Kilo Lingo
Part of Chapter 48

CEFR B2

4 min read

Test yourself (14 questions)

Spain vs Latin America: the vocabulary that changes

There is no single correct Spanish. Half a billion people speak it across two dozen countries, and the most ordinary words - car, phone, juice, bus, potato - split between Spain and Latin America, and often between one Latin American country and the next. This is not a maze to fear. It is exactly the British-lift-versus-American-elevator situation, and nobody is wrong. Kilo Lingo teaches a broadly neutral base and then flags the swaps, because whichever variety you meet first, you will bump into the others soon enough.

The big table

The left column is the everyday Spain word. The right column gives the common Latin American alternatives, which vary by country.

ConceptSpainLatin America / varies
car (Mexico, Colombia), (Argentina, Chile)
computer, computador (Andes)
mobile phone
potatopapa
juice
bus (Mexico), colectivo (Argentina), guagua (Caribbean)
to drive
flat / apartment,
to parkaparcar, parquear (Caribbean, Central America)
strawberryfrutilla (Southern Cone)
bananabanana, guineo (Caribbean)
peachmelocotóndurazno
glasses, (Southern Cone)
fridge, heladera (Argentina)
ticket
cake, (Mexico)
penlapicera (Argentina), (Mexico)
tap, canilla (Argentina)
to take / catch, (see the warning below)

A closer look at the usual suspects

A few of these are worth a second glance, because you will use them daily.

  • / / . In Spain, is the car; there means a shopping trolley or a cart. In Mexico and much of the north, is the car. In the Southern Cone, wins. All three are instantly understood everywhere.
  • / . is Spain; is nearly all of Latin America. Both come from the full phrase ( , ), just clipped differently.
  • / . in Spain, almost everywhere else. In Spain exists too, but tends to mean the juices inside meat or fruit rather than the drink.
  • and friends. This is the messiest one. or bus is broadly safe, but is the city bus in Mexico (elsewhere it is a lorry), colectivo is the bus in Argentina, and guagua is the bus in Cuba, the Dominican Republic and the Canary Islands. Watch out: in the Andes, guagua means a baby.

The words to handle with care

Most variation is harmless. A small set is not, because a word that is polite on one side of the Atlantic is crude on the other. You do not need the crude meanings spelled out to steer around them.

  • . In Spain this is one of the most common verbs going: (to catch the bus), (to grab the keys), completely neutral. In much of Latin America, above all Mexico, and Central America, is vulgar slang. There, use or instead: , . This single swap will save you a great deal of blushing.
  • . In Spain this simply means a shell, and it is even a common woman's name (short for Concepción). In Argentina, Uruguay and Chile it is coarse anatomical slang, so it is a word to avoid there and to let locals use first.

The rule of thumb: when you travel, prefer the neutral verb (, ) and let the people around you set the tone. Nobody minds a careful learner.

One grammar note: vosotros is Spain only

The biggest split you will hear is not a single word but a whole pronoun. , the informal plural you, is essentially Spain only. Across Latin America the plural you is for everyone, friendly or formal, and the verb endings are simply not used. So in Madrid becomes in Lima. Because that is a grammar difference rather than a vocabulary one, the detail lives on the regional grammar page.

So which should you learn?

Whichever is nearest to you. If your teacher is Colombian, soak up and ; if you are heading to Madrid, learn and . Knowing one variety makes the other a set of easy swaps, not a second language. The goal is not to pick the true Spanish, because there is not one. It is to understand the whole family and speak one branch of it well.

See also

Practise: test yourself

Fill in the blank

0/8

Give the Spain Spanish word for each item. Full accents required.

  1. The everyday word for car in Spain is el . (car)

  2. In Spain you drink orange , not jugo. (juice)

  3. A Spaniard checks messages on the , not the celular. (mobile phone)

  4. In Spain a computer is un , not una computadora. (computer)

  5. The Spanish word for potato used in Spain is la . (potato)

  6. To park the car in Spain is el coche. (to park)

  7. In Spain a flat you live in is un , not un departamento. (flat)

  8. The pen in your bag is un in Spain, not una lapicera. (pen)

Pick the right one

0/6

Choose the word that belongs to the named region.

  1. In Mexico, the word for car is more likely to be:

  2. In most of Latin America, the mobile phone is:

  3. In Argentina, a peach is a:

  4. In Spain, the tap in the kitchen is the:

  5. In Latin America, the safe verb for to take the bus is:

  6. In Mexico, glasses for your eyes are:

Spanish · Free printables

Practice worksheets and infographics

Practice worksheets with answer keys built in, plus infographic and listicle formats. Open any one to view, print or save.

Free for members

The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.

Start your free week

Frequently asked questions

Is Spain Spanish or Latin American Spanish the correct one to learn?
Neither, and both. There is no official standard variety that outranks the rest: the Real Academia works with sister academies across Latin America precisely because no single country owns the language. Learn whichever variety is nearest to you - the country you will visit, the teacher you have, the media you enjoy - and treat the others as easy swaps. A learner who knows coche will understand carro in seconds. The grammar is almost entirely shared; it is mostly the vocabulary, and a few pronunciation habits, that shift. Being aware of the variation is far more useful than trying to pick a winner.
Why does Spain say vosotros but Latin America does not?
Vosotros, the informal plural you, is essentially Spain only. Across Latin America the plural you is ustedes for everyone, formal or friendly, and the vosotros verb endings simply are not used in daily speech. So a Spaniard says vosotros tenéis while a Mexican says ustedes tienen for the same idea. This is a grammar difference rather than a vocabulary one, so we keep the detail on the regional grammar page, but it is the single most noticeable Spain versus Latin America split you will hear.
Are there Spanish words that are rude in one country and fine in another?
Yes, and coger is the famous one. In Spain coger simply means to take or to catch: coger el autobús, coger las llaves, entirely ordinary. In much of Latin America, especially Mexico, Argentina and Central America, coger is vulgar slang for sex, so speakers there reach for agarrar or tomar instead: tomar el autobús, agarrar las llaves. A few nouns carry similar hidden meanings in particular countries. The safe habit is to prefer the neutral verb when you travel and let locals set the tone.
Will people understand me if I mix Spain and Latin American words?
Almost always, yes. Educated speakers are exposed to both varieties constantly through television, music and film, so a Spaniard understands celular and a Peruvian understands móvil even if neither would say it first. Mixing is not a failure; it is what many bilingual and well travelled speakers do naturally. The only words worth watching are the small set with rude regional meanings. Everything else is simply flavour, and using a word from the other side of the Atlantic marks you as someone who has learned widely, not someone who has made a mistake.