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• Alternate Names & Spellings for Spanish

  • Español
  • Castellano
  • Castilian
• Language Family of Spanish


  • Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Western, Gallo-Iberian, Ibero-Romance, West Iberian, Castilian
• Countries where Spanish is an Official Language

  • Panama
  • Uruguay
  • Venezuela
  • Mexico
  • Nicaragua
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Puerto Rico
  • Spain
  • Argentina
  • Bolivia
  • Chile
  • Colombia
  • Costa Rica
  • Cuba
  • Dominican Republic
  • Ecuador
  • El Salvador
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Guatemala
  • Honduras
• Spoken In


  United States
• Spoken by Approximately


  322,299,000 people
• Origin of the Spanish Language

  1. Iberian Peninsula

  2. Iberians mingled with Celts

  3. Celtiberians spoke a form of Celtic

  4. Under Roman rule, Latin became widespread

  5. Vulgar Latin appeared from mixing with pre-Roman languages

  6. Visigoths invaded, Latin remained official

  7. Moors conquered, Arabic and Mozarabic became widely spoken

  8. Christian kingdoms reconquered, Vulgar Latin dialects became dominant

  9. Castilian dialect became the standard
• Castilian


  A dialect that originated on the Northern Central plains of Spain
• Andalusian


  A dialect spoken in the southern city of Seville in the Andalucia region of Spain
• Standardization of Spanish


  1. King Alfonso X adopted Castilian as the administrative and official language

  2. Catholic monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand made Castilian the official dialect

  3. Antonio de Nebrija's "Arte de la lengua castellana" defined the grammar of Castilian
• Spread of Spanish to the Americas

  1. Spanish explorers, conquistadors, and colonizers carried Castilian and Andalusian dialects

  2. Castilian used in administrative and cultural centers, Andalusian became dominant in remote regions

  3. Spanish remained the official language after colonies gained independence
• Spanish in the United States

  1. Spanish settlements in Florida, Southwest, and territories gained from Mexico

  2. Spanish speakers immigrated from Latin American countries in the 20th century

  3. Increased presence of Spanish in American culture, schools, media, and government
• Spanish in the Philippines


  1. Spanish was the language of the ruling class, administration, and culture

  2. After Spanish-American War, Spanish was an official language along with English and Tagalog

  3. Usage of Spanish has gradually declined
• Spanish Family Values


  • Family is the basis of social structure, including nuclear and extended family
  • Less common for family members to work in family business, personal preferences and education are important
  • Family structure and size has changed, with fewer children and less extended family living together
  • Familial networks have become less tight, values between men/women and parents/children have changed
• Machismo


  Male dominance, culture of old men has changed dramatically
• Religion in Spain


  • Majority are Roman Catholic, different religious beliefs are accepted
  • History of coexistence between Muslims, Jews, and Christians
  • Some traditions are more cultural than religious, like Holy Week processions
• Meeting Etiquette in Spain

  • Shake hands when introduced, men may embrace and pat on shoulder, female friends kiss on cheeks, use Don/Dona with first name in formal occasions, two-handed handshake common
• Relationships & Communication in Spain

  • Prefer to do business with those they know and trust, face-to-face contact preferred, formal communication following protocol, avoid confrontation, trust and personal relationships are important, concerned with looking good in others' eyes
• Business Meeting Etiquette in Spain

  • Appointments mandatory, arrive on time, first meeting is formal to get to know each other, agendas not strictly followed, printed materials in English and Spanish, check if interpreter needed, most do not give opinions openly
• Dress Etiquette in Spain

  • Business dress is stylish yet conservative, elegant accessories important for men and women
• Cultural Do's with Central Americans

  • Communicate in an indirect style
  • Take time to develop personal relationships
  • Be aware time is flexible
  • Emphasize and build trust
  • Be friendly
• Reconfirming meeting details


  Reconfirm in writing or by telephone the week before
• You should try to arrive on time for meetings
• The first meeting is generally formal and is used to get to know each other. Do not be surprised if no business is actually conducted during the first meeting
• Agendas are often used but not always needed to be followed too strict
• Make sure all your printed material is available in both English and Spanish
• Not all businesspeople speak English, so it is wise to check if you should hire an interpreter
• Most Spaniards do not give their opinion at meetings. Therefore, it is important to watch their non-verbal communication
• Business dress


  • Stylish yet conservative
  • Elegant accessories are important for both men and women
• Cultural Do's with Central Americans

  • Communicate in an indirect style
  • Take time to develop personal relationships
  • Be aware time is flexible
  • Emphasize and build trust
  • Be friendly in business dealings
  • Recognize that physical contact is common with conversing
  • Know that, generally, Latin Americans stand relatively close during conversation
  • Acknowledge official titles
  • Give clear instructions and directions
  • Make an effort to understand Central American cultural values
• Cultural Don'ts with Central Americans

  • Be too direct or aggressive
  • Do business without first establishing a personal rapport
  • Embarrass anyone in front of others
  • Ask "yes" or "no" questions (if it can be avoided)
  • Pull away in conversation because of someone standing too close
  • Ignore the importance of status
  • Opine of Central American/US political issues
  • Expect your authority to be challenged, even when you're wrong
  • Assume that "yes" always means "yes"
  • Be afraid to learn some Spanish words and phrases
• The concept of Spanish dance immediately conjures up images of the strumming guitars, stomping feet and bright dresses of flamenco
• Spain is certainly no exception when it comes to using dance as a form of communication and personal expression
• Traditional Spanish Dances


  • Jota Aragonesa
  • Sardana
  • Muñeira
  • Zambra
  • Bolero
  • Fandango
  • Paso doble
  • Flamenco
  • Sevillana
• From the typical music of bagpipes echoing throughout the northern region of Galicia to the feisty strumming of the flamenco guitar in Andalucía, Spanish music is truly one of the high points of Spain's resplendent culture
• Spaniards are masters within the universe of celebrations and festivals, and a trip to Spain will quickly show you just that
• The chaotic running of the bulls, or el encierro, is the most characteristic and internationally renowned part of the sanfermines
• The basis of the history of Spanish food of course has to do with its geographical situation
• Seafood forms one of the pillars of Spain's gastronomy and categorizes the country as having a Mediterranean diet
• A normal day's breakfast- or desayuno- typically consists merely of a cup of coffee, although it's also commonplace to accompany your steaming café con leche with a croissant or other pastry
• Spaniards eat their lunch, or comida, between 2:00 and 4:00 in the afternoon. Serving as the day's main meal, it is traditionally quite a bit larger than the dinner meal, or cena