The language used in the two products differs in spelling, pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. What about between countries in Latin America, like Mexico vs. Colombia or Chile vs. Venezuela? Unlimited one-on-one classes for a flat rate. Most of the time, in singular form, tú will serve just fine for the word you. Informally, vosotros is used in Spain, while Latin Americans will use ustedes. Ditto if they go to Mexico or Peru or Argentina. In Latin American Spanish ‘z’ is always pronounced like an ‘s’. But it’s the same level of weirdness an Australian would get talking to a Brit or someone from Texas. Typically, the music of Spain is great for the various carnivals and live concerts. This refers to the Latin American Spanish speakers who don’t use the ‘th’ sound but rather the ‘see’ sound when they say ‘ce’ together. So what is different, then? The differences will be minimal, but Spain Spanish is a little more formal than Latin America Spanish. It shows respect for formalities. Brazilian and Peninsular Portuguese are quite different, to the point where a Brazilian can go to Portugal and have a hard time communicating. This isn’t all to say that Spanish is the exact same everywhere. No spam! How big of a difference is there, really, between the Spain Spanish vs. Latin America Spanish? In Latin America, you’ll hear manejar, while in Spain you’ll hear conducir. Copyright 2020 Gritty Spanish & Gritty Languages LLC | All Rights Reserved, The Differences Between Spain Spanish and Latin American Spanish, –Ultimate Guide to Learning the Spanish Imperative (Aka the Command Form)–, 7 Amazing Facts About the Spanish Language You Never Knew, 7 Tips on How to Use Music to Learn Spanish, Practice Your New Language Skills at These Awesome Spanish Festivals, Spanish Is the Most Common Language in These States After English, Spanish-speaking flight attendant before take-off, Spanish-speaking flight attendant After Landing, –Improve Spanish Listening To A Spanish Speaking Flight Attendant!–, –Traffic Signs in Spanish You Need to Know–. You might think Spanish sounds the same and is spoken the same way everywhere — but there are several differences. But, you don’t even need to use it. It’ll help you understand how we go to this place with so many dialects. In Spain and Latin America, ustedes is used in formal situations. The reality is, the differences get completely blown out of proportion. You can find plenty of examples of these differences. Some of them are the pronunciation, the meaning and there are even some words that exist/are used in Latin America but not in Spain and vice versa . I took Spanish in high school (mainly Latin America Spanish) and just got back from Spain and want to get back to learning Spanish. “Latino” refers to people of Latin American origin. It’s the top language in over 22 countries, and each region has a different way to speak the language. Hey guys, Just a simple question here. Throughout Spain, a car is called a coche. It’s what’s spoken in the U.S. and you’ll be able to communicate with other Spanish speakers here. Let’s take a look. Put that in comparison to Portuguese, for instance. But, you don’t even need to use it. Will the different accent sounds “weird”? In some Latin American countries like Uruguay and Colombia, you may find vos is used to informally address someone. Guaranteed. Just learn how it works (which will take you 30 minutes to learn the regular conjugation and common irregulars, tops) and then you’re good to go. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, learn the difference between a Hispanic, Latino, and Spanish person. If you wanted to park your vehicle, in Spain the verb is aparcar, in Latin American Spanish you’d instead use estacionar or parquear. Please contact support. The other 10% you can learn on the go. Have conversations faster, understand people when they speak fast, and other tested tips to learn faster. Juice is called zumo in Spain, while it’s called jugo throughout Latin America. In fact, Spanish is second only to Chinese in terms of the number of native speakers. As long as you have a solid vocabulary, can put a sentence together correctly, and have good pronunciation, you’ll be fine. That’s why you’ll notice similarities between Latin American Spanish and Andalusian Spanish. Described in linguistic terms as distinction, the majority of Spaniards pronounce the letters ‘z’ (before all vowels) and ‘c’ (only before ‘i’ and ‘e’) similarly to the English sound ‘th’, almost like a lisp. You could be talking to a teacher in just 5 minutes! Unless you plan on living in Spain, you’re fine learning Latin American Spanish. Yea, the slang will be different. https://latinamericanspanishcafe.com/difference-latin-american-spanish-spain The main differences between Spanish from Spain and the one from Latin America are basically the following: Grammar : the use of the ‘Pretérito Perfecto’ is widely spread in Spain. I live in the US and was going to get Rosetta stone, but want advice on whether to get the Spain or Latin America version. updated Sep 25, 2010. edited by Nicole-B. So, how different is the Spanish spoken in Spain from the Spanish of Latin America? Think of the English language for a moment. Learn to speak Spanish from Spain or Latin America with Rosetta Stone. In Latin America the soft “c” and the “z” are pronounced with an “s” sound while in Spain they are pronounced more like a “th” sound. Today, children across Spain are taught Castilian Spanish, but will also speak in their regional language or dialect. They can't all speak the exact same language. Yea, the accent could be a bit different, and they might use different slang sometimes, and maybe they even have different words for a few things. For example, in many parts of Central America, s isn’t always pronounced and some other syllables can go missing. I didn’t even bother to do THAT, and I was just fine anyway – and I’ve driven all over  Spain and never had an issue having full-speed conversations with anyone. In short, “Hispanic” focuses