Soap operas and Spanish tv series are not exactly the same

When I landed here, in December, some people began to tell me a few Spanish words. It was a strange surprise for me.

“We watched Kassandra”, they told me, and “Rosalinda”, and “Rebelde way”, and “Betty la fea”, and many soap operas. However, most of this TV is fiction from South America. That doesn´t mean that there they don´t speak Spanish, it just means that we have different accents and vocabulary

The main difference is the Spanish Z or the C before an E or an I. It is pronounced like the “th” in “thin” or “think” in my country. This is not a lisp, contrary to common belief, but in Latin America people don´t pronounce it. For example, “cereza” (cherry) is pronounced with “th” sound in Spain and it is “seresa” in America. But, the correct way to write it is “cereza” in both places. Don´t forget it!

“Platicar” (Latin America) is “hablar” in Spain, and also “charlar”. That´s mean in English: to talk or to speak.

In America, like you heard in the soap operas, they say “vos” or “sos”, instead of “tú” or “eres”, you and are in English. Also, they don´t use “vosotros” for the second person of plural, but they say “ustedes”.

People in Canary Islands (Spain) speak really similar to Latin Americans. Don´t worry about your accent, if you know some Spanish words, just speak it! We can understand each other. But, be careful with the vocabulary you use. “Coger” is a really common verb in Spain, you can use it for everything, it can be to catch, to get, to grab…But, in Latin America, “coger” is a term used to describe the act of love ;-) By the way, in Spain, it would be better if you say “guapa” to a girl than “chiquita”, and “morena” is always a good compliment. Although most of the TV series which you watched here are from Latin America, you may recall the TV series “Un paso adelante” or “Los Serrano” (image below). Both are from Spain.

Here, more Spanish TV series which have been successful:

-Verano Azul

-El Internado

-Gran Hotel

-El Barco

-Cuenta atrás

-Médico de familia

-Periodistas

-Los misterios de Laura

-Pulseras Rojas

-El Príncipe

Also, kids can learn Spanish language, watching “Pocoyó”, a cartoon series. It may also be helpful for you, even if you are not a kid ;-)

BÉRÉNICE KERMOAL