Italians primarily speak Italian , which is the official language of Italy. Italian is a Romance language that evolved from the Colloquial Latin of the Roman Empire and is spoken by about 67 million native speakers in Italy as of 2024

. It is also an official language in San Marino, Switzerland (Ticino and parts of Graubünden), and Vatican City

. Besides standard Italian, many Italians also speak various regional languages and dialects , which are often quite distinct and sometimes considered separate languages by linguists. These include Sicilian, Neapolitan, Venetian, Sardinian, and others. Approximately 34% of Italians speak a regional language or dialect as their first language, especially in rural areas

. Some regional languages have official minority status, such as German, Slovene, and French in specific regions, and Sardinian is the largest recognized minority language with about one million speakers

. In summary:

• Official and dominant language: Italian
• Regional languages/dialects: Sicilian, Neapolitan, Venetian, Sardinian, and others
• Minority languages: German, Slovene, French, Albanian, Croatian, Greek, Catalan, among others in specific areas

Italian is the language used in government, education, media, and business, while regional languages are often used in informal, local contexts