Regional Differences in Spanish

In general, the biggest divisions in Spanish are those between Spain and Latin America. But even within Spain or within the Americas youll find differences, especially if you go to more remote areas such as the Canary Islands or the Andean highlands. With a few exceptions—some local accents can be difficult for outsiders—people in Spain watch movies and TV shows from Latin America without subtitles, and vice versa. Here are the most significant grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary differences you should be aware of. Key Takeaways The most significant regional differences in Spanish usage are those between Spain and Latin America.In most of Latin America,  vosotros  (the plural you) is replaced by  ustedes, even when talking to close friends and family.Within  Latin America, the most significant differences can be found in Argentina and some areas nearby, which use  vos  instead of  tà º.In most of Latin America, the  c  before  e  or  i  and the  z  are pronounced like the  s, but the sounds are different in most of Spain. Pronunciation Differences While regions have countless small differences in pronunciation, the following differences are some of the most significant and noticeable. Pronunciation of  Z  and  C The most noticeable difference in pronunciation of European Spanish and that of the Americas involves that of the  z  and that of the  c  when it comes before an  e  or  i. In most of Spain it has the sound of the th in thin, while elsewhere it has the sound of the English s. Spains sound is sometimes incorrectly called a  lisp. Thus casar (to marry) and cazar (to hunt or to catch) sound alike in most of Latin America but are pronounced differently in most of Spain. Pronunciation of  Y  and  LL Traditionally, the  y  and  ll  represented different sounds, the  y  being much like the y of yellow and the  ll  being the zh sound, something the s of measure. However, today, most Spanish speakers, in a phenomenon known as  yeà ­smo, make no distinction between  y  and  ll. This occurs in Mexico, Central America, parts of Spain, and most of South America outside the northern Andes. (The opposite phenomenon, where the distinction remains, is known as  lleà ­smo.) Where  yeà ­smo  occurs, the sound varies from the English y sound to the j of jack to the zh sound. In parts of Argentina it can also take on the sh sound. Pronunciation of  S In standard Spanish, the  s  is pronounced much like that of English. However, in some areas, especially the Caribbean, through a process known as  debucalizacià ³n, it often becomes so soft that is disappears or becomes similar to the English h sound. This is especially common at the end of syllables, so that  Ã‚ ¿Cà ³mo està ¡s? sounds something like  ¿Cà ³mo età ¡? The J Sound The intensity of the j sound varies considerably, ranging from the ch heard in the Scottish loch (difficult for many native English speakers to master) to the English h. Accents Accents found in Mexico City or Bogotà ¡, Colombia, are often considered to be neutral Latin American Spanish accents, just as in the United States the Midwestern accent is considered neutral. As a result, it is common for actors and television personalities to learn to speak using those accents. Grammar Differences The most common grammar differences are ustedes vs. vosotros, tà º vs. vos, the use of leà ­smo, and preterite vs. present perfect tenses when referring to the recent past. Ustedes  vs.  Vosotros The  pronoun  vosotros  as the plural form of you is standard in Spain but is nearly nonexistent in Latin America. In other words, while you might use  ustedes  to speak with strangers in Spain and  vosotros  with close friends, in Latin America you would use  ustedes  in either situation. Latin Americans also do not use the corresponding conjugated verb forms such as the  hacà ©is  and  hicistes  forms of  hacer. For Spaniards, its unusual but entirely understanable to hear  ustedes  used where they are expecting  vosotros; the same goes in reverse for Latin American Spanish speakers. Tà ºÃ‚  vs.  Vos The singular formal pronoun for you is  usted  everywhere, but the informal you can be  tà ºÃ‚  or  vos.  Tà ºÃ‚  can be considered standard and is universally used in Spain and understood throughout Latin America.  Vos  replaces  tà ºÃ‚  in Argentina (also Paraguay and Uruguay) and can also be heard elsewhere in South America and in Central America. Outside of Argentina, its use is sometimes restricted to certain types of relationships (such as especially close friends) or to certain social classes. Preterite vs. Present Perfect Tenses The  preterite, such as  comià ³Ã‚  for she ate, is universally used for actions that took place in the distant past. However, in Spain and a few parts of Latin America, it is fairly common for the present perfect to substitute for the preterite when the action happened recently. For example, in Latin American Spanish, you would say: Esta tarde fuimos al hospital. (This afternoon we went to the hospital.) But in Spain, you would use the present perfeect: Esta tarde hemos ido al hospital. Leà ­smo The standard pronoun for him as a  direct object  is  lo. Thus the usual way to say I know him is Lo conozco. But in Spain it is very common, even sometimes preferred, to use  le  instead:  Le conozco.  