Before any foreigner heads down to Argentina (as well as Uruguay and a few other spots in South America), there is one thing they must know about the culture: mate (pronounced mah-teh).

Now, what the hell is mate? Mate is a highly-caffeinated drink that is made up of natural yerba mate (the mate herb–pronounced shair-bah) mixed with hot water, and should always be drunk out of a mate gourd using a bombilla (special mate straw– pronounced bom-bee-shah). It is so much more than a drink, though. Here, mate is practically a way of life.

Mate originated out in the campo (country) and was used by gauchos (cowboys) to stay awake and maintain their energy for the day. At one point or another, it became widespread throughout the nation and now it is virtually used in every household. At first glance, it looks like it is either a) an outdated, traditional tea that only really old-fashioned Argentines would drink, or b) some sort of drug. In reality, it is neither, and we cannot stress enough how much of a major part of the culture here is based off of mate. In fact, even the production team here at Bueno, entonces… couldn’t survive without it.

Working hard on creating Bueno, entonces...

As mentioned before, mate is always drunk out of a special mate gourd and done so through a bombilla (as seen in the photo). The yerba (the actual herb of the plant- it looks a bit like marijuana) is put into the gourd, and then the gourd is filled with hot water to the very top. You then sip the mate through the bombilla, which has a special filter at the bottom to keep you from sucking in the yerba until the water is all gone, then you pass the gourd to be filled (with water–you keep the same yerba until it is completely drained of any caffeine or taste) by the next drinker. It is a communal thing, and, although people drink it by themselves, it is most often shared by a group in which everyone uses the same bombilla. Germs? What germs?

Seriously, take a walk around a park anywhere in Argentina and Uruguay and you are bound to find some mate drinkers. Or go to an office. Or even a taxi cab (how do you expect them to stay awake all day without a bit of mate?).

It. Is. Everywhere.

And one last thing– if you want to read a blog post about Episode 8 (the episode about mate) of Bueno, entonces… check out this blog of one of our users! http://juniperbsas.blogspot.com.

We at Bueno, entonces…learn Spanish have decided to give you a lesson in la vida nocturna (nightlife), ranging from tragos (drinks) to drogas (drugs) to música (music) to…well, anything else we can think of, really. So here it goes:

Let’s start with clubs. Clubs in Argentina are called boliches, but boliche is a word that is only used in Argentina and Uruguay. If you want a more neutral word that will be understood everywhere, just stick to discoteca. As far as bars and pubs go, Spanish keeps it simple by using the same words, but putting a Spanish accent on them. Conozco algunos bares… (I know some bars…) ¡Vamos a un pub! (Let’s go to a pub!) But watch out for la entrada or el cover (the cover charge), sometimes they are crazy expensive in the city, and even in places where you least expect it.

Now, it is important to know music when you go out at night, because you don’t want to get stuck in a bar, pub, or boliche listening to something resembling a dying cat all night, or something like Celine Dion, which is equally as bad. These are pretty easy to remember though, because the Spanish words are the same as the English words, only said with an accent. El rock, el pop, la electrónica, el jazz, el reggaetón, el reggae, la salsa, el merengue, la cumbia (okay, we might have stolen a few of those from Spanish originally), etc… The words are all pretty much the same, with the exception of the varying genders for each genre.  That part is a bit tricky, but you’ll learn with time.

Now for the substances. Cigarrillos (cigarettes) are always popular both day and night in Argentina, but make sure you ask for a cenicero (ashtray) before you go and ash on someone. And tienes fuego? is the easiest way to ask for a light (literally, do you have fire?). The types of alcohol are pretty much the same as they are in English, as well, with a few exceptions. Vodka, Ron (Rum), Ginebra (Gin), and, of course, cerveza (beer) and vino (wine).  In Argentina, however, fernet is a staple to any good night.

Drogas are a little trickier. There’s marihuana (which, like in English, as a bazillion different names, and every country’s is unique- here, you can call a joint either a porro or faso, among many other things). Pastillas (pills) of all sorts as well as the rest of the harder drugs have varying names from place to place, but again, use the name in English and they will often understand.

There you have it- all the nightlife knowledge you could possibly need when going out in Argentina (or else where in Latin America). Oh, and remember, dancing here is not the same as in most English-speaking countries, so try to keep the grinding to a minimum as to not embarrass yourself and offend others.

