There are a variety of languages used in Spain and also a number of dialects of these languages. Most people in Spain can speak Castilian Spanish; Castilian Spanish is the official language of the country and so is used throughout Spain. However, although the official language, Castilian isn't the only language that has "official" status. These other "co-official" languages are Galician, Catalan and Euskara. The co-official languages are spoken in different regions ("Comunidades Autónomas") of Spain.

Added to this, many of Spain's official languages themselves have their own derived dialects.

Catalan is called a romantic language as it has been heavily influenced by Latin. In Spain, Catalan and its dialects are primarily spoken in the regions of Catalonia, Valencia and the Balearic Islands however Catalan is also used in some parts of Aragon and Murcia.

Catalan became recognised in early Spain when it began to spread. It soon became considered as a primary language. Catalan has passed in and out of favor with the royal court of Spain through several, most notably the dictator Francisco Franco. Since General Franco's death in 1975 Catalan has been reinstated as one of the official languages of Spain. It should be noted also that Catalan is not exclusive to Spain as it is also used in Italy and France.

Euskara is primarily used in the Spanish Basque region. Having said this, it is being used in other parts of the country due to its co-official status. The Basque language is a very interesting language in that nobody is entirely sure where it has come from as it is so different from any other language in the region, and in fact the world. There have been a number of theories on the history of Euskara, but the origin is still unknown at this time. Euskara is a very enigmatic language as it is one of a kind; historians truly do not have any ideas as to how it was formed. The Basque language is spoken by approximately 0.5 million basque natives and is is the most unique language in Spain.

The third co-official language is Gallego (Galician) spoken in the region of Galicia situated in northern Spain. Like Catalan, Gallego is a romantic language, however it has a very different sound to the Catalan language. At one time Gallego and Portuguese were the same language (the historic Kingdom of Galicia once included the territory of Portugal). Although different languages today, Portuguese and Gallego are related by what is called a dialect continuum (i.e. they have many similarities having come from the same root language).

There are a few areas in Spain where dialects are used by a relative handful of people; these "languages" struggle to survive and are disappearing rapidly. Most of the regions have dialect variances, and although the overwhelming majority of people can speak Spanish, many choose to use their own language. Consequently a visitor to Spain may speak to three different people and hear three completely different languages, regardless of where they are in the country! This linguistic diversity has been the subject of much discussion through the years as the people of each region are proud of its language and culture.

As previously stated, the official language in Spain is Castilian Spanish. Of course many other European languages are now used in certain areas of Spain as various peoples have migrated to the south of Spain. And so it is likely that you will not only hear Castilian, Catalan, Gallego and Euskara (depending of course upon where you are) but you may also hear French, Italian, German and English.