Speaking English With An Austrian Accent: A Guide

English is widely spoken in Austria, with around 73% of the population speaking the language. This is due to the country's strong emphasis on teaching English in schools, with children receiving regular tuition in English from the age of seven. English is the second most spoken language in the country, after German and Austro-Bavarian, which are spoken across the majority of the country.

English is the second most spoken language in Austria

The high level of English proficiency in Austria is beneficial for English-speaking tourists, as it means that there are plenty of people available to interact with in their native language. In addition to English, other widely spoken languages in Austria include German, Austro-Bavarian, and Alemannic, as well as minority languages such as Turkish, Slovenian, and Hungarian.

English is widely taught in Austrian schools

English is the second most spoken language in the country, after German, and is followed by French, which is spoken by roughly 7% of Austrians. English is also the most populous of the country's regional, secondary, or minority tongues, which include Turkish, Slovenian, and Hungarian.

Austria's strong emphasis on learning English in school means that there are plenty of people available to interact with English-speaking tourists in their native language. This is particularly useful given the country's thriving tourism industry.

Interestingly, there is a notable gender gap when it comes to English proficiency in Austria, with the English Proficiency Index showing that Austrian women are far more competent English speakers than Austrian men. The size of this gender gap is larger than that found in most countries within Europe.

There is a notable gender gap in English proficiency in Austria, with women being more competent than men

An impressive 73% of the population of Austria speaks English. In fact, Austria places seventh out of 63 countries on Education First’s English Proficiency Index, with Austrians in every age group outperforming Europe-wide averages for their levels of spoken English. This is due to the language being widely taught in schools, with children receiving regular tuition in English from the age of seven upwards.

Interestingly, there is a notable gender gap when it comes to English proficiency in Austria, with the English Proficiency Index showing that Austrian women are far more competent English speakers than Austrian men. The size of this gender gap is larger than that found in most countries within Europe.

English is the second most spoken language in the country, followed by French, which roughly 7% of Austrians speak. Immigration has further diversified the languages spoken in Austria today. Guest workers in the 1960s and 1970s came from Turkey and Yugoslavia, bringing their languages and culture with them. To this day, Austrian German still includes numerous words and idioms borrowed from Czech, Hungarian, Italian, Yiddish or South Slavic.

English is the most populous of Austria's regional, secondary or minority tongues

English is the second most spoken language in the country, after German and Austro-Bavarian, which are spoken across the majority of the country. English is followed by French, which roughly 7% of Austrians speak. Interestingly, there is a notable gender gap when it comes to English proficiency in Austria, with Austrian women being far more competent English speakers than Austrian men. The size of this gender gap is larger than that found in most countries within Europe.

Austria places seventh out of 63 countries on Education First's English Proficiency Index

English is the second most spoken language in Austria, after German and Austro-Bavarian, which are spoken across the majority of the country. English is followed by French, which roughly 7% of Austrians speak. Other languages spoken in Austria include Turkish, Slovenian and Hungarian.

Austria's high level of English proficiency is likely due to the country's strong emphasis on learning the language in school. This means that there are plenty of people available to interact with English-speaking tourists in their native language.

Interestingly, there is a notable gender gap when it comes to English proficiency in Austria, with Austrian women being far more competent English speakers than Austrian men. The size of this gender gap is larger than that found in most countries within Europe.

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