Argentine Spanish: 18 Common Phrases and What They Mean

Mendoza and the northwest have accents of their own, so this page follows the speech of Buenos Aires.

How Argentine Spanish Changes Spain Spanish

Most of the grammar you already know stays the same. The changes are in how you talk to people.

Vos and Its Verbs

Vos is the normal way to say "you" to one person in Argentina, in speech and in writing.

vos

You (one person, informal)Spain Spanish: túIt is the everyday "you," and usted is kept for showing respect. The object word te stays the same: te quiero.

sos

You areSpain Spanish: eres¿Sos de acá? means "Are you from here?" Ser is one of only three irregular vos verbs.

tenés

You haveSpain Spanish: tienesTake the infinitive, drop the r, and add s with an accent. The stem doesn't change, so querer gives querés.

vení

Come (a command)Spain Spanish: venA vos command is the infinitive without the r: vení, decí, poné.

mirá

Look (a command)Spain Spanish: miraWhen a word is added to the end, the accent goes away: miralo, "look at it."

ustedes

You (more than one person)Spain Spanish: vosotrosIt works for friends and strangers alike, as in most of Latin America.

Everyday Words and Lunfardo

Lunfardo is slang that grew up in Buenos Aires in the late 1800s, much of it from Italian immigrants. Some of its words are now plain everyday Spanish in Argentina. The rest of these words are regional names for ordinary things.

che

HeySpain Spanish: oyePeople use it to get a friend's attention: che, ¿venís?

laburo

Work, a jobSpain Spanish: trabajoIt comes from the Italian lavoro. The verb is laburar, "to work."

pibe

Kid, young guySpain Spanish: chicoFor a girl or young woman, say piba. People in Spain say it too now.

colectivo

City busSpain Spanish: autobúsBondi is another name for it.

bondi

City bus (casual)Spain Spanish: autobúsIt is the casual word for a city bus.

morfar

To eat (casual)Spain Spanish: comerIt is casual. Comer works everywhere.

fiaca

Not feeling like doing anythingSpain Spanish: perezaTengo fiaca means "I can't be bothered." It comes from the Italian fiacca.

trucho

FakeSpain Spanish: falsoUse it for a fake brand-name bag, for example.

remera

T-shirtSpain Spanish: camisetaIt is the everyday word for a T-shirt in Argentina and Uruguay.

pileta

Swimming poolSpain Spanish: piscinaIt can also mean a sink, so the rest of the sentence tells you which.

palta

AvocadoSpain Spanish: aguacateChile, Peru, and Uruguay say palta too.

frutilla

StrawberrySpain Spanish: fresaMuch of South America uses this word.

How Argentine Spanish Sounds

The letters ll and y both sound like the "sh" in "show" in Buenos Aires, so calle sounds close to "cashe." The city's intonation is often linked to Italian. In casual speech, an s before another consonant often softens to a breathy h.

The Instituto Cervantes Catálogo de voces hispánicas has a Buenos Aires video with a transcript and notes on how people there speak.

Practice Argentine Spanish in Lessons

Poppy, your AI tutor, writes every Bubblegum lesson on the Argentine Spanish journey with vos and the words people use in Buenos Aires, at the level you choose.

If you'd rather take a class in Buenos Aires, Best Ways to Learn Argentine Spanish lists language schools there.

Common Questions