The Ultimate Guide to Slang in Argentina and Argentinian Slang Words

Are you traveling to Argentina and think you can get around with the Spanish you learned in school? Then think twice!

Spanish in Argentina is not only particular in the way Argentines pronounce Spanish words, Argentinian Spanish also has a lot of local Argentinian slang.

Even if you feel like you are fluent in Spanish, slang in Argentina can throw you completely off!

The good news is that with this ultimate traveler guide to Argentinian slang and slang words in Argentina, I will help you understand the basics of slang in Argentina!

After living in Buenos Aires for seven years, working in Argentina, studying at the university in Buenos Aires, and marrying an Argentine, I have learned my way around Argentinian slang.

Actually, I master Argentinian slang so well that many of my non-Argentine friends now call me “la falsa argentina” (the false Argentine).

One of the best ways to familiarize yourself with Argentinian slang words and phrases (apart from reading this post, of course!) is to sign up for a private Spanish class with a native Argentine.

Italki is a great platform for online language classes, and you can find many native Argentinian Spanish teachers there!

So, sin más vueltas (without more back and forth), let’s learn about Argentinian slang!

An Expat’s Language Guide to Spanish Slang Words in Argentina

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The Basics of Slang in Argentina

Before we dive into some particular Argentinian slang words you should know when traveling to Argentina, let’s explore some basics about slang in Argentina.

What is Slang?

Slang is often thought of as the most informal part of a language. Slang is made up of the words and phrases you’d typically use with close friends — and not the kind of language you’d bring out at your grandmother’s birthday party!

Slang usually begins as a spoken language, but over time, some slang words might become part of written language too. Especially, nowadays with so many written communication forms!

Almost every language in the world has its own slang or informal expressions. I find slang words and phrases in Spanish super fascinating.

Even though, Spanish is spoken by millions of people worldwide, each Spanish-speaking country has its own variation of Spanish. This variation is especially reflected in the local slang (just take a look at how different Cuban slang is!).

Slang in Argentina is no exception! Spanish in Argentina is so different from other forms of Spanish in so many ways, including the slang words and phrases in Argentina!

If you want to improve your Spanish, learn Spanish on italki!

How is Argentinian Spanish Different?

Spanish in Argentina is different from other Spanish-speaking countries in several ways. However, the two most common ways that Argentinian Spanish is different are:

• El Voseo – the use of “vos” instead of “tú”
• El Yeísmo – the pronunciation of “ll” (double L) and “y” as a “sh” sound.

El Voseo

The first big difference in Argentinian Spanish is the use of “vos” as the second-person pronoun instead of “tú.”

In most Spanish-speaking countries, “tú” is the word for “you” in the singular form. But in Argentina, people say “vos.”

Even the verb conjugations change! For example, instead of saying tú eres (you are), in Argentina, it is vos sos.

El Yeísmo

Another of the most well-known features of Argentinian Spanish is its unique pronunciation of “ll” and “y”.

In Argentinian Spanish, “ll” (double L) and “y” become a “sh”-sound. For example, playa sounds like plasha, and calle is pronounced cashe.

Read the Ultimate Traveler Guide to Spanish in Argentina

What is Lunfardo in Argentina?

Slang in Argentina is commonly known as Lunfardo. Lunfardo is a unique form of slang dating back to Buenos Aires in the late 1880s and early 1900s.

Lunfardo is the result of the mix of different immigrants present in Buenos Aires at the time.

During the late 1880s, Argentina and Buenos Aires, in particular, had experienced a huge inflow of especially Italian immigrants, together with Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Africans.

Therefore, the slang expression used in Buenos Aires called Lunfardo are primarily derived from Italian.

This melting pot of cultures in Buenos Aires at the turn of the century was also part of the emergence of tango in Argentina and lunfardo, a way of speaking that mixed words and phrases from other languages with Spanish.

At first, Lunfardo was mostly spoken by the working class and people in the city’s underworld.

Some theories go around whether Lunfardo started as a secret language by criminals to communicate with each other without the police understanding them. But these theories have never been confirmed.

Over time, Lunfardo made its way into everyday Spanish in Argentina. Especially, the use of Lunfardo terms and phrases in many classic tango songs pushed the popularizing of Lunfardo as Argentina’s preferred slang.

Lunfardo has a playful and inventive vocabulary. Many words are created by borrowing from other languages (mostly Italian). For example, the Argentinian Lunfardo term laburo (work) comes from the Italian word for work, lavoro.

