You’ll need some Spanish if you want to venture beyond the most touristy parts of the beaten path. Even in the touristy areas, speaking just a few words of Spanish shows you care about local culture.
In the morning, greet people with buenos días, and in the afternoon switch to buenas tardes. At night, buenas noches is used for both hello and goodbye.
Both adiós and the Italian ciao are universal goodbyes at any time of day. A simple gracias, with a smile, can convey all kinds of thanks and appreciation.
If you need directions, say dónde está followed by the name of the hotel, restaurant, or place you want to go.
Argentina uses the formal usted and the informal vos, but it’s best to stick to usted when you’re speaking with strangers. Ask how somebody is doing with ¿Cómo está usted? and ask their name with ¿Cómo se llama usted? (The double l in Spanish sounds like the letter y).
If you’ve learned Spanish with the informal tú that’s used in Spain and most of Latin America, it’s fine to use in Argentina. Spanish and Mexican movies and shows are so popular that all Argentines will understand you if you use tú, just be aware that they’ll automatically use vos when they speak to you. Verb conjugations are only different in the present tense. For example, tú comes (you eat) would be vos comés, and tú vienes (you come) is vos venís. ¿Vos comés en casa o vos venís al restaurante? Are you eating at home or are you coming to the restaurant?
Learn an expression or two in Lunfardo, the slang of Buenos Aires, and Porteños will be delighted. Many Lunfardo words have some roots in Italian, like mina, which means girl, and pibe, which means boy or youth. Pick up a Lunfardo phrasebook from the bookshops along Calle La Florida in the center of Buenos Aires.