Such use of  le  is known as  leà ­smo. Spelling and Vocabulary Differences These are the most common spelling and vocabulary differences in Spanish-speaking regions. Names of Fruits and Vegetables Names of fruits and  vegetables  can vary considerably with region, in some cases because of the use of indigenous words. Among those with multiple names are strawberries (fresas, frutillas), blueberries (arà ¡ndanos, moras azules), cucumbers (pepinos, cohombros), potatoes (papas, patatas), and peas (guisantes, chà ­charos, arvejas). Juice can be  jugo  or  zumo. Slang and Colloquialisms Every region has its own collection of slang words that are seldom heard elsewhere. For example, in some areas you might greet someone with  ¿Quà © onda? (similar in meaning to Whats happening?), while in other areas that might sound foreign or old-fashioned. There are also words that can have unexpected meanings in some areas; a notorious example is  coger, a verb that is used routinely to refer to grabbing or taking in some areas but that in other areas has a vulgar meaning. Spelling Differences The spelling of Spanish is remarkably standardized compared with that of English. One of very few words with acceptable regional variations is the word for Mexico, for which  Mà ©xico  is usually preferred. But in Spain, it is often spelled  Mà ©jico. It also isnt unusual for Spaniards to spell the U.S. state of Texas as  Tejas  rather than the standard  Texas. Other Vocabulary Differences Among the everyday objects that go by regional names are cars (coches, autos), computers (ordenadores, computadores, computadoras), buses (buses, camionetas, pullmans, colectivos, autobuses, and others), and jeans (jeans, vaqueros, bluyines, mahones). Common verbs that vary with region include those for driving (manejar, conducir) and parking (parquear, estacionar). The biggest class of vocabulary differences youll come across is in the use of suffixes. A là ¡piz is a pencil or crayon everywhere, but a lapicero is a pencil holder in some areas, a mechanical pencil in others, and a ball-point pen in still others. There are also a fair number of blatant differences, such as a computer being un ordenador in Spain but una computadora in Latin America, but they are probably no more common than the British-American differences. Names of foods can also vary, and it isnt unusual in Latin America for the indigenous names of vegetables and fruits to have been adopted. Travelers should be aware that there are at least a dozen words, some of them of local usage only, for a bus. But the formal word autobà ºs is understood everywhere. Of course, every area also has its quirky words. For example, a Chinese restaurant in Chile or Peru is a chifa, but you wont run across that word in many other places. Regional Differences in Spanish In general, the biggest divisions in Spanish are those between Spain and Latin America. But even within Spain or within the Americas youll find differences, especially if you go to more remote areas such as the Canary Islands or the Andean highlands. With a few exceptions—some local accents can be difficult for outsiders—people in Spain watch movies and TV shows from Latin America without subtitles, and vice versa. Here are the most significant grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary differences you should be aware of. Key Takeaways The most significant regional differences in Spanish usage are those between Spain and Latin America.In most of Latin America,  vosotros  (the plural you) is replaced by  ustedes, even when talking to close friends and family.Within  Latin America, the most significant differences can be found in Argentina and some areas nearby, which use  vos  instead of  tà º.In most of Latin America, the  c  before  e  or  i  and the  z  are pronounced like the  s, but the sounds are different in most of Spain. Pronunciation Differences While regions have countless small differences in pronunciation, the following differences are some of the most significant and noticeable. Pronunciation of  Z  and  C The most noticeable difference in pronunciation of European Spanish and that of the Americas involves that of the  z  and that of the  c  when it comes before an  e  or  i. In most of Spain it has the sound of the th in thin, while elsewhere it has the sound of the English s. Spains sound is sometimes incorrectly called a  lisp. Thus casar (to marry) and cazar (to hunt or to catch) sound alike in most of Latin America but are pronounced differently in most of Spain. Pronunciation of  Y  and  LL Traditionally, the  y  and  ll  represented different sounds, the  y  being much like the y of yellow and the  ll  being the zh sound, something the s of measure. However, today, most Spanish speakers, in a phenomenon known as  yeà ­smo, make no distinction between  y  and  ll. This occurs in Mexico, Central America, parts of Spain, and most of South America outside the northern Andes. (The opposite phenomenon, where the distinction remains, is known as  lleà ­smo.) Where  yeà ­smo  occurs, the sound varies from the English y sound to the j of jack to the zh sound. In parts of Argentina it can also take on the sh sound. Pronunciation of  S In standard Spanish, the  s  is pronounced much like that of English. However, in some areas, especially the Caribbean, through a process known as  debucalizacià ³n, it often becomes so soft that is disappears or becomes similar to the English h sound. This is especially common at the end of syllables, so that  Ã‚ ¿Cà ³mo està ¡s? sounds something like  ¿Cà ³mo età ¡? The J Sound The intensity of the j sound varies considerably, ranging from the ch heard in the Scottish loch (difficult for many native English speakers to master) to the English h. Accents Accents found in Mexico City or Bogotà ¡, Colombia, are often considered to be neutral Latin American Spanish accents, just as in the United States the Midwestern accent is considered neutral. As a result, it is common for actors and television personalities to learn to speak using those accents. Grammar Differences The most common grammar differences are ustedes vs. vosotros, tà º vs. vos, the use of leà ­smo, and preterite vs. present perfect tenses when referring to the recent past. Ustedes  vs.  