Spain Spanish vs Latin American Spanish: key differences

The Spanish language (español) is one of the most widely-spoken languages in the world, with nearly 500 million native speakers across 21 countries. While Spanish emerged in Spain, the highest percentage of Spanish speakers inhabit the Americas, as the language was introduced during the Spanish colonial period.

The Spanish from Spain, also known as Castilian (castellano), evolved in slightly different ways across the Americas, partly due to the influence of the various indigenous languages existing in those regions, and also as a result of the different needs arising from differences in culture and climate, among other factors, which called for new words and forms.

The distinctions between the Spanish spoken in Spain and Latin America, as well as those among the many regions within Latin America concern vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar. These differences may be compared to those between American, British, and Australian English. Despite local differences, native speakers understand one another.

Differences in vocabulary

Vocabulary is the main distinction among Spanish speakers, with several names given to the same word depending on the country or region:

English	Spain Spanish	Latin American Spanish
car	carro, auto	coche, auto
cellphone	móvil	celular
ticket	boleto	billete, boleto
bus	autobús	autobús (Mex.) colectivo (Mex. Arg.) bus (Central America)
computer	ordenador	computadora
juice	zumo	jugo
apartment	piso	departamento (Mex., Arg.) apartamento (Ven., Col.)
sandwich	bocadillo, emparedado	sándwich (Arg., Ur.) torta, emparedado (Mex.)
refrigerator	nevera	refrigerador (Mex., Cuba) heladera (Arg. Parag.) nevera (Mex.)
waiter	camarero	mesero (Mex.) mozo (Arg., Ur.)
wallet	cartera	billetera
faucet	grifo	canilla (Arg., Paraguay) llave (Mex., Col.)
glasses	gafas	anteojos
trunk (car)	maletero	cajuela (Mex.) baúl (Arg.)
swimming pool	piscina	alberca (Mex.) pileta (Arg., Ur.)
sweater	jersey	suéter
socks	calcetines	medias
washbowl	lavabo	lavamanos (Mex., Arg.), pileta (Arg.)
take	coger	tomar, agarrar
video	vídeo	video
matches	cerillas	fósforos

Juan vive en un departamento grande. (Latin America Spanish)
Juan vive en un piso grande. (Spanish from Spain)
Juan lives in a big apartment.

No puedo encontrar mis anteojos. (Latin American Spanish)
No puedo encontrar mis gafas. (Spanish from Spain)
I can’t find my glasses.

Likewise, idioms and expressions used in certain dialects will not be understood outside a given area, and may even cause misunderstanding. Americanisms, in turn, are terms unique to the Americas that are derived from indigenous languages, including words like cocuyo (Cuban name for a type of insect).

Finally, anglicisms (English terms used in another language) are more usually accepted and introduced into Latin American Spanish, with every-day words including: internet, wifi, and smartphone.

Differences in grammar

1. Vosotros vs. ustedes

The main grammar difference between Spanish from Spain and Latin America is the use of the second person plural pronoun. Vosotros/vosotras is used in Spain to address more than one person, and is the Spanish counterpart of the plural “you”. Conversely, in Latin America, ustedes is used. The conjugation of ustedes is the same as for the third person plural ellos/ellas (they).

The difference in pronouns results in differences in verb conjugations:

English	Spain Spanish	Latin American Spanish
Do you speak English?	¿Vosotros habláis inglés?	¿Ustedes hablan inglés?
Do you study together?	¿Vosotras estudiáis juntas?	¿Ustedes estudian juntas?
You are good students.	Vosotras sois buenas estudiantes.	Ustedes son buenas estudiantes.
You know the rules.	Vosotros conocéis las reglas.	Ustedes conocen las reglas.

2. Past tenses

Two Spanish past tenses are used in slightly different ways in Spain and Latin America to refer to past finished actions. While in Spain the present perfect is used, in Latin American countries the preterite tense is the usual form. For example:

• Spain Spanish: Me he levantado temprano esta mañana.
  Latin American Spanish: Me levanté temprano esta mañana. 
  I woke up early this morning.
• Spain Spanish: Pedro ha faltado a la escuela.
  Latin American Spanish: Pedro faltó a la escuela.
  Pedro was absent from school.

3. Tú, vos, usted

The second person singular pronouns tú and usted meaning “you” are used in informal and formal contexts respectively, both in Spain and Latin America. The pronoun vos (synonym of tú) is used in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay, among other South American countries. For example, the Spanish for “you are very beautiful” has three versions, depending on style, register and location:

Tú eres muy bella. (informal, used in most Latin American countries)
Vos sos muy bella. (informal, used in South American countries)
Usted es muy bella. (formal, used in Spain and all Latin American countries)

Differences in pronunciation

Broadly speaking, it can be said that in Spain consonants are articulated releasing more air, which results in much stronger sounds than their Latin American counterparts.

z, ce, ci

The most striking difference between both accents concerns the pronunciation of z, ce, and ci. While in Spain the sound is pronounced /θ/, equivalent to “th” as in “think”, in Latin America, the sound is “s”.

The letter s

In Spain, the letter s is pronounced with a strong sibilant sound, whereas in Latin America, it is softer.

The letters y and ll

Though the Spanish pronunciation of y and ll coincide with the English y before a vowel in nearly all accents, in many regions across Argentina and Uruguay, they are pronounced “sh” as in “shampoo”:

Examples include: yo (I), yema (yolk), yoga (yoga), yate (yacht), lluvia (rain), llorar (cry), llevar (take), calle (street).

Note: This encyclopedia features a neutral Latin American accent in its articles.

Spanish speaking countries

There are 21 Spanish-speaking countries around the world, boasting nearly 500 million native speakers. The highest number of speakers inhabits the Americas, followed by Europe. Equatorial Guinea is the only country in Africa where Spanish is an official language.

Below is a list of the 21 Spanish-speaking countries in the world:

Continent	Country	Flag	Population
Europe	Spain		47.8 million
The Americas	Mexico		127.5 million
	Colombia		51.9 million
	Argentina		43.2 million
	Peru		34 million
	Venezuela		28.3 million
	Chile		19.6 million
	Guatemala		17.4 million
	Ecuador		18 million
	Bolivia		12.2 million
	Cuba		11.2 million
	Dominican Republic		11.2 million
	Honduras		10.4 million
	Paraguay		6.8 million
	El Salvador		6.3 million
	Nicaragua		6.9 million
	Costa Rica		5.2 million
	Panama		4.4 million
	Uruguay		3.4 million
	Puerto Rico (self-governing territory)		3.2 million
Africa	Equatorial Guinea		1.7 million
TOTAL			456.2 million

In addition, Spanish is spoken by millions of people in countries where Spanish is, though not the official language, a significant language. These countries include the United States, Belize, Andorra, and the Philippines, among others.

References

• "People," The World Bank, accessed July 15, 2024, https://datatopics.worldbank.org/

Practice: Spanish in Spain and in Latin America