Spanish is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. However, the vocabulary, pronunciation, and a few other aspects of the language can change based on the country you are speaking it in.
The Spanish spoken in Spain is formally known as Castilian. The term references the Castile province in the central region of the country. This is where the Spanish language is believed to have originated from.
In the 15th century, Spanish conquistadors started to colonize the Americas. As their presence increased, their native language spread throughout Latin America. As a result, Castilian Spanish gradually started to change and take on different dialects.
Fast forward to the present day: Mexican Spanish vs Spain Spanish or the Spanish spoken in Spain are slightly different, however, the language can still be easily understood between the two countries. It’s similar to how English speakers in the U.S. can still understand British English, Australian English, etc. and vice versa.
This post will cover the main differences between Latin American Spanish and Spain Spanish (the Spanish spoken and written in Spain). Latin American Spanish is the Spanish spoken in Mexico.
Learn Spanish on Babbel.comPronunciation
There aren’t too many pronunciation differences of note when looking at Mexican Spanish vs Spain Spanish.
Generally, the Spanish spoken in Mexico tends to be more softly spoken, whereas the Spanish spoken in Spain is more guttural sounding as a result of Arabic influences.
No matter what dialect is spoken, it wouldn’t be difficult to understand and intelligently communicate the Spanish language in Spain or Latin America. When a specific word varies completely from one region to another, it can still be understood in context.
Here are the most common pronunciation variations between Latin American Spanish and the Spanish spoken in Spain.
S and Th Sound
The biggest pronunciation difference between Latin American Spanish and Spain Spanish
is the ‘s’ and ‘th’ sounds.
The ‘z’ and ‘c’ before an ‘i’ or an ‘e’ are pronounced differently depending on the country you’re in.
In Mexico, this letter sequence sounds like an ‘s’. In Spain, it sounds like a ‘th’, which many people say sounds like a lisp. This might sound a bit confusing, so here are a few examples that demonstrate using common Spanish words.
Barcelona
In Mexico, the ‘c’ in Barcelona is pronounced like an ‘s’ (Bar-s-elona).
In Spain, the ‘c’ is pronounced like a ‘th’ (Bar-th-elona).
Gracias (Thank You)
The same goes for gracias, the Spanish word for ‘thank you.’ In Mexico, you would pronounce the ‘c’ as an ‘s’ (gra-s-ias). In Spain, you would pronounce the ‘c’ in a ‘th’ sound (gra-th-ias).
Cerveza (Beer)
Cerveza is the Spanish word for beer. It’s pronounced ser-ve-sa in Mexico and ther-be-tha in Spain.
B and V sound
Another pronunciation difference is between the ‘b’ and ‘v’ sounds.
In Mexico and other Latin American countries, the ‘b’ sound is pronounced as you see it, like the English sound for ‘b’. The ‘v’ sound is pronounced like a cross between the English ‘b’ and ‘v’ sounds, making it seem softer.
In Spain, the letters ‘b’ and ‘v’ are both pronounced like the English ‘b’ sound.
G and J Sound
In Spain, the ‘g’ and ‘j’ sounds come from the back of the throat, giving them a more guttural tone. In Mexico and other Latin American countries, the ‘g’ and ‘j’ sound similar to the English ‘h’, which makes them more softly spoken.
Yo and Jo Sound
There is a slight difference in the pronunciation of words with ‘y’ in Latin American Spanish vs Spain Spanish. People from Spain would pronounce this letter like the English ‘y’. People from Latin America would give it more of a ‘j’ sound.
For example, the Spanish word for ‘I’ is Yo. In Latin American countries, they would pronounce it like ‘Jo’, while in Spain, it’s pronounced ‘Yo’.
Learn Spanish on Babbel.comVerb Tenses
The use of past tenses varies between Spain and Mexico. In Mexico, they use the past and present perfect tenses, similar to how they are used in English. In Spain, the present perfect tense is used for all recently completed actions.
Here are some examples:
Mexico: La semana pasada fui a Paris – Last week I went to Paris
Spain: La semana pasada fui a Paris – Last week I went to Paris
Mexico: Hoy desayunamos dos huevos – Today we had two eggs for breakfast
Spain: Hoy hemos desayunado dos huevos – Today we had two eggs for breakfast
Mexico: Juan no ha terminado de hablar por teléfono – Juan hasn’t finished talking on the phone
Spain: Juan no ha terminado de hablar por teléfono – Juan hasn’t finished talking on the phone
Learn Spanish on Babbel.comFormal and Informal
There aren’t many distinctions between formal and informal language in Spanish-speaking countries. The main difference is between the use of ‘vosotros and ustedes.’
In Spanish, the words ‘vosotros’ and ‘ustedes’ are both used as the plural form of ‘you’. They reference a group of people in third-person, similar to ‘you all’ in English.
Vosotros is only used in Spain, it addresses a group of people informally. You would use this word in reference to friends, or people in a casual situation.
Ustedes means the same thing, but it’s used in a formal setting. You would use it to address people who are older than you, managers, teachers, etc.
In Latin American countries, they never use the word ‘vosotros.’ The word ‘ustedes’ is used in both formal and informal situations. So whether you are talking to a group of friends, colleagues, or mentors, you would only use the term ‘ustedes.’
Here is an example of how vosotros and ustedes are used in Spain and Mexico:
English: You eat (plural, informally)
Spain: Vosotros coméis
Mexico: Ustedes comen
English: You eat (plural, formally)
Spain: Ustedes comen
Mexico: Ustedes comen
Vocabulary Differences
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The vocabulary between all Spanish dialects is very similar. However, there are some words for certain actions or objects that are not the same in Spain and Mexico.
