For the purposes of this post, my goal is to share some things about Argentina that you may not know if you've never been here. In this post, I'll be sharing things that are more like everyday differences I see here rather than answering questions like, "What is the education system like?". Therefore, the things I share are all simply my own personal observations. I want to do my best not to generalize too much. Some generalization is probably inevitable just because I'm human. I have tried to add qualifiers where appropriate, but it is likely that I may have missed a spot or two. Keep in mind that my placement/location in Argentina and my experience here are likely very different than someone living in the north or west or inland or in a bigger city, so take a lot of this with a grain of salt.
The beso
In Argentina, many people greet each other with one beso. I, however, learned on my trip to the northeast (to Corrientes and Chaco) that, apparently, this is not universal and that people in some parts of Argentina use two besos. Besos are kisses and in this circumstance, kisses on the cheek. To engage in the one beso of Puerto Madryn, you touch (your faces actually touch...it's not the air kisses you might be thinking of) right cheeks (always right cheek) and basically kiss the air behind the person's ear. For those curious, it's a rather quick exchange, quick face touch. One does not linger. This is frequently done when you first see someone and when you say goodbye. From what I understand, the beso is like the final goodbye. If you beso, then you're interaction is over.
I am still trying to get the hang of the beso because it's, honestly, a little confusing to me sometimes. I have been in a few awkward encounters where I go for the beso, but the other goes for a hug. In others, I've gone for a hug and have awkwardly ended in a beso exchange. The former is definitely more awkward than the latter in my experience because beso hand placement is not the same as hug hand placement, and your hand ends up getting awkwardly squished in the hug. These two exchanges don't even include the beso-hug combo, which is exactly what it sounds like, a beso exchange followed by a hug, which is actually pretty common I've discovered.
I have also been trying to figure out when the beso occurs (outside of simply greeting friends) and have, thus, not been comfortable initiating...Actually, as of recently, I've gotten much more comfortable with it. I started writing this blog back in June, and, now, in September, I feel much less awkward about initiating a beso. I have also gotten better at spotting beso time. I am now always on the look out for the beso cheek. I don't know quite how to explain it, but, sometimes, someone will just slightly move their right cheek in your direction, which indicates that they are initiating the beso.
This, of course, differs by one's personality and comfortability. However, from my understanding, it is pretty common to give the beso to people you interact with frequently, in addition to close friends and family. For example, I do the beso when I get to my mediation classes, ceramics classes, and the gym (not with everyone at the gym lol...IMAGINE...but with the trainer who is always there). At school, it's a little less common, especially if we are in class, but if I see any of my classmates or teachers (like Sol, Sonia, or Ceci) outside of school, the beso is exchanged. While they most commonly occur with people you see often, I have found it not uncommon to be introduced to a friend of a friend and be greeted by them with the beso...never to see that person again. With that being said, you would probably get a pretty weird look if you tried to greet the cashier at the grocery store with a beso.
However, from what I've heard, the beso culture has changed a little due to the pandemic. For some, the beso may not be quite as commonplace and may stick their knuckles out for a fist bump rather than a beso, especially if they are first getting to know you.
Speaking of the beso and hugs, people here, from my experience, are a liiiittle more touchy then a lot of people in the U.S. (granted, this isn't very difficult heehee). What this doesn't look like is random people walking up and hugging you. What this does sometimes look like are hugs from people you interact with frequently on days that aren't just special occasions, as well as more casual arm and/or back touches when you're chatting than you may be used to. In other words, your personal space bubble is popped more frequently. I've heard that in the south of the country, people are traditionally a little colder (just how we often think of people who live in the Northeast of the U.S.); however, relatively speaking, they are still warmer and touchier than most people I know in the U.S., so it is still a change. I didn't really mind the change, though. Sol has even joked that I fit in pretty well since I haven't shied away from the besos, hugs, etc.
Ultimately, since I am an extranjera, the people I most frequently interact with know that the beso and extra hugs are kind of new for me. I know they, in particular, aren't going to be insulted or fussy if I don't initiate a beso at the right time, if I go for the hug instead, or if I end up just standing awkwardly unsure of what move to make...I say this but just last night I awkwardly didn't go in for the beso with Sonia and Sol and Ceci teased me about it. You get the idea, though. They would never have messed with me in month one.
