¡Hablamos español!

Capital city: MadridPopulation: 48 million (UK:65 million)

Why learn Spanish?

• Over 400 million people worldwide speak Spanish

• Where? : in Europe and Central, South and North America

• 21 countries have Spanish as their official language.

Spanish language

Spanish is a Romance language, like Latin, French and Italian.

The language can be referred to as Español or Castellano (Castillian Spanish which is spoken in Spain).

Spanish is a phonetic language, which makes it easier to read, write and pronounce.

• Arabic influence in Spanish

Arab armies started to conquer the Iberian peninsula in 711, and brought Arabic language with them. Apart from Latin, Arabic is the largest contributor to the Spanish language and many place names reflect that Arab heritage.

Alhambra in Grenada

Gran Mezquita, Cordoba

Mosque built in 784

Reclaimed by Christians in 1236

Languages in Spain

• Catalan

• Spoken in Catalunya

by approx. 7 million

people.

Languages in Spain

BasqueSpoken in the Basque country by approx. 650,000 people.

Languages in Spain

GalicianSpoken in Galicia by approx. 2.5 million people.

Spain has a royal family

King Felipe, Queen Letizia, Princesses Leonor and Sofia

Spanish foodpaella

chorizo

tapas olives

Famous Spanish artists

Salvador Dali

Gaudi

Picasso

Spanish music and dance

guitar

flamenco

Spanish festivals

Bullrunning in Pamplona

(el Encierro)“Tomatina” in Buñol

Which English tradition does this Spanish character correspond to??