Uruguayan Spanish (Spanish: Castellano uruguayo), a part of Rioplatense Spanish (Spanish: Castellano rioplatense), is the variety of Spanish spoken in Uruguay and by the Uruguayan diaspora.
Influences
There is strong influence of Italian and its dialects, particularly Genovese, because of the presence of large Italian communities in the country (for example in Montevideo and Paysandú). The Uruguayan accent differs from the accents of Spain and other Spanish American countries, except for Argentina, due to Italian influence. There are many Italian words incorporated in the language (nona, cucha, fainá ("farinata, chickpea flour crêpe"), chapar, parlar, festichola ("house party"), etc.), as well as words of Italian derivation (for example: mina derived from femmina, or pibe ("child") from pivello). In the southeastern department of Rocha, as well as along the northern border with Brazil, there is some influence of Portuguese, in addition to the Portuguese spoken in northern Uruguay.
Tuteo and voseo
The variety of Spanish used in Montevideo and the whole southern region of the country exhibits use of the voseo form of address, with the pronoun vos instead of the tú form. In other areas of the country, tú is more commonly used than vos. In some places, tú is used, but with the conjugation corresponding to vos, as in: tú tenés, instead of tú tienes (tuteo) or vos tenés (voseo). Tuteo is much more commonly used in Rocha and in some parts of Maldonado.
The formal pronoun usted is used in very formal contexts, such as when speaking to government authorities.
Vocabulary
Below are vocabulary differences between Uruguay and other Spanish-speaking countries: Argentina, Paraguay, Spain, Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, and Puerto Rico. It shows how Spanish is different in three continents where there are Spanish-speaking countries (Europe, North America, and South America) and in different regions of those continents (Central America, Caribbean, and Southern Cone). Italian and Brazilian Portuguese have also been influential in Uruguayan Spanish and are also included. While people in Uruguay and most of Argentina speak the dialect Rioplatense, there are some notable differences in vocabulary between the two countries, which are bolded.