The Spanish spoken in Buenos Aires is unique because of the characteristics of its dialects and slang which have a strong influence from the Italian language.

Argentine Spanish, as in any other language has variations and different dialects according with the country, city or area where it is spoken. The Spanish in Buenos Aires, known as the Rioplatense Spanish which includes Buenos Aires, Montevideo (Uruguay) and Rosario is characterized by the voseo, the use of “vos” instead of “tu” which means “you” and the yeismo, which is different pronunciation of the “ll” like if it was a “y” or a “sh” in English.

The slang spoken in Buenos Aires, the lunfardo, is mainly influenced by the Italian and also by other European languages. This can be explained by the large amount of Italian immigrants that arrived to Argentina and stayed in Buenos Aires at the beginning of 20th century. A great number of porteños have Italian last names and it is common to find lunfardo in Tango Lyrics as well as to hear it used in everyday language in the streets. Some examples of the lunfardo that can be heard in Buenos Aires:

• Laburar: To work (from Italian lavoro , “work”),
• Fiaca: laziness (from the Italian fiacco -weak-),
• Morfar: To eat (from French morfer -to eat-),
• Cana: lunfardo for policeman, or the jail,
• Ciruja: Junkman one who collects (to earn a living) empty bottles, metals, cardboard,
• Mina: lunfardo for woman.
• Pebeta: lunfardo for young woman or girl.

At Expanish we teach a neutral Spanish alongside Argentine Spanish so that you will be able to understand the people you hear on the street every day, but also, you will be able to talk and understand in other Spanish speaking countries.

Have fun with your new words!

Alejandro

With a week of entertaining under your belt, planning a weekend in Buenos Aires for friends or family in town on a visit should be a piece of cake! Since Spanish classes at Expanish Spanish School in Buenos Aires take a break on the weekends, students studying Spanish in Argentina have some free time to make the most of the remainder of their guest’s visits! Take a look at how Expanish suggests spending an action packed weekend in Buenos Aires. Rest up students and travelers, you still have a lot to take advantage of!

Saturday: In any given neighborhood, on just about any weekend of the year, you are bound to find an open air market or street festival unique to whichever area you find yourself in. With so many options, it will be a difficult decision, but if you’re up for it, you could hustle to a couple different areas on a Saturday. We suggest taking the 45 minute train ride up to Tigre for the morning and early afternoon. With very inexpensive trains leaving from Retiro and Belgrano stations throughout the day, you can come and go as you please. Tigre offers a quiet contrast to downtown Buenos Aires with a weekend market featuring various foods, furniture, and arts and crafts. Once you’re there, you cannot pass up a boat ride throughout the canals of this river delta. Tigre can be done in a half day, and is close enough to the city center that you could take a trip back to get a second look when you have a little more time.  Head back to Buenos Aires to take in the Recoleta market for the afternoon and early evening. Taking place every Saturday and Sunday just outside of the cemetery, this market is a great spot to pick up gifts for friends and family back home, offering an impressive variety of paintings, jewelry, leather goods, and clothing. Recoleta market also has a good deal of green space and a nice variety of street food, so take a moment to relax, people watch, and sample some local foods while you’re there!

Sunday: There are two worthwhile street markets on Sundays in the city of Buenos Aires- the San Telmo market and the Feria de Mataderos in the Mataderos neighborhood on the outskirts of the city. Both offer an exciting scene, so we’ll leave this decision up to you and your guests! The San Telmo markets runs the length of at least 10 cobblestone blocks each Sunday, each lined with incredible antique stores and hippie artisans. Start this fair in Plaza Dorrego, where you can catch live tango shows and talented fileteado painters practicing their craft. This market runs all the way down to Plaza de Mayo, which is impressive site at night, with most buildings lit up, including the Casa Rosada and the Cabildo. If you’re looking for something a bit more traditional, check out the Feria de Mataderos, located in an outlying neighborhood an hour from the city center by colectivo. This market offers homemade foods and crafts, folkloric music and dance, and a unique presentation by actual gauchos! Learn more about this market in the Expanish Blog post, Feria de Mataderos!

Weekends in Buenos Aires are always busy, with most city dwellers taking to the streets to visit one of the many street fairs, markets, and parks. While a student studying Spanish in Buenos Aires is most likely familiar with these attractions, they simply cannot be missed when friends or family are in town. If you have not already, be sure to check out PART ONE and PART TWO of this blog post for more exciting ideas!

Learn more about Spanish language courses in Buenos Aires at Expanish!

If you are taking Spanish immersion courses in Buenos Aires at Expanish Spanish School, you have chosen an incredible time to be in Argentina- you’re experiencing the World Cup in South America! Even if you are not typically a futbol fan, or if you’re home team has already been eliminated, you better be ready to root on Argentina in their upcoming quarter-final match! After an exciting 3-1 victory over Mexico last Sunday, the city of Buenos Aires and those living throughout Argentina are ready for their team to take on Germany this coming Saturday.

