BAD news for expatriates who hope to get by in Spain in their mother tongue: Spanish adults are among the most monolingual in Europe, a survey has revealed.

Behind Hungary and Portugal, Spain has the third-highest percentage of people who do not speak a foreign language.

A whopping 46.6 per cent of over-18s in Spain are unable even to introduce themselves in any other tongue.

Surprisingly, this means the Spanish are even less likely to be able to speak a foreign language than the British.

The EU’s official statistics office, Eurostat, says 35 per cent of UK adults admit they do not know even the basics of any other language besides their own.

Even then, France (41.2 per cent) and Italy (38.6 per cent) still show a poorer record than the UK – although marginally better than that of Spain.

Yet in Lithuania, Sweden and Latvia, almost everyone who has left school is able to speak at least one other language, with only 2.5 per cent of Lithuanians unable to do so, and five per cent of Swedes and Latvians.

In Spain, only 35 per cent say they are fluent, or have a good working knowledge, in another language and only 17 per cent are capable of speaking two foreign languages or more.