There are many languages spoken in Mauritania. As an Islamic country, the official language is Arabic. There are also three national languages – Pulaar, Soninke, and Wolof. Being a former French colony, French is also widely spoken.
Arabic
The official and most widely spoken language in Mauritania is Arabic. While Modern Standard Arabic is used for government practices, the dialect most Mauritanians speak is Hassaniyya Arabic . This is spoken by about 70%-80% of the population and is the lingua franca. It is a variety of Maghrebi Arabic, but differs greatly, having been influenced by Zanaga-Berber and Niger-Congo languages.
French
Many tourists can get by in Mauritania speaking French. As a former French colony, a large portion of the population has some familiarity with the language, and it is also the most common foreign language taught in schools.
English
English is not commonly spoken in Mauritania. People with tourist-facing or government jobs will often speak some level of English, but it is difficult for travelers to get by on English alone. However, there is an increasing number of English language learning centers in Mauritania, so this may change as time goes by.
Niger-Congo Languages
Speakers of these languages comprise 20%-30% of the population and are typically based in the southern region of the country, near Senegal and Mali. Pulaar is the most common of these and is spoken by the Fula and Toucouleur people. Wolif and Soninke are the other two national languages in this group. Near the border of Mali, there are also many Bambara speakers, which is the national language of Mali and is spoken by about 14 million people worldwide.
Berber Languages
Zanaga is a Berber language that was once more common but is becoming extinct. It is still spoken near the River Senegal in the south of the country and is the most dissimilar to the other Berber languages.
Tamashek is a Berber language that is widely spoken by many nomadic tribes across North Africa but is most common in Mali. It is spoken by a small percentage of people in Mauritania that have settled there from Mali in the southeast of the country.
