Literal translation:<\/strong> To put your batteries in<\/p>\nUnlike the English phrase “to recharge your batteries,” this phrase doesn’t mean to relax, but the opposite. Ponerse las pilas<\/i> means to get some energy, get your act together, concentrate or “look alive.”<\/p>\n
You might say this to someone who needs to focus on a task or who’s having trouble getting out of bed.<\/p>\n
\u00a1Ponete las pilas <\/em>y vamos!<\/i> (Put your batteries in and let’s go!)<\/p>\n6. Estar al pedo<\/em> \u2014 To not be doing anything<\/h2>\nLiteral translation:<\/strong> To be to the fart<\/p>\nBelieve it or not, there’s a large number of phrases related to farting in <\/i>Argentinian slang. <\/i>You might call a friend to ask what they’re doing and they would reply “Estoy al pedo”<\/em> if they’re just hanging around at home.<\/p>\nQuieres salir? Estoy al pedo.<\/em> (Do you want to go out? I have nothing to do.)<\/p>\n7. Estar en pedo<\/em> \u2014 To be drunk<\/h2>\nTry not to confuse this phrase and the previous one, as they have very different meanings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No puedo recogerte. Estoy en pedo.<\/em> (I can’t pick you up. I’m drunk.)<\/p>\nThis phrase also has another related phrase, ni en pedo<\/strong>,<\/em>\u00a0<\/i>which means “not even if I were drunk.”<\/strong><\/p>\n8. Tener fiaca<\/em> \u2014 To feel lazy<\/h2>\nLiteral translation:<\/strong> To have laziness<\/p>\nTengo fiaca <\/i>is a common phrase in Argentina to say that you’re too lazy to do something. It’s a fairly acceptable excuse to not go out with friends, for example.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No quiero salir … Tengo fiaca.<\/em> (I don’t want to go out…I’m feeling lazy.)<\/p>\n9. Mandar fruta<\/em> \u2014 To BS\u00a0<\/h2>\nLiteral translation:<\/strong> To send fruit<\/p>\nThis phrase means to BS someone or make something up. You can use if it someone is acting like they’re an expert about something they don’t actually know anything about it. This is fairly informal so you should only use it with close friends to avoid insulting anyone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a1<\/em>Dej\u00e1 de mandar fruta! Dime la verdad. <\/i>(Stop BSing me! Tell me the truth.)<\/p>\n10. T\u00f3matelo con soda<\/em> \u2014 Calm down<\/h2>\nLiteral translation:<\/strong> Take it with soda<\/p>\nT\u00f3matelo con soda <\/em>is a way of telling someone not to get worked up, to calm down or to “take a chill pill.” This expression comes from the practice of mixing alcohol (usually wine) with soda water to dilute it and make it go down smoother.<\/p>\nT\u00f3matelo con soda, estoy bromeando. <\/i>(Calm down, I’m just kidding.)<\/p>\n
This phrase isn’t as common as it used to be but is still widely understood. You could alternatively just say tranquila,<\/i> which means basically the same thing but isn’t as fun.\u00a0<\/p>\n11. Remar en dulce de leche <\/em>\u2014 To do something difficult<\/h2>\nLiteral translation:<\/strong> To row in dulce de leche<\/p>\nDulce de leche<\/em> is a substance thicker than caramel in Argentina, so remar en dulce de leche<\/em> means to do something that takes a lot of effort or is difficult to achieve.\u00a0It’s somewhat similar to the English saying “sticky situation.”<\/p>\nHacer ese tramite fue como remar en dulce de leche.<\/em> (Doing that procedure was like rowing in dulce de leche.)<\/p>\n12. Ir a los bifes<\/em> \u2014 To get to the point<\/h2>\nLiteral translation:<\/strong> To go to the steaks<\/p>\nIr a los bifes <\/i>has nothing to do with going to a steakhouse, but instead means to get to the point or to face a difficult situation head-on.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vamos a los bifes. <\/i>(Let’s get to the point.)<\/p>\nQuiz on Argentinian Slang<\/h2>\n
Now that we\u2019ve gone over some Argentinian slang expressions, it\u2019s time to test what you\u2019ve learned! Take the short quiz below (without looking at the answers above!) and just refresh the page if you want to start over or retake it.<\/p>\n