Latin American Spanish vs European Spanish

Is there an easy way to know what shows/movies are either Mexican or Latin American Spanish vs European (i.e., Spanish from Spain)? As I would like to practice my listening skills for when I am in Mexico. ThanksA!

I think the easiest way is to look up the show/movie on IMDB and see where it was made or by whom, or where it takes place.

For example, even though Guillermo del Toro (who is from Mexico) directed “Pan’s Labyrinth” ( Pan's Labyrinth (2006) - IMDb ), the description of the movie says, “In the Falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world.” - so you know it will be “Spanish Spanish”.

But then you can see that the show “La Casa de las Flores” ( The House of Flowers (TV Series 2018–2020) - IMDb ) was shot in Mexico City, which is a pretty good hint it is Mexican / Latin American Spanish.

Of course, really all you have to do is start watching the beginning of the show/movie, and you’ll probably figure it out rather quickly. If they use the “vosotros” verb conjugation (2nd-person familiar plural), it’s probably Spain. Also, pronunciation can help. For example, dinner is “cena”. If you hear it pronounced “say-nah”, it is Latin American Spanish. If you hear it pronounced “thay-nah”, is is Spanish Spanish.

Hope this helps! :slight_smile:

Thanks! I just saw your response 3 months later! (Not sure how I missed it). Good tip to use IMBD, I have started doing that.