Want to learn more Spanish? Head to our site to get the first 40 min Spanish class for free! Go here today: http://www.generallinguistics.com

You can also see funny Spanish classes on our Youtube Page.

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When traveling in Latin America, it is sometimes useful to know all the ways you might be addressed by a local.  I mean, you don’t want someone to refer to you as something and not know what it means, right?  Different countries have different names that they call foreigners, but there are a few ‘universal’ terms.  Here’s a quick lesson on all names gringo.

First and foremost, gringo is going to be the most popular name you come across.  Gringo originally comes from the days of the Mexican-American War.  The Americans wore green uniforms, and the Mexicans wanted them to get out of their territory, so they would shout ‘Green Go!’– and voilá!  Gringo!  Pretty neat, huh?  Since then, however, gringo has become a name that is used to refer to North American and European foreigners, despite the origin of the word.

Secondly, huero/a or guero/a is a popular name used to refer to white-skinned, blonde foreigners in Mexico.  However, their perception of what is blonde is a little different from that of what you might be used to.  Blonde means pretty much anything lighter than dark brown.  So if you have hair lighter than dark brown, you can expect to be called a huero/a or guero/a.

Next up, blanco/a.  This pretty much follows the same rules as huero/a and guero/a– refers to white people, but what you consider a white person might be a little different.  If you have even the slightest bit of a pale-ish complexion, you will probably be referred to as blanco/a.

Finally, yanqui.  This is a term used mainly for Americans in Argentina, but we’ve heard it’s used elsewhere, too.  It’s pronounced ‘shankee,’ but is their own version of our yankee.  Apparently all Americans are Yankees.  This term is only used in Argentina, though, but you can expect to be called this all the time.

Alright, so there are have it!  Don’t be offended if you are referred to by any of these names– for the most part, they aren’t derogatory, unless they are said in such a manner.

There is a Bueno, entonces… class that includes some information on gringo-terminology, too– see, we’ve covered all important topics!  To check out the program, take a look at the Bueno, entonces… learn Spanish Youtube page, where you can see clips of the Spanish classes.

Become a fan on Facebook to learn useful Spanish phrases, get cool info about what’s going on in the Spanish-speaking world, and save $50 off the program!

Head here to test the first free class and see for yourself: http://www.generallinguistics.com

Some of you might not have noticed that yesterday was the 13th, or cared. In fact, many would look at the title of this post, and think ‘Martes? But doesn’t martes mean Tuesday?’– no worries, your Spanish vocabulary has not suddenly plummeted.  Let us explain…

Even uploading this photo caused our computer to crash. Superstitious yet?

Okay, in Western culture, Friday the 13th is regarded as an unlucky day for a couple reasons. First, Friday is an unlucky day because that is the day that Jesus Christ was crucified.  There are a couple other reasons for it, but for the most part, Friday is unlucky only because of reasons based on Christian beliefs.  Why 13?  Because thirteen is comes after twelve, and twelve is supposedly regarded as a number of wholeness, based on the twelve apostles, twelve hours of the clock, twelve zodiac signs, etc… Thirteen is therefore seen as irregular, and apparently unlucky.  Hence, Friday the 13th is unlucky.  

But wait– this only applies to the Western world.  Friday the 13th in South America, for instance, is just like any other day.  Tuesday the 13th, however, is considered a day of mala suerte (bad luck).

Now, why martes 13 (Tuesday the 13th)? Apparently, way back in the Edad Media (Middle Ages), the city of Constantinople fell on a Tuesday to the Ottomans, which marked the end of the Byzantine Empire.  Thus, the Greeks began considering it an unlucky day.  Somehow this mentality spread to the Spanish, and from there to South America, which is why martes 13 is now considered an unlucky day.  Now how about that, eh?

Have anything to add to our description here?  We used Wikipedia as our source, which, besides being absolutely amazing, is not always the most accurate.  We’d love to hear your feedback!  

And, as always, feel free to visit our site and check out the Bueno, entonces… learn Spanish program– $97 is a small price to pay for over 18 hours of Spanish classes that will have you speaking (yes, actually speaking) Spanish by the end.  Why not give it a look?

