Languages (Junior Cert Spanish): Revision Notes
Languages in Spanish
When travelling, you'll often need to talk about languages you speak or want to learn. In Spanish, there are some important rules about how language names work that differ significantly from English conventions.
Critical Rule: Capitalisation
Unlike in English, language names in Spanish are never capitalised. They always use lowercase letters, even at the beginning of a sentence.
- English: "I speak Spanish and French"
- Spanish: "Hablo español y francés"
Key vocabulary: languages
| Spanish | Article | English |
|---|---|---|
| el español | el | Spanish |
| el inglés | el | English |
| el irlandés | el | Irish |
| el portugués | el | Portuguese |
| el italiano | el | Italian |
| el francés | el | French |
| el japonés | el | Japanese |
| el chino/mandarín | el | Chinese/Mandarin |
| el griego | el | Greek |
| el alemán | el | German |
| el mongol | el | Mongolian |
| el ruso | el | Russian |
| el polaco | el | Polish |
| el ucraniano | el | Ukrainian |
| el finlandés | el | Finnish |
| el islandés | el | Icelandic |
| el lituano | el | Lithuanian |
| el árabe | el | Arabic |
Grammar note: Notice that all language names use the masculine article "el" and remain lowercase. When listing languages, use "y" (and) between most languages, but use "e" before words starting with "i" (like "e inglés").
Example Sentences: Using Language Names
Hablo español e inglés.
I speak Spanish and English.
¿Qué idiomas hablas?
What languages do you speak?
En este hotel hablan francés y alemán.
In this hotel they speak French and German.
Estudio japonés porque me gusta la cultura.
I study Japanese because I like the culture.
Useful patterns
Learning these patterns helps you predict how to say languages in Spanish based on their English names:
Pattern 1: -ish endings
English languages ending in "-ish" usually become "-és" in Spanish:
- English → inglés
- Irish → irlandés
- Finnish → finlandés
Pattern 2: -ian endings
English languages ending in "-ian" often become "-o" in Spanish:
- Italian → italiano
- Ukrainian → ucraniano
- Lithuanian → lituano
Phrase bank
These essential phrases will help you communicate about languages in Spanish-speaking countries:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Habla usted inglés? | Do you speak English? (formal) |
| ¿Hablas inglés? | Do you speak English? (informal) |
| Hablo un poco de español | I speak a little Spanish |
| No hablo alemán | I don't speak German |
| ¿Qué idiomas habla? | What languages do you speak? |
| Estoy aprendiendo francés | I'm learning French |
Translation Practice
Translate to English:
- Hablo español y francés.
- ¿Qué idiomas estudias?
Translate to Spanish: 3. I speak English and Irish. 4. What languages do they speak in this country?
Check your answers at the bottom of the document.
Common Errors and Fixes
❌ Hablo Español → ✅ Hablo español
Fix: Languages are never capitalised in Spanish
❌ Hablo el español → ✅ Hablo español
Fix: Don't use the article after the verb "hablar" (to speak)
❌ Hablo español y irlandés → ✅ Hablo español e irlandés
Fix: Use "e" instead of "y" before words starting with "i"
Key Points to Remember:
- Language names in Spanish are never capitalised
- All languages use the masculine article "el" when used as nouns
- Don't use articles after "hablar" - just say "hablo español"
- Use "e" instead of "y" before words starting with "i"
- Many language patterns follow English endings: -ish → -és, -ian → -o
Translation answers:
- I speak Spanish and French.
- What languages do you study?
- Hablo inglés e irlandés.
- ¿Qué idiomas hablan en este país?