As you know, there are certain differences in English spoken in the United Kingdom and in the US. While the British say chemist, Americans would say drugstore to talk about the same place. Likewise, in Britain flat is used to refer to what Americans call an apartment.
There are also notable vocabulary differences in Spanish depending on which region you are in. There are differences between Spanish as spoken in Spain and in Latin America. Also within Latin America, there are many regional differences in pronunciation, vocabulary, word order, etc. that cannot be considered characteristic of the entire community.
Vocabulary Differences in Spanish: Spain vs Latin America
In this article, we’ll go through some vocabulary differences in Spanish. We will focus on Mexican Spanish. However, you will also find examples of other Latin American regions. Probably the most obvious difference is that Spanish words borrowed from English are mainly used in Latin America. Let’s review some of them.
| Mexico | Spain | |
| computer | la computadora | el ordenador |
| laptop | el laptop | el portátil |
| mouse (computer) | el mouse | el ratón |
| overalls | el overol | el mono de trabajo |
| car | el carro | el coche |
| cell phone | el celular | el móvil |
| elevator | el elevador | el ascensor |
| switch (electrical) | el switch | el interruptor |
Vocabulary Differences
As you learn more Spanish and speak with people from different places, you’ll notice many differences in the words they use. These vocabulary differences can take different forms. In some cases, one word will mean different things in different places.
For example,
Los niños esperan la guagua para ir a la escuela. (Canary Islands, ES)
Los guaguas esperan el camión para ir a la escuela. (Latin America)
The kids wait for the bus to go to school.
The word
Hay una fiesta en el piso de Carmen. (ES)
Hay una fiesta en el departamento de Carmen. (Latin America)
There’s a party in Carmen’s apartment.
¿Por qué está mi suéter en el suelo? (ES)
¿Por qué está mi suéter en el piso? (Latin America)
Why is my sweater on the floor?
Another interesting word is
Odio la lluvia cuando no tengo paraguas. (ES)
Odio la lluvia cuando no tengo sombrilla. (Latin America)
I hate the rain when I do not have an umbrella.
Si vas a la playa, llévate la sombrilla para el sol. (ES)
If you go to the beach, bring the beach umbrella for the sun.
Let’s see more vocabulary differences in Spanish. For instance,
No podemos utilizar la ducha, porque está rota. (ES)
No podemos utilizar la regadera, porque está rota. (Latin America)
We can’t use the shower because it’s broken.
Estas regaderas son vuestras, las utilizáis para regar las plantas. (ES)
These watering cans are yours. You use them to water plants.
More Vocabulary Differences in Spanish
Let’s have a look at more examples of vocabulary differences in Spanish. In other instances, two different words will refer to the same thing. People from Spain and from Latin America will understand both of these words, but they will tend to use only one of the two. For example:
Mi tía tiene un perro pequeño. (ES)
Mi tía tiene un perro chico. (Latin America)
My aunt has a small dog.
Prefiero la camisa marrón. (ES)
Prefiero la camisa café. (Latin America)
I prefer the brown shirt.
Un momento, enseguida voy. (ES)
Un momento, ahorita voy. (Latin America)
Just a moment, I’ll go right away.
Andar una hora cada día es bueno para tu salud. (ES)
Caminar una hora cada día es bueno para tu salud. (Latin America)
Walking for an hour every day is good for your health.
No quiero hacer daño a Luis. (ES)
No quiero lastimar a Luis. (Latin America)
I don’t want to hurt Luis.
Buenos días. Estos son mis padres. Mi madre se llama Julia y mi padre se llama Miguel. (ES)
Buen día. Estos son mis papás. Mi mamá se llama Julia y mi papá se llama Miguel. (Latin America)
Good morning. These are my parents. My mom is called Julia and my dad is called Miguel.
Exercises
You can do the following exercises to practice the vocabulary differences in Spanish we have covered in the article.