If I learn Latin American Spanish will I be understood in all of Latin America?

5 Comments

1. Americo G says:

   August 25, 2009 at 6:01 am

   You will be understood in all of Latin America, tha’s sure. But maybe you’ll have problems understanding some peope in Latin America. Usually, language courses teach the standard variant of a language (everybody can understand it). But people usually speaks in non-standard ways. They use idioms, slang, and words that maybe have a different meaning in others countries.
   About Spain, it’s exactly the same. Standard Latinoamerican Spanish is very similar to Standard Spain Spanish. But even in Spain, there are many differences in speech between an inhabitant of Madrid and other from Sevilla or Granada.
2. SUE says:

   August 25, 2009 at 6:01 am

   You will be understood anywhere that people speak Spanish, just like English is understood throughout the English-speaking world.

   The differences, and you notice them more, the more experience you have, are in slang, accent, and sometimes word choice:
   for instance, in Spain, a Carro is a carriage pulled by a horse, and a Coche is a car. In mexico, it’s the reverse…a Coche is a Coach, and a carro is an automobile.

   There are some minor grammatical differences, too, but you will all understand each other.
3. slewingrings says:

   August 25, 2009 at 6:01 am

   You will be understood in South America (except Brazil, where it’s Portuguese).
   Principal diferent pronounciations are to the letters "c" &"z" -"th" in European Spanish and also the "ll" as "y" as in "yo"
4. Yo says:

   August 25, 2009 at 6:01 am

   I´m from Spain and understand all Latin Americans, and also Americans who have learned Latin American Spanish.
5. MML says:

   August 25, 2009 at 6:01 am

   Well, Spanish is Spanish but there will be regional variations. You may use different words/phrases to describe something as well as the accent of the speaker and the slang will differ from place to place. But, all in all, you will be understood.