on Spanish-speaking origin. There are slight differences between English in the Midwest and English in New York. In Spain a carro is a horse-drawn vehicle. After logging in you can close it and return to this page. If you speak good Spanish “from” one place, you usually won’t have any issues here beyond the issues you’d have with a similarly different accent in your native language. You already have a BaseLang account. Zero to advanced. Spanish speakers can all understand each other in Spain, Mexico or other countries in Latin America, but there are some differences between the Spanish in Spain and in Latin America. Another major difference between Spanish in Spain and Latin American Spanish is the pronunciation of the letter ‘z’. The main noticeable structural and phonological differences between Latin American Spanish vs Spain Spanish are as follows. If you get good at Spanish from one place, Spanish in another place won’t present an issue. Spain has one extra pronoun not used in Latin American Spanish, vosotros, and thus all the extra conjugations that go along with that. In Spain, “z” usually sounds like “th”; the same goes for a “c” when it comes before an “e” or an “i”. In Latin America, “z” sounds like an “s”, and so does “c” before an “e” or “i.” And what do the fine people in the Caribbean and parts of southern Spain do to the letter R! The Romans conquered Spain and Portugal over 2000 years ago and brought their Latin language with them. Which one do you need to learn? Like when you order a pop vs. order a Coke. It wasn’t until the 13th century when it was standardized by King Alfonso X, who wanted to unify the languages spoken throughout Spain and create codes and laws under one language. Again, this happens in English too, like trash vs. bin. Please go to web.baselang.com to log back in and re-subscribe. Vosotros isn’t used at all in Latin American Spanish. Check out our Gritty Spanish programs to improve your Spanish skills today. Read on to learn the differences between the two and how the Spanish language evolved to have so many variations. Latin American Spanish and Spain Spanish: different basic words As you might know, there are some differences between Latin American Spanish and Spain Spanish. But that’s it. You’ll be able to understand and communicate 90% of the time. Within Latin America, the most significant differences can be found in Argentina and some areas nearby, which use vos instead of tú. Take a look at the video below to learn some differences in vocabulary…. The largest differences in Spanish are in pronunciation, but even these aren’t so big. So if you are learning Spanish, by all means – learn the Spanish specific to the place you want to go, so you are used to the accent and slang. This includes Brazil and excludes Spain. Are the videos/lessons here are teaching spanish from Spain or from Latin America? Just like if an American went to Ireland. There are multiple ways to say the word you in Spanish. You’ll come across ever more differences when you start to learn street slang. manejar el negocio (to manage a business). Learn more here. Here’s the reality – if a native speaker from, say, Colombia, for instance, goes to Spain, they are going to have precisely ZERO issues AT ALL. posted by fadyfady. Here you will find 50 examples of differences in vocabulary and spelling. Spanish is considered to be a Romance language with Italian, Portuguese, French, Catalan, Galician, and Romanian. Carro/Auto for “car” in Latin America vs coche in Spain. But it’s the same in English – the slang in Leeds in the UK is definitely different from LA in the States. After that, it’s just $149/mo for unlimited one-on-one tutoring. There is enormous variety between the accents, dialects, and vocabulary sets of Spanish spoken in Spain, usually just called español verus Latin America, often referred to as castellano. All rights reserved. Although each region offers a variety of different accents, we’ve chosen an accent for each (Latin America and Spain) that is widely comprehensible. Spanish differences because of its geographical situation applies not only between Spain and Latin America but there are also differences between regions within the same country. Let’s take a quick look at how the Spanish language came to be and how it evolved into so many dialects. Please log in again. Remember, the worst case scenario is you get a few free classes, don’t like it, and end up with an extra $20 in the bank. Whereas in Spanish from Spain this is considered to be the formal version of “you”, in Latin America such a distinction is not made. Luckily, Lazo explained how the terms differ. When you say you want to speak Spanish, do you mean Latin American Spanish or Castilian Spanish that's spoken in Spain? The login page will open in a new tab. Voice acted by Latino actors and actresses to help improve your Spanish comprehension in a way that engages and amuses. Latin American Spanish Differences by country Each Latin American country has its own version of Spanish with its own peculiarities. Wait, you didn’t know there’s a difference? This is what you’ll login in with. You may be corrected to use tú. Zero to conversational in a month. A word like ‘gracias’ would be pronounced like ‘gra-see-ahs’ in Latin America and ‘gra-thee-ahs’ in Spain. Yea, it will. In Latin American countries, the Spanish language is simply called español (Spanish) as that is from where the language was brought. You’ll find that anywhere you travel to across Spain. Gritty Spanish is a collection of immersive, realistic stories in Spanish. They kick it to the curb and turn it into an L! She has a degree in Political Science from The University of Southern California and works part-time as the Social Media Director at Berggruen Institute. Occasionally some words are different, but this isn’t too common and there are a very limited number of the differences – like carro in Latin America vs. coche in Spain. A major difference between the music of Spain and that of Latin America is the message they