Today, Lunfardo is an important part of Argentinian identity and culture. If you listen carefully when Argentines speak together, you are also most certain to hear some of Lunfardo’s slang words in every other sentence.

The use of Lunfardo has changed over the years. Some Lunfardo words and expressions have fallen out of use. However, many Lunfardo words are still widely used in Argentina, and new slang words and phrases have also emerged.

I will cover some of the most popular Lunfardo Argentinian slang words used today.

Vesre

Vesre is a particular part of Lunfardo, where reversing the syllables of existing words creates new words.

So, vesre means saying a word backward, and the expression itself, vesre, comes from reversing the Spanish word revés (backwards).

For example, the Spanish word mujer (woman) becomes jermu in vesre in Argentina.

Actually, jermu is a popular Spanish slang for wife in Argentina.

Sometimes the original word and the vesre-version keep the same meaning. But other times the meaning of the vesre-word changes.

The most well-known example is the word “hotel”. In the original form in Spanish, hotel means the same as in English (i.e. a tourist hotel). But in the vesre-version, it becomes telo. In Argentina, telo refers to a love hotel.

Vesre is mostly used in Buenos Aires. Some of the most popular vesre-words are also used and understood in other parts of Argentina.

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35 Argentinian Slang and Lunfardo Words For Travelers

Now let’s take a look at some of the most popular Argentinian slang words!

There are many more Argentinian slang words and phrases I could have added to the list! Here you get the 35 most common slang words I picked up after living in Buenos Aires for seven years.

Hopefully, these Argentinian words can help you better understand the Spanish spoken in Argentina on your trip!

Boludo

Boludo is one of the most used slang words in Argentina! But what does boludo mean in Argentina?

The most direct meaning of boludo in Spanish is “stupid” or “dumb“. Boludo can be used similarly to idiota (idiot) in standard Spanish.

However, in Argentinian slang boludo is also used in a friendly form where the meaning of boludo is “dude” or “mate”.

In Argentinian slang, boludo is not necessarily a bad word. It all depends on the situation and the intonation when you say boludo – and who you say it too!

When boludo is used as an insult, the intonation is hard and unfriendly. As an Argentinian insult boludo is mostly used towards somebody you don’t know or somebody you are angry at.

In an informal setting among friends with mutual respect between them, boludo is more an Argentinian way of calling for attention or filling in empty gaps in a conversation.

As a slang word among friends in Argentina, the meaning of boludo is best translated as “dude” or “mate”.

For example, Che boludo ¿a dónde vamos? would among friends in Argentina mostly be understood as “hey dude, where are we going?”.

Che boludo is a very common slang phrase to hear among younger Argentines. Che boludo in English can best be translated as “hey dude” or “hey mate”.

But the sentences Boludo ¿qué hacés? in a hard and aggressive tone on the street towards someone you don’t know would be understood as an insult.

In Argentinian slang, boludo can also be conjugated in various ways:

• Boluda (feminine) – The meaning of boluda in Argentina is the same as boludo: “dude” or “mate”. But boluda is used when you are talking to a girl or a woman. In Argentina, it is common to hear groups of girlfriends use boluda among themselves.
• Boludear (verb) – as a verb the meaning of boludear is fooling around.
• Boludez (substantive/noun) – the meaning of boludez is describing an easy and almost stupid activity or task somebody does. 
• Hacerse el boludo – translated to English the meaning of hacerse el boludo is best translated as to play dumb or play the fool.

After having lived and worked in Buenos Aires for seven years, boludo is properly the most active word in my Spanish vocabulary! Especially, when I speak with my Argentine friends – and even with my husband!

Boludo can be used in so many different ways when you first wrap your head around how to used it!

Pelotudo

In Argentina, pelotudo is one of the most used slang words! You are likely to hear pelotudo used when interacting with Argentines!

But what does pelotudo mean in Argentina?

Pelotudo is an Argentinian slang word meaning “idiot” or “asshole”.

Pelotudo is mostly used as an insult about somebody that you think is an idiot.

However, you might also hear groups of friends in Argentina use pelotudo as a nickname for each other or a way to call for attention when speaking together. In this case, pelotudo is used in a friendly playful way.

In Argentinian slang, pelotudo can also be conjugated in several different ways:

• Pelotuda (feminine) – the meaning of pelotuda is the same as pelotudo but pelotuda is used when talking to a girl or a woman. As with most Spanish words, slang words also need to be conjugated according to the gender you are talking to. Pelotuda is also a common slang word heard among groups of Argentinian women, especially younger women.
• Pelotudez (substantive/noun) – the meaning of pelotudez is doing something stupid or dumb.

