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 exchange rate for US dollars — usually far better than the official rate and central to daily budgeting.
¿Aceptan dólares?
ah-SEP-tan DOH-la-res
Do you accept US dollars? Many places quietly do, at a rate close to the blue.
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.