Galician is the result of the development of the Latin that Romans brought to the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. In present Galician there are some traces from other languages spoken in Galicia before the arrival of the Roman (common names such as veiga or croio and place names such as Sar, Oza or Barallobre). There are also traces from languages of those people established in Galicia during the Middle Ages. However, Galician language is mainly the result of the development of the Latin that Romans brought to the Iberian Peninsula after the north-western conquest.

Back in Roman times, it was spoken in Galicia a Latin with special features due to its peripheral situation. Its geographical separation from Rome and its poor communication with the rest of the Western Roman Empire were important difficulties to the arrival of foreign innovations.

When the Roman Empire disappeared, the situation grew sharper because of the lack of communication of the different Barbarian kingdoms, which led to different varieties of Latin in the different parts of the former empire.