Spanish today — Spain, Latin America, and the differences
Where it is spoken
| REGION | NOTES |
|---|---|
| Mexico | The largest Spanish-speaking country — around 130 million |
| Central and South America | Official in most countries; large regional variation |
| Spain | Around 47 million; the origin of the language |
| United States | Over 40 million speakers — the second-largest Spanish-speaking population in the world |
| Equatorial Guinea | Official in Africa |
The main differences
Pronunciation of c and z. In most of Spain, gracias is said with a th sound; in Latin America and southern Spain with an s. Both are standard.
The word for “you” plural. Spain uses vosotros; Latin America uses ustedes for everyone. This course teaches ustedes, because it works in both places.
Vocabulary.
| SPAIN | LATIN AMERICA | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| coche | carro / auto | car |
| móvil | celular | mobile phone |
| ordenador | computadora | computer |
| zumo | jugo | juice |
| patata | papa | potato |
None of these cause misunderstanding — they are noticed the way an American notices lift for elevator.
The Arabic layer in Spanish
Spanish absorbed around four thousand words from Arabic during the centuries of Al-Andalus, and many are still in daily use.
| SPANISH | FROM ARABIC | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| aceite | az-zayt | oil |
| azúcar | as-sukkar | sugar |
| almohada | al-mikhadda | pillow |
| alfombra | al-hanbal | carpet |
| naranja | naranj | orange |
| ajedrez | ash-shatranj | chess |
| álgebra | al-jabr | algebra |
| ojalá | law shā’ Allāh | I hope, God willing |
Almost any Spanish word beginning with al- is Arabic in origin. If you have studied Arabic, this is a substantial free vocabulary transfer — and ojalá, still used constantly to mean “let’s hope so”, carries its original meaning intact.