Brief Dictionary of Argentine Words. Letter D, from Da to Duro

You don't wanna deschavar yourself when you travel to Argentina, letting everybody know you're not local. Don't know what deschavar means? OK, continue reading (and listening to the examples) and you will know.

Wow, already on the fourth letter of the alphabet! It's a lot of work compiling this dictionary, but it is truly rewarding. Hope you enjoy reading it as much (or more) as we do writing it. So, on with the argentine words starting with letter D.

Dar (verb)

The official meaning of dar is to give. But in Argentina, if something da it means that it is perfectly adequate or timely for something. It usually applies to a situation, for example, the phrase da para una birra means that the current situation is perfectly adequate to have a beer.

Example: re da para una siesta.
Meaning: now, a nap would be more than adequate.

Note: the term re in the example above gives emphasis to what follows, as we will explain later.

Brief Dictionary of Argentine Words. Meaning of Che

The expression “che” deserves a special chapter in our Brief Dictionary of Argentine Words (BDAW), for a couple of reasons: first, because it is a slang word with tricky meanings and usage, and second, because it is almost a trademark of argentine culture.

What does che mean in Argentina?

If you spend some time in Argentina, particularly in Buenos Aires, you will notice that the slang word che is mostly used in argentine spanish to call someone’s attention. Just as you use hey in english. But you will not say che to just anyone. You need to be really familiar with the person to call him or her che. Otherwise it can be taken as a lack of respect.

In Buenos Aires, when talking in argentine spanish, you also use the slang word che followed by the name of the person, as in these examples:

Che, Gerardo, escuchame una cosa…
Meaning: Hey, Gerardo, listen to me...
Che, María, convidame un mate por favor.
Meaning: Hey, María, give me a mate, please.

Click on the audio track to listen to the examples:


As a vocative, che is frequently followed by an imperative, an order, as in the previous examples.

Che can also be used to call the attention of a bunch of people. For example:

Che, escúchenme, que tengo algo importante que decirles.
Meaning: Hey, guys, listen to me, I have something important to tell you.

Click on the audio track to listen to the example:

Brief Dictionary of Argentine Words. Letter C, from Caño to Cuento

What would you do if you’re walking the streets of Buenos Aires and, suddenly, a taxi driver says to you: “capo, no seas careta y subite a este caño”?

With the aid of this Brief Dictionary of Argentine Words (BDAW), you will know he is regarding you as a master (capo) and telling you his cab is a nice piece of machinery (caño) and, if you’re not pretentious (careta), you should hop in.

Below you can read the rest of the definitions for argentine words starting with the letter C. Hope you find them useful!

Caño (noun)

A nice, modern, durable, powerful piece of machinery. This word is commonly used to refer to a car, a motorcycle, a computer or whatever thing its owner can be proud of.

Example 1: Me compré un auto nuevo. ¡No sabés, es un caño!
Meaning: I bought a new car, you should see it, it’s amazing!

Example 2: Esta impresora se la re-banca, es un caño.
Meaning: This printer endures anything, it’s a workhorse.

Brief Dictionary of Argentine Words. Letter B, from Banda to Bulto

If you are planning a trip to Argentina, it is not enough to learn to speak Spanish. You must know the slang, if you want to hide your tourist status when you talk to Argentinos. To help with that, I am writing this brief dictionary of Argentine words (BDAW), an essential compendium of words, with their definitions and sounds, ideal for any traveler who plans to visit the lands of Tango.

Today, we are covering words that start with the letter B: from Banda to Boleta.

Banda (noun)

An awful lot, a huge amount of something. Also (and more traditionally), a band, a gang, a group of people, such as a group of old school friends. Let’s see the examples for this two definitions:

Banda: Huge amount of something.
Example: ¿Hay suficientes chorizos para todos? Sí, hay una banda.
Meaning: Are there enough chorizos for everyone? Yes, there are many.
Banda: Group of people.
Example: Llegó la banda, ¡que empiece la fiesta! 
Meaning: The gang is here, let’s get this party started!

Brief Dictionary of Argentine Words. Letter A, from Agitar to Arrugar

There are certain spanish words that have a different meaning in Argentina than they do in any other spanish-speaking country, so no dictionary or translation app will be of any help to understand argentine slang. That’s why we start building here our Brief Dictionary of Argentine Words (BDAW), a must-have compendium of words, with their definitions and sounds, ideal for any traveler who plans to visit the lands of Tango.

In this first installment we start with the words beginning with the letter A: from Agitar to Arrugar. For each word we explain its meaning and show a couple of examples. Below each example there's an audio clip you can click to hear how it is spoken in argentino, along with its meaning in english.

UPDATE - I've been told that many of these words are also common in Mexico, so if you change your route and turn to the land of tequila, this dictionary could also come in handy.

Agitar (verb)

The normal translation of agitar is shake. But in Argentina it is commonly related to cheering or bullying activities, according to this two definitions:

Agitar: Cheer with enthusiasm.
Example: Vamos muchachos, no paren de agitar.
Meaning: Come on guys, don’t stop cheering.
Agitar: Incite, generate a climate of tension, bother, threaten.
Example: Le pegaron por que estuvo agitando desde que llegó.
Meaning: They hit him because he was bothering since he arrived.