There are many different situations where pelotudo might be the best word to use. But be careful when and to whom you use pelotudo. Local slang can often be misunderstood when used by foreigners.

What is the Difference Between Pelotudo versus Boludo?

Pelotudo is more of an Argentinian slang insult than boludo.

Boludo is often used as a friendly and playful way of saying “mate” or “dude.” But you cannot use pelotudo in the same friendly way. Pelotudo has a stronger negative meaning.

Many Argentines say boludo to their friends in every other sentence. Pelotudo is a bit less used in friendly settings. And if it is used among friends, it is mostly among very close friends.

Avoid using pelotudo and boludo to people you don’t know!

Re

The prefix re is one of the most popular expressions in Argentinian slang!

In Argentina, the meaning of the prefix re is similar to “very” or “really” in English.  

In Argentinian slang, re can be placed in front of almost any word where you want to intensify the meaning of the following word.

For example, está re loco in Argentina means “it is very crazy”. And está re buena la comida translates to “the food is very good”.

Personally, using re has been one of the hardest Argentinian words to stop using in Spanish after I moved from Argentina.

In Argentina, it is so normal to use re for everything all the time!

Posta

Posta is one of my absolute favorite Argentinian slang words! This Argentinian word is widely used and can be used in so many contexts!

In Argentina, the meaning posta is similar to saying “for real” or “really” in English.

In Argentina, posta is used to confirm a statement or highlight that what you are saying is real or true.

Posta is another slang word in Argentina that comes from Italian. Posta originates from the Italian word “apposta” (properly).

Most times, Argentines add posta at the end of a sentence to emphasize what they just said.

Posta can also be used as an answer to something somebody else just said similar to saying “really?” in English.

For example, if you go to a nice restaurant in Buenos Aires, you can say to your Argentine friend: El restaurante es buenisimo, posts! This would translate to: The restaurant is really good, for real!

Another example of how to use posta is as a response to something. Then it would just be posta! like “really?”.

I always understood posta as a slightly informal word in Argentinian Spanish. However, when I studied at the university in Buenos Aires, I had a teacher who used posta quite a lot in his classes when he wanted to highlight something he just said.

Mina

Mina is Argentinian slang for girl or woman.

The Argentinian word mina is usually used about a girl or a woman you don’t know or know very little, like an acquaintance.

In my experience, referring to a woman as a mina in Argentina can quickly be seen as dismissive or belittling.

The origin of mina is said to come from the Italian and the Galician word for woman. In Italian, the word for woman is femmina and in the Galician language, the word is menina.

In my opinion, you should be a bit careful about how and to whom you use mina as Spanish slang for a girl or woman in Argentina. In some situations, using mina can be taken badly!

Chamuyar

Chamuyar is a popular lunfardo word in Argentina.

In Argentinian slang, the verb chamuyar has two meanings: 

1. to convince or persuade somebody to obtain a goal by using sweet talking, confusion, and even lies.
2. to flirt with or hit on somebody – mostly, men hitting on women

Chamuyar is similar to the Spanish word charlatanear which is best translated as “faking it” or “doing a fraud”.

Chamuyar can also be used as an adjective for a person doing chamuyo. In this case, in Argentinian slang, the person is called a chamuyero.

The Argentinian word chamuyar comes from the Spanish word chamullar. According to the RAE (Royal Academy of Spanish Language), chamullar is used as another word for talk or talking in Spain.

Again, according to the RAE, in Argentina and Uruguay, chamuyar is the colloquial language for decir chamuyos or translated “saying nonsense” to convince or impress.

Joya

Joya is one of the most used sayings in Argentina!

Joya is one of the best Argentinian words to know before you travel to Argentina because you will hear it a lot and it is an easy word to add to your Argentinian vocabulary.

In Argentinian slang, the meaning of joya is like the English “great” and “perfect”.

The direct translation of joya to English is “jewel”. However, in Argentina, joya is used as a word to make a positive confirmation about something.

For example, if your friend asks ¿Queres ir al cine hoy?” (i.e. do you want to go to the movies tonight), in Argentina, you can answer Joya and it will be understood as a “Perfect” or “Yes, let’s go”.

Quilombo

In Argentinian slang, quilombo means “chaos”, “mess”, or “a mess-up”.

Quilombo is a very popular slang word in Argentina and is widely used to describe when somebody is dealing with a messy or chaotic situation.

