The language of Cuba is Cuban Spanish, a dialect of Spanish spoken by most of the population on the island. From the historic capital city of La Habana (Havana) to the vibrant coastlines from East to West, you’ll hear Cuban Spanish spoken all over Cuba.
You can also enjoy the Cuban Spanish dialect and its various rhythms in popular música cubana (Cuban music) and on the streets of Miami where it’s a prominent dialect. In this guide, you’ll discover the differences between Cuban Spanish and Spanish spoken in other parts of the world, as well as learn some key phrases and how to sound like a local.
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What language is spoken in Cuba?
Cuban Spanish, sometimes referred to as Cubano, is the lingua franca of Cuba. According to the Instituto Cervantes, it’s practically the only language spoken on the island of 11 million inhabitants.
Despite the isolation of the island, the Cuban language has been influenced by the vibrant diversity of the population. The Spanish spoken by Cubans is a variation of Castilian Spanish, brought over by immigrants from the Canary Islands in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Note that Cuban Spanish is considered a dialect of Spanish; it’s still relatively easy for speakers of any Spanish dialect to understand the language. In contrast, Haitian Creole, a language with French roots, thrives in certain communities. Because it’s a creole language, and not a dialect of French, it’s much harder for French speakers to understand. Lucumi, a liturgical language spoken by practitioners of Santería, is also present.
What is unique about Cuban Spanish?
The eclectic Cubano vocabulary is an example of the various cultural and historical influences on the island. While many Cuban words come from the Canary Islands, you’ll also find terms from West African languages, French, and even Andalusian or Galician. The Cuban language also includes words from American English, including pulóver (t-shirt).
What does a Cuban Spanish accent sound like?
It’s important to note that there is no one particular Cuban Spanish accent. Similar to English, there are regional differences in the Cuban Spanish accent across the island. In addition to region, generation, gender, and socio-economic factors can also influence the accent.
As a Spanish learner, you might find that Cuban Spanish sounds similar to Puerto Rican or Dominican Spanish. One of the distinguishing characteristics of Cuban Spanish is, in fact, common among the other Caribbean dialects, such as Puerto Rican Spanish.
For example, the final “s” sound can disappear entirely, or become slightly aspirated, like a soft English “h” or Spanish “j.” An “s” in the middle of the word may also disappear, leaving words like después (after) sounding like deh’pue’. In this case, el e’pañol cubano could be more difficult to understand until you get used to this feature.
Words that end in -ado and other vowel-“d”-vowel patterns may lack the “d” sound in speech, sounding like cansa’o instead of cansado (tired). Other times, consonants are softened so much that they are almost absorbed into another sound in the word, as in the pronunciation of pierna (leg) that sounds like pie’nna, or charla (chat), which may sound like challa. Magnifico could sound more like ma’nifigo.
Depending on who you talk to, some other features may stand out, including:
- “ll” sounds like “y”;
- rolling “r” sounds;
- “r” sounding like “l”;
- “i” sounds turning into “e” sounds;
- “v” or “b” sounds like a “w” in certain words, and the two letters are pronounced identically;
- “z” sounds like “s”;
- hard “c” sounds sounding more like “g”;
- “t” could be more strongly pronounced, with additional air;
- more nasally sounds across all speech.
When comparing Eastern and Western Cuba, some evidence suggests that the Western region speaks a modernized version of Spanish (new slang, less formal grammar), while the East sounds more classic and perhaps more sheltered from change.
It’s worth learning how to tune your ear to the sounds and pace of Cuban Spanish, as it can be challenging for learners until they grow accustomed to the accent. And when you master that, increase your speed and try Dominican or Puerto Rican Spanish.
Cuban Spanish pronunciation
Like other Caribbean Spanish dialects, you may notice a few characteristics about cubano that set it apart.
- Seseo: pronouncing “z” and “c” (before “e” and “i”) like the “s” in “search.”
