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
3answers
446 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 ...
2
votes
1answer
367 views
reserva vs. reservación
What is the difference between reserva and reservación (as in a reservation that you would make at a restaurant)? Do the two words mean the same thing? Which is used in what parts of the ...
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 ...
2
votes
2answers
278 views
Spanish names for preterite and imperfect tenses
In school, I learned that the Spanish past tenses were called preterite and imperfect in English, and preterito and imperfecto in Spanish. However, in talking to native speakers I've run across other ...
7
votes
2answers
255 views
What is the most common way to answer the phone?
What is the most universally-used greeting when answering the phone (i.e. way to say, "Hello?")? Are there any circumstances where the greeting would be different (for example, when answering a phone ...
5
votes
4answers
190 views
How regional or widespread are the colloquial “pa” / “pa'” in place of “para”?
In Mexico I sometimes heard or saw the colloquial variant pa' or pa used for para.
But is this just a Mexicanism, also used in Central America, all Latin America, or even in Spain?
6
votes
3answers
258 views
What Spanish term (or terms) work best to describe a glass jar as used for coffee, jam, etc?
A bit earlier in the chat room I mentioned that I needed to buy a new jar of coffee, but that I didn't know how to express that in Spanish.
I want to know a good Spanish word for "jar" in the sense ...
7
votes
4answers
346 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 ...
5
votes
3answers
433 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 ...
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 ...
5
votes
2answers
300 views
“Iros” instead of “idos” (imperative of verb “ir”)
I have heard many times the use of the infinitive instead of the imperative in Spanish with the verb "ir". For example:
Si me queréis, irse* (Instead of: Si me queréis, váyanse) [Famous quote of ...
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 ...
8
votes
2answers
190 views
Usage of “adiós” in the Basque country
People in the Basque country commonly use local words, such as agur instead of adiós.
According to our former Spanish teacher, usage of adiós is unadvisable in the Basque country because of its ...
6
votes
1answer
164 views
What's the origin of the Panamanian word “biñuelo”? Is it merely a corruption of “buñuelo”?
I was in Panama about five years ago and there was a common deep fried street food called "biñuelo".
Of course there's a regular Spanish word "buñuelo" which means fritter.
So is "biñuelo" just the ...
20
votes
2answers
712 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 ...
1
vote
1answer
128 views
Are there vulgarities in Spanish that are universal throughout the language?
The vulgar words I'm familiar with all seem to be local slang. Does Spanish have any words that are universally accepted as vulgar or profane?
2
votes
1answer
230 views
Pronunciation of words ending in -n
It seems that some people pronounce words that end with -n almost as a "ng" sound. "Bien", for example, seems to come out as "Bie[ng]".
Is this a regional issue? What regions use this ...
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 ...
5
votes
1answer
100 views
Are there regions or dialects which use both “tú” and “vos”?
In my experience most places use either "tú" or "vos" for the second person singular intimate/informal pronoun.
But I haven't been to every Spanish speaking country and area. Are there places which ...
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 ...
6
votes
3answers
170 views
Regional use of “genial”
What parts of the Spanish-speaking world regularly use the word genial? Is it only encountered in Spain, or is it common in other regions as well?
Edit: It seems like it's more widespread than I ...
20
votes
9answers
395 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 ...
3
votes
4answers
310 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
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 ...
9
votes
8answers
778 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 ...
17
votes
10answers
897 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 ...
10
votes
6answers
367 views
What are the main differences between Spanish in Spain and Spanish in Latin America? [closed]
A good analogy is that the difference is like those in British and American English, but what are those differences exactly? Is Spanish in Latin America a branch from that in Spain?
10
votes
5answers
506 views
How is the letter 's' (or the 's' sound) pronounced in Spain?
I've heard varying things regarding the pronunciation of the 's' sound in Spain. However, no one was willing/able to explain this to me.
How is the 's' sound pronounced in Spain compared to its ...
