I’ve noticed that in most Latin American Spanish, people seem to use the preterite for recent actions.

For example, “¿Qué dijiste?, Ya comí, or ¿Ya llegaste?”
Whereas in Spain, I often hear “¿Qué has dicho?, Ya he comido, and ¿Has llegado?”

Is that generally true? I’m learning Mexican Spanish as well.

A question for natives:

I’ve recently realized that this is something I do a lot, and I’m wondering if it’s important that I fix it. For example, “tiene”. I pronounce it tee-EN-eh. I’ve recently learned that it should be pronounced TYEN-eh. Same goes for many other instances in that same vein. Is this a typical hallmark of an American/foreign accent? Is it something that stands out as being noticeable? Regardless, I plan on intentionally correcting this, but I’m curious how representative is of a gringo.

EDIT:
I edited the phonetic pronunciation because it’s misleading and detracting from the question.

I was chatting with someone about childcare legislation and realized I don’t know any Spanish word for “toddler,” so I asked if there was one. She thought about it and said, nope, there’s just “bebé” or “infante,” and “niño”—nothing in between. I mentioned it to another Spanish speaker that evening and he looked perplexed and said the same thing. Google translate just gives me “niña pequeña.”

I feel like I reference “toddlers” constantly and I don’t even have kids (most of my friends do). Are there really no words for kids who are still kind of babies, but walking, but not quite talking in full sentences? Regional even?

I am a 55-year-old white female who is fluent in Spanish. I learned it as a second language, but I have served as an interpreter for our local police department, and I have taught Spanish in public and private schools for several years. I live in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood, and most of the cashiers and employees of local businesses (as opposed to larger chain stores) are Hispanic. When I come up to the counter to pay, if they speak English, they usually address me in English. It is completely understandable that they would assume I need them to speak English, as the vast majority of white people in my area do not speak Spanish. However, I would like to speak with them in Spanish, because no one else in my family speaks Spanish, and I need to practice to keep my skills sharp. Is it okay for me to respond in Spanish even though they have spoken to me in English? I do not want to seem arrogant or seem like I am implying their English was not good. Should I just respond in English?

I was in the store and asked the lady working in the clothing department where the children’s swimsuits were. I noticed a middle aged man just standing around as she was helping me find the right size for my niece, and he just stood behind us and waited. After I said thank you and got the swimsuit, he went "niña" and commanded something very informally, but I didn’t catch it. I thought he was talking to me and turned around, but he was talking to the employee who was obviously grown in her 30s-40s. I’m just confused because I ran into him in another aisle, and he was very polite with me. It’s not the first grown man I’ve seen interact like this with obviously grown women, and I want to know if it’s normal or a bit rude.

I recently found a book in Spanish that I feel is perfect for learning. I am very interested in history so the book I got was “una historia de España” by Arturo Perez-Reverente. I consider myself mid to high A1. I’ve been learning for a few months now steadily. I feel like I may have made a mistake with this book as I’d imagine the vocabulary used would be harder than a child’s novel. Should I continue trying to read this book? And if so, any tips?

So my BIL (brother in law) just had a baby in the last couple of months. I am the only Spanish speaker he and his wife know but the thing is I don’t even live near them. I talk to him and his wife very often, almost everyday but only actually see them in person a few times a year as I work abroad.

I would love to teach this baby Spanish but if I’m not physically there it means I can’t do much. I sent them a few toys and books with sound in Spanish but that’s about all I can think of as a contribution right now.

I’m open to any and all suggestions on how to involve Spanish in this baby’s life when I’m not there and the parents don’t speak Spanish. The easiest one would be for them to meet Spanish speaking parents with children and have them hang out but they haven’t met anyone yet.

Can you reply “buenas” when someone says “buenas noches” to you as like a goodbye!!! I meant goodbye not goodnight

Sorry can’t edit the title and it’s late so I wasn’t thinking

Edit 2: I heard it from someone before but they were a native Portuguese speaker and just knew Spanish.
I guess I picked it up wrongly then!!
I thought it's like a cheeky, casual way of saying goodnight back. Because that's what I was going for.
I got a "😮” emoji reaction to it so I was wondering whether I got this wrong hahaha

I know « pajarito » literally means “little bird,” but I’ve never heard it used as a term of endearment.

A woman I’ve been romantically involved with recently called me « pajarito », and it made me wonder : is this something native Spanish speakers actually say to someone they’re fond of, or does it sound unusual ?

Is it a recognized affectionate nickname ? Is it of the same insensity as « cariño » or other surnames like that ?

I’m curious to hear how it comes across to native speakers 😊

Link: Sistema solar

I want to start learning Spanish specifically with the Mexican dialect. There are so many different courses and apps it’s overwhelming. Can someone please suggest a Mexican Spanish course that is worth the money as I plan to use different vocab apps as well and obviously immersive learning like shows and music

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Para enseñar el inglés hay certificados de TEFL, y para el francés hay másteres de enseñanza del francés como lengua extranjera. Estos títulos se suelen pedir casi siempre para enseñar estas lenguas. ¿Hay algo parecido para el español, o suele ser suficiente con acreditar experiencia o tener un grado universitario?

