11 Latin American and Spanish brands pronounced wrong 🧐
In this article, we will go over 11 Latin American and Spanish brands pronounced wrong! Maybe you’ve also been pronouncing these brands wrongly… or maybe you didn’t even know some of these brands were actually Spanish or Latin American?
Let’s find out, and please let me know in the comments which of these brands you’ve been pronouncing differently!
1. Spanish brands pronounced wrong
Zara
This brand is globally known… AND globally mispronounced. In Spain, the letter Z is pronounced as [th], while in Latin America we pronounce it as if it were an S —more similar to English.
What does this mean? That many people who actually speak Spanish are also mispronouncing it, including me.
Example: La ropa más chula es de Zara. (The prettiest clothes are from Zara.)
Desigual
Another Spanish clothing brand, which seems hard for foreigners to pronounce, is Desigual. It is not deZigual, or Deesigual, and it means “unequal”.
Example: La marca Desigual es famosa por sus diseños coloridos. (The Desigual brand is famous for its colorful designs.)
Tous
¿A quién no le gustan las joyas? (Who doesn’t like jewelry?)
Overall, when the logo is bear shaped, the correct pronunciation is not [Tus] but [Tous] (i.e. each vowel is pronounced separately).
The name of this brand has no particular meaning, as it is the founder’s last name, a person from Catalunya.
Example: Mi anillo es Tous. (My ring is Tous.)
BBVA
This is a very well known bank, and of course the English spelling is BBVA, which stands for Banco Bilbao Vizaya Argentaria, but don’t worry, you don’t have to learn all that…
The pronunciation in Spanish also varies depending on where you are. In Spain, people would say BB U V A, while in Latin America we say BBVA, but just as Zara, the correct pronunciation could be the Spanish way.
Example: Necesito ir al banco BBVA por dinero. (I need to go to the BBVA bank for money.)
Seat
Next we have SEAT, a Spanish automobile manufacturer. I know it reads like the English word “seat”, but the correct pronunciation is S-e-a-t (i.e. each vowel is pronounced individually).
Example: Mi coche nuevo es un Seat. (My new car is a Seat.)
2. Latin American brands pronounced wrong
Jarritos
This is the name of a Mexican soft drink. In fact, Jarritos is one of the most delicious sodas out there. Flavors include piña, fresa, limón, toronja y sandía (pineapple, strawberry, lime, grapefruit and watermelon). The word means “little jugs”.
Example: Mi jarrito favorito es el de sandía. (My favourite Jarrito is the watermelon flavor.)
Bacardí
When speaking English, many people do not stress the Í, and that’s why it sounds like bacárdi, instead of Bacardí. This is a family name, so there’s no English translation.
Example: El Bacardí es un ron Cubano. (Bacardí is a Cuban Rum.)
Carolina Herrera
Another often mispronounced clothing brand: in Spanish, the H is silent. Also, the RR is very strong.
Example: Carolina Herrera es una diseñadora venezolana. (Carolina Herrera is a Venezuelan designer.)
Torres
Often pronounced as [Tores], you might know this brand because of the Brandy, but it is also a big wine company.
Here, we are going to stress the RR just like in Herrera: ToRRes.
Example: El mejor brandy es el Torres. (The best Brandy is Torres.)
Narciso Rodriguez
This might be the hardest one, but in reality, it sounds easy e incluso melódico (and melodic even).
Narciso Rodriguez is a clothing brand named after the Cuban founder Narciso Rodriguez.
Example: Nunca he comprado nada de la marca Narciso Rodriguez. (I have never bought anything from the Narciso Rodriguez brand.)
Corona
Yes, this one had to be included!
A very Mexican beer, the name means crown, and we also have the smaller version: Coronita, which means, small crown.
Example: Mi cerveza mexicana favorita es la Corona. (My favorite Mexican beer is Corona.)
3. Learn more about Spanish brands with FREE Spanish Training
“Muy bien! ¿Ya conocías estas marcas? (Did you already know these brands?) ¿Las pronunciabas correctamente? (Did you pronounce them correctly?) Let me know in the video’s comments which ones you pronounced correctly and which ones you didn’t know! And if there is any other brand you would like to learn how to pronounce, also let me know in the comments —maybe I’ll make an extra video about them!
Feel free to check out the other videos from me and the other Spring Spanish teachers on our channel for Spanish. We also have a free, more in-depth Spanish training on our website where you’ll discover the method we use in our Spring Spanish Academy to teach students to speak fluent Spanish (and not just brand names 😉 ). You also get some free sample Spanish lessons there that come straight from our Academy!
