{"id":8025,"date":"2023-01-25T00:00:04","date_gmt":"2023-01-25T04:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com\/blog\/?p=8025"},"modified":"2026-03-19T14:12:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T18:12:23","slug":"castilian-vs-spanish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com\/blog\/castilian-vs-spanish\/","title":{"rendered":"Castilian vs Spanish: The Main Differences Between Castellano and Espa\u00f1ol"},"content":{"rendered":"

As soon as Americans arrive in London, they start to notice some curious linguistic differences between British and American English. At the airport, for example, they might have to take a lift<\/em>\u00a0instead of an elevator. Then, to get to their hotel, they have to get on the underground, <\/em>where they might notice some passengers eating\u00a0biscuits <\/em>or\u00a0chips.<\/em>\u00a0All these differences, rather than making the two varieties unintelligible, are interesting curiosities that in no way impede or even hinder mutual understanding.<\/p>\n

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The same can be said about Castilian and Latin American Spanish. The differences\u00a0between these two varieties, though they are worth exploring, by no means make the two mutually unintelligible. To prove this, we have narrowed down the differences between the two types for you.<\/p>\n

Below, you will find a list of the main dissimilarities between Castilian Spanish and Latin American Spanish.<\/p>\n

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What Is Castilian Spanish?<\/h2>\n

Before we head into our \u201cCastilian vs Spanish\u201d list, we need to make sure you understand what we mean by Castilian Spanish.<\/p>\n

Castilian Spanish, also known as Peninsular Spanish, is the variety of Spanish originally spoken in northern and central Spain. Today, however, the term castellano <\/em>is used more generally to refer to the Spanish spoken in all of Spain in opposition to Spanish spoken in Latin America, regardless of regional differences.<\/p>\n

Castilian\u00a0vs Spanish\u00a0(Espa\u00f1ol)\u00a0–\u00a0Are They Really That Different?<\/h2>\n

Vosotros\u00a0\/ Ustedes<\/h3>\n

In Castilian Spanish, speakers can choose between two different 2nd person plural forms: vosotros <\/em>and ustedes<\/em>. This choice will depend on the level of formality that is expected in any given situation. For example, a headteacher talking to a group of parents might say something like \u201cUstedes han sido convocados para hablar sobre el episodio del viernes pasado\u201d. (You\u2019ve been called here to discuss last Friday\u2019s events).<\/p>\n

Last Friday, however, the hall monitor might\u2019ve been heard saying the following while talking to a group of students: \u201c\u00bfVosotros hab\u00e9is arrojado el tel\u00e9fono del se\u00f1or Cano en el inodoro?\u201d (Is it you who threw Mr. Cano\u2019s phone into the toilet?).<\/p>\n

Latin American Spanish doesn\u2019t present such a distinction. In fact, the vosotros <\/em>form disappeared from all Latin American countries altogether as early as the 19th century. Consequently, regardless of the relationship or level of familiarity between the speakers, the form ustedes<\/em> will always be used in Latin American Spanish when referring directly to a group of two or more people.<\/p>\n

T\u00fa\u00a0\/ Usted\u00a0\/ Vos<\/h3>\n

Following on from what we explained above, it\u2019s easy to imagine that usted <\/em>is a more formal choice than t\u00fa<\/em>. If you were in Spain, you would be completely right. Indeed, usted <\/em>is the form that people would use to refer to an elderly person, or to someone that they want to be especially polite with.<\/p>\n

In Latin America, however, this rule cannot be applied consistently to every country. Whereas countries such as Argentina use usted <\/em>in the same way Spanish people do, in other cultures you will find that most people also use this form to address their direct family or even their friends. In the Colombian show Betty la <\/i><\/em>Fea<\/i><\/em>, this usage is can be found in almost every scene:<\/p>\n