What Language Do They Speak in Valencia?

Tl;dr. València has two official languages: Valencian and Spanish. Valencian, or valencià, is the original language here. Spanish is also spoken by essentially everyone.

If you’re coming here, you should be prepared to know a bit of both! You’ll see things written in both languages and, while many people may understand both languages, they may choose to speak to you in only one. 

The longer answer is more interesting, and I’m able to give you a unique perspective.. I moved here in 2018, I speak both languages at a C2 level, my husband is Valencian, and at this point I speak more Valencian than English! I’ve given interviews in Valencian on À Punt, the local television, as well as on Cadena SER. So this post is not a summary of what other websites say about Valencian.

It is what I hear every day.

The Two Official Languages

Valencian is co-official with Spanish across the Valencian Country, and it is the historic language. It is regulated by the Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua, the official language authority, which sets the spelling and grammar standards used in schools, government, and broadcasting.

Spanish, which people here more often call castellà or castellano, is spoken by virtually the entire population. This is because it’s mandatory to learn Spanish, so even people who speak Valencian at home, at work, and with friends, they’ll still be able to speak Spanish. 

In fact, a lot of people here didn’t speak Spanish up until the last couple of generations! 

Both appear everywhere in official life. Street signs, metro announcements, museum labels, and government forms are usually in Valencian. It’s the official language of the government here. 

That is why you will see Plaça rather than Plaza, Carrer rather than Calle, and Mercat rather than Mercado.

How Many People Speak Valencian?

Valencian, which is the same language as Catalan, is spoken by around 9 million people. It’s spoken in Spain, France, Andorra, and Italy. 

According to the Generalitat’s 2021 survey on knowledge and use of Valencian, 79.4 percent of the population over fifteen understands Valencian, 54.9 percent can speak it, 60.9 percent can read it, and 44.4 percent can write it. 

Actual daily use is a little more complex. It depends more on where you live and your social context. Plus, since the city is growing and getting more immigration, it’s more and more common to find people who don’t speak the language. But typically people who don’t speak the language are people who aren’t Valencian. 

There’s also a bunch of history and sociocultural context to understand. Formal knowledge of the language has risen sharply since the end of the dictatorship. Academic analysis of the same census data puts the Valencian literacy at roughly double what it was in 1985.

So the short answer is: Valencian is a very common part of daily life. A big portion of the population speaks it. The only people who don’t tend to be foreigners or the far-right. 

Some Places Don’t Speak Valencian

It’s important to get an idea of the geography, too. Valencian is spoken primarily towards the coast. So the city of València, and all the towns along the coast have it as the primary language. 

But if you go inland towards somewhere like Requena, people only speak Spanish there. The same thing happens in some areas in the south of Alacant. So it really just depends! But for most places tourists go to, you can safely assume you’ll need some Valencian. 

In Xàtiva, Sueca or Gandia, Valencian is the default language usually. You’ll rarely hear people speak Spanish here. Spanish is a bit more common in the capital because of immigration, but these smaller cities don’t have that. 

Is Valencian the Same as Catalan?

Yes. Linguistically, Valencian and Catalan belong to the same language, with Valencian having its own standard, its own vocabulary preferences, and its own distinct pronunciation. That is the position of the Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua, the official body, and it is the mainstream position in linguistics.

Even though we have two names, it’s not that complicated. Think of it like the difference between American English and British English. Same language, just a bit different accent!

However, politicians have used this as a point of division. The right-wing parties have often tried to deny it being the same language as Catalan, mostly to separate themselves from Catalonia. 

So you might hear people say they’re two different languages. But those people are either:

1. Simply uninformed and fell for this political propaganda, or
2. Are far-right winged

And in either case, they’re definitely not linguists. You can consider them the anti-vaxxers of the linguistic world! 

My advice for visitors: Call it Valencian, or valencià, because that is what people say here and it is what the official standard is called. You can get deeper into this sociolinguistic debate if you decide to move here 😅 

This is the kind of thing my what not to do in Valencia post exists for.

Why Spellings Vary

So I’m not going to go really deep here. Unless you’re a big language nerd like me, you probably don’t care 🤓 

But just note that Valencia didn’t get an official dictionary/standard until 1998. 

