In this article you will learn learn Spanish vocab words and how to learn Dominican Spanish. You must keep in mind that in that the Spanish vocabulary words may vary from country to country or even from region to region within the same country. I will tell you about a recent trip to New York that illustrates my point.

The last time that I returned home to “Nueva York” (New York), I had lunch in my favorite Dominican restaurant in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan. Washington Height is the “barrio” or neighborhood where most Dominicans in New York City live.

I placed my order in Spanish using a Colombian word for one of the dishes instead of the word that Dominicans commonly use. I asked for “patacones” instead of “tostones” and the waitress looked a bit confused. By the way, “patacones” or “tostones” is a dish consisting of fried unripe green plantains (bananas).

In coastal parts of Colombia, the “gente” (people) usually eat them as a side dish that goes along with “pescado” (fish). But here in Medellin, the Paisas (people of Medellin) eat “patacones” with a variety of food dishes. But in Nueva York I always get the impression that Dominicans eat “patacones” or “tostones” with “pescado” or practically any food dish.

Back to my story…

The “mesera” (waitress) did, however, understand me when I used the universally-known Spanish word for beans: Fríjoles

I said “frijoles” for beans instead of the word Dominicans and Puerto Ricans use for beans: “habichuelas”

In Colombia, “habichuelas” are what Americans would call “string beans.”

This incident happened to remind that the words that Spanish speakers use so easily change from one country to another or in some cases from region to region within the same country.

Now when I got to Jackson Heights, Queens, (the Colombian “barrio” of Nueva York), and eat in my favorite Colombian “restaurante” will I have to remember to say “patacones” instead of “tostones”?