Travelling to Latin America? Then this Latin American Spanish travel phrase guide is for you. Whether you’re new to Spanish or already have some knowledge of the language, this guide will allow you to communicate with about 350 million people who speak Spanish.
While it’s possible to travel around Latin America without speaking any Spanish, learning and using a few key phrases will do enhance your travel experience. Who knows, you could end up being invited by a local to the best salsa club in town.
These Latin American Spanish phrases will help you meet locals, ask for directions, order food, greet and give thanks with little effort thanks to the easy-to-use pronunciation guides I’ve included.
Are you a complete beginner? Not to worry, there are a surprising amount of similarities between Spanish and English. Spanish comes from the same family of languages (known as Romance Languages) which includes Italian, French, and Portuguese. Since these languages derive from Latin, many of the same words also exist and are similar to those in English for example, vehículo means vehicle, mayor is major, and villa, well, means villa. So, already you’ve got your foot well and truly inside the language learning door.
To help me create this new addition to my collection of free travel phrase guides, I asked my friends Jim and May from Spanish and Go to provide accurate Latin American Spanish translations and pronunciation guides.
Let’s take a closer look at the Spanish spoken in Latin America. Here’s what we’ll cover:
Table of Contents
- Where is Latin American Spanish spoken?
- Latin American Spanish Alphabet and Pronunciation
- Latin American Spanish Vocabulary
- Useful Latin American Spanish Phrases for Travellers
- Useful Latin American Spanish Phrases for Travellers [Infographic]
Where is Latin American Spanish spoken?
With Latin American Spanish being spoken in a whopping 16 countries in the Americas and on three islands in the Caribbean, learning the differences between Castilian (ie. Spanish spoken in Spain) and Latin American Spanish is definitely recommended.
Latin American Spanish is spoken in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, Cuba, The Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico.
Is Latin American Spanish different from European Spanish (Castilian)?
Yes, but the differences aren’t so great that you can’t understand each other. The grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation do vary a bit but this doesn’t cause major communication issues. How do they differ? There are simply too many to things to list here which is why I dedicated an entire post to the difference between American Spanish and Castilian.
Latin American Spanish Alphabet and Pronunciation
The one main differences between all Latin American dialects and most Spanish dialects lies in the pronunciation of “z”, and “c” before “e” or “i”. This is all covered in my differences between Latin American Spanish and European Spanish post.
Here are the letters of the Latin American Spanish alphabet and their pronunciation.
a (ah) | k (kah) | t (teh) |
b (beh) | l (el-eh) | u (oo) |
c (seh) | m (em-eh) | v (oo-beh) |
d (deh) | n (en-eh) | w (dob-leh-oo) |
e (eh) | ñ (egn-eh) | x (eck-eez) |
f (ef-eh) | o (oh) | y (ee, or yeh, in some areas of Latin America as sh) |
g (h-eh) | p (peh) | z (seh-tah) |
h (ah-cheh) | q (coo) | |
i (ee) | r (air-eh) | |
j (ho-tah) | s (ess-eh) |
Latin American Spanish Vocabulary
The majority of Spanish words are understood worldwide, however, in Latin America, you will find some differences which vary further again between dialects. These are the same sorts of differences that exist between American, British or Australian English. Below is a list of some of the more common difference in vocabulary.
English | Spain | Latin America |
---|---|---|
Banana | Platano | Banana / banano |
Car | Coche | Carro/Auto |
Computer | Ordenador | Computador/a |
Cute | Mono/a | Lindo/a |
Drive | Conducir | Manejar |
Firework | Fuego artificial | Pirotecnia |
Jeans | Vaqueros | Jeans |
Juice | Zumo | Jugo |
Lipstick | Pintolabios | Labial |
Mate | Chaval/tío | Parcero |
Money | Pasta | Plata |
Nice | Majo/a | Lindo/a |
Pen | Boligrafo | Pluma / Lapicero |
Public holiday | Fiesta | Festivo |
Pyjama | (el) pijama | (la) Piyama |
Sock | (el) calcetín | (la) Media |
TV | La televisión | El televisor |
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Useful Latin American Spanish Phrases for Travellers
Here are some helpful videos by Spanish and Go. This one covers beginner Spanish phrases every traveller needs to know.
…and this one is how to make small talk with the locals.
Want more? Learn Spanish with me, with Intrepid Spanish!
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Useful Latin American Spanish Phrases for Travellers [Infographic]
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Over to you!
Which of these Spanish phrases did you find most useful? Which other phrases would you like to know?
Let me know using the comments section below or join me on social media to start a conversation.
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this post.
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