Gringo Lingo, Learning Spanish in Buenos Aires

Spanish in Argentina is quite distinct from other countries, with different pronunciation, unique slang and even grammar rules that vary. Whether you’re looking for formal training or to take a more casual approach, here are some of the best strategies for mastering Argentine Spanish.

Maybe you’ve studied abroad in Mexico or Spain. Maybe you’ve spent endless hours in a classroom languishing over the prose of Neruda and Borges. Or maybe you’ve learned from the streets. One step off the plane in Buenos Aires, however, and you could find yourself unexpectedly lost. Whether it’s the cadence, pronunciation or dialect, Spanish—or rather, castellano—is a different beast in Buenos Aires.

Argentine Spanish is different

Grammar

If you took Spanish classes in the US, Europe or Australia you probably learned that in Spanish there are two ways to say “you,” the formal usted and the informal tú. If straight off the plane the taxi driver hit you with a “¿de donde sos vos?” It may have come as a bit of a shock. In Argentina, they use vos, a third form of you, that like tú, is informal.

Conjugating verbs for vos

The easiest and most universal trick to conjugating for vos is to ignore any changes in the verb that may take place (for irregulars) for tu and add an s in place of the r. Examples:

Querer – Vos queres

Tener – Vos tenes

Jugar – Vos jugas

Fortunately, there are only three irregular vos verbs.

Ser – Vos sos

Ir- Vos vas

Haber- Vos has

While you won’t have any issues being understood if you stick with the tú form, understanding vos will help with your comprehension, and using it will help you sound more local.

Pronunciation

Thanks to the massive wave of European immigration from the middle of the 19 the century to the end of the 20 the century, Argentine Spanish was greatly influenced by Italian. Argentine Spanish has an intonation of stressed syllables and sing-songy rhythm that research has shown more closely resembles the Italian accent than that of other dialects of Spanish.

Argentine Spanish also differs in the “sh” pronunciation of the ll and y sounds, which are usually pronounced as “y” in other Spanish accents. Lluvia (rain) for example, which would typically be pronounced yuvia, becomes shuvia in Argentina, and yo (I) becomes sho.

Slang

Perhaps the most distinctive quality of Argentine Spanish is Lunfardo, Argentina’s extensive catalogue of unique phrases and slang that almost make up a complete language on their own. These terms were originally used by Buenos Aires’ criminal class, but over time have disseminated across social strata and is now part of the standard vernacular in Buenos Aires. While it’s doubtful you learned these expressions in a Spanish class back home, or in any other country, these phrases are crucial to understanding everyday conversations in Argentina.

Che

1. Often times, che is used in the same way that English speakers use the words buddy, dude, man or mate. “¡Che! ¿Qué pasó anoche?” (Dude, what happened last night?)

2. Equally often, che is used to get the attention of another during a conversation, in the same manner that English speakers use “hey” or that other Spanish speakers use “oye.” “Che, dame las llaves.” (Hey, give me the keys.)

Boludo

1. Used between friends as dude/mate, often used with che. “¡Che boludo! ¿todo bien? (hey dude, what’s up?

2. As an insult to mean idiot, often accompanied with the “que haces” hand gesture in which the thumb and fingers are all pressed together facing up as you shake your hand slightly.

Dale

1. In Buenos Aires, most of the times you hear “dale,” it will be used much in the same manner as English speakers use, “ok.”

2. Sometimes, dale can also be used to hurry another person along. “Bueno. Dale, dale!” (Alright. Hurry up, come on!)

Mina

Woman/chick “mira esta mina, que belleza!” (“check out that chick, what a beauty!”)Pibe

Guy/dude “¡Hay demasiados pibes en este boliche para tan pocas minas!” (There are so many dudes at this club and so few chicks!)

Quilombo

Used to describe a big mess or something very chaotic. “¡Que quilombo la casa después de la fiesta anoche¡” (The house is a mess after the part last night!)

These lunfardo expressions are some of the most common slang you’ll hear in Argentina, but they’re only the tip of the iceberg. For more Argentine expressions, check out Helpful Argentine expressions. To pick up some vulgar slang you definitely didn’t learn in school check out Swearing in Argentine Spanish, and Argentine Slang: Sexy Time vocabulary.

Spanish Classes

Formal Classes

While learning the slang of Argentine slang is fun and useful, if you’re a beginner you will probably want to take some formal classes to build a foundation. Fortunately, there are no shortage of Spanish school, institutes, and tutors in Buenos Aires. If you’re looking for a more relaxed environment and to socialize in the process, a group class will probably be a better fit. We recommend either the Español para Extranjeros course at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), or a small group class at Vamos Spanish Academy which are week-long intensive courses perfect for shorter term trips. The downside of a group class is that you won’t have the undivided attention of the instructor, so if you’re short on time or have a specific topic you would like to focus on (pronunciation, subjunctive, etc), a private Spanish tutor can provide more individualized classes. Whether to take group or private classes comes down to your goals and your budget. Group classes, which will be less expensive, will likely be more fun, and afford the opportunity to meet new people. Private classes, on the other hand, offer more flexibility and will likely provide quicker progress.

Lingua Franca

Hobbies, professional interests and passions: we all have them. After spending years practicing art, reading books, watching movies and/or listening to music we’ve developed our own informal and specialized vocabularies. Not being able to talk about your passions and interests in an intelligent way can be frustrating, and translating these specialized vocabularies into another language can be quite a challenge. However, by registering for extension courses at the UBA’s Centro Cultural Rector Ricardo Rojas, you can continue within the lingua franca of your personal interests while learning new Spanish vocabulary and meeting others with similar interests. These informal courses, which cover subjects ranging from 20th-century art in Argentina and philosophy to acrobatics, are perfect for the intermediate-advanced speaker looking to take their Spanish to the next level.

Immersion: live the language

While I highly recommend taking formal lessons, these alone will not allow you to fully develop a true fluency. Why is that? Well, these settings are controlled environments. Furthermore, in the case of classroom lessons, you will be conversing with other foreigners. Regardless of differences in native languages, all students learning Spanish begin with the same base vocabulary. You will quickly find that while this vocabulary is entirely necessary for your survival here, it is only the beginning. To step beyond the doldrums of this repetitive and basic vocabulary and discover some of the most common yet understudied parts of the Spanish spoken in Buenos Aires, you’ll need to have regular and unplanned conversations with native Spanish speakers.

Live with Spanish speakers

Whether you’re coming to Buenos Aires to study or work it may be tempting to live alone or with other expats. Although probably easier and less fraught with miscommunications and cultural differences, resist this temptation and live with Argentines. For students, living in a homestay will probably give you the most culturally Argentine experience possible and the best chance at improving your Spanish. For anyone not studying, there are several Facebook groups devoted to room rentals, and while being able to chat in English at the end of a long day may sound nice, forcing yourself to do it in Spanish will do a lot more for your conversation skills.

Make Spanish speaking friends

Perhaps your new Argentine roommates will become good friends and they’ll invite you to asados where they introduce you to their other friends and you can practice Spanish. In the case that this doesn’t happen, language exchanges are great opportunities to practice your Spanish and meet new people. Mundo Lingo is one of the most popular ones and takes place at bars in various neighborhoods almost every night of the week. Upon entering the bar you’ll be offered flag stickers that represent your native language, and any other languages you’re fluent in or are learning. While these events are meant to be language exchanges, the ratio often skews more towards men and if you’re an English-speaking female you may end up getting bombarded with attention. For a more structured language exchange that is less alcohol fueled and flirtatious, check out Mate Club.