The language
In U.S. Spanish classrooms, the Spanish that is taught is, traditionally, pretty neutral (whatever that means), often with a hint of words from Mexico and Spain and/or a slight tinge of the teachers' accent/slang, if they happen to be native speakers. My Spanish is a combination of the Spanish I learned in my classes through elementary school, middle school, and high school; my classes in college; and my time in Granada, Spain. My time studying abroad in Granada was the first time I spent a significant amount of time in a Spanish-speaking country and the first time I spent a significant amount of time listening to and using Spanish as a means to actually communicate. Therefore, I was very malleable and absorbed quite a bit of the Granadino accent and slang. This made things a little difficult when I got here because, just like English, the Spanish language varies (a ton) depending on the country and even the region within a country! You know how you may struggle to understand the Scottish accent in the series, Derry Girls, or may not really know what a phrase from Australia means? Spanish accents and words are pretty similar in that they vary so much!
Maybe you have heard people say Barcelona like Barthelona? That is part of what is considered the Spain accent. All z's and c's that sound like z's are pronounced with a th sound. While I didn't really pick this up, I did use it when saying gracias (grathia), so as not to stand out as much in shorter interactions at like stores, let's say. Where I was, in Granada, people also very rarely said their s's, hence "Lehlie" instead of Leslie. Another thing that I did pick up was the use of the present perfect tense, as opposed to the past simple, for example. That is the "I have eaten" (vs. I ate) and "What have you done today?" (vs. What did you do today?). Present perfect, in Granada especially, was used almost in place of the past simple. In Spanish, verbs in this present perfect tense end in -ido or -ado. In Granada, the letter d in these conjugations, in particular, was removed or only barely spoken.
An example of a conversation I may have had:
What have you done today?
I have eaten and have gone to the gym.
What was said (if you're trying to sound it out, remember that the h in Spanish is silent and the g sounds like an h). If you can't read Spanish, that's okay. I'm just trying to show how these sentences may be written in one way but sound different when actually spoken (to me, of course, when I was in Granada):
Qué has hecho hoy?
He comido y he ido al gimnasio.
What it sort of sounded like:
Qué ha hecho hoy?
He comio y he io al gimnasio.
Another special thing about Spanish in Spain is the use of the pronoun, vosotros, which essentially means y'all. This pronoun is only used in Spain. Because Spanish is a Latin language, different pronouns have different verb conjugations. For example, if I were to conjugate the verb comer (to eat):
I eat: yo como
You eat: tú comes
he/she/they/you formal: él/ella/elle/usted come
we eat: nosotros comemos
they/you all: ellos/ellas/elles/ustedes comen
Thus, as you may have guessed, vosotros comes with its own verb conjugation with endings of -áis, -éis, and -ís.
For the verb comer then:
y'all eat: vosotros coméis
Another example,
What do you all think?
In not Spain: ¿Qué piensan ustedes?
In Spain: ¿Qué pensáis vosotros?
I didn't actually realize I had picked this up until I got here to Argentina and found myself using this conjugation. Just the other day I asked a group of people ¿Qué queréis? without even thinking. I've realized that ustedes, the "you all" is not natural for me to conjugate. I have to think about it quite a lot if I want to use it.
Now, with all of that Spain and Granada Spanish in my brain, I came here.
One unique part of some Argentine accents where I am, in particular, is how the y and the double L (ll) are pronounced. Many of the people in the southern parts of Argentina, like Puerto Madryn, where I live, have a porteño accent, which means their accent is similar to those in Buenos Aires (people in other parts of Argentina have slightly different accents). This means that many people in Puerto Madryn pronounce the y and ll (both normally pronounced like the y in English) with a sh sound.
For example:
My name is Leslie.
Me llamo Leslie.
What I learned to say: Yo may yahmo Leslie.
What many would say where I am: Sho may shahmo Leslie.
Once people start speaking quickly, the words sound completely different!
Another difference is the vos, which is used in place of tú, or you, here. Naturally, this pronoun also comes with its own conjugation. For this conjugation, you basically just remove the -r of the infinitive and add an accent to the final letter
(-a, -e, or -i).
