Languages of Europe

There are over 80 languages use in Europe with every country having an official language and some secondary ones. Some of these secondary languages are recognized as regional dialects only.  European countries recognize 23 total official languages.

Languages used mostly use are of the Indo-European family with just several languages from the non-Indo-European family. Of the Indo-European languages English is the most common language used throughout most of Europe. Other widely used languages are French, German, Italian and Spanish.

Each country has it’s official language and several countries have two or more. Belgium has Dutch and French as it’s official languages while Switzerland recognized four. Each official country language is more prevalent in one area than another.

There are also regional languages spoken in small areas throughout Europe. These languages can be official languages of the region along with the official language of the country. In the northeast section of Spain, around Barcelona, Catalan is an official language, as well as Spanish the official language of Spain. In Wales, English and Welsh are both official languages.

• BALTO-SLAVIC Languages
  • Baltic – branch
    • Latvian  – Official language of Latvia and the European Union.
    • Lithuanian  – Official language of Lithuania and the European Union. Recognized minor language in Poland.
  • Slavic – branch
    • Eastern Slavic – regional sub group
      • Belarusian  – Official language of Belarus and some areas of Poland. Recognized minority language in Czechia, Russia and the Ukraine
      • Russian  – Official state language of Russia, Belarus. Also in some de facto entities and recognized as a minority language in Ukraine, Moldova, Poland and Romania.
      • Rusyn – Recognized minority language in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia.
      • Ukrainian  – Official language in Ukraine. Recognized minority language in Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia.
    • Southern Slavic – regional sub group
      • Eastern – dialects
        • Bulgarian  Official language of Bulgaria and the European Union. Recognized minority language in Albania, Czechia, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine.
        • Macedonian  – Official language of North Macedonia.Recognized minority language in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania and Serbia.
      • Western – dialects
        • Serb-Croation
          • Bosnian  – Official language of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. Recognized minority language in Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia.
          • Burgenland-Croatian
          • Croatian – Official language of Croatia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and the European Union. Recognized minority language in Czechia, Hungary, Italy, Montenegro and Slovakia.
          • Montenegrin  – Official language of Montenegro. Recognized minority language in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
          • Serbian – Official language of Serbia, co-official in Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro.Recognized minority language in Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, North Macedonia, Romania and Slovakia.
        • Slovene  – Official language of Slovenia and the European Union.
    • Western Slavic – regional sub group
      • Czech-Slovak –dialects
        • Czech  – Official language of the Czechia and the European Union. Recognized minority language in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia.
        • Slovak  – Official language of Slovakia and the European Union. Recognized minority language in Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Serbia, Ukraine.
      • Lecthitic – dialects
        • Kashubian – Recognized minority language in Poland
        • Polish  – Official language of Poland and the European Union.Recognized minority language in Czechia, Hungary, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine.
        • Pomeranian – Recognized minority language in Poland
        • Silesian – Recognized regional language of Poland
      • Sorbian – dialects
        • Lower Sorbian – endangered minority language in easter Germany
        • Upper Sorbian – Minority language spoken in the Saxony part of Germany

• CELTIC Languages
  • Breton – Recognized minority language of the providence of Brittany in France
  • Cornish – Minority language in Cornwall, England
  • Irish  – Official language of the Republic of Ireland and the European Union. Recognized minority language of Northern Ireland, UK.
  • Manx – Official language of the Isle of Man
  • Scottish Gaelic – Recognized minority language of Scotland
  • Welsh  – Official language of Wales

