Several types of Spanish?
ok new to spanishdirct.com and new to spanish, now why are they spanish American and then spanish Spain ? I would like to learn Spanish Spain for holidays we (my Family) have been 2 years in the row we love it there we are going this year also, so i thought i would make a effort to speak to them, shops, bars, restaronts just in genaral getting around so just before i start this corse i am asking is it the right one for me??? (Sorry for any bad spelling) look forward to your replys Thanks cass62
5 Answers
Hello friend, My background is I have a BA in Spanish, but am not Mexican. I will warn you there is a certain arrogance sometimes with people who believe they are educated or superior in the learning, that Mexican Spanish is "no good". Because Spanish originated from Spain, the idea is that the closer it is to the original form, the more correct it is. I agree with this only in the grammatical conjugation of verbs, but selecting which verb or noun or adjective you use (diction), is purely a matter of regional differences, and not correct or incorrect. It's like writing a book, you choose certain words, but that doesn't make one better than another, it just depends on your style and the feel you want to evoke.
Here is my perspective: If you think about the many continents Spanish covers, it is incredible that it has remained so consistent over the centuries. The meat of a language, to me, are verbs, which, next to the subject, is the main part of speech. In Spanish, it's even more important than English because you can leave off the subject due to the verb conjugations clearly indicating the subject. So, all verbs are conjugated the same in all the countries, except some are not used. For example, "coger" means to get or grab or lay hold of in Spain, but don't use it in Mexico or it means, "to fu#@". Not good. When I medical interpret, I started out using "tragar", to swollow pills, which is correct, but offends some Mexicans, it takes on a sexual innuendo. So other than a few no-no verbs, you are pretty safe to assume almost all common verbs will be conjugated the same in all countries. Vosotros is the exception, used in Spain and South America for you guys informal. But Mexican Spanish is safer in this area, also, because, they only use the you guys formal, "Uds" for both formal and informal. So, if you didn't want to learn vosotros at all you would still be very, very, clearly understood. What is your goal, to learn Spanish quickly and easily, or to fit in well in the country you are in? It depends on your goal, but when I medical interpret, I always use the more formal expression if I believe it will be understood, even if a Mexican would choose a different, or less formal word.
There are also a few bad conjugations going around in Mexican Spanish, the past tense "tu" is comiste but some Mexicans say "comistes", because all the other conjugations of "tu" end in an "s". There are so few deviations in Mexican or any other countries conjugations, I would say Spanish is actually very consistent amongst all the countries.
Where you run into deviations are in the nouns. So, one day I was talking to a customer at my mom's store, and asking her the names of kitchen utensils, like pots, bowls, etc. She was popping off with some I wasn't familiar with. I asked her where she was from and she said "El Salvador". I laughed to myself, that was why. I will warn you that every country has different words for almost everything in a kitchen. So work on those based on the country you are in.
Here's your first assignment: sink. That word depends on if it's in the bathroom or kitchen, and what country you are in.
Don't focus so much on the differences. Focus on verb conjugations, which are the hardest part of language learning and you are sure to not go wrong.
I actually had a woman from Columbia tell me the other day after having a conversation in Spanish that "You don't speak Spanish; you speak Mexican." That's how different American Spanish is. There is a definite difference in accent, some word choices and some grammar. The "vosotros" form of verbs don't exist in "American" Spanish. That's the biggest difference. Lorenzo is right; it's like comparing British English to American English. If you are going to Spain, learn Spanish from Spain.
si me bas a hablar para hcerme sentir mal mejor no me hables y supuestamente tu dices que son tu y amilia pero que paso con will rivera tambien esta dormiendo con tigo.....no puedo creer que me isistes esto lastima que las extrano mucho pero esto me hace ser un poco mas fuerte todo lo que se de ti....saludame amilia que tengo muchas ganas de mirarla.
HI Dana, good post, and you are quite right, there is no such thing as one Spanish is better than the other, and I am Spanish
HI cass, welcome to the forum
I am glad you like my country but you will be understood by anybody if you speak any kind of Spanish
Remember, please, this is a learning site, we need you to use correct spelling and capitalization, thanks
For the same reason there is English English and American English. . .or even English from Los Angeles and English from Boston.
