¡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??