Do We Really Speak the Same Language?

I was talking to my friend Eva the other day, and I realized that sometimes it feels like we speak completely different languages although we both speak Spanish. E is from Barcelona and I am from Argentina. The interactions with my friend made me think of the differences between the Spanish spoken in Argentina and in Spain, and how distressing it could be for Spanish students visiting Argentina, for example if they learned Castilian Spanish, or the other way around. Below are a few distinctions that come to mind.

Grammar: Tú or Vos?

If you are an English native speaker, and you are planning to travel to Argentina, and to make use of your almost perfect Spanish, you will need to learn how to use the second informal pronoun vos instead of tú. Vos is more or less the equivalent to thee in English. Conjugating vos is actually simpler than tú since there are no irregular verbs to deal with other than ser, which changes to sos instead of eres. For instance:

Volver: tú vuelves –> vos volvés

Dormir: tú duermes –> vos dormís

Ser: tú eres –> vos sos

In Argentina, people utilize vos all across the country. It is perhaps the difference most noticeable to foreigners hearing it for the first time. Argentineans will not be surprised by your use of tú. If you really want to fit in though, you should practice using vos. This country is the only one in the Spanish-speaking world that uses vos to replace tú.

Accent: To lisp or not to lisp, that is the question

Unlike Spaniards, Argentineans do not lisp. Instead, they use the /s/ sound for the z, s, ce and ci combinations. For instance, in Spain casa, cazar, vencer, and decir are pronounced with a /th/ sound while in Argentina they use the /s/ sound.

Daily words: Words that you may need to know to get by in Argentina if you studied Castilian Spanish.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Strawberry – It’s frutilla, not fresa.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Peach – It’s durazno, not melocotón.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Juice – It’s jugo. It’s definitely not zumo. And even that wouldn’t be with a lisp.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Computer – It’s computadora. Much easier to use than an ordenador.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Potato – It’s papa, and it is not your daddy, it’s a potato. Spaniards would say patata.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Nightclub – It’s boliche. Discoteca sounds lame and old-fashioned.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Sandwich – It’s sándwich. In Spain, it´s torta.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Cake – It´s torta in Argentina and not pastel. If you ask for pastel, you will probably end up getting a fried empanada or a dish similar to meatloaf.

Isn’t this too confusing? I understand. I am so lucky I did not have to study Spanish as a second language.

An Omen

An Omen

Hey, kids. A few days ago, I saw a TV commercial about a “Back to School” sale. Uh-oh, it’s that time of the year again, I thought. It’s time for students to start planning for the next academic year. And I don’t mean what clothes, shoes, and accessories you’re planning to wear. Remember all the vocabulary you learned in your foreign-language class? How about those pesky grammar rules? If you answered “yes,” congratulations! If you answered “no,” you need to get to work; but don’t worry: there are plenty of Amsco books to help you review and get ready for this year’s challenges.


Amsco foreign-languages workbooks aim to provide students with a concise and systematic review of the essential elements of the target language. Abundant and varied communicative exercises help students master each grammar topic. These workbooks are designed so that each chapter is complete in itself. The chapters may be used in any order, according to the student’s individual needs. Explanations are clear and concise, and are followed by numerous examples. There is a great variety of exercises that provide both communicative and written practice.


Check out some our offerings: Spanish First Year, Spanish Two Years, Spanish Three Years, Spanish Four Years, French First Year, French Two Years, French Three Years, French Four Years, Italian First Year, and Italian Two and Three Years. There are many more. I’m sure you will find something that suits you. Good luck!