June 2013
Che! Mira Vos!: Sounding Argentine →
chemiravos.tumblr.com
1.Use vos! This is surprisingly easy once you get a hang of it. Vos is used like “tu” towards friends and family. Most people in Buenos Aires do not use “usted.” However, I would still use it if it was directed towards an elder. Irregular “tu” verbs become regulars (“Tienes” is “tenes”). All vos verbs have accents on the second vowel (Tenés ).
2. Want to say “like” as a filler word? Ex: So I was, like, what the hell is up with that? Use “este”
3. Argentines often describe each other based on their physical characteristics: flaco/flaca (skinny), gordo/gorda/gordita (fat one), etc. Don’t take offense to this, it is simply part of their culture and usually meant in an endearing sense.
4. Che! This can either mean friend or more likely used like “hey” to grab someone’s attention: “Che! Como fue tu dia?” OR Hey! How was your day?
5. Que se yo: What do I know? OR Beats me! OR Psht, I have no idea!
6.. “Let me think”: A ver (Question: “En que direccion es cabildo?” Response: “A ver (thinking for a few seconds), si caminas por 5 cuadras vas a encontrar el subte, toma el linea D y deberias llegar alli. Hay una parada por cabildo”)
7. Te quiero vs. te amo (I love you): This took me months to figure out, but it’s pretty simple. You “te quiero” your friends, your family and maybe the guy/girl you like. You “te amo” your significant other when you are deeply in love with him/her. If an Argentine says in English, “I love you” and you barely know each other, he/she is saying “te quiero.”
8. Negro/Negra: This refers to a friend and has a positive connotation.
9. Boludo/a: Dumbass/asshole/idiot OR in reference to a friend. Ojo! This depends on the context. Don’t start calling Argentines boludos until you know them well enough! (Most of the time it is used in a joking way to reference friends).
10. Ojo: Careful! (Often expressed by simultaneously saying “ojo” and pulling down the lower eyelid with the pointer finger)
11. You know: Entendes (notice the vos form!) Ex. Que boludo! Estaba esperando por horas para la llamada y nunca me llamo. Queria romper algo, entendes? OR What an asshole! I was waiting for hours for him to call me and he never did. I wanted to break something, you know?
12. Claro: “Yeah” or an affirmation that you understand/listening to what someone is saying.
13. Bombona/Bombon: Sexy woman
14. Quilombo: A mess (or less-PC a cluster-fuck)
Looking for more helpful phrases? Purchase:
