No matter how strong your Spanish-language
skills, native, near native or beginner, it behooves you to read through the
following information, as Argentinean and especially porteño Spanish is
most certainly not your garden variety: for starters, most speakers are struck by the different pronunciation of the
"y" and "ll", which in most parts of Argentina sound like a
soft "zj". And it doesn’t stop there…
Lunfardo and Argentinean Spanish
Lunfardo, spoken in Buenos
Aires, is typically the tongue of the poor immigrants in Buenos Aires, who mixed
Spanish grammar with their native tongue. Although it cannot be considered
widely understood or a major "Argentinean dialect," a considerable
number of lunfardo words have slipped into normal Argentinean use.
Local Lingo
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PEOPLE
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Pibe
Chico
Nene
Viejo/a
Porteño
Boludo
Pelotudo
Tarado
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kid/guy
kid
kid
lit: Old man/old woman, used for father and mother
Inhabitant of the city of Buenos Aires
“jerk”, “asshole”, mostly used friendly between friends
idem
“dumbass”, normally no friendly use
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CLOTHING
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Campera
Saco
Calzoncillo
Bombacha
Remera
Pollera
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Leather jacket or coat
Suit jacket
Mens´ underwear
Womens´ underwear
T-shirt
Skirt
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FOOD
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Dulce de leche
Alfajores
Churros
Masitas
Garapiñada
Pochoclo
Bife de Chorizo
Mate
Bombilla
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Typical Argentinean caramel spread,
made of milk and sugar, often found in pastries
Filled, chocolate covered cookies.
Typical pastries, often filled with
“dulce de leche”
Typical pastries of all sorts
Peanuts covered with sugar or
chocolate
Popcorn
Tenderloin steak (and that means TENDER in Argentina!)
Herb tea, made from a native shrub
called "yerba", cultivated and drunk extensively Argentina, Uruguay
and Paraguay.
The metal straw you drink “mate” with.
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EXPRESSIONS
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Estar en pedo
No dar bolilla
Afanar
Bancar
Laburar
No tener ni la pálida idea
Guita
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Be drunk
To ignore
To rob
To put up with
To work
Not have a clue
Money
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PET PHRASES
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Ché
¿Viste?
Bárbaro
Regio
Bacán
¿Qué onda?
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Used as both at the end of phrases and to address people
informally, it means something like “you”. Ernesto “Ché” Guevarra got his
nickname because he used it so much among his fellow Cuban guerilla fighters.
Pronounced very often at the end of phrases, it means literally:
“understood?”
“Great!”, “perfect”
“Great!”, “perfect”
“Great!”, “perfect”
Something like “What’s up?”
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El Voseo
The use of “vos” instead of “tú” (you the informal) is common in both the Río
de la Plata region and parts of Central America,
but the conjugation of the corresponding verbs is a little different. In Argentina it
derives from the “vosotros” form (which is otherwise not used as in all Latin
American countries).
Examples:
Present tense
Tú tienes Vos tenés
Tú eres Vos sos
Tú vienes Vos venís
Commands (Imperative)
Anda Andá
Come Comé
Ven Vení
Siéntate Sentate
Sírvete Servite
Read more at: http://www.spanishsinfronteras.com.ar/lunfardo.html |
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