Learn the difference between Mexican and Iberian Spanish
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Intro |
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| Michael: Is Mexican Spanish different from Iberian Spanish? |
| Ninoska: And what are the differences? |
| Michael: At SpanishPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Here is a typical situation. Ben Lee and his friend Ricardo Roman Garza are flipping through a store catalog. Ben sees a new word and asks, |
| "What does 'ordenador' mean?" |
| Ben Lee: ¿Qué significa 'ordenador'? |
| Dialogue |
| Ben Lee: ¿Qué significa 'ordenador'? |
| Ricardo Roman Garza: Significa computadora en español ibérico. |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Ben Lee: ¿Qué significa 'ordenador'? |
| Michael: "What does 'ordenador' mean?" |
| Ricardo Roman Garza: Significa computadora en español ibérico. |
| Michael: "It means 'computer' in Iberian Spanish." |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: Iberian Spanish, or |
| Ninoska: Español ibérico, |
| Michael: is the variety of Spanish used in Spain. It's called Iberian because Spain is located in the Iberian Peninsula. In addition to Iberian Spanish, the language is also known as Castillian, or |
| Ninoska: Castellano. |
| Michael: But Iberian Spanish is not the only Standard Spanish that exists. In Mexico, for example, Mexican Spanish, or |
| Ninoska: Español de México, |
| Michael: is the variety of Spanish in use. The main differences between Iberian Spanish and Mexican Spanish are in pronunciation and in some vocabulary. The Royal Spanish Academy, |
| Ninoska: Real Academia Española, |
| Michael: defines the rules of the Spanish language in Spain, but there are twenty-three other Spanish academies from different Spanish-speaking countries. Together, all these academies form the Association of Academies of the Spanish Language, or |
| Ninoska: Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española. |
| Michael: As we've mentioned previously, there are some differences in the vocabulary between Iberian and Mexican Spanish. For example, the Iberian Spanish word |
| Iberian Spanish voice actor: coche, |
| Michael: which means "car," becomes |
| Ninoska: carro |
| Michael: in Mexican Spanish. Mexican Spanish is strongly influenced by American English, which is why their word for "car" resembles the English word. Another example of this influence is in the word for "cell phone," which in Mexican Spanish is |
| Ninoska: celular. |
| Michael: In Iberian Spanish, however, this word is |
| Iberian Spanish voice actor: teléfono móvil |
| Michael: or simply |
| Iberian Spanish voice actor: móvil, |
| Michael: both of which are based off the English "mobile phone" instead of "cell phone." |
| We also mentioned that there are differences in pronunciation. The most obvious difference is that in Mexican Spanish, the letters s, c and z always have the same sound, /s/, but in standard Iberian Spanish, c and z have a /th/ sound. For example, in Mexican Spanish, the word for "thank you" is pronounced |
| Ninoska: gracias, |
| Michael: while in Iberian Spanish, it's pronounced |
| Iberian Spanish voice actor: gracias. |
| Michael: This sound difference also means that some words that sound different in Iberian Spanish, such as |
| Iberian Spanish voice actor: caza, |
| Michael: which means "hunt," and |
| Iberian Spanish voice actor: casa, |
| Michael: which means "house," will both sound like |
| Ninoska: casa |
| Michael: in Mexican Spanish. |
| Practice Section |
| Michael: Let's review the sample conversation. Try to respond to the following prompts by saying the Spanish translation out loud. Then, repeat after Ninoska with the focus on your pronunciation. |
| First , we have, "What does 'ordenador' mean?" |
| Ninoska: ¿Qué significa 'ordenador'? |
| Michael: Did you get it right? Listen to Ninoska again and repeat what she says. Remember to focus on the pronunciation! |
| Ninoska: ¿Qué significa 'ordenador'? |
| Ninoska: ¿Qué significa 'ordenador'? |
| Michael: And how do you say, "It means 'computer' in Iberian Spanish." |
| Ninoska: Significa computadora en español ibérico. |
| Michael: Listen to Ninoska again and repeat what she says. |
| Ninoska: Significa computadora en español ibérico. |
| Ninoska: Significa computadora en español ibérico. |
| Cultural Insight/Expansion |
| Michael: It may prove useful to know that some common words in one variety of Spanish might be offensive or have an inappropriate meaning in another variety of Spanish. For example, the word |
| Ninoska: coger |
| Michael: means "to take" or "to grab" in Iberian Spanish, but in Mexican Spanish, it means "to make love." Be careful not to use this word in Mexico! |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Ninoska: ¡Hasta la próxima! |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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