10+ Most Common Languages Used in Europe (Updated 2024)

Europe is the continent where you can find a lot of diversity in terms of cultures and nations. When you are traveling into the countries, you may get to know how much diversity is there. If you are also interested in knowing what the common languages used in Europe then here I will help you to know more about them.

Quick Takeaways

• Following are the most common languages used in Europe-

1. Russian
2. French
3. German
4. Spanish language
5. English
6. Italian 
7. Ukrainian
8. Turkish
9. Romanian
10. Dutch
11. Polish
12. Swedish

However, you must read till the end so that you get a better understanding of the languages used in Europe.

What are the most common languages used in Europe?

Every continent has its own popular languages depending on the countries. It means that the common languages used in Asia may be different from the languages used in Europe. If you are traveling to Europe you may want to know about the languages used in that country. Thus,  below I have mentioned some of the common languages that are used in Europe- 

1. Russian

Russian is one of the languages that is mostly spoken in the Europe continent. This is very surprising as most of the languages used in this continent use the Latin alphabetic system. However, if we talk about the Russian language then it uses the Cyrillic alphabetic system. If you are interested in learning the Russian language, then you can use apps like Duolingo. Learning the Russian language with Duolingo can help in traveling to European countries.

Although it is the official language of Russia and Belarus it is very useful when you are traveling to Europe. If you are traveling to Russia you must try to learn this language before as only 5% of people over there can speak the English language. Therefore learning the Russian language is very important.

• Native Speakers: 69 million

2. French

Although French is one of the languages that most people are interested in learning, it is very difficult to learn. It is the official language of France and also some countries like Switzerland, Belgium, etc. An interesting fact about this language is that around 29 countries have made it an official language. Also, 45% of some of the English words are originated from the French language.

There are a lot of audiobooks and books to learn the French language. It is also the primary language of a lot of international organizations like the United Nations and the European Union. Around 30% of the European population uses this language which makes it one of the choices for you if you want to travel to the continent. 

• Native Speakers: 77.2 million

3. German

German is the official language of Germany and is one of the most used native-speaking languages in the Europe country. Germany, Austria, and Liechtenstein are the countries where Germany is the only official language used. Whereas some other countries like Switzerland and Belgium use it as a co-official language. An interesting fact about this language is that it is one of the most widely used languages after the English language.

It is because there are many other countries like Sweden, Poland, Finland, etc where you can use this language. So if you are thinking of traveling to Germany or Europe then you must learn the language. There are many apps like Duolingo or books to learn the German language. 

• Native Speakers: 75.6 million

4. Spanish language

Spanish is a language that is full of Passion and beautiful vocabulary. It is not only the widely spoken language in over 20 countries it is also the official language. In fact, there are a lot of Spanish-speaking countries which are also amazing destinations to travel. If you are able to speak Spanish then you can take a lot of advantages, especially in the world of business.

When you are learning this language, you will have to immerse yourself in diverse cultures. By immersing yourself in the language, you will be enhancing your travel experience. It will also help you in developing your personal and professional life. 

• Native Speakers: 460.1 million

5. English

English is one of the most popular languages spoken all over the world. But surprisingly it is not the top language used in Europe. In fact, it comes after French and German. It is the of your languages used in Irish and Ireland.  Along with that, it is also the de facto language of the United Kingdom. Although it may not be the top language used in Europe but is one of the most powerful languages used in the world. It is a very interesting fact that English has become the most taught and spoken foreign language all over the world. There are more non-native speakers than native speakers of the English language.

• Native Speakers: 379 million

6. Italian 

Italian is the official language of Italy and is also one of the popular languages used in Europe. 3% of total citizens in Europe are able to talk in that particular language. It is the official language of not only Italy but also of the countries like Switzerland and San Marino. Along with that, it is the minority language in Croatia and Slovenia. It is considered as the romance language which is also part of the Indo-European language family.

Some of the authentic parts of Italian culture are the art, music, and the classic cuisine of Italy. The most interesting fact about Italy is that it is the country where Opera was started. In addition to that it is also one of the leading countries in the fashion industry. 

• Native Speakers: 69 million

7. Ukrainian

Ukrainian is the East Slavic language and is also the official language of Ukraine and countries like Russia and Romania. The writing style of this language is similar to Russia which follows Cyrillic scripts. Although both languages are from the roots of the old East Slavic language Ukrainian is more similar to languages like Slovakian, Polish, Czech, and Belarusian. Despite that, it is one of the most used languages in the European continent. Of course, most of the Ukrainian people live in Ukraine but you can also find the use of Ukrainian in Romania, Poland, Moldova, etc. 

• Native speakers: 45 million

8. Turkish

Turkish is obviously the official language of Turkey and the co-official language in Cypress. This language is also widely spoken in parts of the Mediterranean, especially in Macedonia, Greece, and Serbia. One of the most interesting facts about this language is that a large number of people living in Germany are Turkish speakers. If you talk about numbers 1.3 million people are Turkish speakers in Germany. Further, the Turkish language has a rich culture.

The main reason behind it is that this language follows store social traditions of Europe as well as Asian countries. You must always remember that Turkey is not part of Europe and only 3% of its land is in it. 20% of Turkey lives in this 3% part but still, this language has a high number of speakers. Turkish has a great history with the Arabic language as before 1928 it uses Arabic alphabets. 

• Native speakers: 15.7 million

9. Romanian

The Romanian language is an Eastern romance language that is widely spoken in European countries. It is primarily spoken in Romania and two other countries including Moldova and Transnistria. If you are a person who loves to enjoy watching historical architecture and castles then Transylvania is the perfect place for you. You can also plan your vacation in Romania and develop your Romanian skills. As it is a romance language, it shares a lot of roots with Spanish, Italian, and French language.

• Native speakers: 24 million

10. Dutch

Dutch is the official language of Nederland and the co-official language of Belgium. It is one of the most widely used languages in Europe with more than 20 million speakers of the language. If you are an English native speaker and thinking of learning this language then it is an easy choice. It is extremely easy when compared to other languages including German. This language is also commonly used in Amsterdam and therefore can be a perfect choice to add on. Many believe that it is more like a Germanic language which shows how much related it is to the English and German language. Not only this but it is also relatable to Afrikaans language. 

• Native speakers: 22 million

11. Polish

Although it is not much popular language when compared to others it is still a commonly used language in Europe. Of course, most of the people live in Poland but this language is also commonly spoken in Hungary, Czechia, Belarus, and Ukraine. 6% of the total population in Europe speaks the Polish language. This language also has similar words to the English language and some Slavic languages.

• Native speakers: 38.5 million

12. Swedish

Swedish is another language that comes from Sweden but is also the national language of Finland. Before World War II this language was also spoken and parts of Estonia and Latvia. It is an interesting language as it originated from the past 500 years. Before that Danish was the official language in Sweden. At present Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian have a lot of similarities between them.

• Native speakers: 11 million

Conclusion

The most common language used in this nation is Russian as well as English language. The surprising part over here is that English is the most common language all over the world but is not the topmost language in Europe. Some other common languages that are used in Europe are French and Spanish. In fact, these two are the languages that are highly in demand when it comes to learning a new language. Some other common languages used in Europe are Dutch, Turkish, Italian, etc.

FAQs