Kilo Lingo
Spanish grammar Part of Chapter 48

CEFR B2

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Test yourself (22 questions)

Spain vs Latin American Spanish Vocabulary: coche vs carro

By Michael McGettrick and Sergio Linares-HernandesUpdated 12 October 2026

The everyday words for car, phone, juice and potato change between Spain and Latin America, and often between Latin American countries. Nobody is wrong, and everyone understands both:

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Choose the word people say first in the place named.

  1. In Mexico, the car is the .

  2. In Argentina, the car is the .

  3. In Spain, the potato is the .

SpainLatin AmericaWhat do the colours mean?
  • . - I'm going by car. (Spain)
  • . - I'm going by car. (Mexico, Colombia)

Spain vs Latin America at a glance

The words you will need first. Spain's word is in the solid blue box, the Latin American one in the dashed pink box.

EnglishSpainLatin America
car,
mobile phone
computer
juice
potatopapa
to drive
to take,
  • car, Spaincar, Spain
  • car, Mexico and Colombiacar, Mexico and Colombia
  • car, Argentina and Chilecar, Argentina and Chile

Latin America is not one block: the right-hand column changes from country to country, as the sections below show.

Getting around

SpainLatin AmericaWhat do the colours mean?
EnglishSpainLatin America
bus (Mexico), colectivo (Argentina)
ticket
to parkaparcar
to drive

Three traps the table cannot show:

  • In Spain, is a cart or a trolley: , the shopping trolley.
  • In Spain, is a lorry. In Mexico it is also the city bus.
  • In the Canary Islands, Cuba and the bus is a guagua. In the Andes, a guagua is a baby.
  • ¿ ? - Can you drive? (Spain)
  • ¿ ? - Can you drive? (Latin America)

Words to handle with care

SpainLatin AmericaWhat do the colours mean?

Most variation is harmless. One common verb is not. In Spain, means take or catch, and it is everywhere:

  • . - I catch the bus at eight. (Spain)

In much of Latin America, above all Mexico, , Uruguay and Venezuela, is slang for sex. (In Colombia and Cuba, for example, it is still an everyday verb.) Say or wherever you are unsure:

  • . - I catch the bus at eight. (anywhere)
  • . - Grab the keys. (Latin America)

Food and drink

SpainLatin AmericaWhat do the colours mean?
EnglishSpainLatin America
potatopapa
juice
strawberryfrutilla (Argentina, Chile)
peachmelocotóndurazno
banana (Argentina), guineo (Caribbean)
cake (Argentina), (Mexico)
  • juice, Spainjuice, Spain
  • juice, Latin Americajuice, Latin America
  • potato, Spainpotato, Spain
  • strawberry, Spain and Mexicostrawberry, Spain and Mexico
  • , . - An orange juice, please. (Spain)
  • , . - An orange juice, please. (Latin America)

Two traps: in Spain, is mostly the juice that comes out of meat or fruit as it cooks or is squeezed; the drink you order is . In Mexico, is a filled roll, not a cake.

At home and in your bag

SpainLatin AmericaWhat do the colours mean?
EnglishSpainLatin America
flat,
fridge, heladera (Argentina)
tap, canilla (Argentina)
glasses, anteojos (Argentina)
pen (Mexico), lapicera (Argentina)
  • . - I live in a small flat. (Spain)
  • . - I live in a small flat. (Mexico, )

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
(Mexico) is there
(car, Spain) in Spain a is a cart
(drink, Spain) in Spain the drink is
(cake, Mexico) in Mexico a is a filled roll

What to do next

  1. Pick the variety you will hear most and learn its column first.
  2. Do the sort and spot-the-word drills below.
  3. Then regional grammar: , and the past tense.

Practise: test yourself

Sort into groups

0/8

Which side of the Atlantic says it first?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Pick the right one

0/6

Choose the word people say first in the place named.

  1. In Mexico, the car is the .

  2. In Argentina, the car is the .

  3. In Spain, the potato is the .

  4. In Mexico City, the city bus is the .

  5. In Buenos Aires, the kitchen tap is the .

  6. In Spain, the flat you live in is the .

Spot the mistake

0/3

Each sentence is set in Latin America. Tap the word a local would avoid.

Fill in the blank

0/5

Give the word used in Spain. Accents count.

  1. Juice: un de naranja.

    Accents count here

  2. Mobile phone: el .

    Accents count here

  3. Computer: el .

    Accents count here

  4. Car: el .

    Accents count here

  5. To drive: .

    Accents count here

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Frequently asked questions

Is Spain Spanish or Latin American Spanish the correct one to learn?
Neither outranks the other. The works with sister academies across the Spanish-speaking world, and each country's educated usage is correct Spanish. Learn the variety nearest to you (the country you will visit, your teacher's, the you watch) and treat the others as easy swaps: someone who knows understands in seconds.
What is the difference between , and ?
All three mean car. is Spain's word, is Mexico's, Colombia's and Venezuela's, and is Argentina's, Chile's and Uruguay's. In Spain, means a cart or a shopping trolley: . Everyone understands all three.
Why should you not say in Latin America?
In Spain is an everyday verb for take or catch: , . In much of Latin America, above all Mexico, and Uruguay, it is slang for sex. Say or there instead: , . Both are understood in Spain too, so they are the safe choice everywhere.
Will people understand me if I mix Spain and Latin American words?
Almost always. Films, television and music carry both varieties everywhere, so a Spaniard understands and a Peruvian understands , even if neither would say it first. Mixing marks you as someone who has learned widely. The only word worth real care is .
Do Spain and Latin America use different grammar too?
A little. The big differences are , which only Spain uses, and not all of it (Latin America says to everyone), voseo ( in for ) and the past tense for today's events (he in Spain, in most of Latin America). They are on the regional grammar page.