Colombian Spanish: The "Easiest" Spanish Dialect (Phrases Included!) - Rosetta Stone (2024)

Choose your own adventure! Start with the temperature and environment you prefer: beach, mountains, plains, tropical, or moderate. Select your preferred accommodations, between camping, hostels, budget inns or luxury hotels. Study in a modern city, relax and enjoy breathtaking landscapes, explore unparalleled biodiversity, or choose a high-adrenaline adventure. Whether you’re passionate about food, fútbol (soccer), family, or fine arts, you’ll find plenty to love in Colombia.

Colombia invites travelers to start their day with some of the best coffee in the world, explore three mountain ranges, gaze at over 200-foot-tall wax palms, play tejo, the national sport (similar to corn hole or horseshoes… but with some gunpowder included!), and purchase a handwoven wayuu purse in all your favorite colors. Why not order an arepa (popular street food made of a corn cake and filling of your choice) and chat with the locals using your best Spanish?

No matter what your itinerary, as a guest in Colombia, you’ll be welcomed with warmth and hospitality. The Spanish you’ve learned will serve you well here, but it won’t be long before you’re taking in the distinct sounds and vocabulary of Spanish in Colombia, known as a dialect, and what makes it special. Get a head start with Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion, our natural method of language exposure that will help you prepare to make memories instead of focusing on memorization alone!

Why is Spanish spoken in Colombia?

Spanish is an official and dominant language in Colombia due to the history of the Spanish language and culture brought to the area through colonization. Expeditions led by Christopher Colombus reached the east coast of present-day Venezuela in 1498, when colonists began to pillage the region for its resources, enslaving and exploiting the indigenous populations, bringing enslaved Africans to the region, and enforcing their own language and culture. By the mid-1500s, the area was a colony of Spain.

In 1819, present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panamá won their independence from Spain as the country of Gran Colombia. By 1903, all four nations had separated.

Spanish is the official language of the Republic of Colombia today, spoken and understood by 99 percent of its population, but it is an ethnically and linguistically diverse country. Over 100 languages are spoken in the country, including 68 indigenous languages that are recognized with official status in their specific regions.

How many people speak Spanish in Colombia?

Over 51 million people live in Colombia, 99 percent of whom speak and understand Spanish as a first or additional language, using Spanish for education, work, and public life. Colombian Spanish is popularly known as “neutral,” “the purest Spanish,” and “the easiest Spanish dialect to understand,” indicating the pride the Colombian people have in their language.

However, that is definitely not to say that there is one specific “Colombian Spanish.” Linguists have identified significant differences in up to 11 different regional varieties, including Caribbean, Island, Pacific, Cundiboyacense, Rolo, Llanero and more.

For a learner, these differences should only enhance, not deter comprehension. The number of Spanish speakers and the relatively easy dialect makes Colombia a great place to increase proficiency!

What does a Colombian accent sound like?

It is not unique to Colombia that regional differences and accents are clues to where a person grew up. Though overall, Spanish in Colombia sounds similar to other Latin American dialects, there are multiple regions within the country, each with its own vocabulary, accent, and uniqueness.

Therefore, the Spanish you’ll hear in Cartagena will vary greatly from what you’ll hear in Bogotá, and city accents will vary from those from rural areas. In some areas the use of vos is common, but in others it’s practically non-existent. On the Pacific Coast, Spanish is spoken very quickly, but the “Rolos” (a name for some speakers from Bogotá) are known for speaking slowly, enunciating, having more of a sing-song tone, and “uptalking” a bit more, with a rising tone at the end of a phrase.

In addition to region, generation, gender, and socio-economic factors can influence someone’s accent. The specific local accent might be obvious for a native speaker, whereas for a learner, most of the Latin American Spanish dialects from this area sound the same. If you’re a careful listener, there could be a few hints that set Colombian Spanish speakers apart!

Many people think of the Colombian Spanish accent as clearer and easier to comprehend than other dialects, so it is a great place to practice your new language. Particularly in the capital region of Bogotá, people tend to enunciate each syllable clearly, making this a wonderful place to learn and study. Colombian Spanish speakers take pride in what many they consider a proper and comprehensible Spanish, but that doesn’t mean you won’t occasionally hear some dropped consonants, such as a s or a d sound, just like in many Latin American dialects.

In words like yo (I) you will hear a j sound instead, as many Colombians distinguish between y and ll.

Unlike in Spain, you won’t hear a difference between c/z and s. This difference is obvious when you compare the accent of a Peninsular Spanish speaker and a Latin American Spanish speaker saying the word pronunciación. The person with a Latin American accent will pronounce both c sounds like an s, whereas the Peninsular Spanish accent sounds like th with the tongue between the teeth.

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What are the differences between Colombian Spanish and Standard Spanish?

