About the Spanish language

Spanish is spoken by about 350 million people worldwide as a first language, with a further 70 million speaking it as a second language.

It is the main language of Spain, and is also spoken as a first language in most countries in South and Central America (excluding Brazil), North America, and some other countries around the world.

So why learn Spanish?

Travel
As one of the world's major languages, a knowledge of Spanish is almost essential for the traveller in South America, especially outside the major cities. Also Spain itself has many places of interest where a knowledge of the language would make a visit more enjoyable.

Literature
Spain has some of the richest literature in the world which is best enjoyed in the original to be fully appreciated. The so-called "golden age" of Spanish literature is the seventeenth century with writers such as Cervantes, Lope de Vega, and Calderón.

Easy to learn
Spanish is relatively easy to learn. The pronunciation takes some mastering but is regular in the sense that, once having learnt how to pronounce a certain sound, it can be applied consistently to other words. A knowledge of other Romance languages such as French, Italian, or Portuguese gives an obvious advantage as much of the vocabulary is similar.

About this site

The aim of Speak Spanish! is to provide a high quality resource for adults who wish to learn Spanish online.

It is part of the Speak Languages! network of websites.

Access to the site is completely free. We are currently adding sound, and soon users will also be able to hear all the phrases and vocabulary spoken by native Spanish speakers.

If you have any comments or suggestions, or spot any mistakes however small, please contact us – we appreciate your feedback.