Better yet, you can see the first 40 minute class for free to see if you like it. Check out our unique system of color coding and immersion learning here: http://www.generallinguistics.com

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When going abroad, trying the local food is almost always at the top of the list for experiencing culture.  The world runs on food, and without it, no one would be alive, but every culture and subculture in the entire world have different eating habits, patterns, tastes, etc… Which is why we felt it was well worth a lesson to teach you about the food and eating out in Spanish-speaking countries.

Now, contrary to popular belief, the entirety of Central and South America does not survive off of tacos and nachos.  Hell, nachos were invented in the States.  The food isn’t always spicy, and Corona is not the ‘national’ beer of the Spanish-speaking world.  In short, not everywhere is going to resemble your one-week Spring Break vacation in Cancun (although we are the first to admit that we do love ourselves some tacos fresh from the truck).  Now that we’ve got a clean slate, let’s begin.

In most Spanish-speaking countries, there are four main meals: desayuno (breakfast), almuerzo (lunch), merienda (similar to British tea), and cena (dinner).  In some countries they have merienda and cena, in others they only have one or the other– just depends on where you are.  El almuerzo is always the largest and most important meal of the day, unlike in Western culture, where dinner is the major meal.  Here, la cena is typically eaten around nine or ten at night, which is why it is not as big as el almuerzo.  And the merienda is eaten around six in the evening as a small snack to hold you over until la cena.

The food itself obviously varies from country to country– Peru is known for its fish, for example, and Argentina is known for its beef.  Two very different dishes.  However, in Argentina there is so much Italian influence that pasta and pizza are two of the most prominent dishes you will find on any menu or in any home.  Not exactly tacos and nachos.

Besides the cuisine, though, it is important to know some basic words when it comes to ordering food or going to a restaurant. Here are a few to help you out:

La carta = The menu

La cuenta = The check

Las bebidas = The drinks

La entrada = The appetizer

El plato principal = The main course

El postre = The dessert

La servilleta = The napkin

La propina = The tip

El/La mozo/a = The waiter/waitress

There you have it– all the necessary key words to enjoying one of the most important aspects of any given culture: Comida (food)!

Asado (barbecue) is a major part of the South American culture, and even though it is food, we decided to leave it until another post, because asados deserve an entire post of their own. But for now this vocabulary should do you just fine.  Let us know if there are any other good words we should add, or feel free to leave a comment with the words yourself!

Don’t forget to check out the Buenos, entonces… learn Spanish website for special deals for Levels I & II– available on DVD or as a download for your computer, iPod, or iPhone!

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Don't want to insult this fellow...

WARNING: NSFW MATERIAL AHEAD.

A quick note before you continue: if you are easily offended or do not like foul language, don’t bother reading on.  Bueno, entonces… sees learning a language as something that should be fun, entertaining, and useful.  This means that we are willing to teach you things that you might hear on the street, but wouldn’t read in a text book.  If you don’t like our method of teaching, it’s probably best you go learn language from a more formal program like Rosetta Stone.

Okay, onto today’s lesson!

Surely you’ve noticed that we tend to focus on Argentine lunfardo (slang), piropos (pick-up lines), and insultos (insults).  Well, if you 1) don’t plan on going to Argentina anytime soon, 2) are interested in the slang of other countries, or 3) don’t really give a crap either way, today’s your lucky day!  We are going to teach you some of our favorite insultos and slang from various Spanish-speaking countries, so here it goes!

Chupame el pico (Chile) = Suck my dick

Dejí¡te de gí¼ear (Chile) = Stop f*cking around

Malparido (Colombia) = Waste of life (badly born)

Jalame el hule (Costa Rica) = Leave me alone (pull my rubber)

Malfallao (Spain) = Tightass (poorly f*cked)

Araña (Mexico) = Hoochie Mama (spider)

Lameculos (Spain) = Brown-noser (ass-licker)

Hijo de la Verga (Mexico) = Son of a Cock

Alright, so this obviously doesn’t cover all the countries, nor all the necessary phrases, but it at least gives you a bit of a base.  

If you want to see the whole lot of slang, sign up for our newest, rudest, realest Free Slang Dictionary at http://f.generallinguistics.com/free-spanish-slang-dictionary/

Isn’t this a good way to learn Spanish?  1) fun, 2) entertaining, and 3) useful.  What more could you want?  

