How different is Spanish spoken in El Salvador from other Spanish dialects?

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How different is Spanish spoken in El Salvador from other Spanish dialects?

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My husband is from El Salvador (and has a Mexican mother), so I'm answering with his input. I've also lived in El Salvador in my teens and visit frequently.
Spanish spoken in Latin american countries are different by
- Accent: the Salvadorean accent is very similar to the accent in Honduras and Nicaragua although there are differences that native speakers would easily detect.

- How fast they speak: compared to countries such as Chile or Spain, Salvadoreans speak rather slowly.

- Vos: the use of "vos" instead of "tú" is very common (when spoken) and the verbs are conjugated slightly differently or pronounced differently. For example, it's very common with the imperative form. If you ask someone to sit down, the correct form is "Siéntate" (tú), but Salvadoreans will say "Sentate" (vos). Of course, "vos" is used in casual conversations. If you don't know the person very well, you would use "Usted". Vosotros is never used. Salvadoreans use "ustedes" when talking to a group of people.

- Vocabulary differences and slang: Salvadoreans use slang a lot. In general, all latin american countries have specific words that are not used in other countries. For example: kid in Spanish is "niño", in Mexico "lepe", in El Salvador, they say "cipote"; friend in Spanish is amigo, in El Salvador they say "chero", in Mexico they say "cuate"... So if you combine the voseo and the slang you would "sos mi chero" in El Salvador instead of "eres mi amigo" (you're my friend); Hangover is "goma" in El Salvador, "cruda" in Mexico, "guayabo" en Colombia. There are several videos explaining the Salvadorean slang, like this one below (from 1:06 onwards)


When I came to El Salvador as a teenager, I had studied one year of Spanish with a teacher from Spain and I could not follow any conversation between my classmates during the first couple of months. It was a like a complete new language!

- "S" dropping: as JD Davidson mentioned, it is common in El Salvador. I have the feeling it depends of where you come from (more common in rural areas than in the San Salvador) and how long people have been to school (there is a high illiteracy rate in El Salvador). Sometimes the "s" ends up sounding like a Spanish "j": "Que pa(j)o ?" instead of "Que paso?". In El Salvador, when you want somenone to wait you don't say "espera" (imperative) but "perate" (so you're actually using "vos" and ignoring the "es"). When agreeing on something and ending a conversation, you often say "Vaya pues" but it often sounds like "Ba pue".

- Common expressions that are sometimes misunderstood when used in another Latin American country: when Salvadoreans say "ahorita", it doesn't mean right now or right away but it means today. Salvadoreans also use the verb "regalar" very often when it's actually not a gift. When a Salvadorean says "me regala la cuenta, por favor?" in a restaurant, it does not mean that they're asking for a free meal, just for the bill!