Shorten words in the Argentinian style

  • Post author:
  • Reading time:4 mins read

I don’t know if it’s some type of national rejection to longer words, but Argentinians seem to do anything in order to avoid pronouncing them.

It goes like this: when a word has three or more syllables (as long as it is a well known, frequently used word), it’s very probable that we’ll shorten them.

  • Vacas (vacaciones)
  • Finde (fin de semana)
  • Porfa (por favor)
  • Celu (celular)
  • Tele (televisión, televisor)
  • Súper (supermercado)
  • Cole (colegio)
  • Ofi (oficina)
  • Cumple (cumpleaños)
  • Zapas (zapatillas)
  • Colect (colectivo)
  • Subte (subterráneo)
  • Compu (computadora)
  • Cerve (cerveza)
  • Mochi (mochila)
  • Parri (parrilla)
  • Pelu (peluquería)
  • Tranqui (tranquilo)
  • Galles (galletitas)
  • Mic (micrófono)
  • Compli (complicado)
  • Depto (this is an insteresting case, as it’s an abbreviated form of departamento)
  • Bici (bicicleta)
  • Peli (película)

The same is true for names. In informal contexts we’ll shorten them almost immediately. Of course, there is a personal element to this. Some people prefer to ‘keep the distance’ and not be too friendly too soon. But shortening the name of the person is a sign of closeness.

  • Nicolás – Nico
  • Francisco – Fran
  • Federico – Fede
  • Rodrigo – Rodri
  • Agustín – Agus
  • Catalina – Cata
  • Romina – Romi
  • Valentina – Valen
  • Florencia – Flor
  • Lucía – Lu

I could go on forever with many more names, but go out there and see if what I’m saying is true.

Thanks for reading, and until next time!

You might also want to read these articles:

  • Memory, Ear, Intuition
    This article breaks down how ear, memory and intuition make for a killer combo in language learning.
  • Phrasal Verbs in RPS
    Have you been crafting your own list of phrasal verbs in Spanish? This is the ultimate resource to extend it and take your understanding even further.
  • Ir a los bifes
    Hungry for some new RPS idiom? Here you are, my friend.
  • My curated list of Argentinian authors
    Up for a reading challenge? Pick an author from this list and start exploring the best of Argentine literature.
  • Baader-Meinhof
    You know that experience of learning a new word and finding it multiple times afterwards? That’s Baader-Meinhoff in action.
  • Muy gasolero = Thrifty
    In this post you’ll learn why in Argentina we use gasolero to mean thrifty.

Leave a Reply