What is the difference between mexico and spain

While citizens of both countries speak Spanish, they do it in different and characteristic ways. It was the year , and the Spanish monarchs decided to invest in a Genoan sailor with grandeur delusions.

Somehow that sailor named Christopher Columbus reached a continent previously unknown by the Europeans. Because the Spanish kings paid for the trip, they considered all the territories discovered by Columbus and subsequent explorers to be theirs. That meant that a lot of Spaniards started making the trip across the Atlantic and settling in what is now known as Latin America.

Mexico was one of the first territories on the mainland to be conquered, and ever since then Spanish has been spoken in these lands. Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire that ruled Mexico before the arrival of the Spaniards, fell on August 13, That makes exactly years of the Spanish language being spoken in Mexico. Because languages are living creatures that evolve with time and develop region-specific characteristics.

The geographical separation between Mexico and Spain meant that during these last years of history, the variant of Spanish on each side of the Atlantic evolved in different ways, incorporating new words from different sources and influences.

The truth is that even though there are many differences between Mexican Spanish and the Spanish spoken in Spain, the main body of the language is still the same. Although now that I think about it, they did make fun of my accent sometimes. In the Spanish vs Mexican debate, the easy part is to find the differences between the dialects. Both dialects share the same grammar and structure. Here are a few important words and phrases to remember:.

While there are many differences between Spanish vs. There is a good chance native speakers will understand you regardless of which term you use, especially if you provide context around the term. The only reason a Spanish speaker may not understand you is if you are using highly regional terms or slang.

One of the most basic aspects of learning a language is developing the correct pronunciation , and it can be quite confusing to hear the same words pronounced differently by native speakers.

One of the biggest pronunciation differences between the two languages are in z and c before an i or e. Additionally, Spanish from Spain tends to be more guttural, due to its Arabic influences, whereas Mexican Spanish is softer.

The more you practice, the more your ear will naturally begin to tune into these slight variations in pronunciations.

In Spanish, there are two forms of the second-person singular — formal and informal. The formal second-person singular uses exactly the same conjugations as the third-person singular.

In Spain, there are also two forms for the second-person plural: vosotros for informal and ustedes for formal; however, in Mexico, there is no second-person informal — you always use ustedes.

Kids learn vosotros in school but never use it for more than understanding things like movies and literature from Spain. This is good news if you are learning Mexican Spanish, as you will have little need for vosotros. However, if you want to speak with people in Spain, you should learn the additional Spanish conjugations. Once you get the hang of them, you will have no problem integrating them into your Spanish conversations. One last difference between Mexican Spanish and Spain Spanish is the use of the past tenses.

Mexicans use the past and present perfect tenses much the same as you use them in English. However, the Spanish favor the present perfect and use it for all recently completed actions. As long as you learn and master the present, past, and present perfect tense, you will be good to go no matter where you find yourself speaking Spanish.

Well, this would be the same answer as to why Brits do not pronounce the H and Americans do. Over hundreds of years and many thousands of miles, groups of people change a spoken language over time. The resulting change is very different from the group that is far away. This is the simple evolution of a language. I have lived in both of these countries so I can most definitely tell you that even though Spain brought a lot of people over, they did not bring their communication style.

I found the Mexican people to be overly polite for my blunt American style of communicating , indirect, long-winded again, for my blunt taste , and sugary sweet I also lived in the bustling city of Boston, and liked the direct communication style there.

They were most definitely polite. Spain, on the other hand, does not have any of the above characteristics, and I do not mean that in a negative way. They say the truth, even if it may sting a little. Spaniards are direct, but at the same time diplomatic — not rude, but frank. They are quite gregarious and will talk a lot, and possibly loudly to show their feelings about a particular topic. Similarities are seen in the formal nature of communicating in public, and the respect given by not using first names, but rather Mr.

The people 2. The flow of life. When you arrive in Mexico City , you realize quickly that it will take possibly an hour to arrive at your hotel from the airport. During this drive, it will be quite chaotic, people will be running to cross the street, motorcycles fly between cars, and the flow is quite fast.

This Mexican tourist also found that the general way of being was intimidating. Remember, we said that the Mexican culture was more affable, polite and less frank. So the strong character not rudeness! Just like an American traveling to Britain, there are stark vocabulary differences between Spain and Mexico. Asking for a fag in the U. In the same way asking where the l00 is might get you an introduction to a large, trucker named Lou! The same happens in Mexico and Spain. There are hundreds of differences, but here are just a few:.