In a list from quickest to slowest, how fast do different countries speak Spanish?
Item- issuer
- Quora
- Language
- English
- Date Accepted
- 11/29/19
- list of contributors
- Jean-Paul Pando
- Title
- In a list from quickest to slowest, how fast do different countries speak Spanish?
- content
-
Thats kind of like asking who speaks English faster; Australian, English, Irish, Scottish or North American. But wait! All of those areas have sub-dialects and expressions as well. A young, law clerk Bostonian will speak English far faster than a chilled-out older Texan.
Anyway, same with Spanish.
This is what I have been able to piece together from 3 decades of paying attention; working as a cashier in a diverse area; working front-desk; talking to coworkers and staff at multiple business in MD, VA and DC:
If the person is Cuban, they will probably speak like greased lightning. Even other fluent native speakers may barely be able to get it all if they aren’t Cuban or from a country of similar diction-speed.
(example - Translation: Yes, when we get together its one big race!)
“siPuehCuandonosEncontramosEstodaunaCarrera!” - (Cuban women in my cashier line: 1.5 seconds. She slowed down a bit for me when I explained in Spanish that I was amazed at their speed.)
“Si pues!; cuando nos encontramos; es toda una carrera!” - (Me: 3.5 seconds. Both parents from Bolivia.)
Dominicans can also speak like lightning. I have had to ask one to slow down before. They find it funny but always agree.
Argentinian have a unique accent that is also quite fast; I would slot them in behind Cubans in speed; but they are faster than most
People in Chile can speak extremely fast; and are loaded with colloquialisms. In rural areas; it slows down and is more similar to Bolivia and Peru.
El Salvador is probably medium-fast. I have to lean forward to pay attention but otherwise have no issues.
Mexican Spanish varies in speed but is never the fastest - I often find Mexicans very easy to understand; as their diction is similar to Andean regions. Their slang is quite distinct; I learned most from movies.
Then you’ve got the Andean region; Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador. This is my base of comparison - we speak slower than Central American countries; and have (in my opinion) more accurate pronunciations; but no one country has the ‘award’ for slowest speaking Spanish. We have colloquialisms derived from local indigenous languages, but after a few coffees, we speak faster.
- Item sets
- Judgments (English)
- Speed- fast
- Speed- slow
- Peruvian (slow)
- Origin- Bolivia
- Chilean (slow)
- Argentinian (fast)
- Cuban (fast)
- Mexican (slow)
- Dominican (fast)
- Bolivian (slow)
- Ecuadorian (slow)
- Origin- USA
- Salvadoran (fast)
- Dialect- USA Spanish
- Dialect- Argentinian Spanish
- Dialect- Bolivian Spanish
- Dialect- Chilean Spanish
- Dialect- Cuban Spanish
- Dialect- Dominican Spanish
- Dialect- Ecuadorian Spanish
- Dialect- Mexican Spanish
- Dialect- Peruvian Spanish
- Dialect- Salvadoran Spanish