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Everybody has their way of saying things?

Ronniestm wrote:

Everybody has their way of saying things?

Yes, but the point is that those Spanish lessons may not cover everything, and you might want to be tuned into variations.

Every language has that!    An American ear can't be finetuned overnight. Unfortunately,
Gringos aren't geared towards languages. I was pushed into learning languages since
childhood, no one else I know was raised that way.

Ronniestm wrote:

Every language has that!    An American ear can't be finetuned overnight. Unfortunately,
Gringos aren't geared towards languages. I was pushed into learning languages since
childhood, no one else I know was raised that way.

The majority of people are those people Ronnie. Some are learning, some don't speak any languages, including Spanish at all. So a simple heads up might be helpful.

Hi...I have been in Mexico since 1999,lived in Veracruz for 6 years ,and now in Cancun.
       Live in a nice residential area,and at time receive guests in my house.
       Retired and enjoying the sand ,sun and surf of Quintana Roo.

Interesting.  This is the first time in 13 years I have heard of a Mexican using the word alberca.

Sanitario seems to be the currently preferred word for restroom, Baño used to be more common, I think.  Or it could be a difference between North and South.

Lately, I'm hearing coche more often that carro when it was carro exclusively when I arrived in 2008.

Don't let vocabulary phase you.  If you don't understand, ask and keep asking.

The word alberca is what I've heard as referring to a swimming pool. The word balneario is often used to refer to large, public pools that offer food, drink, etc.

joaquinx wrote:

The word alberca is what I've heard as referring to a swimming pool. The word balneario is often used to refer to large, public pools that offer food, drink, etc.

Balneario refers to a public pool or rather a complex that offers one or more pools and possibly food and entertainment.  Each pool is still an alberca in Mexico and other countries and piscina in Spain and other countries I have visited.  People who travel or read authors from several countries recognize both.

When I arrived in 2008, carro was universal for car.  Now I'm hearing coche very frequently but nobody misunderstands when I use carro out of habit.

This is only to point out that the choice of vocabulary and pronunciation varies by country, regionally and even from one part of a country to another.