Spanish in Spain versus in Latin America: 5 Key Differences

Do you think that Spanish is the same around the world? For a non-native Spanish speaker, it may come as a surprise that Spanish is different in Spain and in Latin America. 

These differences, while significant, aren’t a huge barrier to communication between Spanish speakers. Just like British English speakers can understand Americans and Australians; Spaniards can understand Argentinians and Colombians alike. 

Spanish is a Romance language that evolved from Latin that was brought to the Iberian peninsula by the Romans. The first uses of modern-day Spanish date back to the 9th century around the city of Burgos in the Cantabria region in north-central Spain (a region also known as Old Castile). In Spain, Spanish is called “castellano” (Castilian) which refers to this Castile province. While 99% of Spaniards say that Castilian is their first or second language, other languages in Spain such as Catalan, Basque, Valencian, and Galician are also considered Spanish languages.  

Spanish is known as “español” in Latin America and is the official language in 18 American countries as well as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and Equatorial Guinea in Africa. Español was brought to Latin America back in the 15th century by Spanish colonists who sought to spread the word of God.

Naturally, Spanish in Latin America has evolved and while some elements of older Spanish remain to this day, other elements have been lost over time. 

However, the RAE, the Royal Academy of Spanish Language (La Real Academia de Lengua Española) puts in place rules that have allowed Spanish to maintain a general structure that is understood worldwide. For this reason, Spanish speakers can largely communicate and understand one another. 

Understanding the minor linguistic distinctions of Spanish spoken worldwide is fascinating, and can help you to better communicate in Spanish speaking countries. The differences between Latin American español and Spain Castilian can be broken down into five broad categories:

1. Pronouns: Voseo, Vosotros, and Ustedes

One of the most notable differences in spoken Spanish is heard when talking about voseo, or using “vos” instead of “tú” as a second person singular pronoun. In Latin American countries like Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, “vos” can be used interchangeably with the Spanish Castilian “tú.” 

• For the phrase: You are my best friend.
• In Latin America you would hear “Vos sos mi mejor amigo” while in Spain it would be “Tú eres mi mejor amigo.” 

Another difference that may come as a surprise is the use of “ustedes” versus “vosotros” to refer to the first person plural. 

It is most common to use “ustedes” in Latin America when talking to a group of friends (the equivalent in English would be “you guys,” “you all,” “all you,” or as a contraction “y’all”). In Spain, referring to the first person plural would require a “vosotros” conjugation. 

Let’s take the phrase: “Where did you go yesterday?”

• In Latin America (and in the Canary Islands) you would hear: “Donde fueron ayer?” Where “go” is conjugated using ustedes. 
• In the peninsula of Spain you would hear the vosotros conjugation: “Donde fuisteis ayer?”

If you use a vos in Spain, you will likely be met with confusion. Whereas using a vosotros (“comisteis” for “you guys ate”) in Mexico, you may be asked to repeat what you said. 

2. Vocabulary 

There are certain words that refer to the same thing but have different vocabulary in Spain and in Central and South America.

According to the Dictionary of Americanisms written by RAE, there are over 70,000 words and phrases that are used in Latin America that are not common in Spain. 

While the dictionary is extensive, Here is a list of some of everyday vocabulary that differs on either side of the Atlantic.

• Computer: Ordenador (Spain) = Computadora (Latin America)
• To drive: Conducir (Spain) = Manejar (Latin America)
• Car: Coche (Spain) = Auto/Carro (Latin America)
• Juice: Zumo (Spain) = Jugo (Latin America)
• Cake: Torta (Spain) = Pastel (Latin America)
• Glasses: Gafas (Spain) = Lentes (Latin America)
• To miss someone: Echar de menos (Spain) = Extrañar (Latin America)

A very common mistake is the use of the verb coger. In Spain, this verb means to pick up a person or thing. For example, “Please pick up a book from the library” would be “Por favor coge un libro de la biblioteca.” In Latin America, the verb coger is more vulgar and means to, literally, screw someone. Be careful when using this word in the conversation!                 

One other function of vocabulary that can cause confusion is false cognates. These are words that are the same in both languages but have different meanings. 

A key example is “torta” which is cake in Spain but a sandwich in Mexico. If you say “You quiero una torta” (I want a cake) in Guadalajara, you may not get the chocolate slice you were hoping for. These differences are few but will likely result in an awkward situation or a laugh from a Spanish speaker if used in the wrong context. 

3. Pronunciation of Letter Sounds

If you thought vocabulary differences and false cognates are confusing, Spanish speakers also play around with their letter sounds.

