Spanish Speakers - Much difference between Latino & European?

[Lost For Love]

Ok, I am learning Spanish from next month and I am suppose to buy an in-depth advanced CD package to play on my computer.

However I have looked around and there is 2 distinct packages I can get - Latin American Spanish and standard European Spanish.

Is there a significant difference between the 2 to warrant 2 separate learning systems? Or is this just a money making ripoff?

I obviously want to learn a Spanish that is useful everywhere!

 

[sunshinesteve]

I am learning Spanish as well, if I was you I would learn the european version of Spanish.
Some words have different meanings in the 2 different languages, but te majority is similar.

 

[Trolli]

I'm fluent in Spanish. Lived a few years in Venezuela.

There are a few words that are different, which is actually by country.
Venezuelans have different words than Mexicans, Colombians, etc.

European Spanish also has a different accent and a set of it's own words.
An example would be: in Venezuela I'd say "carro" for car and in Spain I'd say "coche".

It's actually a bit mixed up since we all have our own little words. It's only a few though, the rest is the same.

 

[SpanishSportsman]

Well, as a spaniard, I would suggest to study European spanish.
I believe it's the most known and used type of spanish.
When you have "latino" versions, you can find different vocabulary, etc. in every country (Argentina, Venezuela, México, etc.), plus completely different accents.

Sometimes it's funny, because if you say in Spain "coger" (pick up), in south america you'd be saying "fuck".... lol

That's the richness of spanish language.

 

[LaloGS]

Depends on where you plan on using your Spanish. Here in Bogotá Colombia, it is recognized as being the purist form spoken anywhere including Spain. The Castillian spoken in Spain, is not only pronounced much differently than here in Bogotá, but it is laughed about as being poor quality language. Mexican Spanish has become so corrupted with incursions of American English, that it can be discarded as true Spanish.

The largest number of Spanish speaking people are located in South America today, so I would say it totally depends on where you plan to use your new language as to which type you learn.
Good luck with the verbs, genders and tenses.

 

[Blueboy369]

This topic is going to open up a can of worms. I'm an American born Puerto Rican and there is a lot of division among Spanish speaking countries. The Spanish we all speak is 90 percent similar but everyone thinks thiere region speaks the correct way. Spanish is Spanish, just buy the most reasonably priced lessons.

 

[Piquechampion]

European spanish?????

¨Que wauy...¨ and stupid shit like that

I wouldn´t recommend it

Colombian spanish?... are you kidding me?...

I´ll better shut up now

But the best spanish is the Guatemalan spanish

 

[unclaimedblessing]

It depends on where you plan to use it.
I would recommend the Spanish of the Americas because it has the vast majority of speakers.
The Castilian, although classical, doesn't even reign in Spain (smile). There are areas of Spain where other languages or dialects prevail: Catalan, Basque, Galician and Andalusian.
Regardless of which you decide on, it is a rich and rewarding language and well worth the effort of learning it.

 

[Claudio63]

European ought to be the more proper one to learn but I think a latin american one might not give you the heavy accent spanish from Spain gives you. I said might, I'm assuming a latin american package will teach a neutral spanish because the accents from different countries like Argentina, Mexico or Cuba is too diverse and it seems illogical to teach regional spanish, they would try to make their package more universal. Spain, being they originated the language would be rightfully proud to keep their heavy accent but, as someone else pointed out, it wouldn't be as widespread.

I do know that Mexico, where there's normally a very heavy accent, tends to dub and make products in a neutral spanish that's easy on the ears of most spanish speaking people. If the CD is from Mexico, I'd highly recommend it. Argentinian's on the other hand seem incapable of dropping their particular accent.

 

[jakespence123456]

OHHH come on.. are you freaking kidding me?

Weather you learn "european spanish" or Latin American spanish you will be able to cominucate. Im from Colombia and yeah we have some differences just like the US english has some differences with australian or british or southafrican english but you can talk to them and communicate normaly. Smae thing with french and protuguese. The french in france is not the same as the french in canada but you will be able to comunicate. So It doesnt matter which one you study as long as you study it you wont have any problem. Now when you talk about european spanish. Man, Latin america is where you'll find more spanish speakers. In europe there is spain and that is pretty much it. So I would go for Latin American. Who says that European is most known that is not true, in fact how Euro spanish might have some complications for you. They use extra words and conjugations like habeis which is only known over there. I mean we Latin american get it but it sounds so old and rusty.

 

[Shepherd 2]

Class in session,
get the Castillian Spanish (European) CD.
Later you can worry about the nuances and
subtle differences in island, middle and South American
dialects.
Shep+

 

[Kurn]

I'm amazed at the diversity of opinions on this subject.

Unless I were going to Iberia I would get the Latin American.
In Latin America, there are two main kinds of Spanish, the tuteo dialects and the voseo dialects. And as everyone has been saying, each pais has its own passle of palabras distintas.
I would be more concerned with the quality of program that you purchase. Pimsleur is conceptually excellent and gives you usable results. I haven't tried Rosetta but suspect it might be better than Pimsleur. Transparent Language is fun; if I had one of the first two I might get that as a supplement.

"Useful everywhere"? Latin American. Get something inexpensive to sample Iberian Spanish. If you are thinking about Chile and Argentina, those are voseo countries, especially Argentina. If you get a Latin American program, it would mean a short period of adjustment; the program might sample the voseo however so that it isn't a total surprise. Voseo is also used in Central America and it also appears in certain sociolects all over Latin America. Usually rural contexts.

 

[chatolandia]

I would say, get the Latin American, for two reasons

1) The vast majority of Spanish Speakers live in Latin America
2) The vast majority of Immigrants come from Latin America

The concept that a version of Spanish is purer than another, is pure BS, based on prejudice.

The purest Spanish would be Latin, don't you think?

It is true that Colombian Spanish is used as the standard Latin American Spanish (the one from Bogota), but it is not because it is the purest, but because it is the most neutral.

If you plan to use your Spanish in Spain, get the European Spanish.


At the end of the day, the differences are mainly of accent and use of certain words, but that is easily learned.

Like in the UK they say Aubergines and in the US they say Eggplant, kind of situation.

And of course, some of this differences can be hilarious!