Questions addressing any of the many differences in vocabulary, pronunciation, usage, etc. of the varieties of Spanish spoken through Spain and the Americas.
3
votes
2answers
53 views
How is the second person singular formed with rioplatense “vos”?
English
I learned my Spanish in Spain, some years ago. Now I am visiting Uruguay and Argentina and coming across the usage of the pronoun vos, and its corresponding different formation of the second ...
4
votes
2answers
145 views
¿Cuáles son las distinciones más importantes del castellano amazónico del Perú?
Se dice aquí que hay cinco variaciones del español hablado en el Perú, y que el español amazónico parece predominar en un área geográficamente más extensa que los otros dialectos. Supongo que hay ...
3
votes
5answers
158 views
A lo de mi abuela / Donde mi abuela
Quiero decir: "Voy a la casa de mi abuela".
En Argentina siempre he escuchado: "voy a lo de mi abuela".
En Chile, parece que utilizan: "Voy donde mi abuela".
Qué suelen decir en los otros paises? ...
7
votes
4answers
347 views
How did the words “mataburros” and “tumbaburros” come to mean “dictionary”?
The recent question about irregular plurals led me to a couple of odd and interesting words that apparently mean "dictionary" in at least one sense each:
mataburros
tumbaburros
The connection ...
8
votes
4answers
1k views
Is there a difference between cilantro and culantro in Spanish?
I've seen the American English "cilantro" (British English "coriander") translated into Spanish as both cilantro and culantro. What is the difference? Are they synonyms used interchangeably, or is the ...
5
votes
3answers
440 views
¡Buenas! greeting in morning
Another question brings up the fact that in many countries, ¡Buenas! is used as a greeting (as an abbreviation of Buenas tardes or Buenas noches). In regions where this is the case, what should be ...
4
votes
2answers
125 views
¿Qué significa “tuanis”?
¿Cuál es el significado de la palabra tuanis? ¿Se escribe tuani o tuanis? ¿En cuáles regiones se usa? Y, ¿es una palabra muy informal, o se puede usarla en otros contextos también?
2
votes
1answer
57 views
¿Qué significa abatizar (visto en Nicaragua)?
He visto la palabra abatizar en periódicos de Nicaragua, pero no puedo encontrar la palabra ni en el diccionario de la RAE ni en WordReference.com. ¿Exactamente qué significa abatizar y en cuales ...
5
votes
2answers
117 views
Definición de “pistear”
Hoy alguien usó la palabra pistear conmigo, en el contexto de una fiesta, o bebiendo. No puedo encontrar una definición relevante. DRAE tiene dos definiciones regionales:
tr. El Salv. Pagar ...
1
vote
1answer
55 views
Myspell and different variants of Spanish
This is somewhat computer related as well.
If one installs myspell package in Ubuntu, it would download files for Spanish Spanish, and files for e.g. Argentinian Spanish would be just symlinks to it. ...
6
votes
5answers
414 views
Definition of escuela and colegio
Spanish has two generic words for school: escuela and colegio. I have heard different explanations for what phases of schooling each word refers to. For example, I've been told that colegio refers ...
20
votes
9answers
400 views
Any difference between aquí and acá
I've been taught that aquí and acá are completely interchangable.
From personal observation, acá seems to be used more often than aquí in the context of "I live down this road." Example:
Vivo ...
8
votes
2answers
338 views
Armpit: sobaco vs. axila
"Armpit" in English can be translated as either sobaco or axila in Spanish. Is each term used in different regions, or are they both used across the Spanish-speaking world? What is the difference, or ...
4
votes
1answer
43 views
Spanish for “snowflake” and “snowman” in various regions?
I found myself needing a word for "snowflake" and "snowman" while talking to family. My nephew was holding a toy snowflake and snowman.
Most spanish-speaking countries live rather close to the ...
12
votes
8answers
157 views
¿Se usa 'guácala' fuera de México?
En español mexicano, cuando uno siente algo repugnante es típico usar una palabra onomatopeica: 'guácala' (imita el sonido de vomitar). Es equivalente a decir 'yuck' en inglés. ¿Qué tan común es ...
4
votes
3answers
75 views
Comida: picante vs picor
Hoy día escuché el término "comida sin picor" para referirse a "comida no picante". En mi caso nunca antes había escuchado el término "picor".
¿En qué países se usa el término "picor"? ¿Qué tan común ...
