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Some of the differences you may notice between the Spanish used in Spain and the one used in Latin America:
Pronunciation: One of the main differences is that many Spaniards often pronounce the z and the c like the “th” in “thin,” while many Latin Americans pronounce it the same as the s. Also, speakers in some areas (Argentina in particular) often pronounce the ll and y like the “s” in “treasure.” In southern areas, you will hear some speakers drop s and r sounds, so “esto” sounds like “eto” and “pagar” sounds like “pagá.” In some areas, the j sounds like the “ch” in “loch” like in “reloj” while in others it sounds like the English “h” like in “jarra.” You’ll become aware of other differences as well, particularly in the rhythm or cadence in which Spanish is spoken in the different countries.
Grammar: Among the differences, we can find the use of the pronoun “vos” and “tú” (the singular familiar for “you”) in Latin America and “vosotros” is often used as the plural of “tú” in Spain, while in Latin America “ustedes” is by and large the word used.
Vocabulary: The use of suffixes is widespread, for example, a lápiz 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 fair numbers of obvious differences, such as a computer being an ordenador in Spain but a computadora in Latin America, but they are probably no more frequent than the British-American differences. Of course, every area also has its peculiar words: as an example, a biscuit in Ecuador is called an allulla, but you will not run across that word in other countries of the region.
Paulina Torres De Witt
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