The article is devoted to two approaches in teaching one of the so-called "polynational" languages -the Spanish language. The national-variant differentiation and the internal variability of the Spanish language (on the Iberian Peninsula), which has developed to the present moment, is reflected in the educational process. In different countries and at various stages of education, a monocentric or polycentric approach is adopted in teaching Spanish as a foreign language. With a monocentric approach, the question arises of the linguistic norm of the Spanish language as an instrument of instruction. In the polycentric approach, it is necessary to decide which national variants to include in the training course and to what extent, on which features to pay more attention (phonetics, grammar, vocabulary). The experience of teaching Spanish in the system of compulsory education of Russia was considered on the example of three Russian universities: Peoples Friendship University of Russia, Moscow Region State University, Moscow State Linguistic University.