I’ve been having great conversations with my Irish student Shane, who’s lived in Argentina for over a year. Some weeks ago we were discussing the meaning of VIVEZA CRIOLLA and thought it’s quite an interesting concept to grasp.
VIVEZA CRIOLLA is in essence the wit of the Argentinian people, as seen in our ability to:
- find unconventional solutions to problems, but also and most commonly
- to take advantage of certain contexts to outsmart the other person/others.
It’s a mix of resourcefulness, shrewdness, and adaptability that can be seen in various contexts, from the taxi driver who charges a different fare to a tourist, to the civil servant who finds himself in an advantageous position and knows he/she’ll get away with it.
Believe it or not, explaining it the first time was not as easy and transparent as it reads in this post, but that’s the whole point of Venture Out!
EDIT: A brazilian student told me in Brazil they have jeitinho brasileiro to refer exactly to this!
Hope this post helps you navigate Argentinian traits,
Until next time!
You might also want to read these articles:
- On Huevos and PelotasRich metaphors await to those who dare to read this post.
- False expectations are deadlyIn language learning, false expectations can do real damage. Here’s why patience and perseverance win the race.
- Argentinian Spanish vs Mexican SpanishIn the past, I compared Argentinian Spanish to Peninsular Spanish and Uruguayan Spanish. Here’s the long due AR / MX comparison.
- Cognates and False FriendsLearn about cognates and false cognates so they don’t surprise further down in your Spanish learning journey.
- 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.