PLUS, you’re way more likely to remember and use this stuff than, say, a worksheet of formal conjugations.  If you want to learn more about the Bueno, entonces… program, check out our language learning software website!http://www.generallinguistics.com  

We offer over 18 hours of classes that are available on DVD or as a download for your computer, iPod, or iPhone.  And you can get the whole series for as low as $147 – if you’re a Facebook Fan, you get it for $97 (and you’ll learn tons of useful Spanish phrases while you’re at it)!

La Barra Brava in Argentina is what we like to call hooligans. This term pretty much always goes hand-in-hand with fútbol (soccer) fans, as they are undoubtedly the rowdiest group in the country. When translated, barra brava means wild or fierce bar or block, but hooligans is really the only term we commonly use in English to describe a group like this. In some Spanish-speaking countries this term doesn’t really exist, but rather hinchada or varying slang, depending on the country.

The Barra Brava is the rowdiest subgroup of an hincha for any given team. Hincha is a term meaning group of fans (you could use the term fan club, but that sounds a little too much like boy-crazy teenagers). To say you are a fan of something, you could say soy fanático de… or soy hincha de… Hincha is more commonly used for sports or specific teams, while fanático is used for almost everything else.

Another use of the word hincha is when referring to the group of fans as a whole, such as la hinchada de Boca es muy grande (the group of fans for Boca is very large). Hincha is not used in all Spanish-speaking countries, or at least not in this way. The word hincha comes from the verb hinchar, which literally means to swell or blow up. A swollen ankle, which is often seen in the fútbol world, is a tobillo hinchado. So you might hear of the word in other countries, but they won’t know what you’re talking about if you say you are hincha de River.

Other important terms for fútbol include:

Cancha (not to be confused with concha, as seen in the post ‘La C*ncha y La Kama Sutra‘) = Field (for sports)

Estadio = Stadium

Partido = Game or Match (for sports)

Equipo = Team

There you have it. Want to check out more Bueno, entonces…? Head to our Facebook page to learn useful Spanish phrases. Our language learning software (http://www.generallinguistics.com) is super unique and formatted to work on almost anything with a screen!

Go to http://www.generallinguistics.com today and see the First Bueno, entonces… class for absolutely NADA!

If you are a child in a Spanish-speaking country, today is pretty freaking awesome. You receive presents, have an excuse to throw grass in your shoes and you get to eat bread with figurines hidden inside!

Each Spanish-speaking country celebrates the day in a different way, but the story of the Three Kings is pretty consistent among the countries. The holiday–called ‘Epiphany Day’–tells the story of the three Kings (Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthazar) who arrived on horse after following a star in the heavens to bring baby Jesus gifts. Melchior represented Europe, rode in on a horse, and brought gold; Gaspar represented Arabia, rode a camel, and brought frankincense; Balthazar represented Africa, rode an elephant, and brought myrrh to baby Jesus. (Some say that all rode camels, but who really knows?)

Alright, that may have been a bit too Sunday school for your taste, but it’s important to know the background to understand some of the common practices. If you are traveling to Spain, for example, you may see children (and some adults) polish their shoes and leave them to receive the King’s gifts before they go to bed on January 6th (or sometimes on the eve of January 5th). Just like children leave cookies and milk for Santa Clause, children in Spain leave sweet wine, fruit, milk, and munchies for the Kings and their animals. In some parts of Mexico, children leave their shoes and a list of toy requests near their beds or a family nativity scene. In Northern Mexico, it is common to leave hay in the shoes (for the camels, obviously) and leave the shoes under the Christmas tree. Children in Puerto Rico do the same, and leave the hay or grass-filled shoes under their beds. Christmas trees are also taken down on this day; luckily, as children as distracted by their gifts and candies, it’s no biggie.

In the afternoon, the Rosca de Reyes(sometimes called Roscí³n de Reyes in Spain) is brought out and shared with family and friends. This bread is sort of like a round, bread-ier version of fruitcake and baked inside is a small doll representing Jesus. If you are in Mexico or Guatemala and find the doll, you have to throw a party on February 2^nd, “Candelaria Day,” and offer atole and tamales to the guests. If you celebrate El dí­a de los Reyes in Spain and find the doll, you are crowned king of the day. In Spain they also hide a bean in the Roscí³n, and if you find the bean, you pay for the bread. Nice.