To better understand Castilian, you can learn seseo, ceceo, and distinción: 

• Seseo is when a “soft c” and “z” make English “s” sounds. For instance: Cerveza (beer) is cer/ve/sa
• Ceceo is when the letter “s” is pronounced as “soft c” or “z.” For example: Casa (house) is ca/za
• Distinción is the standard pronunciation of “c” “s” and “z.” This occurs when each letter sounds distinct from one another.

In Latin America, the letter “z” is pronounced as more of an “s.” Contrastingly, “z” in Castilian sounds more like the “th” sound in English. Take zorro (fox) for instance. Latinos may pronounce it more like so/rro while for some Spaniards it may sound like tho/rro. 

What’s more, Castilian differentiates between the “v” and the “b” sounds whereas with Latin Spanish, there is little difference between these two letters. In Spain “cow” will be pronounced vaca whereas in Latin America you’ll likely hear baca. 

In Argentina, they tend to pronounce the double “ll” like the “sh” sound in English. For example, if you say call me, “llamame” it sounds like ‘sha/ma/me.’ 

4. Expressions, Idioms, and Slang

As with American English and British English, the language you hear on the street is influenced by culture. Expressions, idioms, and slang vary in each Spanish-speaking country. 

When walking around a barrio (neighborhood) in Spain you may hear some of the following expressions or idioms:

• Venga, hombre (Come on, man)
• Claro que sí (Of course) 
• Vale (Okay or sounds good)
• Ojo (Be careful, be attentive) 
• Tío/tía (Translates literally to uncle/aunt but is used to refer to friends)
• Disfrutar como un enano (Translates to “enjoy yourself like a dwarf” but means to have a great time)
• Ponte las pilas (When translated it means “put your batteries” but it is used to mean “pay attention”)

In Latin American Spanish, expressions vary depending on the country and culture. While books have been written on this subject, here are some examples of slang, expressions, and idioms used in Latin America: 

• Chévere/Bacán/Bacano (nice or cool)
• Al toque (Translates to at the touch, means to do something right away)
• Hacer una vaca (Translates to “have a cow” but means to collect money)
• Hacer el oso/Hacer la foca (To do something embarrassing)
• Güey/Cuate (Friend in Mexico) 
• Pura Vida (Hello, goodbye, thank you, you’re welcome, or great in Costa Rica)

This list brushes the surface, but it is curious how differently people express themselves in Spanish all over the world. 

5. Dropping of Final Sounds 

If you travel to Central or South America, to countries like Chile, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, or even Puerto Rico, you may notice the omission of the “s” sound at the end of any given word. Something subtle you may just miss it— a word like “Comemos!” (Let’s eat!) would be pronounced “Comemo!” 

This dropping of the final “s” sound is also noted in the way Spaniards from the Canary Islands talk. It’s not just a single word that would drop an “s” but any word in a phrase. Take this sentence: Let’s go to the parks every Friday!

In Castilian many people would say: “¡Vamos a los parques todos los viernes!” You may hear someone from the Canary Islands say: “¡Vamo’ a lo’ parque’ lo’ vierne’!”

Worth a mention – A note about Spanish dialects: 

In dropping the final “s” sound and using ‘ustedes’ instead of ‘vosotros,’ Spaniards from the Canary Islands are said to sound like Venezuelans. This is because a dialect of Spanish known as Canarian Spanish emerged because many Spanish islanders immigrated to Central America during colonization in the late 1400s all the way through the Spanish Civil War. This created strong ethnic and language ties between the island and Venezuela.

It is worth noting here that this is not a conversation about the different dialects that have stemmed from Castilian. Different languages like Catalan from Catalonia or Galicia from Galicia are their own languages outright: they share historic and linguistic similarities with Spanish. Dialects like Canarian Spanish (Canarión) from the Canary Islands or Asturian from the province of Asturia are unique as they are very much sisters of Castilian and are understood by Spaniards but they are not recognized as their own language within Spain.

A deeper dive into dialects of Spain and Latin America can potentially be elaborated upon in a future article. 

Now that you understand, generally, how to tell the difference between Spanish spoken in Spain and Latin America, you will definitely be able to eavesdrop wherever you travel. 

The only thing you must remember for sure is that every speaker believes that their version of Spanish is the “right” one. So if you hear a Guatemalan omit an “s,” or an Argentinian say “llego” like she/go, or a Spaniard refers to a group of friends using vosotros—don’t correct them!