Lunfardo is a jargon of about 5,000 words that emerged among the lower classes in Buenos Aires in the second half of the 19^th century. It first grew out of cocoliche, a pidgin used by immigrants during the first wave of immigration to Argentina. The Argentine Creole was born out of a need to communicate among people who had different regional dialects of their respective languages, mostly Spanish and Italian. Lunfardo is also closely tied with the tango culture and has roots in the criminal underbelly — much of the dialect was developed in the prisons as a way for inmates to speak amongst themselves without being understood by guards.  Lunfardo later incorporated smatterings of words from other immigrant groups, the gauchos, or cowboys, of Argentina, the indigenous of the country and African slaves.  Lunfardo is employed in the River Plate region and although it has permeated Argentine culture, the vocabulary is not widely understood in other Spanish-speaking countries.

'How to Not Fall in Love with a Boludo' —Lunfardo in popular culture

In addition to Italian words that have been imported directly into the Argentine lingo, such as, ciao (spelled ‘chau’ in Argentina), to say goodbye, there are a plethora of Lunfardo words with easily traceable Italian roots. The word mina, commonly used to refer to a woman, comes from the Italian word ‘femmina,’ the verb ‘laburar,’ meaning ‘to work’ and derived from the word ‘lavorare,’ is frequently used in place of the verb trabajar. Fiaca, used to describe a state of laziness, comes from the Italian word ‘fiacco.’ Similarly, ñoquis is the Argentine version of the Italian ‘gnocci.’ Besides describing the pasta dish that has become common to eat on the 29^th of each month when money is tight, the term can also make reference to the size of genitalia or be applied to someone who gets paid for a job they don’t do.

Another term almost as ubiquitous as ‘che,’ despite its rather impolite implications is the word boludo/a, used incessantly by teenagers, much to the torment of teachers and well-meaning parents.  Although literally referring to the size of someone’s testis (yes, references to genitalia are abundant in Lunfardo) it takes on the meaning of ‘idiot’ or ‘jerk’ and is used by friends to playfully address each other or as an insult in a heated conversation.  Synonymous with boludo is the word pelotudo/a, although this word usually has harsher implications.

African influences in Lunfardo can be heard with the use of quilombo, a heavily colloquial term that has found its way into everyday use.  Originally, a quilombo was a gathering place for slaves, and in some areas referred to a brothel, but over time the word took on a meaning more synonymous to a ‘total mess’ or ‘disaster.’ Another word that sounds so pretty but can turn out ugly is chamuyo. This can be innocent sweet talk from a guy trying to score with a girl or out-right scheming and scamming. The verb for the word is chamuyar and a person who does it is called a chamuyero/a. A worker who talks about what a great job he’ll do while dollar signs are rolling in his eyes, or an acquaintance who swears they’ll do a favor and then evades phone calls or a guy who swears he’ll love a girl forever and then abandons her after she’s knocked up –- all fall within the chamuyero spectrum.

Fundamental to Lunfardo, and characteristic of the wordplay it is recognized for, is vesre. Vesre is a feature of Lunfardo that can be likened to Pig Latin for adults, formed by switching around the syllable of the words, similar to the verlan of French. An example is the word vesre itself – switch it up and it becomes revés, meaning ‘reverse.’ Suddenly the reason this slang is named vesre is no mystery.  Thus in Lunfardo, café (coffee) becomes feca, mujer (woman)/ jermu, amigo (friend)/ gomía, pizza /zapi (also the name of a major Argentine pizza chain), pagar (to pay)/gapar, abajo (down)/ajoba, tango/gotán (providing the origin of the name of the well-known musical group, Gotán Project.)

Some other vesre terms, such as bolonqui (quilombo) maintain their significance while others such as telo/hotel, take on a slightly different meaning when reversed. A telo is a hotel for couples to escape to for a night or just a few hours specifically to have sex –- useful to know in case a chamuyero invites you to one when you’re in a boliche (club). Understanding Lunfardo may take some time — even those who have perfect Spanish skills have trouble following Lunfardo-laced conversations, especially when the colloquial banter includes vesre.

While Lunfardo adds a unique and sometimes plebeian flare to the already unique identity of Argentina, it also contributes a dynamic twist to everyday life. Slang is constantly influencing speech and vesre makes the creation of new — although not official — words endless. Although purists believe that a word cannot be considered Lunfardo unless tied to its tango or immigrant roots, Argentineans are taking liberties with the vernacular, making it a challenge to ever really get a strong handle on the lingo — and that’s half the fun.

