Celebrate the European Day of Languages with us!


2026: Languages unite


Throughout Europe, 700 million Europeans are represented in the Council of Europe's 46 member states and all are encouraged to discover more languages at any age, as part of or alongside their studies. This stems from the Council of Europe’s conviction that linguistic diversity is a tool for achieving greater intercultural understanding and a key element in the rich cultural heritage of our continent. The Council of Europe, therefore, promotes plurilingualism throughout Europe. 

At the Council of Europe’s initiative, the European Day of Languages has been celebrated every year since 2001 on 26 September - together with the European Commission.
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An anthem for the European Day of Languages

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A Motivation Manifesto: Empowering language learners

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A Motivation Manifesto

A starting point for learning any language is to have the motivation and commitment to do so! The Motivation Manifesto, developed by a joint ECML-European Commission working group, highlights why language learning is important and how motivation plays such a significant role in the learning process. It also identifies the key actors and factors that influence motivation in the context of language learning.

Results from

 Initiative 2025 
Check the results: Languages open hearts and minds!

Explore the inspiring posters created across Europe to illustrate the 25th anniversary motto of the European Day of Languages — “Languages open hearts and minds!”

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Check the results: Languages open hearts and minds!

Explore the inspiring posters created across Europe to illustrate the 25th anniversary motto of the European Day of Languages — “Languages open hearts and minds!”

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 Initiative 2025 
Check the results: An anthem for the European Day of Languages

Discover the results of our 25th anniversary initiative — the creation of a multilingual anthem for the European Day of Languages!

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An anthem for the European Day of Languages


 Most innovative event 2025 
One day · Une journée · Un día · Ein Tag... for languages!

This innovative event received more than 900 votes and was proudly organised by Istituto Superiore “Secusio” in Caltagirone, Italy. Congratulations to all the winners!

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EDL T-shirt contest winner 2026  

The winner of the 2026 EDL T-shirt contest is Maria Beatriz Castro (Portugal). Congratulations!

This drawing represents the power of language diversity. It can open minds and hearts. Knowing several languages helps to break down barriers and brings people together, which is why I chose to make it half heart, half brain. The face in the heart shows the power of words in our hearts and minds. Embracing language diversity is the first step to value all human beings and cultures as unique, bringing us closer to a society where respect for the others prevails.

Previous winners


Poll: What do you find most challenging about learning a foreign language?


Events



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Promotional materials



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Downloads



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Your national relay



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New in 2026 

New in 2026 

Name it! – The language proficiency game

Give your vocabulary a quick workout! Choose a category, select the language you want to explore, and see if you can recall the word before the timer runs out. After a few seconds, the correct expression appears — a simple way to refresh and expand your everyday vocabulary. P.S.: No pressure! Just click the image to pause the timer whenever you like.

 New  Name it! – The language proficiency game

Give your vocabulary a quick workout! Test your vocabulary, challenge your memory, and explore words across multiple languages. A fun and simple way to refresh and expand your everyday language skills.
Name it game

Available from summer 2026

 NEW  Create your own language challenge handout for your students

Language challenges handout This tool allows teachers to create a personalised language challenges handout for their students.
Select challenges from different skill areas or add your own, and generate a ready-to-use PDF ! The handout encourages learners to practise languages beyond the classroom through authentic, motivating activities.
 
Available from Summer 2026
 

Word of the year

Every year, countries throughout Europe participate in the tradition of selecting a "word of the year." Here are the words from the previous year!

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Word of the year

Every year, countries throughout Europe participate in the tradition of selecting a "word of the year." This practice involves choosing a single word or phrase that reflects the social, cultural, or political trends and events of the year. The word of the year serves as a symbolic representation of the collective consciousness and prevailing themes within a society. It captures the zeitgeist and becomes a reflection of the shared experiences, concerns, and aspirations of the people.

Lara's language journey across Europe

Lara's language journey across Europe

In her first book, Lara explores many of the languages and writing systems found in Europe today.
Stickers for this book can be ordered from your national relay!
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How do these languages sound?