• GERMANIC Languages
  • Northern Germanic – branch
    • Danish  – Official language of Denmark, Faroe Islands and the European Union. Recognized minority language in Greenland and Germany.
    • Faroese  – Co-Official language in the Faroe Islands. Recognized minority language in Denmark and Greenland.
    • Icelandic  – Official language of Iceland.
    • Norwegian  – Official language of Norway
    • Swedish  – Official language of Sweden, Finland, Âland Islands and the European Union.
  • Western Germanic – branch
    • Dutch  – Official language in Belgium, the Netherlands and the European Union. 
    • English  – Official language in the UK, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey, Malta co-official in Ireland and the European Union. .English is also the second primary language spoken in most European countries.
    • Elfdanian  – Isolated language spoken by about 3,000 people in Älvdalen,Sweden.
    • Frisian  – Regional language spoken by about 500,000 people in the Netherlands and Germany.
    • German  – Official language of Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and the European Union. German has three main subdivisions divided into multiple dialects. 
    • Limburgish  – Recognized minority language of the Netherlands. Also spoken in Belgium and Germany.
    • Scots  – Minority language spoken in Scotland and Northern Ireland
    • Yiddish – West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. Official language in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast of Russia. Recognized minority language in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Sweden and Ukraine.

• HELLENIC Languages
  • Greek  – Official language of Greece, Cyprus and the European Union.Four modern dialects are Northern, Ionian-Peloponnesian, Southern and Southeasten.
  • Tsakonian – Form of Greek sparsely spoken in the eastern Peloponnese.

• ITALIC (Romance) Languages
  • Eastern – branch
    • Romanian  – Official language of Romania, Moldova and the European Union.
    • Aromanian – Recognized minority language of Albania and North Macedonia.
    • Magleno-Romanian – Language spoken in the Moglena region that spans the border between the Greek region of Macedonia and North Macedonia.
    • Istro-Romanian – Recognized minority language of Albania and North Macedonia.
  • Gallo-Romance – branch
    • Gallo-Italic (Cisalpine)–regional sub group
      • Emilian-Romagnol – Language spoken in the Northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna.
      • Ligurian Language spoken the region of Liguria in Northern Italy as well as, France and Monaco.
      • Lombard – Spoken by millions of speakers in Northern Italy and Southern Switzerland,
      • Piedmontese – Recognized minority language in Itlay is spoken by some 2,000,000 people mostly in Piedmont, northwestern region of Italy
      • Venetian – Spoken native language by Venetians, by almost four million people in the northeast of Italy
    • Langue d’oil – regional sub group
      • French  – Official language of France, Monaco, Switzerland and the European Union.
      • Langue d’oil French dialects
        • Frankish Zone dialects – Eastern Champenois, Lorrain, Northern Norman and Walloon – Official language of Belgium
        • Francien Zone dialects – Berrichon, Bourdonais, Orléanais, Tourangeau , Western Champenois
        • Burgundian Zone dialects – Bourguignon, Franc-Comtois
        • Amorican Zone dialects – Angevin, Gallo, Southern Norman
          • Poitevin-Saintongeais Zone dialects – Poitevin, Saintongeais
    • Occitino-Romance – regional sub group
      • Catalan  – Official language of Andorra and the communities of the Balearic Islands, Catalonia and Valencia in Spain. 
      • Gascon – Official language in Catalonia, Spain. Predominantly spoken in southwest France. 
      • Occitan – Official language in Catalonia, Spain. Recognized minority language in Italy, Monaco and 5 regions of France.
    • Rhaeto-Romance – regional sub group
      • Frulian – Official language of the autonomous region of Friuli,Italy. 
      • Ladin – Recognized by both provincial and national law in Italy, spoken in the south Tyrol.
      • Romansh  – Official language in areas of southern Switzerland.
  • West Iberian – branch
    • Atur-Leonese – regional sub group
      • Asturian – Recognized minority language spoken in the Principality of Asturias, Spain
      • Extremaduran – Dialect related to the Asturleonese language, spoken in adjoining areas in the province of Salamanca. 
      • Leonese – Official language spoken in Spanish autonomous community of Castile and León of Spain.
      • Mirandese – Sparsely spoken and Co-official language in Miranda do Douro, Portugal
    • Castilian– regional sub group
      • Spanish  – Official language in Spain and the European Union as well as 20 other countries in Central and South America. 
      • Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) – Language derived from Old Spanish. Recognized minority language in Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Israel and Turkey
      • Galician-Portuguese
      • Eonavian
      • Fala  – Sparsely spoken language by 10,000 peopole in western Spain on Portuguese boarder.
      • Galician  – Official language in Galicia, an autonomous community in northwestern Spain. 
      • Portuguese  – Official language of Portugal and the European Union as well as nine countries out of Europe. Recognized minority status in Portuguese communities throughout the wolrd.
    • Pyranean-Mozarabic-Portuguese–regional sub group
      • Aragonese Language spoken by about 12,000 people in the Pyrenees valleys of Aragon, Spain.
  • Italo-Dalmation – branch
    • Coriscan – spoken on Corsica, is thought to be descended from Tuscan.
    • Istriot – Language spoken by about 400 people in the Istrian peninsula in Croatia.
    • ITALIAN  – Official language of Italy, San Marino, southern Switzerland and the European Union.
    • Neopolitan – Southern language spoken across parts of southern Italy.
    • Sassarese – Language spoken primarily in northeast Sardinia.
    • Silician  – Regional language spoken on the island of Sicily; and in the south of both Calabria and Apulia; and in Cilento, in the southernmost of Campania
    • Tuscan-Corsican – spoken in the Italian region of Tuscany, and the French island of Corsica.
  • Sardinian – Recognized minority language in Italy and Sardinia. Campidanese and Logudorese are the two dialects spoken.

• INDEPENDENT
  • Albanian – Official language of Albania and co-official in North Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo. Recognized minority language of Croatia, Italy, Romania and Serbia.

• SEMITIC Languages
  • Hebrew – Old language from the Kingdom of Israel and used in religious practices of Judaism.
  • Maltese  – Official language of Malta and the European Union.
• TURKIC Languages
  • Southwest Turkic – sub branch
    • Azerbaijani  – Official language of Azerbaijan and Dagestan in the Russian Federation.
    • Crimean Tartar  – Official language in the Crimean peninsula.
    • Gagauz – Minority language in Moldova. Recognized minority language in Ukraine.
    • Turkish  – Official language in Turkey, Cyprus and Northern Cyprus. Recognized minority language in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Iraq, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Romania.
• Uralic Languages
  • Balto-Finnic– subdivisions
    • Estonian (Northern-Standard)  – Official language of Estonia and the European Union.
    • Finnish  – Official language of Finland and the European Union. recognized minority language in Norway, Sweden and Russia. 
    • Karelian – Recognized minority language in Finland and Karelia of Russian Federation.
    • South Estonian – Language spoken in Southeast Estonia around Tartu.
    • Veps – Recognized minority language in Karelia of Russian Federation. 
    • Voltic – Language spoken by the Votes of Ingria in Russia.
  • Sami– subdivisions
    • Central Sami  – Official language of Denmark, Faroe Islands and the European Union. Recognized minority language in Greenland and Germany.
    • Eastern Sami 🇫🇴 – Co-Official language in the Faroe Islands. Recognized minority language in Denmark and Greenland.
    • Western Sami – Official language of Iceland.
  • Hungarian  – Official language of Hungary and the European Union. Recognized minority language in Austria, Croatia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenian and Ukraine.
• Independent Languages
  • Basque  – Official language of Basque Autonomous CommunityT in Spain. Recognized minority language in France.

Europe is very multi-lingual and in some countries they may have several official languages. In addition they may have other languages that are the official language for that region along with the national language. This accommodates minor ethnic groups who have no country but, whose indigenous people’s home has resided within the boundries of another country for many years. This preserves the language by being  taught in schools as well as, used in legal documentation and records.

Before you leave on your adventure, learn some common phrases for the language of the country you will be visiting. Locals appreciate when you make a little effort to communicate in their native language. Not to worry though, many Europeans speak english well. Other than English, the main languages spoken across many western European boarders are French, Spanish, German and Italian.

In those old eastern block communist countries, Russian has a high recognition. Belarusian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, Serbian, Ukrainian all use the Cryllic alphabet and the Greek alphabet is used in Greece. Unless you can read those alphabets the translator may not be of much help. However, even in those countries major signage can also be labeled with the latin alphabet and sometimes in English.

You can find a language translator apps for your mobile device at one of the app stores or go to Goggle Translate on the internet.