Difference between Spain and Latin American Spanish

Sometimes our students ask us about the difference between the Spanish spoken in Spain and the one spoken in Colombia or Latin America

The first difference between Latin American Spanish and the Spanish of Spain is the pronunciation of a few letters.

In Latin America the soft “c” and the “z” are pronounced with an “s” sound while in Spain they are pronounced more like a “th” sound.

There are also some differences when using some expressions, but in general, we can understand each other; it’s like the differences between British English and American English.

To illustrate this we have 2 clips from the same movie, our beloved Shrek, can you tell the difference?

Shrek 4 Trailer for Latin America

Shrek 4 Trailer for Spain