For example: You talk (verb = hablar)
What I learned: Tú hablas
In Argentina: Vos hablás
However, there (of course) is an irregular, the verb ser (to be). In this case:
What I learned: Tú eres
In Argentina: Vos sos...¿De dónde sos?
The difference isn't super drastic, but it is just enough to change the rhythm of the conversation. The change is a little more noticeable for stem-changing verbs (for those of you who studied Spanish). With vos, you do not change the stem of the verb, which make things a little bit easier, if you were to ask me. I, personally, like the mouth feel of these conjugations better because they roll off the tongue a little easier.
For example: You can (verb = poder)
What I learned: Tú puedes
In Argentina: Vos podés
I won't bore you with too many more differences, but, for those interested, the use of vos also changes the way some imperatives (commands) are conjugated and accentuated (decíme vs. dime and mirá vs. mira).
Another change that makes me stand out a bit here in Argentina is the use of the present perfect. In some places in Argentina, including where I am, this tense really isn't used. Instead, people use the past simple. The complete opposite of Granada. Needless to say, I have not gotten used to this. I love present perfect juuuuust a little too much.
Now, for those of you who are kind of lost at this point, don't worry. This little section was just to show you how much the Spanish language changes! We're moving on from verbs now...
What I think is almost the most striking difference here in Argentina (for me, at least) is the vocabulary. Like any language, Spanish vocabulary has evolved. Just like in English where some people say garage sale and others say yard sale, in Spanish, the vocabulary in different Spanish-speaking countries varies, as well. My favorite example of this is peanut butter.
What I learned in school: mantequilla de cacahuate
What I learned in Spain: mantequilla de cacahuete
What is used here: manteca (sometimes mantequilla or crema) de maní
Three different ways to say the exact same thing. Languages are so cool! Here's another fun example: In Spain, I picked up phrases like "joder, tío" as a vulgar expression (I'll let you look that one up) and used the verb coger, which means to grab/take. Here, joder means to mess with, and if I say I'm going coger taxi, I would probably get a few wild looks.
Some more vocab that is different:
English What is used here What I learned/used previously
bus collectivo autobus
pool pileta piscina
T-shirt remera camiseta
apartment departamento piso
avocado palta aguacate
suitcase valija maleta
corn choclo maíz
strawberry frutilla fresa
This isn't to say that if I said maleta that people wouldn't understand me. It's just that some vocabulary is much more common here.
Believe it or not, I'm not even touching the differences in the actual slang words that people use. They are completely different.
However, for fun, here are some words you might overhear in Argentina and a very brief, general description of their meanings. Just an FYI, most of these words likely have more meanings than the one I'm giving you.
che: informal; "Hey!"; can be a way to get your friends attention
boludo/a/e: informal; dude (among friends); stupid if used in a negative manner
pelotudo/a/e: similar to boludo, but I think it's more often used negatively as stupid, idiot, etc.
ponele: supposedly, sort of, kind of, let's say...e.g. I did my homework ponele (meaning not really but let's say I did)
qué sé yo (this is one of my favorites): what do I know; sometimes used as filler like "like"
dale: okay, got it, sure, yes, right, and basically just a filler word similar to "okay"
viste: you know?; right?; remember?
posta: for real, really
tal cual: used in conversations as a form of agreement; exactly, indeed
re: really, a lot, very; is often used in place of muy or mucho
un montón: a lot, a ton
onda: vibes, energy; "buena onda" is like "cool" or good vibes/energy
I'll now end the torture of linguistic analysis and leave the discussion of how much I'm actually incorporating all of this into my own Spanish for another day! :)
Nicknames
I've briefly discussed nicknames before, but I wanted to chat a little bit more about them because they are a big thing here. I definitely didn't know this initially, so when someone first called me "Les," I cringed as if someone was dragging their fingers nails down a chalkboard. I was almost offended that that person thought they knew me well enough to call me that after having just met me minutes ago. A little while after, after quite a few people called me that, I realized that nicknames are used differently here. In the U.S., I think we use nicknames in two different ways: as almost like a pet name between close friends and family and/or as what you go by all the time. I've never been big on nicknames, so I'm struggling to think of an example, but perhaps close friends may call someone named Emily, "Em." As for the latter, for example, my brother's name is Michael, but he goes by Jo and introduces himself as Jo to everyone. Jo is, effectively, his name.
