Differences between Castilian and Latin America Spanish

This article points out the main divergences and characteristics of the Spanish language that is used in Spain and the Spanish language that is used in Latin America.

If you are aiming at learning  the  Spanish  language, you must first be acquainted with the different kinds of Spanish there are.

Did you know that there are different ways to speak Spanish according to the geographical region in which you are? Read on and find out some helpful information.


First of all, before you panic and think that you will never manage to learn all Spanish varieties, you should know that no matter what variety of Spanish you start learning, you will certainly be able to understand any of the others, and learn Spanish easily, since there are not huge different between these different accents. So then calm down, and take it easy!


To start with, let's focus on the geographical difference between the two dialects, when it comes to Castilian Spanish, you must know we are then making reference to the language that is spoken in Europe, more specifically, in Spain. Whereas, when we refer to Latin America Spanish, we mean the language that is spoken in most South America countries such as Mexico, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Bolivia, Peru, Venezuela, Colombia and so on.


In addition, there are some other divergences between them in terms of vocabulary, grammar, slang, as well as pronunciation.


Regarding phonetics for instance, the most obvious difference between Castilian Spanish and the Spanish  spoken  in  Latin  America is the "th" sound replacing the "s" sound. It has been reported that non-Spaniards speakers sometimes tend to kindly refer to the Castillian "th" pronunciation of the "c" and "z" as a lisp; whereas in Latin America, this same "c" and "z" is pronounced as an "s". As such, some words are indistinguishable in Latin American speech, "caza" and "casa" for example.


As for vocabulary, Castilian speakers also use "vosotros" for the formal version of the word "you" rather than "ustedes". In both Latin America and Spain , tú is the informal, second person singular and usted is the formal, second person singular. Generally, tú is used among good friends and usted in more formal situations or as a sign of esteem. However, the use of tú in Spain is very widespread and is used in many situations that in Latin America would require the use of usted.


According to recent polls, several people tend to make the comparison that the difference between British and American English is similar to the difference between Castilian and Latin American Spanish.


In short, though it is true that there are some differences between Spanish dialects that set them apart from one another, it is also true that all Spanish dialects bear many similarities and share many patterns too. Therefore, no matter what dialect you decide to learn, all those  Spanish  lessons  will enable to understand any of the other accents.