— by Jenna Frisch with Ande Wanderer
(← cont. from Argentinismos)

The most Argentine word in existence is che, a filler word that was maladapted from the native Mapuche language and has since become widely used across the country. It’s commonly used to call someone’s attention, express surprise or emphasize a statement; it oddly seems to resonate with the English word ‘hey!’

Although used to a lesser extent in some neighboring countries, this term has become closely associated with Argentina as a result of its use by Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, who said the word so much on his travels that others began to refer to him as ‘Che.’ In its application ‘che’ when used to address someone is gender neutral.

Ernesto 'Che' Guevara popularized the use of the 'che'

Other vocabulary words liable to heard for the first time in Argentina are ‘piscina’ for ‘pool,’ ‘departmento’ for apartment, ‘vereda’ for sidewalk, ‘colectivo’ for bus and ‘computadora’ for computer.  Something heard in everyday language is the use of ‘re’ not only in its normal use as a prefix to verbs but in place of ‘muy’ (very) as in an Argentinean-ized phrase such as, “(Vos) hablás re bien el Castellano.”

When it comes to dining in Argentina, you can pretty much leave your Spanish dictionary at home — it won’t help much. Essential vocabulary words in a traveler’s repertoire include the words medialuna (sweet croissant) and empanada (savory turn-over) and every time you see the word factura (a general term for pastries that also means receipt) you’ll be tempted to wander in that direction. Similarly the most Argentine of all sweets is dulce de leche, a sweet milk paste that is eaten on bread, incorporated into pastry recipes or used to fill alfajores, a beloved shortbread cookie usually found by the check-out in virtually any convenience store.

Along with these delicacies, there are some basic food items that change, such as butter, from manteca – as it appears in many Spanish dictionaries – to mantequilla in Argentina.  When buying fruits and vegetables make sure you ask for frutillas instead of fresas for strawberries, paltas instead of aguacates for avocados. Additionally when drinking some birras (beers) at a bar, make sure you ask for maní instead of cacahuate to get some more peanuts at your table.

Some of the culinary specialties unique to Argentina include puchero, a vegetables and meat stew that often includes garbanzo beans and is perfect for a cold night. Another not-to-miss dish is locro, a thick corn soup. Amongst the pre-Colombian food found in the Northern regions are two dished that are rather similar: the tamale and humita, corn-based dishes wrapped in steamed corn husks, to be discarded before eating.  The main difference between the two is that a tamale generally is filled with meat or cheese.

(←cont. from: ¿Spanish, Castellano, Lunfardo?)

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Argentines call their Spanish ‘Castellano’ (Castilian) – specifying its regional roots in Castilla, Spain. The first thing that will jump out at those more familiar with ‘standard Spanish’ is the animated Italian-like accent of the Argentines.

Another unique feature of Argentine Spanish is the pronunciation of the ‘ll’ and ‘y’. Instead of adopting a ‘y’ sound as in the word ‘yonder,’ the ll and y take on a rougher sound that can be likened to the zh in “casual” or “leisure.”  This can make the pronunciation of some words identical to each other — if someone says ‘se cayó’ (it/he/she fell) you will have to extract from the context the meaning because ‘se calló’ (it/he/she got quiet) is pronounced exactly the same way.

This phonetic difference may take some getting used to, but it shouldn’t hinder communication. Travelers who speak a more standard Spanish will be understood perfectly well, but it’s good to keep these changes in mind.

Voseo

Another unique feature of Argentine Spanish is the use of the Voseo. Instead of ‘tú,’ as the second person singular pronoun (the informal form of the word ‘you,’) ‘vos’ is used. Using the vos form may take a bit of practice, but once you figure out how it works the construction is rather simple and you might even find some verbs easier to conjugate. When ‘tú’ is used the conjugation of irregular verbs requires a stem change in the second person form. With ‘vos,’ however, no stem change is necessary because the stress or emphasis is on the last syllable (i.e. tienes becomes tenés, hablas becomes hablás, and in the imperative form, ven becomes vení, piensa becomes pensá).

One important change to be aware of is the conjugation of the verb ser (to be) — (tú) eres becomes (vos) sos – travelers should take note because they will inevitably be asked, “¿De dónde sos?” several times throughout their stay.

Despite the use of the vos in the second person singular form, the second person plural pronoun vosotros is not used in Argentina; instead Ustedes is always used to address a group.

Argentines do not tend to use singular, formal ‘you’ Usted, as frequently as in many other Latin American countries though, reserving it mostly for business situations, addressing the elderly, and sometimes to jokingly give deference to a friend.

Throughout much of the country Argentina Castellano adopts a very informal style heavily peppered with slang, particularly in Buenos Aires. The daily vernacular used by Argentine teenagers would land kids in big trouble in most other Latin American countries.

→ Continue Reading:  Argentinismos