Greetings
¡Hola! ¿Cómo andás?
OH-la, KOH-mo an-DAS
Hi! How's it going? Note the voseo: 'andás', not 'andas' — Argentines use 'vos', not 'tú'.
Buenas
BWEH-nas
Casual all-purpose 'hello' (short for buenos días/buenas tardes) when you walk into a shop or café.
Social
Che
cheh
'Hey / mate / dude' — the quintessential Argentine filler to get attention or address a friend. (It's why Ernesto 'Che' Guevara got his nickname.)
Dale
DA-leh
'OK / sure / go for it / let's do it.' Wildly versatile — agreement, encouragement, goodbye.
Boludo / boluda
bo-LOO-do
'Idiot' literally, but among friends it's an affectionate 'dude/mate'. Tone is everything — warm between friends, an insult to a stranger.
Quilombo
kee-LOM-bo
'A mess / chaos / a right shambles.' You'll use it constantly — for traffic, bureaucracy, politics.
Daily life
¿Cuánto sale?
KWAN-to SA-leh
How much is it? ('salir' is used for 'to cost' here, more than 'costar'.)
Money
Dólar blue
DOH-lar bloo
The parallel/unofficial dollar rate. Still quoted everywhere out of habit, but since controls were lifted in April 2025 it has tracked the official rate closely rather than beating it.
¿Aceptan dólares?
ah-SEP-tan DOH-la-res
Do you accept US dollars? Many places quietly do — agree the rate before you hand the notes over.
Food
Un café con medialunas
oon ka-FEH kon meh-dee-ah-LOO-nas
A coffee with medialunas (the sweet Argentine croissants) — the default café order.
La cuenta, por favor
la KWEN-ta por fa-VOR
The bill, please.
Emergency
¡Socorro! / ¡Auxilio!
so-KOR-ro / owk-SEE-lyo
Help! — for emergencies.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.