7
votes
5answers
411 views
Difference Between “Computadora” and “Ordenador”
Español
Ví un cartel fuera de una tienda que decía: "Computadoras y ordenadores" en un cuadro "cubano" fuera de New York City,
En un principio, creo que ambas palabras significan "computer". Pero, ...
7
votes
3answers
185 views
What is Spanish for “John Doe” in Puerto Rico?
What is Puerto Rican Spanish for "John Doe" or "Jane Doe" ? Is it still Fulano de Tal ?
20
votes
2answers
716 views
Why is the “X” in México and Texas pronunced as the letter “J”?
English
Even as a native speaker I don't know the reason of this. Another example would be Xavier.
Español
Aunque el español es mi primera lengua, no sé por qué razón sucede esto. Otro ejemplo ...
5
votes
1answer
105 views
“Haber de” y futuridad
La entrada de "haber" en lo "Diccionario panhispánico de dudas" incluye este trozo:
a) haber de + infinitivo. En el español general, esta perífrasis
denota obligación, conveniencia o necesidad ...
6
votes
2answers
136 views
“Po” for “pues” - anywhere else but Chile?
I recently met someone from Chile who used "po" as a contraction of "pues" - and said that this is common usage in Chile. Is it used anywhere else?
Recientemente conocí una chilena que utiliza "po" ...
9
votes
3answers
188 views
“Antier” para expresar el día anterior a ayer
Hace unos días mientras me encontraba cambiando de canal en la televisión por cable, escuche una conversación de una pelicula americana doblada al español. Dos personas estaban en un bar conversando. ...
9
votes
8answers
781 views
'vos' vs 'tú' usage by country
I lived for a while in Bolivia, and I noticed some people used "vos" instead of "tú" as the second person familiar singular pronoun. Which countries use "vos" instead of "tú", and are there any that ...
3
votes
3answers
1k views
Most accurate translation of “possum”
What is the most universal Spanish word to describe a possum? What regional variations exist? Does the translation refer specifically to the same animal as the English word, or does it cover a larger ...
4
votes
2answers
108 views
What would be a good translation of “becario”?
Let me explain myself, the official definition is "scholarship holder", but in some places it is a position in a company, sometimes is a pro bono position but most of the times is an entry level job.
7
votes
2answers
92 views
¿En qué países se utiliza la expresión “colgar el sambenito”?
Como resultado de una pregunta anterior relacionada con el concepto de culpabilidad (guilt trip), surgió la expresión (frecuente en España) "colgar el sambenito", que significa "culpar a alguien ...
5
votes
1answer
173 views
¿Cuál es la diferencia entre comer y comerse?
¿Cuál es la diferencia entre el verbo normal comer y su forma reflexiva comerse? Si los significados son iguales, ¿cuál es la diferencia de connotación? Y, ¿se usa el reflexivo de la misma manera en ...
2
votes
2answers
169 views
Regional pronunciations of “LL” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How to pronounce the consonants y and ll?
I had one teacher that taught me to pronounce "LL" harshly, something like the English "J". Another teacher I learned from told ...
17
votes
10answers
904 views
How to pronounce the consonants “y” and “ll”?
I have heard y/ll pronounced in two different ways:
[j] (like 'y' in "yellow")
[ʒ] (like 's' in "measure")
Do native speakers use both interchangeably? Or is it pronounced [j] in some regions and ...
5
votes
3answers
82 views
Pronunciación de la letra ge
En un curso de Memrise.com hay extractos donde la ge en "amigo" y "lugar" se pronuncia como una leve jota, casi como una hache.
¿Es realmente la pronunciación castellana?
5
votes
2answers
249 views
What does “apañao” mean?
¿Qué significa "apañao"?
Aparentemente se usa exclusivamente en la región de Andalucía. Estaba hablando con alguien y dijo esa palabra pero no la pudo traducir.
¿Alguien sabe su significado y uso?
...
3
votes
3answers
294 views
“Septiembre” or “setiembre”?
Setiembre is only used in Peru, AFAIK, but I wonder if there are any other countries where setiembre, as opposed to septiembre, is also valid.
RAE links the definition of setiembre to the definition ...
8
votes
4answers
2k views
How prevalent is the phrase “qué padre”?
Here in Mexico, the slang phrase qué padre (or various forms such as muy padre, etc) are quite common, with the meaning "how cool".
