what is the difference between spanish and latinospanish for example cuba ?
for example what are the main differences in cuba ?
2 Answers
De nada Vivi, I can't imagine that Cuban Spanish has its own grammar, but then again, I'm no expert. My (regular paper) dictionary tells me when a word is Latin American of specificly Velezuelan, Cuban and so on. I would advise you to go to a university bookstore and shop for a really good dictionary there. It might be an investment but a much needed one. You could also get familiar with specific Cuban words by listening to Cuban music, looking up the lyrics and trying to translate them for yourself. If you're not sure about your translation, you could always post it for corrections and I'm sure there are plenty of native Cuban members ready to help you.
Hi there,
It's just a matter of each Spanish speaking country using slightly different words. Which means that you need to be cautious to use words you aren't familiar with. For example, the Dutch crown prince is married to an Argentinian woman. He speaks some Spanish and at a political convention he wanted to show off his Spanish and said something like : "Camaron que se duerme se lo lleva al chingada" (sorry folks!).
He really wanted to say: "Camaron que se duerme se lo lleva al corriente", a sleeping shrimp is taken along by the current".
"Corriente" is spanish for "current" while "chingada", a latin-american word means current in every latin american country EXCEPT for in Mexico, where the speech was held. There, "chingada" means something like f***ed. So... luckily a lot of the politicians present had a good sense of humour....
Cubans use a lot of words that are very specific for the Island, which aren't used in any other spanish speaking countries. Very often, a word from a Cuban song (Buena Vista Social Club series) will not be found in a regular Spanish dictionary.
