Castilian Spanish Versus Latin American Spanish: What Is the Difference?

Language Services Direct Team

For many people around the world, evocative, passionate Spanish is the first of the romance languages that springs to mind. Maybe it is because it is so widespread – as well as Spain (Europe), Spanish is the predominant language in numerous countries in Central and South America, and Spanish is even spoken in the Philippines and Equatorial Guinea, as well as the Spanish Canary Islands off the coast of Africa.

Or perhaps Spanish is front of mind because it is so appealing to language learners – Spanish continues to top the charts as the most popular language A-level in the UK, while it is now the native language of nearly 500 million people worldwide (with nearly 600 million people speaking Spanish to a degree of competency).

However, the word ‘Spanish’ does not reveal the full story behind what we understand to be the standard Spanish language. The language predominantly spoken in Spain (Castilian Spanish), also known as European Spanish, is also the origin for Latin American Spanish, which in turn has naturally evolved since the Spanish language first arrived in Latin America. What a fascinating journey!

In this article, we look at the differences between Castilian Spanish and Latin American Spanish. But before we begin, the story of Spanish has an added complication because Castilian Spanish is not the only significant language in Spain.

Castilian Spanish: One of Spain’s Many Languages

Castilian Spanish is the language we think of as ‘Spanish’ around the world. It is the primary language spoken in Spain, and it is the main language of Spanish cinema and television. However, Spain has several other less well-travelled regional languages that we should mention before we get into the differences between different Spanish dialects.

The four main regional languages in Spain are Catalan and Valencian (both similar to each other), Galician (which is mutually intelligible with Portuguese), and Basque (which is also spoken across the Spanish border in adjacent parts of France). Most of these are romance languages, including Portuguese, and so share some degree of similarity to Castilian Spanish, but Basque is an outlier (and its origins are a bit of a mystery!).

If you learn Castilian (or indeed Latin American) Spanish, you may recognise some elements of Catalan, Valencian and Galician – but probably not enough to make sense of these languages without plenty of practice.

Español! Latin American Spanish

In Latin American countries, the local form of Spanish is generally referred to as ‘español’, which simply means ‘Spanish’ – but the people of Spain tend not to use the same term locally because of the many different regional languages of Spain. Latin American countries only have the one Spanish language, so they simply call it español – and this term is commonly understood to mean ‘Spanish’ around the world.

If Latin American Spanish has evolved since the Spanish colonisation of the Americas began at the end of the 15^th century, with many influences including native American languages, it seems logical to assume that Castilian Spanish has evolved differently to Latin American Spanish over time. (Plus, Castilian Spanish will likely have been influenced differently due to the diversity of native languages in Spain.)

Fortunately for language learners worldwide, Castilian Spanish and Latin American Spanish remain mutually intelligible (so the familiar term ‘español’ describes both ‘versions’ perfectly well too, and you may see it pop up in language-learning materials). Accents and local terminology may trip you up at first, but overall you can expect to adjust quickly if you are used to the Spanish of one country and then find yourself in a Spanish-speaking country in a different part of the world.

Looking for the Differences

The fundamentals of the Spanish language have stayed the same – it is the small differences that distinguish between Castilian and Latin American Spanish, and sometimes these can vary by country and region too (so arguably each Spanish-speaking country has its own subtle variation of standard Spanish!). For example, the word for ‘car’ in Spain is ‘coche’, but the word for ‘car’ in southern Latin American countries is ‘auto’, while northern Latin American countries tend to prefer ‘carro’. And you can also find ‘coche’ used in regional areas of Latin America, so local variations may always evolve or travel from one dialect to another.

Surprisingly, some more modern words have taken different forms in different Spanish-speaking countries, such as ‘computer’ (Castilian Spanish favours ‘ordenador’, while Latin American Spanish opts for ‘computadora’). Perhaps this will harmonise over time as more people learn the language as a second language… or maybe greater divides will form? It will certainly be interesting to observe.

Even going out for dinner can bring some interesting differences. Ordering patatas bravas (‘spicy potatoes’) may seem a quintessentially Spanish tapas request – but the word for ‘potato’ varies between Castilian Spanish (‘patatas’) and Latin American Spanish (‘papas’). Depending on where you are, you may need to ask for papas bravas!

Local slang terms also arise over time; for example, we can readily see differences in slang between UK, US and Australian English. And yet, in much the same way that we know what is happening when we watch Neighbours, Friends or any English-language film, we can make sense of different forms of a new language as we grow our confidence and competence through practice and experience. We can also appreciate the context in which situations occur as we refine our language skills and deepen our understanding.

The Spanish language is rich, diverse and full of surprises. But whether you are looking to do business in Spain, Central or South America, or another Spanish-speaking part of the world, learning standard Castilian Spanish can help you be heard and understood. If you would like to find out more about the Spanish language-learning training we provide, please do contact us today.