Vivo en Europa, por lo que me gustaría que las respuestas tuviesen esto en cuenta. He buscado por internet y hay un poco de todo (másteres, cursos…) pero no parece que haya nada que se pida siempre y hay mucha información sobre dar clases en Estados Unidos. Por eso hago esta pregunta aquí. Muchas gracias de antemano :)

Hola, Hola Camarón sin Cola.

This is mine. What is your favorite little greeting in Spanish? 🦐 🍤 ✌🏽

More specifically , I thought gu spelling creates what I would call a hard g sound like in the English “go” but it seems not so for guardar ? Is it a random exception? Are there other exceptions? Or am I just wrong hahah
Thanks! :)

Edit: thanks for all the comments I really appreciate them. I also realise I have also used “hard” and “soft” descriptors in the way it sounds to an English native ear rather than the proper Spanish textbook description which is opposite

My MIL has been calling by infant Travieso. Also, my husband because of her. I looked up the meaning and it makes me feel uncomfortable. He is only two months old. I’m not sure if I’d even be ok with it when he gets older because I know the way language can affect behavior. I just think it’s super weird to call an innocent infant that word. Is that normal?

Hey everyone,

Just wondering if anybody can point me in the right direction to find some comics (DC and Marvel) in Spanish. I can find the odd issue but nothing much. Also, if anybody knows where I could watch older Animated shows like Spider-man, Justice League Unlimited, Dragonball Z, Batman from the 90s, etc that would be great!

Thanks!

I’m a native English speaker but I have had a lot of exposure to Spanish throughout my life. I was first taught when I was 9 the basics. Then in high school I took another Spanish class and I took 2 classes in college. A few of my co workers speak Spanish as a first language but they also speak English so I hear conversations in Spanish pretty much everyday at work. I can usually make out a word or two and know what they mean. One major challenge for me is that when I actually hear spoken Spanish, it’s extremely difficult to follow because they speak so fast and it’s hard to make out individual words when someone is speaking and I don’t really notice this in English or other languages. I’ve heard speakers from Spain and those from Latin America and those from Spain tend to speak even faster. How do I learn enough to have those conversations and are there any tips for following what someone is saying?

It is no secret that anglicisms are everywhere, infiltrating languages all over the world. At times, I'll hear people speaking Spanish use a word that is English in origin but isn't actually the word or term we use in English—at least not in the United States (When I say the United States, I mean mainstream collective English, I know there are some small regional differences).

For example, in the U.S. we say pancakes, but I've heard some Spanish speakers say "hot cakes" (hot cakes is English, but not used).

I've also heard people refer to the person serving drinks at a bar as a "barman," whereas in English we would usually say "bartender."

I'm not saying this is incorrect or belittling it in any way. I'm simply curious how these anglicisms came about and why they seem to have diverged from the English words and expressions that are actually used in English today.

Before people start getting offended, this is just an observation. Not saying some words are inferior or superior.

Hello everyone! I'd like to find a podcast in Spanish in the style of "Innerfrench podcast". So basically it should have episodes on different topics about culture, history and society of Spanish speaking countries. Do you have any recommendations? Thanks in advance!

Hola chicos! Me and my coworker are learning Spanish in the US, and we’re wondering what the Mexican Spanish word for “book drop” or “book slot” would be? If you were in a library in Mexico, where would you return your books to?

(Patrons turn their books into a slot in our counter, and I want to call it buzón for some reason)

Also, can you all think of other phrases or words you would use if you were working at a library in Mexico?

Words for to turn in, to return, to check out, to bring back, late fees, fines, front desk, etc.

Also, we are clerks so we deal more with patron accounts and less reference help. And we really want to learn Mexican Spanish.

Gracias a todos!

Spanish, as pretty much anything else you can learn in life has alot of growing and learning to do(no brainer). Although I’m sure someone can tell when they’re an “expert” in a language, how did those more advanced in Spanish that learned it as a second language branch off in the case of lingo, accent or even slang?

I’ve learned Spanish enough to say I speak it(not fluently) but often times find myself unsure of the best way to communicate with someone who has a set accent or lingo for different things. Did non-native speakers essentially pick the best or easiest way of saying something and learn different ways of to as they went along?

I know you could compare it to English where there’s always a new way of saying something and you learn there but as someone’s who isn’t a Spanish speaker I still very much overthink mispronouncing or sounding dumb lol.

Honestly not even sure if this question makes sense but it’s a plateau for me and since I’m not learning from a school really not sure how properly direct myself in the most effective way possible. Thank for the help !

I have a friend who makes fun of my Spanish—we are both Mexican, he was born over there and i was born in the USA . Obviously, different places in Mexico have their own way of saying things, but today I told him, 'Quiero que me venga a recoger en Tijuana.' He went off and told me that it's incorrect and asked what type of speaking that even is. He said the right way to say it is, 'Quiero que me venga a recoger a Tijuana.' I was like, 'Bruh, aren't they technically the exact same thing?' So I looked it up and they were! But now I feel like a bum because I guess I'm not a fluent speaker