- Yeísmo: pronouncing both “ll” and “y” like the “y” in “canyon.”
- Dropping “d” sounds or ending syllables.
- dedo (finger) would be pronounced like de’o
- todo (every) turns into to’
- nada (nothing) turns into na’
- ¿A dónde vamos? sounds like ¿A’onde vamo’?
- Dropping “r” sounds in the middle of words.
- corbata sounds like “koh-BAH-tah.”
- Pronouncing “r” and “l” a bit more like a “d,” halfway between the “r” and “l” in Peninsular Spanish.
- Aspirating the “s” so it sounds more like the “h” in “hello.”
- especial sounds like “eh-speh-see-AHL”
Differences between Cuban Spanish and Standard Latin American Spanish
Cuban Spanish is distinct in its pattern of speech, meaning the way it sounds—from pronunciation to pacing—is slightly different from more “standard” versions of Latin American Spanish.
These nuances reflect the Spanish that was spoken in the Canary Islands during the 19th and 20th centuries. Speakers familiar with West African languages may notice the lingering influences that still exist in Cuban Spanish today.
In addition to the differences in the pronunciation and pacing of Cuban Spanish, there are also a few noteworthy variations in grammar.
Grammatical characteristics of Cuban Spanish
While the grammar is more or less standard, a few features stand out with this dialect, including:
- The use of tú for the informal singular “you” but ustedes for all plural forms of “you”;
- Quéismo: dropping some prepositions where they would typically by used;
- me di cuenta que (I realized that) instead of me di cuenta de que.
- Word order differences: Subject+Verb+Object, and use of the subject pronoun where other dialects would commonly drop it.
- ¿Qué tú haces? (What are you doing) instead of ¿Qué haces (tú)?
Predominance of tú
Most Cuban Spanish speakers will employ the informal tú (you) instead of the more formal usted (you). The formal pronoun is used in cases of true social hierarchy, but tú has gained a lot of ground, as it is seen as much more egalitarian and friendly.
The use of vos (you) as an informal pronoun has all but disappeared, but you may hear it on occasion. As in the rest of Latin American Spanish, the ustedes (you) form is used for any plural usages, as the vosotros (the form of “you” used in informal plural situations in Peninsular Spanish) does not exist.
Redundant use of subject pronouns
In much of standard Spanish, the subject pronoun is dropped entirely unless needed for clarity or emphasis. In Cuban Spanish, however, the subject pronoun is more commonly used. This could be an influence of the English language, which would not drop the subject pronoun in this case.
- Sofía dice que ella quiere venir. = Sofia says that she would like to come.
Subject pronouns are also placed within questions, after the interrogative and before the verb:
- ¿Cómo tú estás? = How are you?
The Cuban Spanish placement differs from the more common structure one might see in other Spanish dialects:
- ¿Cómo estás (tú)?
This is a characteristic of the Spanish spoken on the Canary islands, which has influenced many of the Caribbean Spanish dialects.
Use of diminutives
Many varieties of Spanish use -ito and -ita at the end of a word to communicate a range of meanings like smaller, cuter, more affectionate, or even derogatory, making it confusing for learners to catch the exact nuance of a word. These suffixes are used a great deal in Spanish in Cuba, as well as -tico and -tica.
A person could be called bajo (short), bajito, or even bajitico in Cuba. The same adjective could also be applied to a low grade on an exam or poor attendance at an event. The choice of the standard adjective or variety of suffix would depend on tone or mood.
Sometimes the suffix causes a change in meaning, as a child could be called chiquito (small) as an almost derogatory way to say young person, but if a person uses chiquitico they are referring solely to the small stature of the child.
Vocabulary and expressions in Cubano
If you’ve learned standard Spanish vocabulary and expressions, you’ll still be easily understood by native speakers of most dialects. However, if you’re socializing with Cuban Spanish speakers to learn more about the Cuban language and culture, you may want to be familiar with some of its unique lexicon.