A classic in Argentinian Spanish is ¡Qué quilombo! meaning “what a mess”.

For example, Mi casa is un quilombo meaning “my house is a mess”.

The word quilombo can also be used as an adjective for a person, un quilombrero. In this case, un quilombrero is a person constantly in trouble or searching for trouble.

Zarpado

The Argentinian slang word zarpado (or sarpado) expresses something impressive or extremely good that exceeds your expectations.

The meaning of Zarpado is best translated as “over the top”, “amazing”, or “impressive”.

For example, ¡Qué zarpado tu presentación! translates to “What an amazing presentation you did” or “Your presentation was amazing”.

You can also simply say ¡Qué zarpado! meaning “how amazing”.

Coso

The slang word coso is a brilliant and easy Argentinian word to learn!

In Argentina, coso is used for something or somebody you forgot the name of.

The best translation for coso to English would be “thingy”.

Instead of using the more common Spanish word cosa for “thing”, in Argentina, you will more often hear people say coso.

For example, pasame el coso means “pass me the thingy”.

Pedo

There are so many different ways to use pedo in Argentinian slang phrases!

If you translate the Spanish word pedo directly into English it means “fart”. But in Argentinian slang, there is so much more to the meaning of pedo!

The meaning of pedo in Argentina changes based on the phrase the word is used in and depending on the situation.

Here are some of the most common uses of the word pedo in slang in Argentina:

Ni en pedo

Ni en pedo means not a chance or no chance.

 For example, ni en pedo me junto con él (i.e. No chance I’m meeting up with him).

Estar al pedo

Estar al pedo means not doing anything useful or doing nothing. 

For example, estoy al pedo (i.e. I’m not doing anything).

Estar en pedo

Estar en pedo means to be drunk.

For example, está bien en pedo (he/she is really drunk).

De pedo

De pedo means by chance, by coincidence, or out of luck.

For example, encontré un billete de pedo (i.e. I found a note by chance).

Cargar a pedos

Cargar a pedos means to reproach or hit someone.

For example, mi mama me cagó a pedo por no lava los platos (i.e. my mum reproached me for not washing the dishes).

A los pedos

A los pedos means being really fast or being stressed or busy.

For example, llega tarde porque está a los pedos (i.e. he/she is arriving late because is very busy).

El año del pedo

El año del pedo means very long time ago, similar to hace mucho in standard Spanish.

For example, la crisis fue en el año del pedo (i.e. the crisis was a very long time ago).

Pibe & piba

In Argentina, pibe and piba are informal slang for children or young people. It is the local Argentinian way for the more standard Spanish word chico/chica.

The Argentinian word pibe means “boy”.

And the meaning of the Argentinian word piba is “girl”.

For example, el pibe se fue a la casa de la piba translates to “the boy went to the girl’s house”.

The story goes that the word pibe was first used in tango songs to refer to a boy. Like with many other Lunfardo words in Argentina, over the years, the word pibe became a commonly used word in Argentinian Spanish.

Piola

In Argentinian slang, the word piola is used as a way of saying bueno (i.e. good) or muy bueno (i.e. very good).

The meaning of piola is “very good” or “nice”.

In Argentina, piola can both be used about a person you find sympathetic or friendly or about things you find attractive or interesting.

Piola is often used in combination with the popular prefix re to highlight when there is something or somebody is very nice.

For example, me parece re piola translates into English: “he/she seems very nice”.

Dar Bola

In Argentina, the slang phrase dar bola means to give importance to, to care about, or to show interest in.

On the other hand, if you want to say that something has little importance or to ignore somebody, you simply say: no dar bola.

For example, la mina no le da bola al chamuyero would translate to “the girl ignores the sweet-talker/guy hinting on her”.

If you are in doubt about the meaning of the word chamuyero, you can find it on this list under chamuyar.

Guita

Argentinians looove Spanish slang for money and cash! Guita is just one of them!

In slang in Argentina, guita means “money” or “cash”.

While most other Spanish-speaking countries will use the Spanish word dinero for money, in Argentina, you will more often hear guita (or mango).

For example, in Argentina, you would hear people say: Tienen mucha guita meaning “They have a lot of money”.

Mango

In Argentina, another very popular slang for money is mango.

The Argentinian word mango is used as slang for both money in a border sense (like dinero). Mango is also used as slang for the Argentine peso in commercial transactions.

For example, No tengo un mango means “I don’t have any money” or “I’m broke”.

But in Argentina, you can also say: Esto cuesta 1000 mangos translating to “This costs 1,000 pesos”. 

