Hola! Ciao! Which language do you think is more interesting, Italian vs Spanish? Honestly, I believe they both have their pros and cons. Is Italian similar to Spanish? Is Italian and Spanish similar? Both languages do have some similarities and differences and that’s what we are going to look at today.
SIMILARITIES BETWEEN ITALIAN AND SPANISH
- The place of origin
Both Italian and Spanish are both derived from the Latin language hence both are roman languages.
If a Spanish-speaker knows just a little bit of Italian, or if an Italian speaker has exposure to Spanish, it is then possible to figure out what’s going on in the other language with a little bit of patience as some of the words may be the same just a twisted pronunciation, for instance, the words thank you, “gracias” in Spanish and “Grazie” in Italian. Or fish which is “pez” and “pesce” in Spanish and Italian respectively.
Due to coming from the same origin they are also both considered to be of romantic languages.
- Heritage and cultural similarities
Both Italy and Spain are catholic nations and hence they are both influenced by the Vatican.
Since both have a strict catholic relationship, which was predicated in Latin, Spanish transformed a lot less than most languages around the globe and remained archaic just like the Italian language hence they are similar culturally.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ITALIAN AND SPANISH
- The grammar used between Spanish and Italian is different.
Spanish tends to rely more on the simple past tense (preterite) while Italian, mostly prefers to rely more on the perfect tense in conversation in order to indicate the past tense of something.
- Italian vs Spanish culture
- Spanish painting is seen as gloomy as opposed to the softer and brighter Italian painting.
- Also in terms of music, Italian music is observed as melodic while Spanish music is seen to be more of a strong rhythm.
- The Italians are known to be relaxed and more talkative than the Spanish people. On the other hand, the Spanish people move quietly and more disciplined due to its roots when the military-ruled the state.
- Pure Spanish sounds sweet even when sung compared to the Italian language. Most people are attracted to the Spanish language compared to the Italian language. To learn Spanish, book yourself a class here.
- Italian vs Spanish cuisine
Italian cuisine is very different from Spanish cuisine.
Spanish cuisines are not spicy but Italian people love spicy food, especially in the south of Italy.
The Italian people love wheat a lot hence why they love pizza while the Spanish people are more into Mediterranean food.
- Spanish is evolved while Italian retains most of its roots
Because of being home to Vatican City, it has retained its Latin origin in terms of sounds hence seen as a conservative language. Spanish on the other hand evolved and hence why we have different types of Spanish. I.e. there are the Spanish spoken in Mexico, Europe, and Spain, all being a bit different from each other.
CONCLUSION
Both the Italian and Spanish languages are roughly as difficult as each other but for mutual intelligibility between Italian and Spanish, it requires one individual to speak slowly, and the other person to listen patiently. What have you figured out, is Italian and Spanish similar?
You can learn Spanish at our specialized academy Blablalang, and learn Italian with our native teachers here.
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