Greta M. Says:
Is the Spanish spoken in Spain different from Latin American Spanish?
IL Executive Editor Jennifer Stevens Says:
Hi Greta,
There are some differences to European Spanish and Latin American Spanish, but nothing insurmountable.
If you know anything about Spanish as it’s spoken in Spain, you probably think of the famous lisp. It’s one of several things that distinguish Spain’s language from what’s spoken in Latin America.
Most of the differences are pretty superficial, however. Spanish accents differ from country to country, as does some vocabulary, just as American English differs a bit from British or Australian English. But Spanish grammar is pretty much standard throughout the Spanish-speaking world.
In that sense, it makes no difference where (or what accent) you learn.
One thing to be aware of is that Spain gives official status to several regional languages, most notably Catalán, Gallego, Valenciano, and Vasco (Euskera). These languages are widely spoken in their respective regions—Cataluña, Galicia, Valencia, and the Basque Country—but are not used elsewhere.
The official language for the whole country, which everyone speaks, is Spanish, so for living and traveling around Spain, Spanish is the most useful language for you to have on the tip of your tongue. Every word of it that you learn and use will enrich your Spain experience that much more.
Even better, you’ll find it easy to start speaking Spanish fast with Warren Hardy’s online webtutor course, specially designed for prospective expats to pick up the basics with ease. Find more details on that here.
One nugget of trivia, which will help impress Spanish friends: In Spain, the Spanish language is generally referred to as Castellano, rather than Español. It’s called Castellano because the dialect that modern Spanish developed from originated in Castile, in central and north-central Spain. This region is still where you’ll hear what is considered to be the purest, most classic expression of Castellano.
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