Today’s spotlight language is Spanish! We’ve gathered background information and interesting facts about the language, along with our newest children’s books.
Where Is Spanish Spoken?
Spanish is spoken by an estimated 600 million people worldwide. It is the official language of 20 sovereign countries, including Spain and Mexico, as well as the non-sovereign territory of Puerto Rico. It ranks among the 5 most spoken languages in the world.
How Many People Speak Spanish in the US?
There are 42 million native Spanish speakers residing in the US, along with another 17 million who are bilingual or second-language speakers. The largest Spanish-speaking populations can be found in California, Texas, Florida, and New Mexico. Spanish is the second-most-spoken language in the US, with only Mexico surpassing the US in the number of Spanish speakers!
Interesting Facts About Spanish
- Spanish is a Romance language derived from Latin. It is considered romantic and poetic due to its lengthy sentences and expressive language.
- There are 2 ways to say “I Love You” in Spanish. “Te Amo” is for a more romantic love, while “Te Quiero” is more versatile and more appropriate for family and friends.
- The Spanish language has 27 letters in the alphabet, and 18 tenses, 15 more than just the past, present, and future.
- It is the only language that uses two exclamation marks and question marks. In Spanish, an inverted exclamation or question mark appears at the beginning and end of a sentence, unlike in other languages, which use only one.
- The rolled “r” sound is one of the most challenging aspects of learning to speak Spanish, especially for native English speakers.
- Spanish has been influenced by other languages, including Arabic and English.
Spanish Books – Bilingual Children’s Books
If the kids in your life speak Spanish or are learning the language, Language Lizard offers over 85 bilingual titles in fiction and non-fiction, as well as a variety of book sets. Some popular sets include our Living in Harmony Series, which discusses universal themes of kindness and respect while learning about new cultures. We have expanded the series to include our newest titles, The Best of All Worlds, Feathers and Friends, Leo’s Dogs, and Together Is Better. We also suggest our Explore Collection, which covers many fascinating topics from the world around us. New to this collection is Street Foods from Around the World, which is a delicious trip around the globe to discover some of the most popular international street foods. Explore all of our bilingual Spanish books here.
Are you interested in learning about other languages as well? View our Language Spotlight series on world languages, including Kinyarwanda, Tigrinya, Hmong, Cherokee, Hindi, Dari, and Pashto!
Updated on 1/30/2026