learning spanish regionally

Question

Hello SD community! Im very excited to learn spanish! How do I know which words is spanish are used in the region I want to go to. For example I want to work in Peru. I know already that some words used in Peru are different from other latin countries. In Peru t-shirt = polo and in Mexico t-shirt = playera. My source for this is a peruvian native. Thank you for your time.

Answer 1

Una playera estilo polo

The biggest changes in Spanish is in the accents usually, and maybe the choice in subject (usted is used more than anything in Colombia if not 'vos' in some parts) There are slangs, but there is a standard Spanish, the same as standard English that everyone will understand. Here is a link about the Spanish in Perú, the differences broached are about accent more than anything.

This question is difficult to answer... there isn't really any answer to it. You'll be understood with standard Spanish...

There are certain things like...don't use "coger" in Argentina to say grab, stick with agarrar... for regionalisms... maybe just finding people from Perú and chatting with them.

I know you're at an earlier learning of Spanish, but it has the different ways of saying T-shirt. Saying T-shirt is actually one of the more diverse things I've seen in Spanish, jaja

Pues... en México... una playera no es una camiseta... camiseta is a T-shirt... that you generally wear under clothes... una playera is different. In México a "playera" is what in English is a "polo." In Perú a "polo" is a camiseta... which is a T-shirt... In México a camiseta is a T-shirt... and in many other parts. I actually never knew that in Perú "polo" meant T-shirt.

My source which is my "wife" :) is reassuring me that polo is how they say t-shirt in Perú. Yeah don't want to say coger to anyone that would be awkward lol - Rico247, Jan 21, 2013

Your "wife" is correct of course. Well, you don't really need our assistance with entricacies then in that sense. However, you have to learn standard Spanish before going into the regionalisms (the natives will guide you at that point) - avispao, Jan 21, 2013

they'll tell you what is more common in their country or region of their country. Also, coger always has a vulgar implication in Argentina, but I'm reading a book translated with Spanish from Spain... and they use coger a lot to say agarrar. - avispao, Jan 21, 2013

It's really interesting how the words change meanings sometimes from country to country - avispao, Jan 21, 2013

Answer 2

Ic that there are 3 translators that SD gives you. So I'm assuming that most of the words have been ID by region. I looked up t-shirt though and polo didn't pop up at all, but polera did pop up. I asked my source about it and she informed me that polera isn't a t-shirt but a hoodie.