Paraguay Languages

Two languages hold official status in Paraguay: Spanish and Guaraní. Spanish is an Ibero-Romance language that uses a 27-letter latin alphabet, including the extra ñ letter and the use of accent marks over vowels in certain words. Guaraní is an indigenous language that belongs to the Tupian language family. Its alphabet is primarily based on the Latin alphabet, although it excludes the letter “w”. Additionally, this language uses tildes over vowels in some words to express a nasal sound.

Approximately 87% of the population of Paraguay speaks Spanish as either a first or second language. In contrast, a larger percentage of the population speaks Guaraní, at 90%. Interestingly, Guaraní is the only native language in the Americas that is spoken by a large percentage of non-indigenous individuals. Generally speaking, native languages are used almost exclusively by indigenous peoples and not by those of European descent. At least half of the rural population in Paraguay uses Guaraní exclusively for their communication needs.

Because of the large number of Spanish-Guaraní bilingual individuals in Paraguay, many expressions used in this country tend to mix the two languages. For example, the Guaraní expression “haku etere’i” means “it’s hot”, whereas in Spanish the phrase would be “que calor”. One example of how Spanish and Guaraní may be mixed in everyday language is use of the phrase: tranquilopa. This phrase mixes the Spanish word “tranquilo” (meaning “calm”) and the Guaraní word “pa” (meaning everything) to say: “everything’s fine”.

In addition to Spanish and Guaraní, several other indigenous languages can be heard throughout Paraguay. In fact, linguists have identified at least 13 other native languages here, including: Maka, Nivaclé, Ayoreo, Aché, Toba-Maskoy, Toba Qom, Guana, Chamacoco, Sanapaná, Iyo’Wujwa Chorote, Lengua, Pai Tavytera, and Ñandeva. Researchers estimate that a combined total of approximately 50,000 individuals speak at least one of these languages. Other minority languages in Paraguay are primarily immigrant languages and include: Italian, Portuguese, Plautdietsch, and German.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

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Published on 2019-11-06


Capital	Asuncion
Languages	Spanish (official), Guarani (official)
Ethnic Groups	Mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95%, other 5%
Religion	Roman Catholic 89.6%, Protestant 6.2%, other Christian 1.1%, other or unspecified 1.9%, none 1.1% (2002 census)
Government	Presidential republic
Independance	14 May 1811 (from Spain)
Area	406,752.00 km²
Water Area	9,450.00 km²
Land Area	397,302.00 km²
Population	6,862,812.00 Most of the population resides in the eastern half of the country; to the west lies the Gran Chaco, which accounts for 60% of the land territory, but only 2% of the overall population
Location	Central South America, northeast of Argentina, southwest of Brazil
No. Bordering Countries	3
Bordering Countries	Argentina 2,531 km, Bolivia 753 km, Brazil 1,371 km
GDP(PPP)	$64,670,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$9,500.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are Brazil, Russia, Chile, and Argentina.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are soybeans, livestock feed, cotton, meat, and edible oils.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are Brazil, China, and Argentina.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include road vehicles, consumer goods, and tobacco.
Climate	Varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in Andes
Terrain	Grassy plains and wooded hills east of Rio Paraguay; Gran Chaco region west of Rio Paraguay mostly low, marshy plain near the river, and dry forest and thorny scrub elsewhere
Learn More	Paraguay

Paraguay Languages

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