In Mexico, “butter” is “mantequilla”, but in Argentina, it’s “manteca”, but in Mexico, “manteca” is “lard”, and in Spain, “lard” is “engrudo”, and back to Mexico, “engrudo” is a type of glue. A “passenger bus” in Mexico is either “camión” or “autobús”, in Argentina it’s “colectivo” and in Cuba it’s a “guagua”.
I was talking to a bank teller and the conversation turned to this. She speaks Spanish fluently, but had a customer from Latin America she could not understand. I guess each region has it’s own dialect. You can’t lump people together.
Even within a given Latin American country, just like in the U.S. every region has its own unique idiomatic expressions.
What gets most travelers in trouble is the use of street slang. Certain words and expressions in Spanish can be far more insulting in Mexico, for example, than in my country of Ecuador – and vice-versa
My wife and I like to play the game of figuring out where someone is from by their accents and expressions – especially when watching shows like Casa Cerrado ( Telemundo’s much more entertaining Spanish version of Judge Judy ).
In 1981 I went to Spain and spent a week in a town called Lloret Del Mar. The town is located in the province of Catalonia which Castillian Spanish is spoken and that’s the same Spanish that is taught from books. Being Puerto Rican I found it easy to communicate, but in one of the excursions I went to a place where the dialect of Catalan was spoken. My tour mates asked what was being said and it all sounded French to me.
I thought that alimento was the word I learned in high school Spanish, but then again, like music, I don’t have an ear for languages.
Just before my last year of college a friend and I went to Mexico City and Acapulco at her suggestion. My Spanish is really NOT GOOD and my vocabulary rather limited. She had taken French in school – so good thing that was mostly a guided tour. I did find words coming back to me while we were there. She would say things to me in the late afternoon like – "Are we tardeing or nocheing? I managed to get us through things with a combination of my limited Spanish and and charades.
Templo S.U.D. over 4 years ago
Venezolano… sí, hagamos eso (Venezuelan… yeah, let’s do that).
whahoppened over 4 years ago
Anyone from Venezuela would have food on their mind.
i_am_the_jam over 4 years ago
In Mexico, “butter” is “mantequilla”, but in Argentina, it’s “manteca”, but in Mexico, “manteca” is “lard”, and in Spain, “lard” is “engrudo”, and back to Mexico, “engrudo” is a type of glue. A “passenger bus” in Mexico is either “camión” or “autobús”, in Argentina it’s “colectivo” and in Cuba it’s a “guagua”.
NeedaChuckle Premium Member over 4 years ago
I was talking to a bank teller and the conversation turned to this. She speaks Spanish fluently, but had a customer from Latin America she could not understand. I guess each region has it’s own dialect. You can’t lump people together.
KansasMom over 4 years ago
Sadly, there is no food in Venezuela.
Linguist over 4 years ago
Even within a given Latin American country, just like in the U.S. every region has its own unique idiomatic expressions.
What gets most travelers in trouble is the use of street slang. Certain words and expressions in Spanish can be far more insulting in Mexico, for example, than in my country of Ecuador – and vice-versa
My wife and I like to play the game of figuring out where someone is from by their accents and expressions – especially when watching shows like Casa Cerrado ( Telemundo’s much more entertaining Spanish version of Judge Judy ).
quinones.felix over 4 years ago
In 1981 I went to Spain and spent a week in a town called Lloret Del Mar. The town is located in the province of Catalonia which Castillian Spanish is spoken and that’s the same Spanish that is taught from books. Being Puerto Rican I found it easy to communicate, but in one of the excursions I went to a place where the dialect of Catalan was spoken. My tour mates asked what was being said and it all sounded French to me.
ChukLitl Premium Member over 4 years ago
South Americans I’ve known use ciao for goodbye, not North or Central Americans.
micromos over 4 years ago
I wish we had a world language then we wouldn’t have to press a number.
tammyspeakslife Premium Member over 4 years ago
Google says alimento is the Portuguese word for food
Daniel Strickland Premium Member over 4 years ago
Ha! We have this game in Korea as well….although sometimes it’s really easy.
mafastore over 4 years ago
I thought that alimento was the word I learned in high school Spanish, but then again, like music, I don’t have an ear for languages.
Just before my last year of college a friend and I went to Mexico City and Acapulco at her suggestion. My Spanish is really NOT GOOD and my vocabulary rather limited. She had taken French in school – so good thing that was mostly a guided tour. I did find words coming back to me while we were there. She would say things to me in the late afternoon like – "Are we tardeing or nocheing? I managed to get us through things with a combination of my limited Spanish and and charades.