A WORD THAT GIVES AWAY AMERICAN SPANISH

 

There is no such thing as Hispanic American Spanish because the differences between Mexican, Puerto Rican, Chilean, Argentinian, and Colombian Spanish are great. There is no unifying accent and vocabulary.  Often, I have trouble recognizing American accents and expressions, but there is a word that will help you distinguish a Spaniard from an American when speaking Spanish. Whenever you hear a speaker use the word "acá", meaning here, instead of "aquí", you can bet she is from South America. "Acá" is also used in the Peninsula, of course, as it is part of the language, but "aquí" predominates. So, remember, whenever you hear someone say: "Acá está todo bien", you will know she is from the Americas.