Spanish (Latin America)

In Spanish, you can keep it formal with hola, un placer (it’s a pleasure to meet you) or keep things casual with ¿qué onda? (what’s up?). Of course, there are dozens of ways to customize your greetings and make your hello a noteworthy one.

The Spanish language is as diverse as the people that speak it! Let’s explore each Spanish-speaking country in Central America and dive into how their Spanish compares to Spanish spoken around the world.

When people think of places in the world where people speak Spanish, South America…

If I only had a nickel for the amount of times I’ve gotten lost on a trip. Scratch that, I’d love a dollar per time. I might as well make it worth it. As someone who loves to plan, you’d think that this would happen less often but it’s hard to prepare for every single scenario. The first time I went to Buenos Aires, for example, a friend and I made our way across town using Uber and assumed we’d be able to find WiFi again to call another one to return to our Airbnb. That was clearly the wrong assumption.

Cuba is a country I was excited to cross off my bucket list; beckoned by vibrant colored buildings and the promise of energy thick in the air. Naturally, on my first day in Havana I was eager to explore as much of the old town as possible—camera ready at the hip. The day, however, didn’t exactly go as I planned. I remember turning down a bustling street, enticed by the soft music coming from an open window, but immediately stopping short when I heard someone whistling in my direction.

When you’re learning a new language, hitting the books and studying (memorizing) hard is the standard approach. But what about when you find yourself in a casual conversation with an acquaintance or friend?

If you’re the type of person who hits “Reply All” when responding to an email with sensitive information, listen up. Attention to detail is arguably one of the cornerstones of language learning, and it can save you from making some easily avoidable mistakes, like saying you’re pregnant when you meant to say you were embarrassed.

Slang words are arguably one of the most important parts of fully understanding another language—but they’re not always easy to pick up on. Historically speaking, slang has always been spoken, not written down, so new words and meanings arise from word-of-mouth in any given community or society. In that sense, the internet is a gamechanger, but where to start? And with what Spanish dialect?

Google will tell you there are 10 main Spanish dialects, but that doesn’t even begin to cover the intricacies of the Spanish language. Latin American Spanish is one of those 10, but it’s an all-encompassing term that covers Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, and most of Central and South America. Breaking it down even further, however, is crucial to understanding each country’s people, culture, and traditions.

Human connectivity is everything right now. I was excited to use Rosetta Stone’s Live Tutoring because that meant being able to talk to someone like me who’s stuck at home. I will say that I didn’t expect to get schooled the way I did in these sessions!

Even in times of self-imposed isolation, we can still become proficient in a language. I fooled myself into believing that my environment had a direct impact on whether or not I could speak a language. The key to learning a language is effort. Here are some ways to think outside the box when it comes to not just learning a language but learning a different culture as well.

I’m from Laguna Beach, California (yes, like the TV show). Growing up in California, I got pretty spoiled by the beautiful beaches and the weather where you never really need a coat. Looking back now, where I grew up really influenced my choice of travel destinations.