20 Argentinian Spanish Slang Words and Expressions (Lunfardo Guide)
Argentinian Spanish has its own parallel vocabulary called lunfardo, born in the streets of Buenos Aires and immortalized by tango. Here are the 20 words and expressions you need to understand porteños and sound less like a textbook.
Land in Buenos Aires with textbook Spanish and you will understand the street signs, but not the streets. Argentinians, and porteños (Buenos Aires locals) in particular, speak a Spanish seasoned with lunfardo: a slang vocabulary born in the immigrant neighborhoods of the late 1800s, polished in tango lyrics, and still evolving today on social media.
This guide covers 20 essential pieces of Argentinian Spanish slang, from words you will hear within five minutes of arriving to classic lunfardo that connects you with a century of culture.
What Is Lunfardo?
Lunfardo started as the speech of working-class Buenos Aires, mixing Italian dialects, rural Spanish, and clever inversions of syllables (called vesre: "revés" backwards). Tango carried it from the port neighborhoods into poetry, and today many lunfardo words are simply normal Argentinian Spanish. You will hear them from taxi drivers and CEOs alike.
One grammar note before the list: Argentina uses vos instead of "tú" (with verb forms like "tenés" and "querés"), so the examples below reflect how people actually talk.
The Essentials You Will Hear Immediately
1. Che
The most Argentinian word that exists: an attention-getter meaning "hey" or "dude." It is so iconic that Ernesto Guevara became "el Che" abroad simply because he said it constantly.
Example: "Che, ¿me pasás la yerba?" ("Hey, can you pass me the yerba mate?")
2. Boludo / Boluda
Literally rude, practically affectionate. Between friends it works like "dude" or "mate"; aimed at a stranger it is an insult, so calibrate carefully.
Example: "¡Che, boludo, cuánto tiempo sin verte!" ("Dude, it's been ages!")
3. Quilombo
A mess, a chaotic situation. One of the most useful nouns in the country.
Example: "El subte está de paro, es un quilombo llegar al centro." ("The subway is on strike, getting downtown is a total mess.")
4. Laburo / Laburar
Work / to work, from Italian "lavoro." Everyday vocabulary, far more common than "trabajo" in casual speech.
Example: "Mañana no puedo, tengo un montón de laburo." ("I can't tomorrow, I have a ton of work.")
5. Plata
Money. Standard across much of Latin America, universal in Argentina.
Example: "No me alcanza la plata para el viaje." ("I don't have enough money for the trip.")
6. Copado / Copada
Cool, great, nice (for things and people).
Example: "Tu amiga es re copada." ("Your friend is really cool.")
7. Re
The all-purpose intensifier: "very." Argentinians attach it to almost anything: re lindo, re caro, re cansado.
Example: "Estoy re cansado, anoche no dormí nada." ("I'm super tired, I didn't sleep at all last night.")
8. Posta
Truth, for real, the real deal. Use it to affirm or to ask if someone is serious.
Example: "¿Posta te vas a vivir a España?" ("Are you seriously moving to Spain?")
9. Dale
OK, sure, let's do it. The Argentinian "vale" or "órale." Also used to hurry someone up.
Example: "¿Nos vemos a las ocho? Dale." ("See each other at eight? Sure.")
10. Buena onda / Mala onda
Good vibes / bad vibes; also describes people as friendly or unfriendly.
Example: "El dueño del hostel es re buena onda." ("The hostel owner is really friendly.")
Want to hear how all of this sounds in real conversations? Our colloquial stories are written the way Argentinians actually speak, with vos, lunfardo, and all the rhythm of Buenos Aires, plus translations and vocabulary notes.
Discover Colloquial Argentinian Spanish Stories
Classic Lunfardo with Tango History
11. Mina
Woman, girl. Pure classic lunfardo, found in countless tango lyrics. Informal and a bit rough; among older generations and in lyrics it is everywhere.
Example: "En ese tango, el cantor sufre por una mina." ("In that tango, the singer suffers over a woman.")
12. Guita
Money in lunfardo, older and more flavorful than "plata."
Example: "Ese negocio mueve mucha guita." ("That business moves a lot of money.")
13. Morfar
To eat, from Italian roots. The noun "morfi" means food.
Example: "¿Vamos a morfar unas milanesas?" ("Shall we go eat some milanesas?")
14. Pibe / Piba
Boy / girl, kid. So central to Argentinian identity that Maradona was eternally "el Pibe de Oro."
Example: "Los pibes están jugando al fútbol en la plaza." ("The kids are playing football in the square.")
15. Fiaca
Laziness, the feeling of not wanting to do anything. From Italian "fiacca."
Example: "Hoy tengo una fiaca terrible, no salgo de casa." ("I'm feeling terribly lazy today, I'm not leaving the house.")
16. Al revés, todo: the vesre trick
Vesre flips syllables: "café" becomes feca, "amigo" becomes gomía, and "tango" itself becomes gotán. You do not need to produce vesre, but recognizing it unlocks tango lyrics and old-school porteño humor.
Example: "¿Tomamos un feca?" ("Shall we grab a coffee?")
Modern Street Talk
17. Mango
A peso, money. "No tengo un mango" is the standard way to declare yourself broke.
Example: "Me encantaría ir al recital, pero no tengo un mango." ("I'd love to go to the concert, but I'm broke.")
18. Chamuyar / Chamuyo
To sweet-talk, to smooth-talk, often romantically and not always sincerely. A national art form.
Example: "No le creas nada, es puro chamuyo." ("Don't believe a word, it's all sweet talk.")
19. Bardo / Bardear
Trouble, chaos (noun); to mess with or trash-talk someone (verb). Younger cousin of "quilombo."
Example: "Se armó un bardo bárbaro en la fiesta." ("A huge ruckus broke out at the party.")
20. Mortal / Tremendo
Awesome, incredible. Current youth slang for anything impressive.
Example: "El asado que hizo tu viejo estuvo mortal." ("The barbecue your dad made was amazing.")
Using Lunfardo Without Sounding Fake
Three rules keep you safe:
- Listen first. Words like "boludo" change meaning with tone and relationship. Match the energy of the people around you.
- Start with the safe set: che, dale, re, posta, copado, quilombo. They are friendly in almost any informal context.
- Learn slang inside stories, not lists. Context teaches you register, and register is everything with slang.
If regional Spanish is your thing, compare what you just learned with our guides to 18 Mexican slang expressions and 25 Colombian slang phrases, or jump straight into vulgar Spanish from Argentina if you want the unfiltered version.
Che, ya sabés lo básico. Now go practice with the first porteño you find.