Spanish · Dialect course
A mexican spanish tutor online, or whichever country you are actually learning for
Latin American Spanish is not one accent. A tutor from Mexico City, Bogotá and Buenos Aires will teach you three noticeably different varieties, all of them correct.
- Around 425 million speakers
- Mexico
- Colombia
- Argentina
- Peru
- Chile
Who this is for
Is this the right course for you?
Learners in the United States and Canada, people relocating to Latin America, and anyone whose family, colleagues or clients are in the Americas.
What you cover
What the lessons cover
- Ustedes rather than vosotros, and what that changes in practice
- Seseo, and the pronunciation differences that mark each region
- Regional vocabulary — the everyday words that differ country by country
- Voseo in Argentina, Uruguay and Central America, where relevant
- Listening to regional media, music and film
- Everything a general course covers, taught in the variety you need
Latin American Spanish is taught here as a choice rather than a default. Which country your tutor comes from changes the vocabulary you learn, the pronunciation you copy, and how you will sound.
The practical differences
Ustedes replaces vosotros entirely, which removes a whole verb paradigm. Seseo means c and z are pronounced as s. Beyond that, the differences are lexical and highly local — the word for a bus changes several times between Mexico and Argentina.
Voseo
Argentina, Uruguay and much of Central America use vos rather than tú, with its own verb forms. If that is where you are headed, it is taught from the start rather than mentioned as a curiosity.
Latin American Spanish questions, answered properly
Is Latin American Spanish different enough to matter?
For being understood, no — it is entirely mutually intelligible with Castilian. For sounding like you belong, yes. Spain uses vosotros and distinguishes the c and z sounds; Latin America uses ustedes and does not. Everyday vocabulary differs for cars, computers, clothing and food, and the differences are noticed immediately by native speakers.
Which Latin American variety should I learn?
The one where you will use it. Mexican Spanish has the widest media reach in the United States and is the practical default for North American learners. Colombian Spanish is often described as unusually clear. Argentine Spanish uses voseo and its own intonation. Tell us the country and we will match a tutor from it.
Will I still be understood in Spain?
Completely. Spanish speakers move between varieties constantly through television, music and migration, and no variety causes comprehension problems. You will sound Latin American in Madrid, in the same way an Australian sounds Australian in London. Your tutor will point out the main differences either way.
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You meet the tutor, they work out where you actually are, and you both decide whether to carry on. If we are not the right fit, we will say so.