By now we know that the proper name for AR slang is Lunfardo, and that the origins of the Lunfardo lexicon lay on the successive waves of migration that arrived in the country, mainly from Italy, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Lunfardo is ubiquitous. Anything that is not purposefully said or written in a formal style will contain slang words to a greater or lesser extent. Words are pretty much like the clothes we wear. Just as clothes, for reasons which are not totally clear we tend to incorporate and use some of them more frequently (and proudly) than others.
In addition to this, Lunfardo is a peculiar mark of identity and differentiation between Argentine Spanish and other dialects of Spanish. What is crystal clear for an Argentinian might sound like a riddle for outsiders. Lunfardo is deeply rooted with a sense of belonging.
I’ve always had an interest in Argentinian slang words, but ever since I’ve looked at them from the standpoint of a language learner, they’ve become all the more attractive.
This list is incomplete, but will surely give you some new words.
NOUNS
- Birra | Beer
- Bondi | Bus
- Cana | Police
- Faso, Porro | Joint
- Pucho | Cigarette
- Guita | Money
- Mango | AR Pesos
- Laburo | Work
- Quilombo | A mess
- Macana | A complication. We like to use it as a reaction to bad news to avoid swearing: “¡Qué macana!” [“¡Qué cagada!”]
- Pavada | Something without importance, a dumb thing
- Posta | Truth
ADJECTIVES
- Boludo | Many meanings to fit in a line. Taken literally it means stupid.
- Canchero | Fancy, arrogant
- Cheto | Posh
- Chanta | Liar
- Copado | Cool
- Macanudo | Likable
- Gil | A stupid person
- Piola | Smart
- Trucho | Fake
- Berreta | Of bad quality
- Bárbaro | Great, awesome
- Posta | Real
- Groso | Cool
VERBS
- Morfar | To eat
- Bajonearse | To get depressed
- Putear | To swear
- Laburar | To work
- Afanar | To steal
- Boludear | Waste time
- Carajear | To insult someone. See this article about the word CARAJO.
- Coger | To have sex
- Garpar | To pay
- Joder | To annoy
- Truchar | To forge
- Rajar | 1. To fire someone 2. To escape
As I said, many of these words have an Italian origin, and you can read a related article about Argentine Spanish and Italian HERE.
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To learn more about these words or engage in conversation under the influence of AR Spanish, do not hesitate to hit me up to arrange a lesson.
Happy Spanish learning,
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