I want to learn basic Spanish, does it matter whether I learn Latin American or Castillian Spanish?

Latin American Spanish doesn´t exist, a mexican doesn´t speak like an argentinian or a chilean. Steer clear of Spain´s Spanish cause no one uses vosotros but them, I´d stick to mexican Spanish since they use the tu (not vos) and ustedes(not vosotros) and it´s the most spoken in the US, although we can all understand each other.

Castillian is just another name for the Spanish language as spoken in all Spanish speaking countries.There is no real difference in the language as taught in the schools and in print everywhere.Unless you have a great deal of money I would not spent much on expensive courses. Buy a little book -Spanish for travelers.It may have some pictures and It may have a few hundred words.It will have many short sentences.You can not learn very much Spanish in a few weeks.5 words every day would be very good.Good Luck.

they're both spanish, people will understand you in whatever country you go to, there are just some differences which is basically the slang like the difference between the english from the US,England and Australia. The way people from latin america speak for me personally is better and easier to understand, but i'm not saying that spain spanish isn't good or is worse than latin american spanish. They're just a little more proper or posh. I find them harder to understand than someone from say mexico, but not all latin americans speak the same, there are some latin american countries that are hard too understand too so it's not just the spain-spanish. Either way you'll be ok whichever one you decide but if it were me i would go with the latin american spanish. buena suerte! good luck :)

I have used Pimsleur (the audio) and it's actually the Spanish from Columbia which is Castillian. If you are going to Spain, I would learn Castillian though. That's what they speak mainly over there. There isn't a whole lot of difference, but their words are considered more "proper" by Spanish speakers and also a few words are actually different. Ex. el coche vs el carro Both mean car but el coche is Castillian while el carro isn't. See?

Dont worry. spanish is the same in latino america and spain. im mexican and i dont have probles to speak in spain.

First of all Latin American Spanish and Castilian Spanish do not exist. Castilian and Spanish are the same. Castilian is the proper name for the language but since it was the most widely spoken language when the reunification of Spain it started to be known as Spanish. But there is no difference. In fact, if you check http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Castellano-Espa%C3%B1ol.png you can see that the use of the term Castilian is as common as Spanish among the native speakers to refer to the language. What Rosetta Stone calls Castilian Spanish is what it's called Standard Spanish or Neutral Spanish http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Spanish This is the one taught in journalism schools and you will hear it in movies and tv, and is a combination of different characteristics from the different accents from Central-Northern Spain. But Spain has way too many to think that all spaniards talk like that. Again, it's just a mere formality for the movie and tv industry. You'll find the different andalusian accents quite different from this, for example. About Latin American Spanish.... well, it does not exist either. The Castilian aka Spanish spoken in Argentina is as distant from the one spoken in Mexico than from the one spoken in Madrid.... the Castilian spoken in Venezuela is closer to the one spoken in the Canary Islands (Spain) than to the one spoken in Guatemala. Since Central American movie and tv industry traces its origins to its dependence from the US, it developed on its own way and a standard spanish was established by combining the different accents from all the caribbean. In the case of south america, since both the central america and spain standards became so big, the different south american countries chose one or the other, most of them the central american one since they're industries are more connected to the US Latin Media.

I'm from Argentina and I understand quite well other Latin American folks as well as people from Spain. We have some differences in accent mainly but not in grammar concepts. Grammar Spanish is the same here or there. Millions of words are the same. Sometimes you can find differences for instance we drive an auto, an automóvil, a carro. Viajamos en colectivo, en bus, en micro. These differences are not to cry. Basically all of us speak the same language. Now I feel much curiosity to get those softwards in order to understand better what do you speak about. But in your case, you're going to travel to Spain, won't you? Then buy a Spain softward. I don't dare to recommand because I never have had one of those in my hands. Don't concern! You just go and learn. It'd be not bad to learn both! At last they have to be the same grammar and more popular sayings.

they're both spanish, people will understand you in whatever country you go to, there are just some differences which is basically the slang like the difference between the english from the US,England and Australia. The way people from latin america speak for me personally is better and easier to understand, but i'm not saying that spain spanish isn't good or is worse than latin american spanish. They're just a little more proper or posh. I find them harder to understand than someone from say mexico, but not all latin americans speak the same, there are some latin american countries that are hard too understand too so it's not just the spain-spanish. Either way you'll be ok whichever one you decide but if it were me i would go with the latin american spanish. buena suerte! good luck :)

Castillian is just another name for the Spanish language as spoken in all Spanish speaking countries.There is no real difference in the language as taught in the schools and in print everywhere.Unless you have a great deal of money I would not spent much on expensive courses. Buy a little book -Spanish for travelers.It may have some pictures and It may have a few hundred words.It will have many short sentences.You can not learn very much Spanish in a few weeks.5 words every day would be very good.Good Luck.