If you’re going to spend anytime in Argentina it is a great opportunity to study Spanish. Even if you already speak Spanish, you may want to take a couple of classes to learn about the regional use of ‘vos’, Argentinismos and a bit of Lunfardo, the unique slang used extensively throughout the country, but especially […]
Lunfardo: The Dirty Slang of Buenos Aires
Lunfardo is a jargon of about 5,000 words that emerged among the lower classes in Buenos Aires in the second half of the 19th 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 […]
Argentinismos
The most Argentine word in existence is che, a filler word that was maladapted from Mapudungun, the Mapuche tribe’s 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 […]
¿Spanish, Castellano, Lunfardo? Intricacies of Argentine Spanish
Those who come to Argentina to learn the language will find that its interpretation of the Spanish language is every bit as unique as the country itself. Visitors quickly find out that those textbook Spanish classes can serve as a comfort but not a compass when trying to navigate this country’s Italian-flavored version of Spanish. Accent […]
