How Many Languages Are Spoken in Europe?

There are 24 official languages in Europe, but this only accounts for the widely spoken languages. If you include the minority languages, there are actually around 200 of them.

So, if you want to go on a backpacking trip or live in Europe, what language should you learn? It's overwhelming to choose considering all your options.

Luckily, most Europeans are bilingual, meaning you can get by with English. Now that we know how many languages are spoken in Europe. Let's find out which ones they are.

Language Tree

The language tree is a metaphor for linguists as a way to describe where languages originate European languages fall under the Indo-European language tree with Germanic, Romance, and Slavic subsets. The good thing is that many popular languages follow similar grammar patterns. They also have cognates because they stem from Vulgar Latin. which makes tackling them a bit easier.

Most Spoken Languages

Here are the official languages established in agreement with the member states of the European Union:

• Spanish: There are over forty million Europeans that claim Spanish as their first language. Not to mention, Spanish is one of the hottest destinations for many tourists. It's also the second most spoken language in the world. There's no excuse not to learn it.

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• Italian: If you're dreaming of riding a gondola in Venice or feasting on pizza in Rome, Italian is for you. Sixty-nine million Europeans speak Italian in Italy and Switzerland.

• French: Up next is the language of love with eighty million speakers across Europe. You can hear French in France (obviously), Belgium, Switzerland, and Luxembourg.

• German: The language known for really long words is the largest spoken language across the European continent. Ninety-five million speakers put it ahead of the Romance languages. Countries like Denmark, The Netherlands, Sweden, Austria and more recognize it as a second language.

• Dutch: If you ever see yourself riding a bike in Amsterdam, you might want to dip your toes in the Dutch language. There are fewer Dutch speakers compared to the other languages (around twenty million). The thing about Dutch is that it's one of the easiest languages for native English speakers to pick up.

• English: Don't be surprised by this one. English is the world's most common language. Seventy million English speakers reside in Europe. Expats do contribute to this number. But Europeans also learn it in school and through TV shows.

Lesser-Known Languages

There is nothing better than traveling and finding hidden gems. If you think about it, the most popular languages are like tourist traps. Digging deeper, you can find things that are lesser-known and just as beautiful. Here's a list of indigenous European languages that you might not know to exist:

• Basque (Northern Spain)
• Catalan (second languages of Catalonia and Valencia)
• Flemish (Northern Belgium)
• Icelandic (Iceland's official language)
• Gaelic (Ireland)

Europe prides itself on bilingualism and preserving the cultures of the 47 recognized countries. Knowing a second language helps Europeans compete in the global community. If you're ever nervous about your rusty language skills, don't panic. I guarantee that any European can communicate with you no matter what your mother tongue is.