Lara’s next journey - through Europe’s Regional and Minority Languages

Lara sets off on a new language journey - On this chapter of her journey, Lara explores the fascinating world of regional and minority languages and, being inquisitive, she, of course, uncovers many linguistic treasures!
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Language tree poster

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Newest Events

30/9/2025 - 30/9/2025
HR
Ante Kovačić primary school
1/10/2025 - 31/10/2025
FR
Lycée général et technologique Simone Veil
15/10/2025 - 16/11/2025
TR
YAMAÇTEPE MAH.
21/9/2025 - 14/11/2025
GR
4th PRIMARY SCHOOL OF PREVEZA
26/9/2025 - 31/12/2025
GR
1st Evening Junior High School of Thessaloniki

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European Commission events

Including this year’s virtual reality event on 26 September.


20 ideas for this year's European Day of Languages

Struggling to find ideas for an event for this year’s European Day of Languages? It can be challenging to organise events that are fun, inclusive, have an educational element and motivate a large number of people. Below are a few ideas to get your creative thoughts flowing, most of which are based on the principle of “starting small to go big”! 20 ideas for activities that can be carried in celebration of this year's EDL.

20 ideas for this year's European Day of Languages

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20 ideas for this year's European Day of Languages



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Statistics for 2025 


1100
events

44
Countries

199637
participants

Also check out this...


Where am I?

You'll be shown 20 random images from all over Europe. Can you find out, where those images where taken? Use your language skills and the virtual magnifying glass to find hints in the picture. Good luck!
Send us your own pictures for this game here!

Send us your own pictures for this game here!

Where am I?

You'll be shown 20 random images from all over Europe. Can you find out, where those images where taken? Use your language skills and the virtual magnifying glass to find hints in the picture. Good luck!

And: Add your own images to the game!

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Bake a cake!

For the 20th anniversary of the European Day of Languages we asked you to send us your best birthday cake recipes. We now have chosen 20 amazing recipes and put them into a colourful booklet.

Celebrate with us by baking one of these truly European birthday cakes!

Download the book

Famous quotes

We are all familiar with quotes from famous personalities in our own languages and cultures - but how many do we know from elsewhere in different languages? Here is a chance to discover the wisdom, truths (or half-truths!), creativity, humour and sometimes downright cynicism from a range of cultures and languages as well as their origins. Do you have a favourite? We would be delighted if you would also contribute some of your own!

Famous quotes

We are all familiar with quotes from famous personalities in our own languages and cultures - but how many do we know from elsewhere in different languages? Here is a chance to discover the wisdom, truths (or half-truths!), creativity, humour and sometimes downright cynicism from a range of cultures and languages as well as their origins. Do you have a favourite? We would be delighted if you would also contribute some of your own!

Quote of the day:

Hvad vil mennesket med det evige liv, hvis det keder sig søndag eftermiddag? What does man want with eternal life if he is bored on Sunday afternoon?

By Søren Kierkegaard


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The funniest one and only multilingual joke book

In how many languages can you make someone laugh? Following an extremely strict selection process (involving a jury of individuals who aren’t easy to please!) we ‘proudly’ present the results of this 2022 initiative. From the over 700 jokes that were submitted (not all of them publishable!) we have painstakingly whittled this down to the ‘crème de la crème’ of multilingual humour. 

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For fans of ‘Christmas cracker’ jokes – this is a must... You are most welcome to continue to submit new and even funnier jokes with a multilingual element for Volume 2...! View page

Myth or fact?

1. My mother tongue is all I need.

Myth   Fact
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2. I’m not bilingual/multilingual. I can only speak one language.

Myth   Fact
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3. Most people in the world use more than one language.

Myth   Fact
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4. English is the only language children need.

Myth   Fact
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5. Children get confused if they learn more than one language at the same time.

Myth   Fact
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6. I can’t help a child to learn or use a language I don’t know (well enough) myself.

Myth   Fact
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7. If learners don’t know the language of schooling, they’ll learn it best by being exposed to that language only - and by using that language only.

Myth   Fact
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8. Continued use of the home language(s) will interfere with children’s learning of the language of schooling.

Myth   Fact
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9. My job is to teach X as a foreign language and not to deal with other languages in my classroom.