Fun fact: The Spanish word for the mango fruit is mango in Argentina – despite mango also meaning money!

Luca

Luca is a popular Argentinian slang word for a thousand.

In Argentina, luca is mostly used to talk about money.

Un luca is slang for one thousand (1,000). In the plural, the word becomes lucas. So, 10 thousand in Argentinian slang is 10 lucas (10,000).

For example, me debes 10 lucas translates to “You owe me 10 thousand pesos”.

Hincha pelota

In Argentinian slang, hincha pelota refers to a person being very annoying or insistent on something.

The slang phrase, hincha pelota is negative. However, in some situations among friends and family, it can be used in a friendly playful tone.

In Argentina, the word hincha means fanatic football/soccer fan. So, directly translated hincha pelota becomes something along the lines of “ball fanatic”.

Canchero

In Argentinian slang, canchero is used for somebody who is good at managing a situation or has a lot of experience.

Canchero can best be understood as an expert in a certain activity.

The slang word canchero in Argentina can have a bit of a negative sound to it, depending on the situation.

Canchero is often used to describe a person showing off, who wants to stand out in front of others, and mostly who wants to look superior compared to others.

In this case, the meaning of canchero is more like “dumbass”.

For example, ¿Te haces el canchero? is best translated as “Are you trying to be a dumbass?”

The literal translation of canchero is the “groundskeeper on the soccer field”. In Argentinian Spanish, the soccer field is called cancha.

Tener facha

Tener facha is an Argentinian slang phrase used to express that somebody is handsome or good-looking.

Facha comes from the Italian word for face (= faccia). So, the translation would be something like “to have face”.

In Argentina, facha It can also be used as an adjective for a good-looking person:

• Fachero meaning a handsome man
• Fachera meaning a good-looking woman

For example, estás re fachero in Argentinian slang means “you are looking handsome”.

Flashear

In Argentinian slang, the meaning of flashear is to imagine something or be unrealistic about something.

The verb fleashear is best translated as “making it up” or “inventing”.

This Argentinian slang word can also be used as an adjective for a person who is dramatic or unrealistic about something you say:

• Flashero for men
• Flashera for women

For example, estás flasheando would translate to “you are making it up”.

Cheto

In Argentina, cheto is a slang word that means posh, stylish, or well-off.

Mostly, cheto is used about people, referring to somebody wealthy, economically well-off, or upper-class. But cheto can also be used for things or products of good quality.

In Argentinian slang, cheto can sometimes have a bit of a negative sound to it. Meaning that somebody is a narcissist or thinks they are better than the rest. 

An example of a popular Argentinian slang phrase is más cheto que un blazer, directly translated as “more posh than a blazer”. This slang expression is used to say that someone is extremely posh but not necessarily in a positive way.

Trucho

In Argentina, trucho is a slang word meaning fake or with a lack of quality. 

You might, for example, hear Argentines use billetes truchos when referring to fake pesos notes circulating in the economy.

Morfar

In slang in Argentina, morfar means “to eat“.

Whereas, the meaning of the Argentinian slang word morfi is “a meal”.

Morfar originates from the Italian word “morfa” which means mouth. 

For example, vamos a morfar means “let’s go eat” in Argentina.

Groso

In Argentinian slang, groso means “great” or “amazing”.

Groso is used in situations where you want to describe a person you think is amazing or great.

The slang word groso is conjugated according to the person you are talking about. For men, it is groso. For women, it is grosa.

For example, you might hear Argentinians say something like: ¡Que groso que sos! which translates to “How amazing you are” or “You are so awesome” 

Bondi

In Argentina, bondi is slang for bus. Bondi is especially used to refer to the city buses in Buenos Aires.

For example, say, Estoy esperando el bondi means “I’m waiting for the bus”.

Another word used in Argentina to refer to a bus is the Spanish word colectivo or micro.

Colectivo is more widely used throughout Argentina for city buses, whereas micro is mostly used for interregional buses in Argentina.

La puta que te parió

This is properly one of the strongest Argentinian slang insults, and I don’t recommend that you under any circumstances use this slang phrase yourself!

The Argentinian slang insult la puta que te parió is a favorite phrase for swearing in the streets of Buenos Aires whenever there is a conflict or disagreement.

Directly translated la puta que te parió means “the whore who gave birth to you”.

The phrase is used in all kinds of situations and for all kinds of swearing. But if you hear somebody use it you can be sure they are not happy.

Laburo

In Argentinian slang, laburo means “work” or “job”.

