What languages are spoken in Gibraltar?

Short answer

English is Gibraltar's official language. Spanish is widely spoken, and many Gibraltarians use Llanito, a local vernacular based on Andalusian Spanish with heavy English influence.

Detailed answer

English

English is the official language of Gibraltar and the language of government, the courts, schools and most business. Visitors can get by everywhere in English.

Spanish

Spanish is widely spoken and understood. Most Gibraltarians speak Spanish with an Andalusian pronunciation as well as English, and you will see bilingual signs in places such as the Gibraltar Nature Reserve.

Llanito

Many Gibraltarians speak Llanito, a vernacular unique to Gibraltar. It is based mostly on Andalusian Spanish, with many English loanwords and words of Genoese and Hebrew origin, as well as influences from Maltese and Portuguese. Speakers often switch between Spanish and English within the same conversation or sentence. English is becoming more dominant, and many younger Gibraltarians speak little Llanito. In September 2025 researchers at the University of Cambridge launched a study to document Llanito and its relationship to Gibraltar English.

British Sign Language

British Sign Language is legally recognised as a language of Gibraltar under the British Sign Language Act 2022, which came into force on Thursday 16 June 2022 and requires public bodies to promote and facilitate its use.

Other languages

Gibraltar's communities also use other languages, including Hebrew within the Jewish community and Sindhi within the Hindu community, most of whom are of Sindhi origin.