Spain and Latin American Spanish Differences
1. Pronunciation of the "c" and the "z"
Many people who spend time in Spain refer to Spaniards as having a lisp when the speak when, in fact,
it's not a speech impediment buddt rather a form of pronunciation. In Spain, soft c's and z's (like the c in
center, for example) are pronounced with a "th" sound, making the Spanish word for center (centro)
sound like "thentro".
In Latin America, soft c's and z's are pronounced like an s, meaning in Spanish the word for center
(centro) sounds like "sentro".
2. Vocabulary
Another key difference between peninsular Spanish and Latin American Spanish is that different words
can be used for the same thing, or the same word can mean one thing in Spain but something completely
different in Latin America. Many of these differences in vocabularly have to do with the influences of Latin
America's many indigenous languages.
For example, the word "carro" in Spain is a cart that you push or pull to transport things, whereas in Latin
America it's an actual car that you can drive around in. A car in Spain is a "coche", whereas a "coche" in
Latin America is a baby stroller.
Here are some other differences in vocabulary between Spain & Latin America:
English
Peninsular Spanish (Spain)
Latin American Spanish
car
coche
carro
to get angry
enfadarse
enojarse
computer
ordenador
computadora
peach
melocotón
durazno
potato
patata
papa
3. Voseo
In Spanish, there are three ways to say "you"; the most common are tú (familiar) and usted (formal).
However, in many parts of Latin America you will also come across the word "vos". While its use is
widespread, it also has wide differences in social consideration. In some parts it is considered street
language, appropriate to say but not correct when written. The use of "vos" and its corresponding verb
conjugations is known collectively as "voseo".
It is used extensively in Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua,
Paraguay, Uruguay and in parts of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Mexico.
4. Use of "ustedes"
While peninsular Spanish has two ways of saying "you" in plural form (such as when addressing a group;
"you all"), Latin American Spanish has only one. In Spain, both "vosotros" (you all, informal) and
"ustedes" (you all, formal) are used, while in Latin America "ustedes" is always used.
This also goes for the corresponding verb conjugations. For example, we'll conjugate the verb "hablar" (to
talk):
Peninsular Spanish
Latin American Spanish
yo
I
hablo
hablo
tú
you (informal)
hablas
hablas
él, ella, usted
him, her, you (formal)
habla
habla
hablamos
hablamos
vosotros
you all (informal)
habláis
X
ellos, ellas, ustedes
they, you all (formal)
hablan
hablan
nosotros
we
So, to say "Who are you (plural) talking to?"

In Spain: "¿Con quién habláis?"

In Latin America: "¿Con quién hablan?"