Laburo can be used both as a noun (a work) and as a verb (to work).

As a verb, the word becomes laburar, and you conjugate it any other Spanish verb. Check out how to conjugate laburar.

For example, if you are going to work, in Argentina you would say Voy a laburar or Voy al laburo.

¡Qué bajón!

In Argentinian slang, the expression ¡Qué bajón! means “what a bummer”.

¡Qué bajón! is used in situations where life isn’t going your way.

For example, ¡Qué bajón que no aprobaste el examen! meaning “What a bummer you didn’t pass the exam”.

Nos vemos en Disney

One of the funniest sayings in Argentinian slang is nos vemos en Disney.

Directly translated to English nos vemos en Disney means “see you in Disney”.

However, in Argentina, the meaning of nos vemos en Disney is that we are not seeing each other again or something is not going to happen.

According to Ser Argentino, one of the theories around why nos vemos en disney became an Argentinian slang phrase started in the 1990s. During that time the Argentinian peso was tied to the American dollar, and it was affordable for Argentines to travel abroad. Many Argentinian families went on vacations to Miami and Orlando and visited Disney Land.

With the 2001 crisis in Argentina, it became very expensive for Argentines to visit the U.S. and Disney Land. So, meeting up in Disney Land became something unachievable and would never happen.

So, saying nos vemos en Disney is like saying “This will never happen”.

Nos vemos en Narnia

Another Argentinian slang phrase with the same meaning of something that will never happen is nos vemos en Narnia.

Directly translated nos vemos en Narnia means “see you in Narnia”.

Narnia is (of course) the magical place in the famous book and movie “The Chronicles of Narnia” – where we will never meet. So, nos vemos en Narnia!

Estar a full

The Argentinian slang phrase estar a full means to be very busy.

In some situations, this slang phrase can also mean to be highly motivated or very focused on something. But the most common meaning of estar a full is to be busy.

For example, estoy a full el laburo means “I’m very busy at work”.

Chorro 

In Argentina, chorro is a slang word for thief.

An addition to the word chorro is motochorro meaning a thief who steals on a motorcycle.

Unfortunately, motochorros are becoming more and more common in Buenos Aires. You should be very careful with your belongings (and especially, your phone) when visiting Buenos Aires.

The motochorros operate in a way where they drive by you on the street and grab your phone or bag directly out of your hand. Read more about how to prepare for your trip to Buenos Aires!

Estar en un cumple

In Argentina, the slang phrase estar in un cumple translates to “be in a birthday party”.

However, the meaning of the Argentinian phrase estar in un cumple is to feel lost or disorientated.

The phrase is mostly used to describe somebody not understanding what is going on or what is being said.

For example, este boludo está en un cumple means “this idiot/dumbass is completely lost”.

If you want to emphasize that somebody is extremely lost you can also say: está en un re cumple.

Copado

In Argentinian slang, the meaning of copado is “cool” or “nice”.

The word copado expresses joy, happiness, or enjoyment about something or somebody.

As with many words in Spanish, copado conjugates based on the gender of the word or the person you are talking about. So, if you are talking about a girl or a woman, it becomes copada.

You can, for example, say Qué copada la mina which translates to “How cool is the girl” (mina being Argentinian slang for girl or woman).

Copado is an extremely popular slang phrase in Argentina, and you are very likely to hear it a lot!

Tener Fiaca

In Argentinian slang, tener fiaca is an informal way of saying that you are feeling lazy and want to skip a responsibility or task you need to do.

The meaning of fiaca in Argentina is “laziness”. By adding “to have” (tener), it makes it something you have.

For example, tengo fiaca means “I got really lazy”. Me da fiaca means “It makes me feel lazy” or “it makes me feel like not doing it”.

Another way to express laziness in Argentinian slang is tener paja or me da paja. This slang phrase can be used almost interchangeably with tener fiaca.

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How to Improve Your Spanish & Argentinian Slang Before Your Trip to Argentina?

Before traveling to Argentina, it’s a good idea to brush up on your Spanish skills, whether you’re a beginner at Spanish or an experienced speaker. The way Spanish is spoken in Argentina can be quite different from what you might have learned elsewhere.

Additionally, many Argentines have limited English proficiency, so improving your Spanish can be a valuable investment in your trip.

One of the best ways to enhance your Spanish is by practicing with a native speaker. You can either find a language exchange partner or use online platforms like italki, where you can connect with native Spanish-speaking teachers.

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What is your favorite Argentinian slang word? Share your thoughts and knowledge below!