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If you’re coming to Argentina for FIDI Buenos Aires 2027, there’s one thing you should probably know before you arrive: we do, technically, speak Spanish. But… not exactly the Spanish you learned in school.

In this issue, we’re taking a little detour into the wonderfully chaotic world of Rioplatense Spanish—the language of part of Argentina and Uruguay, where Italian, slang, sarcasm, dramatic hand gestures, and an impressive tolerance for linguistic chaos somehow came together and said, “Yep, this works.”

Rioplatense Spanish is the wonderfully chaotic version of Spanish spoken mainly in Argentina and Uruguay. Technically, it’s Spanish. In practice, it’s Spanish, Italian, sarcasm, hand gestures, emotional damage, and a little bit of “what the hell are you talking about?” thrown into a blender. It comes with voseo, a very distinctive accent, and that famous “sh” sound in words like “yo” and “lluvia”.

Then you’ll come to the convention for work—or laburo, as we call it. You might walk up to someone and say, “Che, could we have a quick meeting?” Hopefully, the whole thing won’t turn into a quilombo. And if we have something to tell you, don’t worry—we won’t chamuyar you. We’ll tell you straight.

And, of course, boludo—a magical word that can mean “dude,” “bro,” “idiot”, “my friend,” or “I love you, you absolute moron,” depending on facial expression, volumen and context.

And if you’re still confused about “boludo,” don’t worry — Robert De Niro himself is here to explain it. Yes, that Robert De Niro! Watch his masterclass!

Italian immigration also left its fingerprints all over the language, especially the rhythm, the gestures, and our world-class ability to turn “the restaurant is out of fries” into a five-minute emotional performance. And then you have “dale”, arguably the Swiss Army knife of Argentine Spanish. “Dale” can mean “sure,” “let’s go,” “hurry up,” “okay,” “come on,” “fine,” “whatever,” or “for the love of God, just do it already.”

Sarcasm is another core feature: an Argentine can tell you “Qué lindo…” (how nice) while staring at a disaster and somehow expect you to understand that they mean the exact opposite.

Basically, if English is a language, Rioplatense Spanish is a language with a personality disorder and a Netflix subscription.

Argentine Body Language: When Your Hands Do the Talking

If you think Argentinians communicate only with words, think again. In Argentina, a conversation is rarely just a conversation. It’s more like a low-budget Broadway production where hands, eyebrows, shoulders, eyes, and head movements all have speaking roles.

And sometimes, the gesture is the message.

An Argentine can say “¿Qué?” while bringing all five fingers together, raise an eyebrow to express disbelief, wave a hand to tell you to hurry up, or look across the room and communicate an entire paragraph without saying a word.

For foreigners, this can be fascinating — and occasionally confusing. The same gesture can mean completely different things depending on the context, facial expression, tone, and timing.

Argentinians don't just talk with their hands. We complain, negotiate, express disbelief, give directions, tell people to hurry up — and occasionally judge an entire situation — with them.

There’s another difference visitors may notice: Argentinians tend to be more physically expressive in social interactions. A kiss on the cheek, a warm hug, a touch on the arm while talking, or standing a little closer during a conversation can feel completely natural here. What might seem unusually familiar to a visitor from a culture with more personal space is often simply our way of being friendly and engaged.

So keep an eye on the hands. And the eyebrows. Actually… just keep an eye on the whole person.

Argentine Wisdom, Lost in Translation

What we say, what it literally means, and what you'd actually say in American English.

Argentine sayings are not always easy to translate. Sometimes the words involve crocodiles, peaches, cows, wallets, or wooden knives—and somehow they still make perfect sense to us. Here are five classic Argentine expressions, their wonderfully strange literal translations, and the closest equivalents you might hear in American English.