Language

[donquixote]

Yo creo es necesario que voy a un país de habla hispana a hablar la lengua. Soy un poco preocupado que el español hablado en la Argentina es bastante diferente que hablado en Suramérica.
I chose Buenos Aires because it is a very interesting city with a lots to discover. 101 art meusems, that should keep me occupied. Where else can you see a Jazz show and a Flamenco all in the same night?
Interesting article.
http://traveling-stories-magazine.com/2007/08/they-dont-speak-spanish-in-buenos-aires

 

[igor]

donQ, It is mentioned in Daily Url section already under Aug 24.

 

[donquixote]

Hi Igor.
Re: http://traveling-stories-magazine.com/2007/08/they-dont-speak-spanish-in-buenos-aires Your wrote

donQ,
It is mentioned in Daily Url section already under Aug 24.
That link has been deleted: Do you have any knowledge why this article has been deleted?
DQ

 

[Granadaiscool]

yo prefiero que los Gallegos hablan portena

 

[realba]

Y yo prefiero que tomes clases de español.

Preferir is a verb that suggests desire or mood and therefore takes the subjunctive.

Cuanto llevas en Argentina?

 

[syngirl]

Hey Don -- don't worry too much about the different words etc that they use here. If your spanish is of an ok level, you can usually understand in the context of the sentence.
The big difference you'll notice is the "sos" vs "eres", "tienes" vs "tenes" etc. There's not a whole lot of use of "usted" here compared to other countries (or other areas of Argentina), but if you use it and "tu" people will understand anyway, that is, if they have the patience -- a lot don't, unfortunately!
If you want to have a listen to the Porteno accent in action before you arrive, have a listen to this podcast: http://desdeelbano.blogspot.com/
And don't worry too much about not being able to understand certain words - my porteno boyfriend has to go to Chile on business quite frequently -- one time he was working in the office until quite late and one of his Chilean colleages came in and told him something along the lines of "Don Martin, usted tiene mas pega que la chucha" to which he replied, "uhhhh... ok then..." -- he had to get the guy to explain -- a polite translation is something along the lines of "Martin, you've got more work than a dog" So don't worry, even hispanohablantes can have problems understanding each other!

 

[donquixote]

Thanks all. You have been a great help. AS I mentioned before I have just completed 2 years of instruction in Spanish at the local college. I have given myself 6 month of travel in South America to continue my studies in Spanish and in the culture. I will be arriving in BsAS on October 3. I will be looking for a instructor or a language school then. If someone has any recomendations, please pass it on.
DQ