Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| испа́нский | ispánskij | masculine |
| испа́нский язы́к | ispánskij jazýk | masculine |
испа́нский is a common and straightforward translation for the English word "Spanish". It can be used as an adjective to mean "of or pertaining to Spain" or as a noun referring to the Romance language of Spain and the Americas. To be more specific and refer to the "Spanish language" itself, you can use испа́нский язы́к.
Which one should you use?
The form испа́нский refers to the language or functions as an adjective, while испа́нцы is used to refer specifically to the people (Spaniards).
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The form испа́нский язы́к is a masculine noun phrase. Both испа́нский and испа́нский язы́к are masculine in gender.
How do you pronounce it?
ispánskij
What mistakes should you avoid?
In Russian, the name of the language испа́нский is not capitalized unless it appears at the beginning of a sentence, unlike in English.
Did you know?
- In Russian literature and speech, the phrase испа́нский стыд literally means 'Spanish shame' and describes the feeling of secondhand embarrassment.
- While испа́нский describes the language, the word for a Spanish person испа́нец changes its ending based on gender, using испа́нка for a woman.
- The term испа́нский is used for all dialects of Spanish, regardless of whether they are from Spain or Latin America.
Examples in context
- Он изучает испанский язык.He is learning Spanish.
- Я изучаю испанский язык уже несколько лет.I have been studying the Spanish language for several years now.
- Я хочу научиться говорить по-испански.I want to learn to speak Spanish.
- Мой друг хорошо говорит на испанском языке.My friend speaks Spanish well.
- Интересно узнать, какие фразы на испанском языке существуют.It's interesting to learn what phrases exist in the Spanish language.
- Я изучаю испа́нский.Ya izuchayu ispanskiy.I am studying Spanish.
Example conversation
Anastasia and Alexander are discussing their hobbies.
- Анастасия AnastasiaАлександр, какой язык ты хочешь выучить?Aleksandr, kakoy yazyk ty khochesh vyuchit?Alexander, which language do you want to learn?
- Александр AleksandrЯ думаю, что выберу испа́нский.Ya dumayu, chto vyberu ispanskiy.I think I will choose Spanish.
- Анастасия AnastasiaЭто отличный выбор, он очень красивый!Eto otlichnyy vybor, on ochen krasivyy!That is a great choice, it is very beautiful!
- Александр AleksandrДа, и он поможет мне в поездке.Da, i on pomozhet mne v poyezdke.Yes, and it will help me on my trip.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “spanish” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
