Hiding everyday phrases in similar sounding words is a perfect demonstration of how much fun we can get from our native language.
Don’t believe me? Read the words below and tell me if you’d have guessed!
I know these phrases to be fairly common in casual conversation in Argentina. I’m not sure they could be heard in other Spanish speaking countries, too.
Porfis = Por favor | Please
Holis = Hola | Hello
Todo viento = Todo bien | All good
¿Y Johnny/Yolanda? = ¿Y yo? | And me?
¿Y Esteban? = ¿Y este? | And this one?
¿Y Boston/Bosnia? = ¿Y vos? | And you?
¿Qué acelga? = ¿Qué hacés/hacen? | What’s up?
¿Qué talco? = ¿Qué tal? | What’s up?
Graciela = Gracias | Thank you
Un mateico = un mate
¿Segurola? = ¿estás seguro? | Are you sure?
Gratarola = Gratis | Free
No pasa naranja = No pasa nada | No problem
Zafaroni = Zafar | To get away with it
Ojota = Ojo | Be careful/Look at that
Hojaldre = Ojo | Be careful/Look at that
Careli = Caro | Pricey
Caripela = Cara | Face
Messi = Me sirve | Works for me
And so? What do you think? Have you spotted a favourite one?
Let me know in the comments,
Happy Spanish learning,
You might also want to read these articles:
- CancherearDive into the nuances of the word ‘canchero’ and how ‘cancherear’ can make or break a moment.
- Hacer una vaquitaI’m not going to argue how ridiculous this phrase may sound at first. Let me just tell you what it means in Argentina.
- Pizza in ArgentinaAn appreciation post dedicated to pizza—specifically, Argentine-style pizza.
- Put your pen to inkDo you need some motivation and ideas to do some writing practice in Spanish? Click right here!
- The Paradox of ChoiceToday, I want to introduce the concept of paradox of choice, and show you how it’s detrimental to your progress.
- Argentinian Spanish Input (part 1)In this post, I included podcasts you can try to leverage your learning with natural input.