tend to convey. So in this post, I thought I’d set the record straight. When you say you want to speak Spanish, do you mean Latin American Spanish or Castilian Spanish that’s spoken in Spain? But, like the English language, different parts of the world speak different forms of Spanish. Pronunciation The most noticeable […] Please note that slang and accents are a separate topic and are not covered here. Hispanic describes a Spanish-speaking person while Latino is for people from Latin America. There are over 559 million Spanish speakers on the planet. Spanish speakers can all understand each other. Well, the first difference between Latin American Spanish and the Spanish of Spain is the pronunciation of a few letters. How did Latin reach the Iberian peninsula? The main differences are, between any country (and often, regions of one country) are: You can get a different accent but this usually isn’t an issue. After the popularity of a post stating the differences between ethnicity vs race , I have decided to do another in the same vein. In formal situations, or when you’re speaking with someone you don’t know, usted should be used. Celular for “mobile/cell phone” in Latin America vs móvil in Spain. There are some verbs that are different, too. Think of the English language for a moment. The Most Noticeable Difference The primary difference that most students will notice regarding Spanish in Spain as compared to Spanish in Latin America is the pronunciation of the “lispy” letter “z” — which in Latin America is pronounced like the letter “s”. It’s said that there are over 100 dialects of the Spanish language in Mexico alone. But if the resources you have available to you offer Venezuelan Spanish for instance, like here at BaseLang, and you are going to Argentina or Spain – it’s not a big deal. If you plan on going to Spain, get the Spain version of Rosetta. I know that at the end of every lesson, we can take a look at the vocabulary list, and there we can see the vosotros vs. ustedes thing, for example, but I would actually like to see that incorporated in the exercises. We offer two versions of Rosetta Stone Spanish: one that teaches Latin American Spanish and one that teaches European Spanish. Yes, Spaniards speak with a lisp. The common thread between these languages is that they came from Vulgar Latin. Just, the differences are blown out of proportion, and come down to slang, accent, and some common words being different – just like English in different areas. Before you get into a panic about which dialect you need to learn, it can be broken down into two options: Latin American Spanish and Spain Spanish. Latin Americans watch movies from Spain, and Spaniards watch Latin American telenovelas (soap operas). To make things even more complicated, there are even further distinctions within Latin America, between socioeconomic classes, and within countries. However, that's neither here nor there, because the Spanish which is spoken in Latin America is all castellano, or Castilian Spanish. Hi and welcome to the forum! The first difference between Latin American Spanish and the Spanish of Spain is the pronunciation of a few letters. Latin evolved into Spanish over time, with influences from other conquerors of Spain like the Carthaginians and the Moors. © 2015-2021 BaseLang®, LLC. This blog is presented by BaseLang: Unlimited Spanish Tutoring for $149 a Month. There’s the plural version of you (no, it’s not yous), and formal and informal versions. In terms of grammar, a general distinctive feature of Latin American Spanish is the exclusive use of ustedes as the personal pronoun in the second person plural. 7329 views. Nathalia Ramos is a film and television actress. Learn the differences between Spanish vs Hispanic, Latin American vs Latino, Spanish vs Latino, and more. There are also differences between the English spoken in Canada or England and in the U.S. It’s the same thing in Spanish. In reality, the varieties of Spanish are somewhat similar to the differences between English spoken in the UK and American English. In Latin American Spanish, the term predominantly used is manejar. In Latin America, you’ll hear, carro. When you study Spanish, you’ll come across the term seseo. In Spain, manejar restricts its meaning to managing or administering something, i.e. The most significant regional differences in Spanish usage are those between Spain and Latin America. For example, there phonetics and intonation between north and south differences here in Spain and is also very particular accent of the Canary Islands. Did you know that over 661 million people around the world speak Spanish? If you want to build a great foundation to learn, we can help. Just as there are differences between American English and British English, there are differences between the Spanish spoken in Spain and the Spanish spoken in Latin America. We had problems creating your account. Mexicans and Spaniards can communicate with each other all the time. Vulgar Latin isn’t full of cuss words, it’s the form of Latin that was used by commoners. There are slight The best comparison is British English vs American English. One of the major differences between Spanish in Spain and Spanish in Latin America is the pronunciation of the letters ‘z’ and ‘c’. Terms   Privacy, Terms for our incredible guarantee can be read here. There are over 559 million Spanish speakers on the planet. They can’t all speak the exact same language. The differences between these Spanish dialects may seem minor, but even just a little bit of knowledge can tell you whether a person is from Madrid or Mexico City. While Spanish music is often characterized by celebrations and spirited dances, Latin American music tend to convey their collective struggles and goals. In Portugal, there is a completely different accent, including several extra vowels, and twice as much grammar, on top of all the slang differences. The exact strategies you need to become conversational in Spanish this year. 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