficiency, equivalent to C2. 

Check out all the information on class levels and equivalences. 

The CPNL also offers programmes such as the Voluntariat per la llengua (Language Volunteers, or VxL), which provide opportunities to practise conversation in language pairs and improve your Catalan at events. 

The official language schools (EOIs) offer classes in modern languages, including Catalan and Spanish. There are six EOI locations in Barcelona, but the ones in Drassanes and Vall d’Hebron have the most extensive course offerings.

Barcelona universities, including the University of Barcelona, the Autonomous University of Barcelona and Pompeu Fabra University, also have their own language schools where you can learn Catalan.

Other resources for learning Catalan

The Ateneu Barcelonès’s Club del Català is an initiative designed to help you improve your Catalan communication skills while making new friends and connecting with the local community. 

Another option is learning on your own with the materials provided by Libraries of Barcelona.

Likewise, the Parla.cat portal offers in-person, digital and hybrid classes. 

Public radio and TV in Catalonia are also great tools for practising comprehension of spoken Catalan, because it’s the official language of these media outlets. You can tune into them live or on the Internet à la carte via the 3Cat platform. 

For more information on Catalan and Catalan language policies, you can check out the Intercat and Llengua Gencat websites.

Learning Spanish

The Instituto Cervantes runs various classes where you can learn Spanish and explore Hispanic cultures. There are both face-to-face and online options. You can also find out what language schools are accredited by the Instituto Cervantes and see what they have to offer. 

The official language schools (EOI) and universities also offer Spanish classes.