Try a few frequently used Cuban slang words such as yuma (a word for foreigners, usually from the United States) and ¡ay que rico!, the Cuban equivalent of the exclamation ¡ay caramba!
| Cuban Spanish | Standard Spanish | English |
| el/la asere | el amigo/la amiga | the friend |
| el bonche | la fiesta | party |
| la chama | niño pequeño | little kid |
| chévere | genial | awesome/cool |
| coger un diez | tomarse un descanso | to take a break |
| Dáme un cinco. | Espérame. | Wait for me. |
| dar botella | llevar a | to give a ride to someone |
| el gao | la casa | the house/home |
| la guagua | el autobús | the bus |
| ir bajando | salir | to head out/to leave |
| la jaba | la bolsa | the plastic/cloth bag |
| jamar | atiborrarse | to eat/to stuff oneself |
| la máquina | el coche/el carro | the car |
| la pincha | el trabajo | the work/the job |
| los puros | los padres | the parents |
| el puro | el padre | the father |
| la pura | la madre | the mother |
| ¿Qué bola? | ¿Cómo estás?/¿Qué tal? | What’s up? (informal greeting) |
| tirar un cabo | ayudar a alguien | to help someone out |
| La Yuma | Los Estados Unidos | The United States |
History of Cuban Spanish
Due to colonization by Spain, Cuban Spanish most closely resembles Spanish spoken in the Islas Canarias (Canary Islands) and Andalusia, an autonomous community in Southern Spain. Cubano is most similar to the accent of native speakers in La Palma, one of Spain’s Canary Islands located off the northwest coast of Africa. This influence is primarily due to large waves of immigrants from the Canary Islands in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Since the Cuban revolution began in 1959, large groups of migrants and refugees escaping Cuba had a profound influence on the United States, specifically Florida and Miami. Much of the culture, cuisine, and even the language in Miami reflects strong ties to Cuba. In the United States as of 2023, there were 2.4 million people of Cuban origin living in the US, putting this group in the top five Hispanic origin groups.
Frequently asked questions about Cuban Spanish
Cuba is not only classic cars, colorful colonial architecture, and the sounds of reggaeton and salsa in the air. The island and its language have a rich history that has spread beyond its shores. Here are a few questions people frequently ask about Cuban Spanish.
How many people speak Spanish in Cuba?
Approximately 11 million people speak Spanish in Cuba. Miami, Florida (United States), is well known for its ties to Cuban Spanish, with almost 2 million more of the population reporting that they speak Spanish at home. There are also large Cuban Spanish-speaking communities in New Jersey, New York, California, and Texas.
Has Cuban Spanish in Miami been influenced by English?
In communities where Cuban Spanish and English speaking Americans are in close proximity, there are markers of the mutual influence of the two languages. This can range from simple borrowing of vocabulary to code-switching to such an extent that many have described it with the term “Spanglish.”
You see the influence of Spanish when an English speaker says that they were dreaming “with” something or someone, instead of “about,” as the preposition would be used this way in Spanish in the phrase soñar con (to dream about).
The second generation of Cuban-American immigrants may be more proficient in English than their parents, and depending on the person, English may have a stronger linguistic influence on their Spanish vocabulary and structure as well.
Is Cuban Spanish the same as Spain Spanish?
While Cuban Spanish has variations in pronunciation, a preference for the use of particular grammar elements, and a vocabulary enriched with local slang, both Cuban Spanish and Spain Spanish are mutually intelligible.
Learning basic phrases, the pronunciation of Spanish, and how to have a simple conversation are all made simpler through Rosetta Stone’s all-in-one app. The TruAccent speech recognition engine can help you pronounce correctly so you’ll be easily understood.
Soon you’ll feel right at home sharing un espreso cubano (Cuban espresso) or a cortadito (espresso with a bit of steamed milk added) with native speakers and finding out more about what makes their culture unique.
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