Mexican Spanish vs Spain Spanish: The Must-Know Differences

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Spanish is the official language of 20 countries, including Mexico and Spain, but the language doesn’t sound exactly the same in every country—let alone every region.

It’s common for new Spanish learners to tie the language to the country it’s spoken in, but we’d like to debunk that myth: A singular “Mexican Spanish” doesn’t exist. Nor is there a singular “Spain Spanish.” Instead, the Spanish spoken in both countries differs between regions. 

But don’t let this scare you away! Though the Spanish spoken in Mexico and the Spanish spoken in Spain are not entirely the same, they are essentially two sides of the same coin. The many different Spanish dialects spoken globally share many more similarities than differences. In other words: Learning just one dialect can help you start conversations in all corners of the Spanish-speaking world. 

Let’s take a closer look at Spanish in Mexico and Spain, and more specifically, the important differences in grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation across the dialects.

Spanish in Mexico vs. Spanish in Spain

Mexican Spanish

The term “Mexican Spanish” refers to a variety of dialects spoken in the country, which all differ slightly. For instance, the Spanish spoken in the southernmost region near Guatemala resembles Central American Spanish while the Spanish spoken in coastal areas shares common traits with that spoken in the Caribbean. 

Of course, there are also many similarities across the dialects of Mexican Spanish. For example, much of the modern Mexican Spanish lexicon is inspired by indigenous languages and cultures. 

Spain Spanish 

The Spanish spoken in Spain is referred to as “Peninsular Spanish.” While this dialect is more uniform across the country, there are still distinct differences between the northern and southern regions.

Further, Peninsular Spanish is quite unique from the Spanish you would hear in the rest of the Spanish-speaking countries. For example, Spanish residents use vosotros—a pronoun unique to Spain.

Is Mexican Spanish the same as Spain Spanish?

The answer is yes and no. The Spanish spoken across Mexico, Mexican Spanish, and the Spanish spoken in Spain, Peninsular Spanish, are two dialects of the same language. Mexican Spanish and Peninsular Spanish are not exactly the same, but are mutually intelligible. 

You can compare the differences between Mexican Spanish and Peninsular Spanish to the differences between American English and British English. Can English speakers in the United States understand English speakers in the United Kingdom? Absolutely! There are noticeable discrepancies between their accents and terminology, but the language isn’t completely foreign. 

Likewise, Spanish speakers around the world can understand each other. At the end of the day, they speak the same language—just with unique characteristics. 

With all that said, you can still get lost in translation, or even accidentally offend someone, if you’re not aware of some important distinctions between Spanish dialects. To prevent that, it’s helpful to familiarize yourself with the main differences so you can speak confidently in everyday conversations, no matter where in the Spanish-speaking world you are. 

What are the different types of Spanish? 

Due to the large population of Spanish speakers, there is no consensus on the classification of Spanish dialects. However, most linguists will generally categorize Spanish based on geographical location and similarities into two broad groups: Latin American Spanish and Peninsular Spanish. 

Peninsular Spanish refers to the Spanish spoken in Spain, with about 43 million speakers. Latin American Spanish is a much broader category that encompasses: 

Not only are there general differences between the Spanish of Latin America and the Spanish of Spain, but there are also variations within Spain and within the Americas. 

As there are countless varieties of Spanish, we’ll focus on the main linguistic differences between Latin American Spanish and Peninsular Spanish to get you started on your Spanish journey. Let’s dive into the key distinctions in vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar. 

Spanish in Mexico vs. Spain: Vocabulary

The biggest difference between Latin American Spanish and Peninsular Spanish is the vocabulary used. Depending on which part of the world you’re in, you’ll hear different names for the same objects. And even in the same country, it’s not uncommon to have multiple terminologies for one word. 

Here are just a few examples of how Spanish vocabulary can differ in Spain and in Mexico:

Example sentences in Latin American Spanish:

• La torta de pastrami aquí es muy buena. = The pastrami sandwich here is really good.
• Mi apartamento es más pequeño que el tuyo. = My apartment is smaller than yours.

Example sentences in Peninsular Spanish: 

• El bocadillo de pastrami aquí es muy bueno. = The pastrami sandwich here is really good.
• Mi piso es más pequeño que el tuyo. = My apartment is smaller than yours.

The list goes on, but there’s no need to memorize it all. Most native Spanish speakers can understand common words from both dialects, especially if you provide context around the term. And if you stay in a region long enough, you’ll also intuitively pick up the regional slang and terminology. 

Plus, the best way to learn a new language isn’t by memorizing vocabulary lists, but by immersing yourself in the language naturally. Rosetta Stone’s immersive Spanish lessons can help you master conversations in both Mexico and Spain! 