Is this just Mexican slang, or do other regions use the same ...
4
votes
3answers
205 views
“s” final en tiempo pretérito indefinido: -aste(s), -iste(s)
Español
La segunda persona singular del pretérito indefinido generalmente termina en "-aste" o "-iste". En muchos lugares, la gente agrega una "s" final a estas palabras (por ejemplo, hablastes en ...
4
votes
2answers
591 views
What are the differences between “el mar” and “la mar”?
Another question touched on this issue, but I wanted to ask in more detail. Mar is a noun that can be masculine or feminine. I have heard that there are subtle differences in connotations between the ...
6
votes
2answers
79 views
Regional differences between escuchar and oír
In school I learned that escuchar was for the English "to listen to" and oír was "to hear." In Central America, however, I frequently heard escuchar being used for "to hear" (e.g. No te escucho ...
2
votes
1answer
463 views
Describing the common cold or flu in Spanish
In English, when talking about common viruses people often get, there are generally two categories:
a cold is generally more mild and can come with runny nose, sneezing, coughing, sore throat, etc.
...
10
votes
1answer
126 views
How can I know if a word or phrase should be avoided due to regional variations?
Say that I want to write some blog posts or news articles in Spanish. Are there any useful resources (e.g. books, websites or guidelines) that one could use in order to write “neutral” Spanish, that ...
12
votes
4answers
1k views
What's the difference between “vamos” and “vámonos”?
Español
Cuando estaba estudiando Español, aprendí que "let's go" es "vamos," pero cuando fui a México, lo único que oído estaba "vámonos." Pregunté a una persona bilingüe allá, pero ella no supe la ...
8
votes
3answers
483 views
What's the difference between rezar and orar? Are there any other ways to say 'to pray'?
My teacher told me that different religions tend to use different words for "to pray", usually choosing between rezar and orar. Which words are preferred by what religions & in which areas? Are ...
3
votes
3answers
448 views
Other spanish synonyms to “Banana”
I remember reading in high school that the word la banana is actually a different word in several different countries. Is this true? If so what are the other similar/equivalent Spanish words for la ...
7
votes
4answers
219 views
¿Cómo se dice regionalmente “coquetear”?
Español
(Pregunta: ¿cómo se dice "to flirt" regionalmente?)
Sé que la forma correcta de decirlo es "coquetear". Sin embargo, en México usamos la palabra "ligar". He oído que en Chile usan la palabra ...
8
votes
6answers
327 views
How big are the regional differences in the Spanish spoken in different countries?
As a non-native speaker, I have no more difficulty conversing with a Mexican than a Spaniard or Venezuelan or Colombian or vice versa. I realize there are regional variations and differences in ...
8
votes
7answers
446 views
Are there any words that have opposite regional meanings?
Following in the footsteps of EL&U, are there any words that have opposite meanings in different Spanish-speaking regions?
We are looking for words that are the same, but have different meanings ...
6
votes
5answers
361 views
Learning programming in a Spanish speaking country
This question is for anyone who has learned programming in a Spanish speaking country.
Seeing as though the key words for programming languages like Java, C, Python etc are all in English I have a ...
3
votes
4answers
311 views
Present subjunctive in vos form
What is the rule for conjugating verbs in the vos form in the present subjunctive? If it varies by region, what are the differences?
8
votes
5answers
228 views
Is “tobogán” an acceptable word for “slide” throughout the Spanish speaking world?
English
I'm trying to learn words to talk to my baby at the playground in Spanish. WordReference.com gives the following as part of its definition for "slide."
slide 2 sustantivo 1. (in ...
9
votes
1answer
111 views
Plug vs Socket: Interchangeable?
Many dictionaries that I have looked at online seem to use enchufe as a word that is interchangeable for the English words plug and socket, which are two related, but distinct objects. Some ...
1
vote
1answer
216 views
Studying Spanish at school in a Spanish speaking country
In the Spanish speaking country where you live or have been, up to what age/year level is it compulsory to study the Spanish language at school.
Where I live (English speaking country) it is ...
8
votes
3answers
289 views
Use of “Que” in “Que todo te vaya bien”
Que todo te vaya bien.
Que nos reunamos a las 6.
I've seen, and used, que in this form - it's as if the verb has been dropped, say, espero.
What is the origin of this usage? Is it ...