Some say that because of globalization, Christmas Day has now become more popular than Dí­a de los Reyes, but again, that’s personal opinion. Learning traditions (whether they are still practiced or not) is an integral part of learning Spanish–knowing either one is fine, but know both and you are GOLDEN! In the Bueno, entonces…Learn Spanish Levels I & II, you can rest assured that you are getting the full package: grammar + colloquial Spanish + local culture. Try and look for another program that teaches you real, useful Spanish for under $150. Go ahead, we dare you.

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When traveling in Latin America, it is sometimes useful to know all the ways you might be addressed by a local.  I mean, you don’t want someone to refer to you as something and not know what it means, right?  Different countries have different names that they call foreigners, but there are a few ‘universal’ terms.  Here’s a quick lesson on all names gringo.

First and foremost, gringo is going to be the most popular name you come across.  Gringo originally comes from the days of the Mexican-American War.  The Americans wore green uniforms, and the Mexicans wanted them to get out of their territory, so they would shout ‘Green Go!’– and voilí¡!  Gringo!  Pretty neat, huh?  Since then, however, gringo has become a name that is used to refer to North American and European foreigners, despite the origin of the word.

Secondly, huero/a or guero/a is a popular name used to refer to white-skinned, blonde foreigners in Mexico.  However, their perception of what is blonde is a little different from that of what you might be used to.  Blonde means pretty much anything lighter than dark brown.  So if you have hair lighter than dark brown, you can expect to be called a huero/a or guero/a.

Next up, blanco/a.  This pretty much follows the same rules as huero/a and guero/a– refers to white people, but what you consider a white person might be a little different.  If you have even the slightest bit of a pale-ish complexion, you will probably be referred to as blanco/a.

Finally, yanqui.  This is a term used mainly for Americans in Argentina, but we’ve heard it’s used elsewhere, too.  It’s pronounced ‘shankee,’ but is their own version of our yankee.  Apparently all Americans are Yankees.  This term is only used in Argentina, though, but you can expect to be called this all the time.

Alright, so there are have it!  Don’t be offended if you are referred to by any of these names– for the most part, they aren’t derogatory, unless they are said in such a manner.

There is a Bueno, entonces… class that includes some information on gringo-terminology, too– see, we’ve covered all important topics!  To check out the program, take a look at the Bueno, entonces… learn Spanish Youtube page, where you can see clips of the Spanish classes. Become a fan on Facebook to learn useful Spanish phrases, get cool info about what’s going on in the Spanish-speaking world, and save $50 off the program!

You’ve probably heard that the Latino culture is very, very machista.  Meaning it is excessively masculine.  Some people like this aspect of the culture, others don’t– Example: The machismo mentality means that chivalry is still very much alive.  However, it also means that the men are more aggressive and over-bearing.  Hm.  Tough call.  As things become more globalized, the machista culture is slowly evolving into something slightly less machista.  The language, however, is not making any changes at all.

Unlike in English, Spanish nouns all have genders– they are either masculino or femenino (el boleto, la mesa). Because of the masculine nature of Latin languages, the masculino form is always the dominant one.  For example:  If there is a large group of all males, you would refer to them as ellos (the masculine form of ‘them’).  If there is a large group of all females, you would refer to them as ellas (the feminine form of ‘them’).  However, if there is a mixture of men and women–even if there are one million women and one man, the group would need to be referred to as ellos.  Now how unfair is that?

A tricky part about the gender in Spanish is that there isn’t too much rhyme or reason to it– you just have to learn as you go along.  Example: A dress is a garment typically worn by a female.  So it should be a feminine noun, right?  Wrong. El vestido is masculine.  Native speakers are raised with this concept of everything being masculine or feminine, so a lot of them find it unusual that native English speakers have no such concept at all.  For us, gender is typically genitalia-related.  For them, gender is part of absolutely anything.  No worries, though, you’ll pick it up with time.

In fact, we’ve got a whole class in Bueno, entonces… devoted to the genders and masculinity of Spanish–such a major theme in the language that a full class is well worth it.  Check out the Bueno, entonces… Youtube page to see some clips of our Spanish lessons and get an idea of what our teaching method is all about (think Rosetta Stone meets South Park).  It is fast-paced, colloquially-based, and absolutely hilarious.  Oh, and you will actually learn how to SPEAK Spanish by the end.  The whole series is over 18 hours and is available on DVD or as a download for your computer, iPod, or iPhone–all for as low as $147!  Take a look at our learn Spanish site and let us know what you think!