Spanish in Mexico vs. Spain: Pronunciation

One of the hardest parts of learning a new language is nailing the accent. It can be confusing for beginner learners to hear the same words pronounced differently in Mexico and Spain, but know that both pronunciations are correct. 

The main difference between Spanish speakers in Mexico and Spain is how they pronounce z, ci, and ce. In Mexico and across Latin America, the pronunciation of z, ci, and ce in Spanish are all similar to the “s” sound in English. In Spain, they sound more like a breathy “th” sound. 

Here are a few examples of Spanish words that might be pronounced differently, depending on where the speaker is from: 

Example sentences in Latin American Spanish:

• El precio (pre-see-o) incluye almuerzo (al-mwehr-soh). = The price includes lunch.
• Voy a Barcelona (bar-seh-lo-na). = I’m going to Barcelona. 
• Gracias (gra-see-as) por las cervezas (ser-ve-sas). = Thank you for the beers. 

Example sentences in Peninsular Spanish: 

• El precio (pre-thee-o) incluye almuerzo (al-mwehr-thoh). = The price includes lunch.
• Voy a Barcelona (bar-theh-lo-na). = I’m going to Barcelona. 
• Gracias (gra-thee-as) por las cervezas (ther-ve-thas). = Thank you for the beers. 

Spanish in Mexico vs. Spain: Grammar

If you’ve ever seen a conjugation chart of verbs in Spanish before, you already know what’s coming up next. Let’s look at a few of the differences in grammar between Latin American Spanish and Peninsular Spanish. 

Usage of vosotros and ustedes 

The main grammatical difference between Spanish in Latin America and Spanish in Spain is the second-person plural pronoun. 

In Spain, there are two pronouns used to refer to a group of people: ustedes for formal situations and vosotros/vosotras for informal conversations. In the rest of the Spanish-speaking world, only ustedes is used. 

So if you plan on never using Spanish in Spain, you can forget about vosotros. Otherwise, you’ll not only need to choose the appropriate pronoun, but also learn how to conjugate verbs with both ustedes and vosotros properly.  

Examples in Latin American Spanish:

• ¿Ustedes hablan español? = Do you all speak Spanish?
• Ustedes están en la misma clase de inglés. = You all are in the same English class.

Examples in Peninsular Spanish: 

• ¿Vosotros habláis español? = Do you all speak Spanish?
• Vosotros estáis en la misma clase de inglés. = You all are in the same English class.

Usage of past tenses

Spanish speakers in Spain and Mexico also have slightly different ways of using past tenses. Most Spaniards prefer to use the present perfect tense for any actions that were completed recently. However, Mexicans will use the preterite (simple past) tense instead. 

Examples in Latin American Spanish:

• Vi un perro en el parque. = I saw a dog in the park.
• Hoy no desayuné. = I didn’t eat breakfast today. 

Examples in Peninsular Spanish: 

• He visto un perro en el parque. = I have seen a dog in the park.
• Hoy no he desayunado. = I haven’t eaten breakfast today. 

This doesn’t mean that Latin American Spanish doesn’t use the present perfect tense at all, or that Peninsular Spanish doesn’t use the preterite tense at all. Both use the two past tenses, but just in different contexts. 

Which Spanish dialect should you learn? 

When deciding which type of Spanish you should learn, you should consider the context in which you’re going to use the language and why you’re learning the language. 

Since a majority of the world’s Spanish-speaking population resides in Latin America, it may be helpful to learn Latin American Spanish to communicate with a larger number of Spanish speakers. But if you plan on visiting Spain or working with people from Europe, it would make more sense to learn Peninsular Spanish to effectively communicate with the locals. 

Ultimately, Spanish is an extremely wide-spoken and useful language, so there’s no right or wrong dialect to learn as long as it helps you achieve your goals. Regardless of the dialect you choose to learn, the most important thing is to be mindful of the subtle differences between each, as this will help you communicate with Spanish speakers from different regions. 

Learn Latin American and Peninsular Spanish

If you want to be an overachiever, why not learn both? With a Rosetta Stone lifetime subscription, you can learn both Latin American Spanish and Peninsular Spanish, as well as 23 other languages, for life. 

Each Rosetta Stone lesson helps you prepare for real-world Spanish conversations, with practical topics and audio guidance from native speakers. Plus, our immediate pronunciation feedback helps perfect your accent every time, whether you want to sound like a local Spaniard or Mexican. 

Visit rosettastone.com to begin your first Latin American Spanish or Peninsular Spanish lesson today!