Here, at least where I am, nicknames are a little different. To me, they seem like a combination of the two uses I described above. What struck me most about them is that they are used everywhere: between friends, at the gym, between classmates, by teachers, etc. These nicknames are, often, a shortened version of your name, so someone named Ludmila may be called "Ludmi" or "Lud" or "Lu" or any other variation of their name by, like I said, classmates, friends, teachers, etc. These nicknames, from what I understand and perceive, are a little less personal than what I consider nicknames and are more just friendly, less formal ways to address each other. While I may not be a fan of my own nickname, I call other people by their nicknames because I feel like it would be a little weird otherwise. If people associate their full names with something more serious and formal, I don't want to be that person making them cringe.
My nickname, then, is/would be "Les/z." Like I've said before, Sol calls me "Lezz" with my special permission (haha) because, I suppose, in this short time, I do feel like I have gotten pretty close with her as a human being. However, I, personally, am still getting used to others calling me that because I associate it with deep, meaningful connections. I'm also just not used to it, which isn't a good thing or a bad thing. It's just a thing.
Mate! Note: This sounds like MAH-teh and not mate as in checkmate.
The culture of mate is super duper big here. Mate is a type of drink, almost like tea, that is drunken out of a mate (what the drinking vehicle is called), with a bombilla (the straw), the yerba (herb/loose tea leaves, essentially), and hot, but not boiling, water. This drink is almost universal, and the art/technique and culture of mate is taken very seriously. There are unwritten rules like "don't touch the straw" that are widely followed. While often drank bitter, some people add sugar, honey, or other things to their yerba. It's definitely a bit of an acquired taste and can be pretty bitter when you first try it. Like I did with coffee, I kind of forced myself to like it, and now I genuinely like the flavor. I prefer mine bitter, but I won't object to mate with sugar added.
Part of the mate culture is sharing your mate. While this changed a bit with COVID, naturally, part of the act of drinking mate often involves sharing your mate with friends or family. What I mean here is that if I go to the beach with a friend to have mate, we don't bring our individual mate. Someone brings their mate "kit" (thermos, mate, straw, yerba), and we pass the mate back and forth. To do so, the one who brings the gear pours water into the mate, drinks it, refills it, and passes it over. The receiver keeps the mate until there is no water left and then returns it.
Mate is so universal here that you will see signs here at stores and gas stations that say that they have hot water for mate. It is not uncommon to be just about anywhere and an Argentine rolls up with their mate and thermos of water - literally on the beach, in a car, in a bus, on a plane, at work, in class, on a walk...anywhere. From what I understand, there is also no ideal time to drink mate. You can have it in the morning, afternoon, usually during merienda, at night...However, since it does have caffeine, some do cutoff the mate drinking once it starts getting late.
I have a super cute mate and straw! For those wondering, my mate is made of wood. They can also be made out of plastic or clay (like a ceramic mate), which are sometimes preferred because they do not have to be cured like the wood mates. I am a self-proclaimed mate curer expert having cured 3 mates in my short lifetime.
Las verdulerías
This one is totally random and not specific to Argentina in any way shape of form, but I thought I'd share. I blew some students' minds the other day when I told them that, in the U.S., we do not have verdulerías. In fact, I don't really even have a word for them in English. Verdulerías are small stores with the primary purpose of selling fruits and vegetables. That's it. From my understanding, they are a little cheaper and the majority of people who live here go to verdulerías to buy their produce instead of going to the grocery store. While they may sound similar, verdulerías aren't like farmers markets either. They are literally just stores for produce, and they are my favorite. We really could use some in the U.S.
Other things that happen to be different in Argentina
It is not quite as common to take your shoes off when you enter someone's house.
Dinner is pretty late! Most people in the U.S. eat dinner around 5-7. In the U.S., I ate dinner around 8-9 because of my schedule. Here, most dinner is eaten after 9:30/10pm. Breakfast and lunch times are roughly the same; however, if you go to a restaurant trying to eat dinner at 7, you're probably going to be pretty lonely in that restaurant. How do people not absolutely starve to death? You may ask (I did, too). Merienda! In English, this is roughly translated as a snack, but it's a little bit more than that. It's like a fourth meal of the day. Merienda occurs around 5-8 (the U.S. dinner time), and during this "meal," people drink mate, coffee, and/or tea and eat toast, a sandwich, fruit, yogurt, etc. This is what keeps people going until their late dinner! Another thing I think keeps people going are their more substantial lunches. Whenever I ask someone what they had for lunch, it is far more substantial than a measly pb&j. Most people seem to have actual meals for lunch and maybe something a little lighter for dinner since they eat right before bed.
