Argentina, (officially Argentine Republic; Spanish Republica Argentina) is a large, elongated country in the southern part of South America, neighbouring countries being Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay to the north, Uruguay to the north east and Chile to the west. In the east Argentina has a long South Atlantic Ocean coastline.
Argentina is one of the most popular countries to study Spanish abroad where you can enjoy great value for money tuition and see spectacular places in your free time. Learn more about the local Spanish in Argentina, the top places to study and more.
Learn Spanish in Argentina
The official language of Argentina is Spanish but people usually speak it with regional dialects, Castellano Rioplatense (Rioplatense Spanish), better known as Argentino, is subtly different from both the language of Spain and that of Central America.
Most notably, the pronoun tu is replaced by vos, and the you plural pronoun vosotros replaced with ustedes, the latter being common throughout Latin America. Additionally there are separate verb conjugations, sometimes significantly different for irregular verbs in present tense and informal commands. People from each city pronounce words differently too! In this way, people from Buenos Aires speak differently compared to those from Spain and other Spanish speaking countries; example: chicken in Spanish (pollo) is pronounced PO-zhO or PO-SHO by the Porteños (residents of Buenos Aires), with the SH sound harder than in spaniards speakers; unlike most other Spanish speakers of South America who pronounces it PO-yo.
The Argentine accent evinces heavy Italian influence from the large influx of Italian immigrants. Hand gestures derived from Italy are extremely common, and many colloquialisms are borrowed from Italian (for example: instead of saying cerveza, which means beer, young argentineans find birra cooler, which is in italian). Most locals can readily understand most Spanish dialects, and Portuguese or Italian if spoken slowly. English is mandatory in high school and usually understood in at least a basic level in touristy areas. German and French can be understood and to some extent spoken by small fractions of the population. A few places in Patagonia near Rawson have native Welsh speakers. Words borrowed from aboriginal languages include: quechua, guarani, mataco, che, mate and others.
The interjection che loco are extremely common and mean approximately the same as English hey!. It can also be employed as a phrase known to someone you don’t remember their names. Ex: Oíme, Che,…. Sometimes it is peppered through out the speech, similar to the English phrase you killa man. Nonetheless, communication will not be a problem for any Spanish speaker.
Argentines will communicate with each other using lunfardo, a street dialect or slang. It is used together with Spanish by replacing nouns with their synonyms in lunfardo. As opposed to changing the original meaning, it just makes the phrase more colourful. An important aspect of lunfardo is that it is only spoken. For example, one knows the word dinero (money), but may use the word ‘guita” in order to refer to the same things. Lunfardo is composed of about 5,000 words, many of which do not appear in the dictionary.
Spanish Courses in Argentina
Schools give you the option to take group classes with a maximum of usually 7 students and offer levels from basic to advance. Learn Spanish by participating in different cultural and social activities promoted by the school as well as tours and volunteering projects.
Spanish programmes have a communicative approach. Spanish is presented in simple everyday exchanges. Schools aim at people who need the language to interact in their work environment or who simply wish to break down the idiomatic barriers to experience the true flavour of communication.
The Spanish taught is what is currently spoken in Argentina, which enables students to communicate in any Spanish speaking environment. Students will receive a certificate/diploma on completion of a course.
Popular Places to Study
Most reputable language schools are located in the larger cities and tourism areas including:
- Buenos Aires
- Córdoba
- Rosario
- Mendoza
- San Miguel de Tucumán
- La Plata
- Mar del Plata
- Salta
- Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz
- San Juan
Learn Spanish in Buenos Aires
The capital city of Argentina is a perfect backdrop for the study of language and culture, as well as a fascinating cultural destination. Buenos Aires is one of the nicest cities of South America and has a stunning skyline.
Most schools are located in downtown Buenos Aires, surrounded by museums, theatres, restaurants, bars, cafes, banks, cinemas, bookstores, and shopping areas. You can study close to almost all the interesting places and tourism attractions you need to see.
There’s a whole world of things to see and explore in this city: by walking along its streets you’ll find parks and sculptures, open-air music shows, and Carnival-like parades and celebrations. Don’t miss this chance to learn and practice your Spanish while living in a truly enjoyable and beautiful city.
Studying in Argentina FAQ
Teachers
The instructors have extensive experience in teaching Spanish as a second language and will provide an immersion program that includes courses in grammar with a program of culture and communication. Some teachers have university and Masters’ degrees in Education or Literature. Many also hold postgraduate degrees and are professors for locals at the best local universities.
Accommodation
Students can stay in private homes as part of homestays. You can also rent a flat, or choose to stay at a hotel. Schools can arrange accommodation to suit all tastes.
Feedback & Reviews
“We arrived in Buenos Aires without talking a word of Spanish. There are many spanish schools here and you are so happy we chose Spanish Uruguay ! They offered the best price for an intensive course, and teach only in small groups. The lessons are very practical, based on everyday life situations, which allows you to be able to speak spanish within a few days… That was exactly what we were looking for ! Plus we got to learn a lot about the culture and had a lot of fun during the lessons. Our teacher Andrea is a very nice person, very friendly, patient, helpful and fun to learn with. After 3 weeks of lessons we feel ready enough to go travelling around South America. The course was very necessary, we are grateful to Andrea for all we know now : spanish and a lot more about Argentina !! Muchas gracias and hasta luego.” – Amelie & Juergen