Is Spanish very different in Spain and in S.A.?

Question

I am thinking of learning some Spanish for travel. Is the Spanish spoken in Spain very different from the Spanish spoken in Ecuador? Argentina?

Answer 1

It depends upon what part of South America you are talking about. In the Andean countries, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia, Spanish tends to be very conservative because it has been primarily the language of aristocratic minorities. Andean Spanish is considered by many Spanish language linguists to be the closest to Spain in Latin America. Andean Spanish also as the fewist influences from English because of its relative isolation.

In places where Spanish is the language of the common people too like Colombia, Venezuela and Chile it has been changing more rapidly. Argentine Spanish is somewhere in between these two groups. Spanish is widely spoken in Argentina, but Argentines still tend to be admirers of Castilian Spanish and Castilian forms.

Answer 2

Yes, they are. Imagine listening to American English, and then traveling to the heart of England and listening to someone with a strong accent speak it. It's a bit difficult to understand for Americans; so much so that I have actually seen subtitles used on some tv programs when a person with a strong British accent speaks. There are even rather distinct Spanish dialects within Central and South America itself. (American English has those too if you think about it; there's southern English with the country drawl and twang, the New York and Jersey accent, etc.) If you wanted to learn Spanish for travel, I would definitely learn a Latin American dialect, and preferably one that is fairly neutral in accent and speech. Colombia has the most eloquent and easily understood Spanish accent I have heard, but it might not be the safest place to travel. Costa Rica is a great alternative. It too has a fairly neutral, easy to understand way of speaking as well and is safe for travelers. If you're looking to learn Spanish for the first time, steer clear of Mexico unless you plan on doing a majority of your travel there though. I have nothing against Mexicans at all, but I have found the some Latin Americans from other countries have trouble understanding the strong mexican spanish accent. Hope that helps!

Answer 3

There are different accents and somewhat different vocabulary words in all Spanish-speaking countries, just as accents and vocabulary vary from state to state in the U.S., and from country to country (Scotland and Australia, for example). So, it might not be easy to understand or be understood everywhere, but it can be done. I find the Dominicans very difficult to understand (I learned Spanish in Spain) but Mexican Spanish is easy. If someone's accent is hard to understand, just ask them to slow down. No big deal.

Answer 4

Spain is the origin of Spanish. Therefore, the language is more pure there. Other countries like Mexico and the like, tend to break down the language and refrain from using certain words or grammatical structures. For example: Mexico doesn't use the verb conjugations for the noun, vosotros or you all. Ustedes is used for the formal conjugations of you all and ellos/ellas are used for the informal conjugations of you all.

Answer 5

There is a difference, and you don't want to get them mixed up. The vosotros form is I am pretty sure only used in S.A., but it could only be Spain. Spanish in Spain has a lisp.

Answer 6

It's basically the same.
Spanish spoken in Spain is less acute. Sounds like sound is coming from deep in the chest.
The "c" before "e" and "i" and the "z" sound like the English "th" and the "g" before "e" and "I" sounds like kh, but more guttural than in the Latin American version. These features give the Iberian Spanish more elegance and personality
Latin American Spanish is somewhat yelly
No problem to communicate to each other

Answer 7

Somewhat,I think the term is that Spanish in Spain is more formal !!

Answer 8

Yes they are very different, I am not exactly sure how but I do no that they are. My Spanish teacher has told us this many times. They can pronounce things differently and mean different things by words.

Answer 9

yes it is even Ecuadorian spanish and Argentinian Spanish are different almost ever Latin American country has their own words and way to talk