What Language Do They Speak?
Type a country or nationality and see which languages people speak there, with a free printable phrasebook for each one we cover.
115 countries and places
| country | they speak |
|---|---|
| AfghanistanAfghan | PashtoDari |
| AlbaniaAlbanian | Albanian |
| AlgeriaAlgerian | ArabicTamazight (Berber)French is widely used in business and education. |
| ArgentinaArgentine / Argentinian | Spanish |
| ArmeniaArmenian | ArmenianRussian is widely understood. |
| AustraliaAustralian | English |
| AustriaAustrian | German |
| AzerbaijanAzerbaijani | Azerbaijani |
| BangladeshBangladeshi | Bengali |
| BelarusBelarusian | RussianBelarusian |
| BelgiumBelgian | DutchFrenchGermanDutch in the north (Flanders), French in the south (Wallonia); Brussels is mostly French-speaking. |
| BoliviaBolivian | SpanishQuechuaAymara |
| Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnian | BosnianCroatianSerbianThe three are mutually intelligible. |
| BrazilBrazilian | Portuguese |
| BulgariaBulgarian | Bulgarian |
| CambodiaCambodian | Khmer |
| CanadaCanadian | EnglishFrenchFrench is the main language in Quebec. |
| ChileChilean | Spanish |
| ChinaChinese | Mandarin ChineseCantonese is common in Guangdong; many regional languages are spoken at home. |
| ColombiaColombian | Spanish |
| Costa RicaCosta Rican | Spanish |
| CroatiaCroatian | Croatian |
| CubaCuban | Spanish |
| CyprusCypriot | GreekTurkishGreek in the south, Turkish in the north. |
| Czechia (Czech Republic)Czech | Czech |
| DenmarkDanish / Dane | Danish |
| Dominican RepublicDominican | Spanish |
| EcuadorEcuadorian | Spanish |
| EgyptEgyptian | Arabic |
| El SalvadorSalvadoran | Spanish |
| EstoniaEstonian | Estonian |
| EthiopiaEthiopian | AmharicOromo, Tigrinya and many other languages are spoken regionally. |
| FinlandFinnish / Finn | FinnishSwedish |
| FranceFrench | French |
| GeorgiaGeorgian | Georgian |
| GermanyGerman | German |
| GhanaGhanaian | EnglishTwi (Akan) is widely spoken. |
| GreeceGreek | Greek |
| GuatemalaGuatemalan | SpanishOver twenty Mayan languages are spoken too. |
| HaitiHaitian | Haitian CreoleFrench |
| Hawaii (USA)Hawaiian | EnglishHawaiian |
| HondurasHonduran | Spanish |
| Hong KongHongkonger | CantoneseEnglishWritten Chinese is shared with Mandarin, so a Chinese phrasebook works on paper; spoken Cantonese is different. |
| HungaryHungarian / Magyar | Hungarian |
| IcelandIcelandic / Icelander | Icelandic |
| IndiaIndian | HindiEnglishIndia has 22 scheduled languages. Hindi is most widely spoken in the north; in the south, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam are more common. |
| IndonesiaIndonesian | Indonesian |
| IranIranian / Persian | Farsi (Persian) |
| IraqIraqi | ArabicKurdish |
| IrelandIrish | EnglishIrishEnglish is what you will hear; Irish is everyday speech in Gaeltacht areas in the west. |
| IsraelIsraeli | HebrewArabic |
| ItalyItalian | Italian |
| JamaicaJamaican | EnglishJamaican Patois is the everyday spoken language. |
| JapanJapanese | Japanese |
| JordanJordanian | Arabic |
| KazakhstanKazakh | KazakhRussian |
| KenyaKenyan | SwahiliEnglish |
| KosovoKosovar | AlbanianSerbian |
| LaosLao / Laotian | Lao |
| LatviaLatvian | LatvianRussian is widely understood. |
| LebanonLebanese | ArabicFrench and English are widely spoken. |
| LithuaniaLithuanian | Lithuanian |
| LuxembourgLuxembourger | LuxembourgishFrenchGerman |
| MalaysiaMalaysian | MalayEnglish, Mandarin, Cantonese and Tamil are widely spoken. |
| MaltaMaltese | MalteseEnglish |
| MexicoMexican | Spanish |
| MoldovaMoldovan | RomanianRussian is widely understood. |
| MongoliaMongolian | Mongolian |
| MontenegroMontenegrin | MontenegrinSerbian |
| MoroccoMoroccan | ArabicTamazight (Berber)French is widely used in business, signs and menus. |
| Myanmar (Burma)Burmese | Burmese |
| NepalNepali / Nepalese | Nepali |
| Netherlands (Holland)Dutch | Dutch |
| New ZealandNew Zealander / Kiwi | EnglishMāori |
| NicaraguaNicaraguan | Spanish |
| NigeriaNigerian | EnglishHausa, Yoruba, Igbo and Nigerian Pidgin are widely spoken. |
