Spanish
 

Is it necessary to speak Spanish. Two weeks in Argentina traveling all over. I speak and understand French and understand Italian but speak NO SPanish. Understand a little. WOuld it make sense to learn it in next few months or why bother? I started listening to a podcast in intro Spanish. Would I be better off just getting the phrases most used? Like bathroom!!!! Gracias

When you travel to any country whose language you don't speak, I think there's a minimum of things you should learn to make life easier:

Hello
Good bye
Good morning
Good afternoon
Good evening
Please
Thank you
I'm sorry. I don't speak _____.
Do you speak English? (Yes, ask that in the local language.)
Where is?
How much?
Numbers

I couldn't imagine not knowing at least that. If you want to take a phrasebook, or write those things down, or memorize them, it's up to you. But are the minimum of what I feel is necessary.

I hit submit too soon.

Those are a minimum of what I feel is necessary to make things a little bit easier when I travel.

You can sort of manage as a tourist in BA but if you go out of the city, I would learn at least a little. Definitely phrases and take phrase books, maybe a Menu translator .. I use Marling MenuMaster when we travel ..
You will probably run into a few people here in BA who will understand French but not English .. so be prepared and then probably be happily surprised.

We found ourselves using our Spanish much more than we'd expected in Argentina and Chile including making a detailed police report after our passports were stolen. Go ahead and study as much as you can..you can get by without it but its so much easier if you can communicate.

Clove:

French helped us not at all! Italian was somewhat helpful - in taxis in BsAs. We know only the politness-es in Spanish, and, essentially, the list of Jeff-Costa-Rica - plus the food guide Scarlett mentions. There was so much good will, that this was usually just fine.

HOWEVER...it is essential, IMO, that you get the Argentinean pronounciation for Y, YY etc. (which are more French than Spanish, I think) and will help enormously in communicating in general.

Have a wonderful trip. ~MarnieWDC

I do not think it is imperative to learn spanish as many people speak some english in Argentina. In hotels, some restaurants and guides.
Flintstones

I agree with Marnie about learning the correct pronounciation of Y,YY in Argentina.

I do think it is a good idea to learn some language before visiting any country. Just short expressions at the beginning that will help them everyday. Who cares about mistakes or wrong pronounciation? Spanish is a difficult language, takes time to master it, and "porteños" dont make Spanish easier. We appreciate the tourists´ effort and will always help and tourists enjoy practising Spanish and little by little being understood.

milla

In the city English should be enough but it is always better to learn a little bit of the language.
However, (and unfortunately) you should be careful in case the other person finds out you really DON'T know spanish, they will probably try to take advantage of you. This usually happens with taxis, you must know they only charge in PESOS and not USD -no exceptions-
And I would recommend that before taking one you find out first the average price of the ride you will make, you can ask your travel agent or the concierge at the hotel.

Please give some phonetic examples of Argentine words that have y and yy in them. Thanks!

My favorite is vanilla = 'vaneesha' Others are:

Gallo is 'Gasho' or, as I have heard it the sh as a soft J like a French 'Je')

Yugo is 'J(soft)ugo'

Avenida Callao = Ave. Cajao (if you say cashao, you would be fine)

I am sure the Porteños can do a better job of this! But I felt obliged since I started it. :O) ~Marnie

I feel bad for the people who fell for the taxista saying that the price was in dollars. Maybe if they read more fodors forums they wouldn't have had that problem!

Cheers!

Wow Marnie, thanks. I had no idea. Very interesting.

seeksocean, you are very welcome.

Then there are the ones that sneak up on you, like Irigoyen ='eerigojen' (soft j again). My travellers' tapes were helpful, but these hints (from Fodors and TA posters) were the most useful for BsAs.

Are you in BsAs now? I am already itching to begin planning our winter 2010 trip.

My best, ~Marnie

Other words...

LLAMAR (spanish for call)= you would pronounce it 'shamar'
lluvia (spanish for rain) = 'shuvia'
folleto (brochure)

I've run out of words! I've never thought about the pronounciation but I promise if I find another I will post it

Thanks! Wow, I just am amazed at the difference in 'll' from the Mexican Spanish that I know a bit of. I had to laugh as I thought that if I didn't know better, you all could just teach me a whole new dialect of your choosing and I wouldn't be the wiser!

Marnie, we don't go until late December. Really excited and still well into the planning of it.

Your welcome! Actually that's the way we porteños speak (wrongly speak, jaja), but if you pronounce in the Mexican way everyone will still understand you. I posted those words just for you to know

Actually, Castellano ( Cast e shano ) would have you pronouncing LLUVIA as Shubia .... they don't pronounce a hard V here, more of a B sound.
All Ys and LLs are a ZH sound or as Marnie says SH ..

And when you say goodbye in a store ... <blue>Chau Gracias</blue> is the most common thing to say - you will get in the habit of saying it all the time... they pronounce it CHAO ...

Castellano is more Spanish Castillian than Mexican .. ( I think)

Sorry sofi, you are a Porteño ? Don't you pronounce rain as <B>shubia</B> ? don't tell me I am learning it all wrong :O