In addition to Los albicelestes of Argentina and their opponents from Germany, other teams competing in the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup are Brazil, Uruguay, Ghana, Netherlands, Paraguay, and Spain. With half of the remaining teams from South America, upcoming games should be a thrill, not only for Argentina, but for the whole region! The quarter-final schedule is as follows, and the games are listed at their local Buenos Aires times.

July 2:

Netherlands vs. Brazil at 11:00

Uruguay vs. Ghana at 15:30

July 3:

Argentina vs. Germany at 11:00

Paraguay vs. Spain at 15:30

If you’re taking Spanish courses in Buenos Aires, Friday’s games may interfere with your class schedule. If so, head over to Plaza San Martin as soon as class is out to catch as much futbol action as you can! Big screens set up in Plaza San Martin, located just a few blocks from Expanish Spanish School, and Parque Centenario are playing all World Cup games for public viewing free of charge. These parks offer a much better view of the games than a packed bar, and will allow you to celebrate in the streets with fellow fans after big wins! Vamos Argentina!

Check out other unique opportunities offered to students studying Spanish in Argentina through Expanish Spanish School in Buenos Aires!

Attention foreign students studying Spanish in Argentina: The reciprocity fee, or entrance fee, for United States citizens has been raised to $140 US dollars. This raise in fee, which went into effect on June 4, 2010, is a direct result of the US government’s recent raise on the visa fee it charges Argentine citizens to enter the United States. This fee is equal to what an Argentine would pay to acquire a visa to visit the US.

While a nuisance, this fee will last 10 years, or the life of the passport. Argentina announced last year that it would begin charging visitors a fee if their countries of citizenship charge Argentine citizens to enter their countries. Hey, it’s only fair! This statement currently applies to students studying Spanish in Buenos Aires from the US, Canada and Australia. For now, Canadian and Australian fees have remained the same, at $70USD and $100USD, respectively. Unlike the US fee, the Australian and Canadian fees must be paid each time those citizens enter the country of Argentina. This fee is collected upon arrival at Ezeiza International Airport, and can be paid in US dollars, Argentina pesos, with credit cards, or travelers checks.

This fee should not come as a huge shock to US travelers or US students studying Spanish in South America, as Argentina is not the first country in the region to charge US citizens a fee upon entry.  Chile, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Brazil currently place a fee on visas and/or entry by air. To learn more about this fee and others, visit the US State Department’s website for country specific information.

Learn more about Spanish immersion courses at Expanish Spanish School in Buenos Aires!

If you are studying Spanish in Argentina at Expanish Spanish School, chances are family and friends will do their best to visit you in the incredible city of Buenos Aires while you are here. While it would be hard to find yourself without something to do in Buenos Aires, planning an itinerary for your visitors can be quite a task! Expanish Spanish School in Buenos Aires has put together a week long itinerary to help get you started—and trust us, this plan has been recently tested and approved! Today, we’ll give you ideas for the beginning of the week, and we’ll update you later on this week with the rest of your itinerary. Be sure to check back with the Expanish Blog!

Monday: If it is your visitors first day in Buenos Aires, do not feel silly taking them on a more touristy route! Just because you pass by the Casa Rosada every day does not mean they do not want to see it! Start up at Plaza del Congreso and continue down Avenida 25 de Mayo. Stop in at the famous Cafe Tortoni for a coffee and finish up your walk in Plaza de Mayo in front of the Casa Rosada. If you’re up to it, walk on over to Puerto Madero to show your guests a more modern side of Buenos Aires. Being on the water is a refreshing break from the stuffy city streets, and the Puente de la Mujer is a site to be seen! At night, hit up Konex for a live music show. Currently, you can catch the creator of La Bomba del Tiempo’s new show, Santiago Vasquez y La Grande!

Tuesday: Take the ferry over to Colonia, Uruguay for the day. Colonia is a peaceful contrast to the busy Buenos Aires streets, and we’d be willing to guess your visitors have never visited the country of Uruguay before. Rent a go-cart and take a ride up the coastline, and take a quick bus ride up to Bodega Bernardi on Route 1 to taste some Uruguayan wine and grappa!

Wednesday: Take on the beautiful Palermo parks for the day. Stop in at MALBA or Museo Bellas Artes on the way for a bit of culture and a coffee. The street’s surrounding the rose garden are closed all weeklong, so it makes for a great walk, and roses are still in bloom—even with temperatures dropping! The Japanese botanical gardens offer a tranquil environment for your guests and the Japanese restaurant onsite offers some of Buenos Aires’ best sushi overlooking the gardens! If you’re group wants a taste of the Buenos Aires nightlife, Wednesday’s After Offices across the city are a fun take (and they don’t finish as late as weekend nights, so you’ll still be up for anything on Thursday morning!). Try out Terrazas del Este on Costanera Norte—with water views and an incredible space, its sure to impress your friends!

While you may not have time to take a break from your Spanish immersion courses in Buenos Aires during the week, your friends will appreciate the itinerary you have planned, and you can always join them in the afternoons! Do not forget to check back with the Expanish Blog for the second half of the week’s schedule for your visitors—they will thank you!

Learn more about Studying Spanish in Argentina at Expanish Spanish School!