Spain Vocabulary

Every country has some unique vocabulary. Some of the words used in Spain are different from those you may have learned in your Spanish class or heard in Latin American countries. Here are a few useful examples.

Spain	English	Latin America
patata	potato	papa
autobús, bus, autocar	bus	camión, micro
piso	apartment	apartamento
suelo	floor	piso
parking	garage	aparcamiento
chuche	candy	dulce
ordenador	computer	computadora
coger (el bus)	to catch (the bus)	tomar (el camión)
coche	car	auto, carro
melocotón	peach	durazno
zumo	juice	jugo
enfadarse	to anger	enojarse
ticket / tiquet	receipt	recibo
billete	ticket	boleto
echar de menos	to miss (someone)	extrañar
chapa	(missionary) plaque	placa
cerilla	match	fósforo
regresar chaqueta frutos secos alubias marchar(se) cristal	to return jacket nuts beans to leave glass	volver saco nueces frijoles salir vidrio

You will often hear the word "vale" in conversation. It is somewhat equivalent to "OK" and is one of the most frequently heard words in Spain. It is unique to Spain - when you hear someone say "vale" you know they have lived in Spain!