There aren’t many! With a shared grammar and vocabulary, the Spanish dialects that you are already familiar with will be easy to apply to Spanish in Colombia, as the majority of communication will be mutually understood. Knowing a few particularities of Spanish in Colombia will help you connect with the locals.

Preference for Usted

If you’ve taken a Spanish course, you may have learned about the five (yes, five!) ways to say “you.” Formal vs. informal, singular vs. plural, Latin American vs. Peninsular Spanish, and even masculine vs. feminine… it’s easy to get confused. Even though it is usually taught that tú is for friends and family and usted is for people you don’t know well, the reality is much more complicated depending on the culture and region.

You can relax and still fit in while you visit Colombia! Just choose between usted (for one person) or ustedes (for more than one). In many of the areas of Colombia, it is rare for someone to use tú, even with their family and close friends. This isn’t to say that you’ll never hear tú or even vos, but you won’t stand out if you stick to usted / ustedes in every situation. It is only in Spain or Peninsular Spanish where you’ll still hear the vosotros/vosotras as the informal plural, as this is considered antiquated in Latin America, possibly only surviving in biblical texts and other ecclesiastical speech.

Diminutives

Many varieties of Spanish use -ito and -ita at the end of a word to make the meaning smaller, cuter, more affectionate, or even derogatory, making it confusing for learners to catch the exact nuance and meaning of a word. These suffixes are used a great deal in Spanish in Colombia, as well as -ico and -ica.

Sometimes -ico/-ica are even combined with -ito/-ita for a redundant use of these suffixes for even more emphasis, for example, ahora (now) becomes ¡ahoritica! As for the specific meaning, you may sometimes have to ask for clarification – does the speaker mean right away, right this minute? Or… sometime soon?

It is somewhat unique to Colombian Spanish that these diminutive suffixes are commonly added to verbs, adjectives, and prepositions as well as nouns. For example:

• the cat is corriendo (running) and the mouse is corriendito (scurrying) to get away
• the parking spot is not just junto a (next to) the house, but juntico a (right up near it)
• the chocolate caliente (hot cocoa) is delicious, but the chocolatico calientico is a nice little cup of hot cocoa

Family terms of endearment

Certain terms of endearment are common among Spanish speakers, but in Colombia these are slightly different. Husbands and wives may call each other mijo and mija, which is a combination of mi (my) and hijo/hija (child), and to balance it out, their children are papito or mamita, stemming from papá and mamá with a diminutive.

Past Tense

In Peninsular Spanish, when discussing recent past events, Spanish speakers from Spain employ the present perfect, while Latin American dialects including Colombian Spanish use the simple past (or preterite) instead. This is similar to the difference between British and American dialects of English.

While the present perfect tense is still used to discuss events that “have taken place,” if you are narrating completed actions in Colombia, you will use the preterite, or simple past instead.

¡Nunca he visto una montaña tan alta! = I’ve never seen such a tall mountain!

¡Vi la montaña esta mañana! = I saw the mountain this morning!

Regalar

The verb regalar typically means “to give something to someone as a gift,” but in Colombia and other places such as Costa Rica, people will use it in place of dar (to give). This does not mean that it will be free, so if you hear it in the context of a restaurant or store, assume you will still have to pay!

¿Me regalas esa botella de agua? = Can you give me that bottle of water?

Slang

Most of what sets Colombian Spanish apart from other Latin American dialects will be in the regional vocabulary and slang that is popular. In the Paisa Region and Medellín, the local slang is named “Parlache.” Language is ever-changing, so expect that you’ll never be done learning Spanish (or your first language, for that matter!).

What words or phrases should I know if I’m traveling to Colombia?

Like all slang, context is key, as some slang words have multiple layers of meaning. It is a good idea to observe the situations in which they are used and try out your new expressions with trusted individuals, in case of confusion and to avoid misunderstanding!

Explore Spanish in every region with Rosetta Stone

At this point you’re surely ready to experience the encanto (charm) of Colombia. Whether you’re hoping for adventure or relaxation, a visit to Colombia should be on your list. You might also experience Colombian Spanish through social media, online communities, the lives of famous Colombian artists such Shakira or Sofía Vergara, or family connections!

With 20 countries and Puerto Rico officially recognizing Spanish as an official language, close to 500 million native Spanish speakers, Spanish being the 4th most spoken language in the world and also the second most-used language on the internet, you will never be done learning Spanish! Learning the basics and more universal vocabulary words can open the keys to an array of language communities, but no matter where you choose to travel, study, or do business, there will be regional specifics to keep you motivated! Poquito a poquito (little by little), you can enjoy the variety of Colombian Spanish and the words that make it unique!

Rosetta Stone can help you by focusing your language learning journey on what matters most. As a Rosetta Stone learner, you’ll capitalize on early successes to boost your confidence fast. Our Dynamic Immersion method provides maximum exposure to a new language, through audio spoken by native speakers, written words, and real-world images. Everything is presented in the new language, providing a truly immersive experience.