| North MacedoniaMacedonian | MacedonianAlbanian |
| NorwayNorwegian | Norwegian |
| PakistanPakistani | UrduEnglishPunjabi is the most widely spoken first language. |
| PanamaPanamanian | Spanish |
| ParaguayParaguayan | SpanishGuaraní |
| PeruPeruvian | SpanishQuechuaAymara |
| PhilippinesFilipino | Tagalog (Filipino)English |
| PolandPolish / Pole | Polish |
| PortugalPortuguese | Portuguese |
| Puerto RicoPuerto Rican | SpanishEnglish |
| QatarQatari | ArabicEnglish is widely used. |
| RomaniaRomanian | Romanian |
| RussiaRussian | Russian |
| Saudi ArabiaSaudi | Arabic |
| SenegalSenegalese | FrenchWolof is the everyday spoken language. |
| SerbiaSerbian / Serb | Serbian |
| SingaporeSingaporean | EnglishMandarin ChineseMalayTamil |
| SlovakiaSlovak | SlovakClose to Czech; the two are mutually intelligible. |
| SloveniaSlovenian / Slovene | Slovenian |
| South AfricaSouth African | ZuluXhosaAfrikaansEnglishTwelve official languages; English is the common one in cities and business. |
| South KoreaKorean | Korean |
| SpainSpanish / Spaniard | SpanishCatalan, Basque and Galician are co-official in their regions. |
| Sri LankaSri Lankan | SinhalaTamil |
| SwedenSwedish / Swede | Swedish |
| SwitzerlandSwiss | GermanFrenchItalianRomanshWhich one depends on the canton: German in most of the country, French in the west, Italian in Ticino. |
| SyriaSyrian | Arabic |
| TaiwanTaiwanese | Mandarin ChineseTaiwanese Hokkien is widely spoken; writing uses traditional characters. |
| TanzaniaTanzanian | SwahiliEnglish |
| ThailandThai | Thai |
| TunisiaTunisian | ArabicFrench is widely used. |
| Turkey (Türkiye)Turkish / Turk | Turkish |
| UkraineUkrainian | UkrainianRussian is widely understood. |
| United Arab EmiratesEmirati | ArabicEnglish is the everyday common language in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. |
| United KingdomBritish | EnglishWelsh is widely spoken in Wales; Scottish Gaelic in parts of Scotland. |
| United StatesAmerican | EnglishSpanish is widely spoken, especially in the south-west, Florida and big cities. |
| UruguayUruguayan | Spanish |
| UzbekistanUzbek | UzbekRussian is widely understood. |
| VenezuelaVenezuelan | Spanish |
| VietnamVietnamese | Vietnamese |
Underlined languages have a free printable phrasebook.
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Names that aren’t the language
People often search for the country or the people, not the language. These are the ones that catch travellers out most.
- Brazilian
- Portuguese
- Mexican
- Spanish
- Nihongo
- Japanese
- Mandarin
- Chinese
- Jewish
- Hebrew
- Iranian / Persian
- Farsi
- Filipino
- Tagalog
- Holland
- Dutch
- Kenyan / Tanzanian
- Swahili
- Moldovan
- Romanian
- Magyar
- Hungarian
- Bohemian / Czechia
- Czech
- Austrian
- German
- Cambodian
- Khmer
- Jamaican / Patois
- Jamaican Patois — not yet covered here
- Nepalese
- Nepali — not yet covered here
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Common questions
What language do they speak in Brazil?
Portuguese. Brazil is the largest Portuguese-speaking country in the world, and Spanish is not its language, although many Brazilians understand some.
What language do Swiss people speak?
It depends on the region: German in most of the country, French in the west around Geneva and Lausanne, Italian in Ticino in the south, and Romansh in parts of Graubünden.
Is Filipino the same as Tagalog?
Almost. Filipino, the national language of the Philippines, is based on Tagalog and the two are mutually intelligible. English is also an official language and widely spoken.
Is Farsi the same as Persian?
Yes. Farsi is the name of the language in Persian itself; Persian is the usual English name. It is the main language of Iran, and closely related forms are spoken in Afghanistan (Dari) and Tajikistan.
What if a country has several languages?
The table lists the one you are most likely to hear first, then the others. Where travellers commonly get it wrong — Cantonese in Hong Kong, French in Morocco — there is a short note.
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