Spáinneach
In Irish, the English phrase "spanish" refers to the Romance language of Spain and the Americas as Spáinneach.
The word Spáinneach is the name of the Spanish language.
Meaning: Romance language of Spain and the Americas (name)
Which one should you use?
While Spáinneach is the term used to refer to the Spanish language itself, the related form Spáinnis is used as an adjective to describe things pertaining to the Spanish language.
Related words
Did you know?
- The grammar of the phrase Labhraím Spáinneach is unusual because the subject 'I' is invisible. The ending of the verb labhraím tells the listener exactly who is speaking.
- The Irish word for Spain, Spáinn, is an adaptation of the Latin 'Hispania', making the Irish name for the country a direct linguistic descendant of its Roman namesake.
- The word Spáinneach ends with the suffix -ach, which is frequently used in Irish to turn a place name into a description of a person or a language.
Examples in context
- Is maith liom an teanga Spáinnis.I like the Spanish language.
- Ceol na SpáinneSpanish music
- Litríocht na SpáinneSpanish literature
- Is Spáinneach é an teanga sin.That language is Spanish.
- Tá an leabhar sa Spáinneach.The book is in Spanish.
Example conversation
Cathal and Aoife are discussing their language classes.
- CathalAn bhfuil tú ag déanamh Spáinneach i mball an bhlianta?Are you doing Spanish this year?
- AoifeTá, tá an Spáinneach an-táirde.Yes, Spanish is very exciting.
- CathalAn bhfuil sé doiléir duit?Is it clear to you?
- AoifeTá, ach tá sé beagán dheacair.Yes, but it is a bit difficult.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry Spáinneach, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
