I speak some Spanish and my experience has been that if your Spanish is clear, although not necessarily of the local pronounciation, you are usually okay. For example, my Latin Spanish says "gracias" but in Spain it would be pronounced like "grathias", yet everyone knows what was said.

I apologize that I'm not really answering your question, but I hope it provides encouragement.

It depends to some extent on what part of Spain you are traveling to. There are many online pronunciation guides for all languages. Google.

what CubFan said
Do not worry....

The Berlitz phrase books use a pronunciation guide for the British tongue. The Barron's series is American oriented.

Just note that Spanish is only one of the local languages spoken in Spain by the locals.

I wouldn't worry about pronunciation that much if you can actually say something. They are used to various accents. I believe Pimsleur has people from South America on their Spanish tapes, and they pronounce words differently than people in Spain. At least that's what I remember, they had a very strong accent that sounded Argentinean or something, as I recall. And some words are different, of course, such as the word commonly used for "to drive" or car or toilets (as in public rest rooms).

If you've got Skype, sign up to a free conversation exchange site like this one: http://www.conversationexchange.com/s_map/learn.php?language=Spanish

There are tremendous differences in pronunciation between various areas of Spain - never mind other Spanish - speaking countries.

When my mother (91) took Spanish in high school they were taught Castilian Spanish (that spoken in the area around Madrid - with the "th" sounds). Her brother spoke that on a visit to the south of Spain and was told he had an aristocratic (not sure if this is good or not) accent.

When I went to high school we were taught Mexican Spanish as the standard (no "th" sounds). And I had no trouble being understood anyplace in Spain (well, at least my accent, although my vocabulary could have used some help).

So as long as you speak clearly and slowly - people should be able to understand you.

They may understand me, but I seldom understand them when they answer in their rapid, locally accented Spanish.

I learned Spanish in California from a combo of high school and college courses, speaking it to Mexicans and Central Americans, and then brushing up with a Berlitz audio course. I didn't have any trouble making myself understood in Spain, even with my non-Spanish pronounciation.

Loads of Latin Americans live and work in Spain, so locals are used to various accents, pronunciations and vocabularies.

The key is "mas despacio, por favor".

Always works for me.

My few spainish phrases were commenrted on by a cab driver and in english..Senora your Spanish is very tijuana!!! LOL I did, however get by, being understood and understanding using what I had/have and lots of hand gesturing and smiles.. Not to worry!!!

Is spainish a Spanish word. HAHAHA.., Don't use it!!!

The Spanish are very warm and forgiving when you try to speak Spanish.

And in Spain it is not HAHAHA but jajajaja.

And wifi is pronounced wee-fee.

There may be variations in vocabulary as well as in pronunciation. In Mexico, "computer" could very well be "computadora," whereas in Spain it would be "ordenador." But that's just in a few words.

My Spanish teachers have mostly been South Americans or Americans. (My best teacher was an American who had learned her Spanish in Mexico.)

Spaniards had no difficult understanding my Spanish, and I didn't have much problem understanding them, as long as they didn't speak too fast.

In 2011 was heading out to the Madrid airport in a taxi. The driver was telling me something he was hearing on the radio. He was quite excited, and I finally understood enough to learn that he was telling me the American forces had killed Osama bin Laden. For some reason it was especially gratifying to me to know that the information had been communicated to me in Spanish.

They may understand me, but I seldom understand them when they answer in their rapid, locally accented Spanish.>>

that's not restricted to spanish. it's common with whatever language you are trying to learn. but after a while somehow it just "clicks" - even if you don't understand every word, you'll start to get the gist. The trick is to go with the flow and to smile a lot!

One of my favorite Spanish signs was one that said "liquidación bestial." I finally figured out it mean something like "monstrous sale." But it sure did look funny at first glance.

love it, peg.

there's an english road sign that always makes me look twice: "heavy plant crossing"; I wonder what non-english speakers make of that!

The difference between American Soanish and European Spanish is like going to the UK. The accents are different, some words have different meanings but most people will understand you.

Heavy plant crossing? I am a native speaker of English and I am stumped. So to speak.

Golemtoo...Re: jajaja... Since I am not in Spain you will have to put up with HaHaHa.. However i would veru much like to be there in that place at this time (or any)

Post whatever questions you have and I am sure we can help.

Heavy plant crossing? I am a native speaker of English and I am stumped. So to speak.>>

I always imagine a large cactus or palm tree trying to drag itself across the road, but in UK english, "plant" can also mean large vehicles or machinery.

get it now, nikki?

A thousand years ago we were in Spain and went to see the documentary "Monterey Pop." And when Johnny Cash sang, "I keep a close watch on this heart of mine." The Spanish subtitle used the word for wristwatch. Which must have been painful.

I have trouble undertsanding the Andalucían accent as they clip off the ends of their words.

I think it's the equivalent of our sign that says "Construction vehicle entrance" in a work zone where they are moving huge dump trucks, cement mixers, bulldozers, etc.

When we arrived in Seville, a friend who met us warned me about " Andalucian
accent"...he was right.
Not long ago, a girl from Central America
told me she could hardly understand speakers from Chile.
One of my Spanish professors demonstrated to the class what "street" Cuban sounded like.
No one understood a word.
Some Spanish words like " coger" ( grab, catch) have a very different meaning in Mexico
( and some other countries).

Sorry, I am not making it any easier.

I think it's the equivalent of our sign that says "Construction vehicle entrance" in a work zone where they are moving huge dump trucks, cement mixers, bulldozers, etc.>>


you've got it, nyt - i think our phrase sounds nicer! [but is certainly more confusing!]

danon- it is not just in Spain that locals have trouble with the language of other parts of the country - when we arrived in Cornwall I could barely understand my neighbour, and it was a good 5 years before I could be sure that I knew what he'd said every time.

Ann....funny,
when we took a couple visiting from Australia to lunch, I could not understand half of what the man was saying.
Just nodded my head to whatever he mumbled....

I think there are always issues with people not understanding others at the fluent, local level. I can't understand a lot of people on the street at home, a lot of people mumble or don't enunciate correctly or speak quickly even when you know the language. And I know a lot of fluent Spanish speakers have trouble understanding Cubans, that's nothing unusual, and other countries, also. My brother lived in El Salvador some years and is fluent in Spanish, and he says he can't understand Cubans (and I think Puerto Ricans) but that El Salvordoreans usually speak more clearly or less slang or something.

And any language can have slang words (what the French call argot) where regular standard words in the language come to be used for something else, even something vulgar (don't know why that example is given, this is nothing new).

But the point is for the OP I don't think these issues matter, as someone just learning a few words for use as a tourist who doesn't know the language at all (as it appears from the OP) and is solely learning from a phrasebook and tapes -- is never going to understand someone speaking regular sentence quickly in the street, regardless of accent. And the OP is only going to be learning basic words and phrases, so exhaustive understanding of the nuances of slang words in Mexico vs. Peru vs. Spain doesn't really matter (that word has different meanings in many South American countires, also) because the OP isn't going to be speaking fluently no matter what nor making complex sentences of any kind.