Vosotros The  pronoun  vosotros  as the plural form of you is standard in Spain but is nearly nonexistent in Latin America. In other words, while you might use  ustedes  to speak with strangers in Spain and  vosotros  with close friends, in Latin America you would use  ustedes  in either situation. Latin Americans also do not use the corresponding conjugated verb forms such as the  hacà ©is  and  hicistes  forms of  hacer. For Spaniards, its unusual but entirely understanable to hear  ustedes  used where they are expecting  vosotros; the same goes in reverse for Latin American Spanish speakers. Tà ºÃ‚  vs.  Vos The singular formal pronoun for you is  usted  everywhere, but the informal you can be  tà ºÃ‚  or  vos.  Tà ºÃ‚  can be considered standard and is universally used in Spain and understood throughout Latin America.  Vos  replaces  tà ºÃ‚  in Argentina (also Paraguay and Uruguay) and can also be heard elsewhere in South America and in Central America. Outside of Argentina, its use is sometimes restricted to certain types of relationships (such as especially close friends) or to certain social classes. Preterite vs. Present Perfect Tenses The  preterite, such as  comià ³Ã‚  for she ate, is universally used for actions that took place in the distant past. However, in Spain and a few parts of Latin America, it is fairly common for the present perfect to substitute for the preterite when the action happened recently. For example, in Latin American Spanish, you would say: Esta tarde fuimos al hospital. (This afternoon we went to the hospital.) But in Spain, you would use the present perfeect: Esta tarde hemos ido al hospital. Leà ­smo The standard pronoun for him as a  direct object  is  lo. Thus the usual way to say I know him is Lo conozco. But in Spain it is very common, even sometimes preferred, to use  le  instead:  Le conozco.  Such use of  le  is known as  leà ­smo. Spelling and Vocabulary Differences These are the most common spelling and vocabulary differences in Spanish-speaking regions. Names of Fruits and Vegetables Names of fruits and  vegetables  can vary considerably with region, in some cases because of the use of indigenous words. Among those with multiple names are strawberries (fresas, frutillas), blueberries (arà ¡ndanos, moras azules), cucumbers (pepinos, cohombros), potatoes (papas, patatas), and peas (guisantes, chà ­charos, arvejas). Juice can be  jugo  or  zumo. Slang and Colloquialisms Every region has its own collection of slang words that are seldom heard elsewhere. For example, in some areas you might greet someone with  ¿Quà © onda? (similar in meaning to Whats happening?), while in other areas that might sound foreign or old-fashioned. There are also words that can have unexpected meanings in some areas; a notorious example is  coger, a verb that is used routinely to refer to grabbing or taking in some areas but that in other areas has a vulgar meaning. Spelling Differences The spelling of Spanish is remarkably standardized compared with that of English. One of very few words with acceptable regional variations is the word for Mexico, for which  Mà ©xico  is usually preferred. But in Spain, it is often spelled  Mà ©jico. It also isnt unusual for Spaniards to spell the U.S. state of Texas as  Tejas  rather than the standard  Texas. Other Vocabulary Differences Among the everyday objects that go by regional names are cars (coches, autos), computers (ordenadores, computadores, computadoras), buses (buses, camionetas, pullmans, colectivos, autobuses, and others), and jeans (jeans, vaqueros, bluyines, mahones). Common verbs that vary with region include those for driving (manejar, conducir) and parking (parquear, estacionar). The biggest class of vocabulary differences youll come across is in the use of suffixes. A là ¡piz is a pencil or crayon everywhere, but a lapicero is a pencil holder in some areas, a mechanical pencil in others, and a ball-point pen in still others. There are also a fair number of blatant differences, such as a computer being un ordenador in Spain but una computadora in Latin America, but they are probably no more common than the British-American differences. Names of foods can also vary, and it isnt unusual in Latin America for the indigenous names of vegetables and fruits to have been adopted. Travelers should be aware that there are at least a dozen words, some of them of local usage only, for a bus. But the formal word autobà ºs is understood everywhere. Of course, every area also has its quirky words. For example, a Chinese restaurant in Chile or Peru is a chifa, but you wont run across that word in many other places.