Speaking of eating dinner late, "going out" also occurs quite late. If your dinner is at 10, the pre-game isn't until 1ish, and don't even think about going to the club (called boliches here) before ~2-3am unless you want to be very lonely. When going out, don't plan to leave the club before 6am if you want the whole experience. Going out is not for the feint of heart.
Another thing to get used to here is siesta. The intensity with which people adhere to the siesta varies a bit between regions and between people, in general. For example, from my understanding, some places in the north are very very serious about siesta. In Buenos Aires, however, most things remain open, and you will still see people on the streets. Here in Puerto Madryn, siesta does exist between the hours of 1-5. Of course, much of this depends on your job and what type of work you do, but many places, stores especially, close during this time. While the gym (yay), the bigger grocery stores, and a few cafes are still open, things are pretty quiet around this time block. I've learned to proceed with caution and to assume a business or store is closed at that time unless told otherwise.
Keep an eye out when walking on the sidewalks! Dogs like to poop on them.
Argentina is in the southern hemisphere, which means that summer here is winter in the U.S. It does get cold, but this depends on your location! Argentina's climate is actually kind of all over the place, so the extent of heat in the summer and cold in the winter varies drastically! For example, Corrientes gets incredibly hot in the summer and has no dry season, and most of Chubut has an arid Patagonian climate.
Another fun fact is that all of Argentina is in the same time zone, and, no, there is no daylight savings time!
If you meet someone who has had formal English instruction, they likely will have an accent that slightly resembles a British accent. That means I sound a little strange and out of place heehee. The other day in class, we were reading something aloud, and I was sitting next to Sol, and I've never been so so very conscious of my U.S. accent. I sound so crass and nasally! I've never been so aware of all of the words with the letter "r." That also means people I interact with in English often use British phrases and words that I probably wouldn't use. One of these that I find incredibly interesting is the word "bathroom." When I'm at the school and someone says they are going to the bathroom, they will say "toilet" because there isn't a bath, which makes sense, I suppose. Then there is the word "quite," which is thrown around a lot more than I'm used to. Remember, none of these differences are bad, I'm just noting some observations for those of you who aren't here with me.
Don't expect to find any drip coffee here. That's a very United Statesian thing, I think. If you go to a cafe here, expect variations of espresso! These are the types of drinks you'd likely see on a cafe menu:
There are some different hand gestures, too, as you can imagine, which I think is super cool. I'll be honest, I've picked up a few of these since I've been around people who use them! For example, to say "I don't know" (ni idea) or maybe when saying "qué sé yo," a common hand gesture is flicking your hand underneath your chin. You brush the top of your fingers on the bottom of your chin and flick them out so that your palm is facing up. You can add a little shoulder shrug while doing so if you want to be fancy. Another common hand gesture is what I consider, the stereotypical Italian gesture where you join all fingers together, palms facing up, and then you kind of move your wrist up and down. This means something along the lines of "What on earth?", "What do you mean?", or "What are you doing?". One more that is pretty commonly used is "Ojo." To do this, you just slightly pull down the skin under your eye to say "Watch out", "Be careful", "Keep an eye out", etc. This can be used in a variety of contexts including, "Ojo, there's dog poop on the ground" or "Ojo, make sure you are using the correct conjugation of x verb".
To continue my list of things, cashiers at grocery stores are can sit down and do their work. They don't have to stand for their entire shift!
I'm going to end this post by reminding you that these are things that different from what I, personally, am used to and that differences are not inherently bad or inherently good. They just are differences. Also, just because I'm stating something I've observed doesn't make it true for everyone/all of Argentina. Just like not everyone in the U.S. says y'all or owns a gun, not everyone in Argentina may do x, y, or z thing that I mentioned.
Want to know something else about Argentina? Let me know! :)
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