Your Argentine Accent In The Us. Feel Strange?

[Yogur griego]

On another note, I had a really hard time understanding Chileans and I don´t think they understand me.

I had this bizarre experience once when travelling to Chile. I was eating something on the bus and a Chilean guy told me I would not be allowed to bring that particular food into the country, which was an excellent opportunity for him to try and create an interesting conversation, but I could not understand a word of what he was trying to argue, incredible speed, lack of clarity in his pronounciation, local words.... simply terrible. And I am an experienced Spanish speaker.

I like Chile but the accent over there is just very strange.

 

[TehDeej]

Chilean Spanish is tough.

 

[ajoknoblauch]

Chilean Spanish is tough.

I learned Chilean Spanish first, so i don't have a problem with it.

 

[Montauk_Project]

One thing about speaking Argentinean Spanish for 10 years--I cannot speak in the Ud form. Whenever I have to I mess up and end up switching to vos (but because I learned tu in school, I can switch to that, although it is a bit awkward for me).
I never call anyone ud--I found that most people don´t mind, even one doctor thanked me for it (she said getting called ud is makes her feel like a grandma), and I never really liked the concept of it. Sometimes I have to use it, and I always mess it up.

 

[Crema Americana]

If you have a mix of accents, English + Argentine, chances are it's harder to understand. Most Latinos and Spaniards understand each other - though I will admit I had a difficult time understanding my husband when we first met. Not so much the vos or vocabulary, but the sh sound really threw me off.

I never picked up the vos, but I've completely lost vosotros. My Spanish has morphed into some bastardization of Argentinian and Spanish castellano... with a slight American accent when I'm nervous.

 

[trennod]

Montauk , I cant speak with Ud either! I have only been speaking Spanish for 2 years so perhaps thats it, but I get really nervous when I know I probably should be using Ud and just dont use it. I guess here its fine though, well so my girlfriend tells me anyway, or perhaps shes just trying to make me feel better! [sup] [/sup]

 

[emilyr]

@ajoknoblauch, hahaha, YES! I cracked up my Chilean roommates at a party last year. I thought I was commenting about my beer and not wanting a glass when I told them I prefer to “tomar del pico!!”

 

[WindyCityJames]

When I first "learned" Spanish in high school, my teacher was from Madrid. When I started relearning Spanish two years in Buenos Aires people would ask me if I was Italian(I chalk that up to the cadence of my speech since my father is from Italy)...it progressed to...are you from Brasil? I thought...OK...getting closer to Argentina...the last six months the question changed to...are you from Spain? LOL...OK..so I am never going to have a porteño accent. Now that I am back in Chicago...my argentine friends compliment me on my porteño accent and other speakers ask if I learned Spanish in Argentina. At least I don't have dreaded yanqui accent!

 

[Yogur griego]

At least I don't have dreaded yanqui accent!

Mi casa es su casa.

 

[PhilipDT]

When I first "learned" Spanish in high school, my teacher was from Madrid. When I started relearning Spanish two years in Buenos Aires people would ask me if I was Italian(I chalk that up to the cadence of my speech since my father is from Italy)...it progressed to...are you from Brasil? I thought...OK...getting closer to Argentina...the last six months the question changed to...are you from Spain? LOL...OK..so I am never going to have a porteño accent. Now that I am back in Chicago...my argentine friends compliment me on my porteño accent and other speakers ask if I learned Spanish in Argentina. At least I don't have dreaded yanqui accent!

Argentines almost always assume I'm from spain (I'm American) based on my accent. When ever I've asked why they usually say something about how I pronounce my "s"s.