Most Spanish-speaking people are familiar with these differences. It’s similar to how British-English speakers use the word ‘flat’ and American-English speakers call the same thing an ‘apartment.’
Here are some common English words that are different depending on the country you are in.
English: Corn
Spain: Maíz
Mexico: Elote
English: Juice
Spain: Zumo
Mexico: Jugo
English: Glasses
Spain: Gafas
Mexico: Lentes
English: Pen
Spain: Bolígrafo
Mexico: Pluma
English: Beef
Spain: Carne de vacuno
Mexico: Carne de res
English: Cell phone
Spain: Móvil
Mexico: Celular
English: To take a shower
Spain: Ducharse
Mexico: Bañarse
English: To take a bus
Spain: Coger un autobús
Mexico: Tomar un autobús
English: To drive a car
Spain: Conducir un coche
Mexico: Manejar un carro
English: How’s it going?
Spain: ¿Qué tal?
Mexico: ¿Qué onda?
English: Nice to meet you
Spain: Encatado/encatada de conocerle
Mexico: Mucho gusto
United States: Come on! Let’s go!
Spain: ¡Venga! / ¡Vamos!
Mexico: ¡Ándale!
Learn Spanish on Babbel.comSpanish Slang
Slang is an informal type of language that is mostly used in speech rather than in written form. Here are some slang words that mean one thing in Latin America, and another thing in Spain.
Coger
In Spain, the word Coger means to take or to catch something. So, you could use it to say ‘I’m going to catch the bus’ (Voy a coger el bus), or ‘I’ll get my medicine later’ (Voy a cogar mi medicina más tarde).
However, in Mexico, this word has a sexual connotation and means to have intercourse. It’s a vulgar term that should be avoided in conversation.
Torta
A ‘Torta’ is a food item, but what it’s made out of depends on what country you order it in.
In Spain, a torta is a sweet cake, like standard chocolate or vanilla sponge cake. In some regions of Spain, it’s also used to describe flatbread or round bread.
A Mexican torta is a type of sandwich served on a soft roll. It’s filled with various toppings, like vegetables, meat, eggs, crema, and salsa.
You could end up with two very different things depending on what country you order it in.
Tío/Tía
Tío and tía are Spanish for uncle and aunt. In Spain, they’re also used to informally refer to other people, the same way you would use ‘guy’ or ‘dude’ in English.
If you want to say ‘that woman over there’, you would address her as ‘tía‘, (that tía over there).
For a male, you would use ‘tío‘ (that tío over there).
It’s common to informally address people this way in Spain, but in Mexico, these words are only used for uncle and aunt. Instead, you would use ‘güey’ which means ‘pal’, or ’buddy’.
Another slang word for a male friend is ‘mano’. This directly translates to hand in Spanish, but in Mexico, they use it to mean ‘brother.’ It comes from the Spanish word hermano (her-mano), which directly translates to brother.
Learn Spanish on Babbel.comVale
Vale is a word commonly used in Spain. It means to agree with something or affirming what someone is saying, similar to ‘okay’, ‘yes’, or ‘alright’ in English.
Question: ‘We’re going for coffee tomorrow morning, vale?’
Response: “Vale, that sounds good to me.”
It’s also quite common to use it twice in reply, “vale, vale.”
In Mexico and Latin America, they don’t use the word ‘vale’ as commonly. Instead, they use terms like claro (sure), bueno (good), and está bien (it’s okay). These expressions mean the same thing.
Hombre
Hombre is the Spanish word for man. It can be used to reference a male, but it can also be used to strengthen or affirm what you’re saying. This is similar to English when the word ‘man’ is used to hype something up, and not necessarily referring to the gender of a person.
¡Claro que sí, hombre! Translates to ‘of course’ or ‘definitely’ in English.
¡Hombre! ¿Cómo estás? Translates to ‘hey man! How are you?’ in English.
Learn Spanish on Babbel.comThat’s So Cool
If you want to use the term ‘cool’ in reference to something being awesome, great, wonderful, etc, you would say it differently depending on the country you are in.
In Spain, the exclamation ¡Qué guay! mean’s ‘how cool!’
In Mexico, you would say ¡Qué padre!. This can be a bit confusing because in Spanish, ‘padre’ is the direct translation of ‘father.’ So technically, you’re saying ‘that’s so father.’
Here are some examples of how it’s applied in conversation.
El restaurante está muy padre
The restaurant is very cool
¡Qué padre está México!
Mexico is wonderful!
¡Qué padre está la última canción de Jennifer Lopez!
Jennifer Lopez’s latest song is great!
This slang expression is very commonly used, but you would also still use ‘padre’ as the word for father, as shown below.
This is my father’s house
Esta es la casa de mi padre
When is your father’s birthday?
¿Cuándo es el cumpleaños de tu padre?
My father is an engineer.
Mi padre es ingeniero
Spanglish
Mexico shares its northern border with the United States. This has led to an American-English influence on the Mexican Spanish vocabulary that’s not necessarily seen in Castilian Spanish.
Here are some examples of Mexican Spanish words that are either the same or very similar to American-English words.
English-American: Computer
Mexico: Computadora
Spain: Ordenador
English-American: Refrigerator
Mexico: Refrigerador
Spain: Nevera
English-American: Hobby
Mexico: Hobby
Spain: Pasatiempo
English-American: Car
Mexico: Carro
Spain: Coche
English-American: Elevator
Mexico: Elevador
Spain: Ascensor
Learn Spanish on Babbel.comLatin American Spanish vs Spain Spanish | Final Thoughts
Those are all of the main differences between Latin American Spanish and Spain Spanish. Although there are some variations when it comes to pronunciation, vocabulary, and verb tenses, the fundamentals mostly stay the same.
Spanish speakers from Spain and Latin American countries will be able to easily understand and communicate with one another.
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