Myth   Fact


ICT language tool of the week

CMap (Digital mind map and concept tool )

CMap is a tool to create and edit mind and concept maps. Users can create and connect different nodes, label them, and change the font or size of letters, among many others. CMap does not require setting up an account for use, but it must be downloaded. It is developed by the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) and is completely free.... View details

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Do you know how to pronounce these Irish names?



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Unusual place names

Europe has an impressive range of fascinating place names. This page places a spotlight on a selection of them and seeks to really put them on the map!
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Unusual place names

Unusual place names — from the shortest “Å” in Norway’s Lofoten archipelago and “Ö” in central Sweden to the longest, “Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch” in Wales and some of the most intriguing such as “Namlos” (literally “nameless”) in Austria, Europe has an impressive range of fascinating place names. This page places a spotlight on a selection of them and seeks to really put them on the map!

Self-evaluate your language skills

The 'Self-evaluate your language skills' tool helps you to assess your level of proficiency in the languages you know according to six reference levels described in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Start now!


Posters "20 things you might not know about birthday traditions around the world"


The posters "20 things you might not know about the world of languages" can be downloaded here.

         

Which language is it?

We all know this situation: on a bus, in a café, on the street we hear two people talking in a foreign language. And we wonder what language it is. Let's do some training here and next time this happens to you you will easily recognise it!
 
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Questions you never dared to ask about languages

For this year’s European Day of Languages we have produced a series of short video clips focusing on ‘Questions you never dared to ask about languages’ with experts covering a range of backgrounds and specialisations responding.
As the title suggests, the questions are ones that we might not wish to ask in front of an audience but, in fact, highlight important issues and address some popular misconceptions about languages and language learning. Do you have a question you would like to ask an expert?

To see subtitles on the videos, please activate this feature by clicking on ‘subtitles’ in the YouTube menu below the video. To change languages, click on the gear wheel and select subtitles>’automatically translate’ and select the desired language (the machine translation is provided by YouTube).

Questions you never dared to ask about languages

For this year’s European Day of Languages we have produced a series of short video clips focusing on ‘Questions you never dared to ask about languages’ with experts covering a range of backgrounds and specialisations responding.

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The EDL language challenges

  
The 51 challenges contained within the handbook encourage learners to go a little outside their comfort zone and take advantage of the plentiful opportunities available to practice or learn more about a language beyond a classroom context. Find out more

You can learn languages, too!


Download the brochure!

Are you a language detective?

Can you recognise all the languages being displayed in the game?

Are you a language detective?

Can you recognise all the languages being displayed in the game?

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Brain game: Greek alphabet

How fast can you complete this challenge?



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The secret agent’s language challenges app  2023 

The secret agent’s language challenges app  2023 

The challenges and quizzes contained within this app encourage learners – future international agents – to take advantage of the plentiful opportunities available to practice or learn more about a language beyond a classroom context. By passing through a series of levels you can rise from a lowly agent in training to become a master secret agent.
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New Looking for a fun EDL board game to play in class?

“Linguine” is a brand new game created to celebrate the European Day of Languages. Be one of the first to try it out and give feedback!
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Word of the day

Fiskevaer
Norwegian Good weather to go fishing (i.e. it is probably raining!)
Year: 2021
Previous Day

Interview: "Thoughts on interaction and the importance of languages"

 

In honour of the 25th European Day of Languages: Former Finnish president Tarja Halonen and professor Pentti Arajärvi in conversation.

 

To change subtitle language: 

  1. While watching the video, click or tap the Settings (gear) icon.
  2. Select "Subtitles/CC".
  3. Choose your desired language from the list, or select "Auto-translate" to find YouTube's full range of translations.

25 words in international sign language!

Try your hand out at International Sign Language!
Find out more about European sign languages – learn 25 words in International Sign and discover and test yourself on recognising country names!
Check the video and facts about sign language here! (courtesy of the ECML’s DeafSign project)

 


EDL T-shirt competition


Send us your design/image/graphic and have your layout on the official EDL T-Shirt! Find out more



Did you know that...

The European Day of Languages is being supported and coordinated by the European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe? The Council of Europe is the continent’s leading human rights organisation. It comprises 46 member states, including all members of the European Union.