The names of money

Although dinero is the regular word for money, it is less used than the more familiar plata (silver). These are the words you are likely to hear in the street:
* plata (money)
* guita (money)
* vento (money, tango slang)
* un mango (a buck)
* un sope (reversed Peso)
* una luca : $ 1,000


In context:
Necesito plata.
Ana tiene mucha guita.
No tengo un mango / un sope.
Gasté dos lucas en una guitarra.

Onda coloquial

The waves of the sea are called olas; the other waves, those which vibrate in and around us, are known as ondas. Some popular expressions with ondas are:

De onda (out of good will)
Buena / mala onda. (good / bad vibes)
¿Qué onda? (what's up? what about ...?)
Onda intelectual. (intellectual style)

How to use them:

Lo hago de onda.
Me gusta la gente con buena onda.
¡Qué mala onda!
a. Encontré un trabajo.
b.¿Sí? ¿Qué onda?

Excuse my French

In Spanish, when you want to refer to something like a wind travelling in your belly, you say pedo. This ungracious little word is seldom used alone but it has become part of a series of phrases that occur with incredible frequency.
For example:
* estar en pedo: be drunk / crazy
* estar al pedo: be useless
* de pedo: by sheer chance
* ni en pedo: no way

How to use them:
* Marcos está en pedo.
* Estuve al pedo toda la tarde. (doing nothing)
* Tuve un accidente y me salvé de pedo.
* - ¿Vas a ir a la fiesta esta noche?
- Ni en pedo.

Advice: if you're trying to sound refined, don't use them.

Colloquialisms

For the newcomer making head or tail of local terms is not an easy task. Here are a few tips to help you understand some Argentine slang:

un boliche: un night club (a disco)
una birra: una cerveza ( a beer)
un bondi: un colectivo (a bus)
un faso, un pucho: un cigarrillo (a cigarette)
un mango: un peso (a peso)
una mina: una chica ( a girl)
un flaco, un tipo: un muchacho (a guy)
un kilombo: un lío (a mess, a fuss)

These words are only used in informal communication. None of them is offensive.

The mystery of beef cuts

Anywhere in the world a steak is a steak. Not in Argentina. A steak or bife can be different things:

Bife de lomo is sirloin.
Bife de chorizo is a steak cut off the rib.
Bife de costilla is a T-bone steak.

After the bife de chorizo, the most popular cut in a parrilla (steakhouse) is the tira de asado, a thin strip of rib, usually grilled. A proper parrillada starts with chorizo, a thick, rather fat, tasty sausage and morcilla, a blood sausage which is a delicate morsel despite its looks. Vacío is another must in a parrillada, it's flavorsome and juicy though not always tender.
If you like your beef rare, ask for it jugoso; if medium, ask for it a punto and if you like it well-done, say bien cocido.

The names of coffee

Photo: Soledad Ianni

The news that caffein is bad for the health doesn't seem to have reached Argentina so decaf is not always available in public places (a good excuse to enjoy the flavour and aroma of the real thing). When ordering a coffee you have these basic options:

un café................. black coffee
un cortado ............ coffee with a dash of milk
una lágrima ........... milk with a few drops or
tears (lágrimas) of coffee.
un café con leche .... a big cup of coffee and milk

café liviano ........... light coffee (more watery)
café fuerte ........... strong coffee

chico .................. small cup (photo)
americano,
en jarrito ............. twice that size