Learning Spanish with Different Dialects Part II

3. Diminutives. The South Americans love diminutives. This is the Spanish equivalent of “wee”, as used by the Scots and Irish, and is used to soften a phrase or to show affection for something. In Spain this isn’t nearly so common although the concept does exist. I caused great laughter among my Spanish work colleagues when we went out for a meal and I asked for “un platito de sopita”. This translates as “a wee plate of wee soup”. Ok, so if sounds weird in English but in somewhere like Bolivia or Ecuador this phrase would sound completely normal, and in fact some people might think it too harsh without at least one diminutive in there.
4. Accent. When I was in Ecuador with a group of Brits the locals loved to laugh at one of the girls who had learned Spanish in Spain. I didn’t understand why until later on when I worked out that she had been speaking with the classic Iberian lisp. Do try and avoid this on words like “cenicero”, “cincuenta” and even “gracias” while in America. In the reverse situation later on I found no problems speaking in Spain in a lisp-less manner.