Spanish word

español

Pronunciation

IPA/espaˈɲol/

Meaning

  • masculine nounSpanish language, Spanish

Example

¿Hablas español?

Do you speak Spanish?

Illustration for español (Spanish language)

More examples

Quiero mejorar mi español para viajar.

I want to improve my Spanish to travel.

Core concept

Castilian-rooted language spoken across Spain and much of Latin America.

Common phrases

  • practicar español

    practice Spanish

  • estudiar español

    study Spanish

  • mejorar mi español

    improve my Spanish

Similar words

castellano: Regional variety originating in Castile, carrying historic and local associations.
idioma: Language used in a particular country or region, expressed in a general, nontechnical sense.

Definition in Spanish

Lengua también llamada castellano, usada como idioma principal por comunidades en España y en gran parte de América Latina.

Word origin

From Latin hispanicus 'of Hispania' via Old Spanish, with castellano specifically naming the variety from Castile.

Usage tips

  • In Spanish, names of languages are not capitalized, and many speakers in Spain say 'castellano' when contrasting the national language with regional languages.

Other meanings

  • Spaniardnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word