Vastake - Español

Many people want to learn to speak Spanish but there are some things they have to consider first. Not all spanish (latin and castilian) is the same and definitely does not sound the same. In Spain the biggest difference in Castilian Spanish might be the pronunciation of the C and some words have diferent meanings, like they might say "Estáis despierto" (You are awake) while in America people would say "Estás despierto", other words like "teneis" (American: "tienes"), etc. .

Note: When my students ask me which spanish should they learn? I tell them, if you´re going to live/work in Europe, you should learn Castilian Spanish.

But in Latin American or South American Spanish, there´s a lot to consider. In Argentina one of the biggest differences is the pronunciation of the Y and LL which they pronounce like "Sh". Like "Playa" (Beach) they pronounce it "Plasha". The confusion comes when students see these words are written different than they´re pronounced. People from Argentina pronounce and write "comé" (eat), "mirá" (see/look/watch), "subí" (go upstairs) while other latin americans pronounce and write different such as "come", "mira","sube", etc.

Same thing is for places like Puerto Rico, Cuba, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, etc. For instance in Cuba and Puerto Rico, in many words, the written R is pronounced like L and the written T is pronounced like C. They also omit the S in many words, specially at the end or in between sentences. Examples: "Trabajar" (to work) cubans pronunce Tlabajal. Or "Vamo´a tlabajal" instead of saying "Vamos a trabajar" (Let´s go to work). "Un momentico" (it´s kind of "just a moment"), they pronounce C instead of T which should be "Un momentito". The correct word is "Un momento" but latins tend to modify these words ending with "ito". A cuban student once told me that in some regions they pronounce words as they write and that it also depends on the level of education. In my experience, I´ve never heard a cuban pronounce this words as they are written. Colombians, Cubans and Venezuelans pronounce in many words, the S (in the middle of sentences) as J (or the H in english) "Ejque ejtá haciendo calor" (It´s hot -weather-) instead of saying "Es que está haciendo calor".

In some Mexican cities near these South American countries many people also make the last mispronunciation of the S (in the middle of sentences) as J (or the H in english) but the majority of Mexican cities use the correct pronunciation. Spanish from Mexico is more neutral, it´s why is the most recommended spanish to learn in Latin America because the words are written as they are pronounced. Letters are not changed in pronunciation. There is Mexican slang which is different.

I hope this information helps a little on what kind of Spanish you want to choose.