Like, I was in Elementary School when the current dictionary came out!!!

Which means it’s pretty common to find people who have issues with spelling. Or you may see some different conventions for political reasons. 

So I wouldn’t really worry about this now. But if you want to find some resources to learn Valencian, you can do so here:

Do You Need to Speak Spanish to Visit Valencia?

I think knowing some basic Spanish would be helpful. Just like speaking some basic Valencian would be helpful. 

Not a lot of people here speak English very well. At least, not in my experience. So being able to have some back-up phrases is really helpful.

Personally, I spend my day 100% in Valencian. So if you’re only visiting Valencia, you can go for that and be perfectly fine. But if you want to learn a bit of Spanish if you’re visiting other places in Spain, too, then that’s a good idea. 

Here’s a list of things to say in my useful Valencian expressions guide.

Top 10 Words in Valencian to Know

Bon dia is good morning, and you can use it until around 2 PM.

Bona vesprada is good afternoon.

Bona nit is good evening and good night, both.

Gràcies is thank you. Per favor is please. Adéu is goodbye, and fins ara is see you soon.

El compte, per favor gets you the bill, which is probably the most practical lol. 

Esmorzaret is the substantial mid-morning meal that Valencians take seriously, mostly on Saturdays, and which I break down in my esmorzaret guide. 

Tapes is the Valencian for tapas. Orxata is the tiger nut drink, and spelling it horchata here marks you out immediately, which is one reason I wrote a whole best orxata in Valencia guide.

If you want to go further than survival phrases, my guide to where to learn Valencian covers the schools, apps, and free public courses that actually exist.

Why Place Names Look Different from What You Booked

This is one of the biggest questions I get from people! 

This is a bilingual territory, so you’re bound to find multiple names to reference the same place. 

Because Booking might use the Spanish version, but then Google Maps uses the Valencian one.

Xàtiva is Játiva. Alacant is Alicante. Elx is Elche. Gandia keeps its name but drops the accent that Spanish gives it. And the city itself is officially València, with the accent, in both languages.

My biggest recommendation is to learn all the place names in Valencian. The reason is because for the majority of the territory, it is the ONLY official version. Like, the only official name of the city is València. Valencia isn’t officially recognized.

So this means that train departure boards and bus destination signs use the Valencian forms. I wrote a whole post on the official names of towns in this region to go into some more detail here.

Where Valencian Shows Up

Once you start noticing it, Valencian turns out to be the key to a lot of things that might have confused you!

The fallera parading past you in March is wearing a costume with Valencian names for every piece of it. The satirical text on a falla monument is written in Valencian and is usually mocking something local and specific. 

The dishes on a menu, the streets on a map, the name of the city itself. A handful of my favorite pieces of trivia in my fun facts about Valencia post only make sense once you know the language exists.

So that’s my best advice for someone who wants to be a responsible traveler!

What This Means If You Are Thinking of Moving Here

If you are considering València as a place to live rather than visit, then this becomes a really big deal.

Valencian is a necessity to become part of the community. It is how you follow a conversation at a family lunch, understand what the falla in your street is actually satirizing, and understanding current events.

Public Valencian courses are widely available and often free or close to it, and knowing it is often required in the public sector. 

See all my reasons for why you should speak Valencian if you live in Valencia. 

For the practical side of relocating, see my how to move to Spain guide, my Spain visa options post, and my cost of living in Valencia breakdown.

My experience with Valencian

I have lived in València since 2018. I hold C2 certification in both Valencian and Spanish, I am married to a Valencian, and I am an accredited tourist guide for the Comunitat Valenciana. 

I have discussed València in Valencian on À Punt, the regional public broadcaster, and in Spanish on Cadena SER. 

I mention all of this only because this particular topic attracts a lot of confident writing from people who have never had a conversation in either language. 

If something here contradicts what you read elsewhere, that is the reason.

Need some more help?

If you want personalized, on-the-ground advice for your specific trip, I offer travel consultations and custom itineraries for València. Whether you have a quick question or want a full day-by-day plan built around your travel dates and style, I would love to help.

See my travel services here: abroadinvalencia.com/travel-services

Frequently Asked Questions About the Languages Spoken in Valencia