First thing first, what is a dialect? What is the difference between dialect and language? Easy: Can´t you communicate with the other fluently? Then, you both are speaking two languages. If you can communicate fluently, then you speak the same language. So, what is a dialect? it is a way to speak within a language.

Difference between language and dialect

Codes like Mandarin and Cantonese are languages because speakers can’t communicate to each other (no matter if they both have the same Chinese passport). Codes like Spanish and Catalan are also languages because, despite being certain level of understanding (both languages comes from Latin), this communication is not fluent (now you see why this word was in bold).

We all speak a dialect

Speakers from London and New York can communicate each other fluently, ergo, they speak the same language. There are differences in their codes (“you say tomatoe, I say tomato”), but they are minor and that is what defines dialects. So every code in the world is a dialect of a language. Nobody speak a language in abstract. Everyone speaks the language of their country, their region, their province, their city.

The borders between dialects are always blurry

Dividing a language into dialects is like cutting a baguette that has been baked differently. You can cut it in half and each half will look different, one browner that the other. Then you take one half and cut it and you still see differences in both pieces. If you divide English into British and American English, you still find differences within each. In the American dialect you´ll find subdialects: the South, the East Coast, the West…

Spain, Mexico, and Argentina

Unless you are a specialized linguist, you may just care about the first cut. There are three major dialects of Spanish, represented by three countries: Spain (also called Castilian, European, or Peninsular Spanish), Mexico (the highlands), and Argentina (the lowlands). Again, this is a simplification, you can find exceptions, Bolivians (highlanders) speaking like Spaniards (and distinguishing between “ll” and “y”) or Andalusians (Southern Spaniards) speaking like Mexicans (and confusing the “th” and “s” sounds).

Nonetheless, Spanish is a very unified language. The rules of grammar and spelling are the same all over the Spanish-speaking world. The differences between dialects are limited mostly to the preference of some words over others, and some differences in the pronunciation.

English	Example 1	Example 2
US English	line	tomato /tomeito/
UK English	queue	tomato /tomatoh/
Spanish
In Mexico	fila	jitomate
In Spain	cola	tomate

The most apparent difference between these dialects is in the use of the pronouns.

English	In Spain	In Mexico	In Argentina
I sing	(yo) canto	< THE SAME	< THE SAME
You (singular) sing	(tú) cantas	(tú) cantas	(vos) cantás *
He/ She sings	(él /ella) canta	< THE SAME	< THE SAME
We sing	(nosotros) cantamos	< THE SAME	< THE SAME
You guys sing	(vosotros) cantáis	(ustedes) cantan	(ustedes) cantan
They sing	(ellos) cantan	< THE SAME	< THE SAME
* Notice that the stress is on the last “a.”

In Argentina, the pronoun vos is the common pronoun instead of tú, and the system of verb endings (vos cant-ás, vos cantar-ás, etc.) is consistent and normative; however, in other countries in the Americas, the use of vos is not so common or consistent.

Another important difference has to do with the phonetics.

In Spain	In Mexico	In Argentina
Sound /th/ for “z,” “ce”, “ci”	Sound /s/ for “z,” “ce”, “ci”	Sound /s/ for “z,” “ce”, “ci”
Sound /y/ for “y,” “ll”	Sound /y/ for “y,” “ll”	Sound /j/ or /sh/ for “y,” “ll”
	`

Lastly, there are differences in vocabulary (of course).

In Spain	In Mexico	In Argentina
cometa (kite)	papalote	barrilete
bragas (US panties)	chones	bombacha
piscina (swimming pool)	alberca	pileta
zarigüeya (opossum)	tlacuache	comadreja

The following list shows the difference in vocabulary between Spain and Mexico.

#	English	In Spain	In Mexico
1.	accountant	contable	contador
2.	angry	enfadado	enojado, bravo, moles
3.	apartment, flat	piso	apartamento
4.	band-aid	tirita	curita
5.	bean	judía	frijol
6.	beautiful	bonito	lindo
7.	bedroom	dormitorio	recámara
8.	blazer	americana	saco
9.	blonde	rubio	güero
10.	bowl	cuenco	jícara
11.	bribe	soborno	mordida
12.	car (automobile)	coche	carro
13.	carpet	moqueta	alfombrado
14.	cell phone	móvil	celular
15.	chauffeur	chofér	chofer
16.	check book	talonario	chequera
17.	cigarette	cigarrillo	cigarro
18.	computer	ordenador	computador/ora
19.	concrete	hormigón	concreto
20.	court	tribunal	corte
21.	directions	señas	dirección
22.	elevator, lift	ascensor	elevador
23.	father	padre	papá
24.	first payment	depósito, entrada	enganche
25.	gang	banda	panda
26.	gas station	gasolinera	bomba
27.	tomato (red)	tomate	jitomate
28.	hair	pelo	cabello
29.	herb store	herbolario	botánica
30.	insurance	seguro	aseguranza
31.	juice	zumo	jugo
32.	kid	niño	escuincle
33.	lawn	césped	zacate, la grama
34.	light bulb	bombilla	foco
35.	match	cerilla	fósforo
36.	meeting	reunión	junta
37.	mother	madre	mamá
38.	not any more	ya no	nomás
39.	OK	vale	okey
40.	pastry	bollo	pan dulce
41.	pajamas	pijama	piyamas
42.	to park	aparcar	estacionar
43.	peach	melocotón	durazno
44.	peanut	cacahuete	cacahuate, maní
45.	pig	cerdo	puerco
46.	piggy bank	hucha	alcancia
47.	please	por favor	favor
48.	possum	zarigüeya	tlacuache, rabipelado
49.	potato	patata	papa
50.	radio	radio	radio
51.	real estate	inmuebles	bienes raíces
52.	rope	cuerda	soga
53.	shrimp	gamba	camarón
54.	skunk	mofeta	zorrillo
55.	speaker (person)	portavoz	vocero
56.	stamp	sello	estampilla
57.	student	alumno	estudiante
58.	sweater	jersey, suéter	suéter, pulóver
59.	swimming pool	piscina	alberca, la pileta
60.	to check	comprobar	chequear
61.	to come back	volver	regresar
62.	to delay	tardar	demorar
63.	to drink (alcohol)	beber (alcoh.)	tomar
64.	to drive	conducir	manejar
65.	to get in a hurry	apresurarse	apurarse
66.	to get nervous	poner nervioso	dar ansia
67.	to grab	coger	agarrar
68.	to have a chance	tener oportunidad	tener chance
69.	to jump	saltar	brincar
70.	to miss someone	echar de menos	extrañar
71.	to monitor	monitorizar	monitorear
72.	to park	aparcar	estacionar
73.	to pull	tirar	jalar
74.	to stand	estar de pie	estar parado
75.	to stand up	levantarse	pararse
76.	to turn on	encender	prender
77.	to talk	hablar	platicar
78.	to tie	atar	amarrar
79.	to toss	echar	botar
80.	unemployed	parado	desempleado
81.	univ. dormitory	colegio mayor	residencia estudiantil
82.	useful contact	enchufe	palanca
83.	VCR	vídeo	video