{"id":144518,"date":"2023-09-14T16:17:48","date_gmt":"2023-09-14T20:17:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/boludo-argentina\/"},"modified":"2025-01-21T06:06:04","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T11:06:04","slug":"boludo-argentina","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/boludo-argentina\/","title":{"rendered":"Meanings of “Boludo” in Argentina (With Examples)"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes to the Argentine dialect of Spanish, there are a few words and phrases unique to the country and region that are absolutely essential<\/a> to know if you want to surpass the status of “tourist” and advance to “traveler.”<\/p>\n

The word I would like to stress here in this post is without a doubt the most important word in the Argentine vernacular<\/a>, and only a fool would forsake its use. Below I’ll explain to you seven key boludo<\/em> meanings in Argentina, and provide examples of situations in which the word might be used.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What Does Boludo<\/em> Mean?<\/h2>\n

Boludo<\/em>\u00a0literally means “person who has large balls”.<\/p>\n

As arguably the most important word when considering the Argentine dialect of Spanish, boludo\/a<\/em> is loaded with humorous versatility, and the proper usage of this word goes a long way.<\/p>\n

The main rule for using boludo<\/em> is to only use it around individuals in your own age group, or around those with whom you have established a kind of bantering familiarity.<\/p>\n

This is not a word you want to employ around your Argentine exchange-student-friend from high school’s grandmother, nor at the office<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How to Use“Boludo”<\/em><\/h2>\n

Boludo<\/em> typically takes three forms, which we will get to in due time.<\/p>\n

1. Boludo<\/em> with\u00a0friends<\/h3>\n

The simplest and most common usage of the word\u00a0boludo<\/em> may be likened to the English usage of the word \u201cman\u201d or \u201cdude.\u201d<\/p>\n

This usage only<\/strong> applies between friends, and could be misconstrued as an insult if the person you are talking to is not yet comfortable in your presence.<\/p>\n

For example:<\/p>\n

\u00bfComo est\u00e1s, boludo? <\/em>(What’s up man?\/What’s going on?)<\/p>\n

Boludo, \u00bfqu\u00e9 hac\u00e9s esta noche? <\/em>(Hey man! What are you doing tonight?)<\/p>\n

2. Boludo<\/em> as an insult<\/h3>\n

Boludo<\/em> is also used to insult\u00a0another person and expresses the same linguistic disdain as the English words “a**hole,” and “dumba**.”<\/p>\n

My personal translation and arguably the most accurate in many cases, “putz” (a hilarious American English word derived from Yiddish used to denote a stupid, ignorant or clumsy person. Also used as an intransitive verb: \u201cto putz around\u201d denoting the worthless and unproductive activities of said stupid, ignorant or clumsy individual).<\/p>\n

For example:<\/p>\n

\u00bfQu\u00e9 te pasa, boludo? <\/em>(What\u2019s your problem man?)<\/p>\n

In this case the word \u201cman\u201d carries more linguistic weight and is more like saying “a**hole.”<\/p>\n

\u00a1Boludo, olvidaste las entradas! <\/em>(You dumba**\/putz, you forgot the tickets!)<\/p>\n

In this case, if the conversation is between two friends it carries less weight than calling someone a “dumba**,” and depending on inflection, situation and intensity of hand gestures, may be translated as \u201cputz\u201d or \u201cfool.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Boludo<\/em> for\u00a0talking to yourself<\/h3>\n

Another and rather common usage is the self-directed usage of the word.<\/p>\n

For example:<\/p>\n

\u00a1Che, perd\u00ed las llaves! \u00a1Qu\u00e9 boludo! <\/em>(Man, I lost the keys. What\u00a0an idiot\/putz!)<\/p>\n

This usage comes naturally after a while, especially if you are accustomed to losing stuff and are constantly the source of setbacks and logistical issues among your Argentine peers.<\/p>\n

Moving on.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0Boludo\u00a0<\/em>when you’re really irritated with others<\/h3>\n

This usage is the same as the self-directed usage, though it is directed at a third-party.<\/p>\n

Use it to describe the spiteful asador<\/em> (the guy who cooks meat on the grill) who sent you out the worst piece of asado<\/em> (BBQ); or in the following scenario\u2014that maniac Argentine driver who almost crashed into you on the street.<\/p>\n

\u00bfViste esta boluda? \u00a1Casi me choc\u00f3! <\/em>(Did you see that a**hole\/dumba**\/putz? She almost crashed into me!)<\/p>\n

Mir\u00e1 este boludo, no sabe\u00a0manejar. <\/em>(Look at this a**hole\/putz, he doesn’t know how to drive.)<\/p>\n

Now moving on to my personal favorite use of boludo<\/em>.<\/p>\n

5. Boludo<\/em> as a verb<\/h3>\n

In English we use verbs such as “to mess around,” “to horse around” or again, my favorite, “to putz around” to classify such loathsome behavior as watching “Seinfeld” and eating Doritos in your underwear when you should be doing work.<\/p>\n

In Argentine Spanish, the verbal form of the word boludo<\/em> is\u00a0boludear<\/em><\/strong>, and it’s used to express pretty much the exact same thing as the English \u201cto putz around.\u201d<\/p>\n

For example:<\/p>\n

\u00bfQu\u00e9 hac\u00e9s, boludo? <\/em>(What are you doing man?)<\/p>\n

Nada, estoy boludeando. <\/em>(Nothing, just messing\/putzing around.)<\/p>\n

Now, as a verb, boludear<\/em> functions in the simple present as follows:<\/p>\n

Yo boludeo<\/strong>
\n<\/em>Vos bolude\u00e1s<\/strong>
\n<\/i>El\/ella boludea<\/strong>
\n<\/em>Nosotros boludeamos<\/strong>
\n<\/em>Ustedes boludean<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

6. Boludo\u00a0<\/em>as a more wicked\u00a0verb<\/h3>\n

Another\u00a0usage of the verb boludear<\/em><\/strong> may be likened to the English verb “to mess with,” or to in some cases “to lie” or “to cheat” depending on the context.<\/p>\n

For example:<\/p>\n

No me\u00a0boludees. \/\u00a0<\/em>Dej\u00e1 de boludearme. <\/em>(Don’t mess with me.)<\/p>\n

Note: Depending on the context, the speaker could also be saying “You have got to be kidding me.”<\/p>\n

No lo compr\u00e9, estaba\u00a0bolude\u00e1ndome. <\/em>(I didn’t buy it, he was messing with me.)<\/p>\n

Or in reality, “He was trying to screw me over.”<\/p>\n

7. Boludo\u00a0<\/em>as nonsense<\/h3>\n

Furthermore, boludo <\/em><\/strong>can also be used to refer to any activity that is worthless, time-consuming or ridiculous in nature with the noun boludez<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

For example, watching “Anchorman 2” could possibly elicit the following commentary:<\/p>\n

Che, qu\u00e9 boludez.\u00a0(Man, what a crappy movie.)<\/p>\n

(Che<\/em> is Argentine for saying “man” or as a way to grab attention, by the way.)<\/p>\n

Although the speaker did not actually say that the \u201cmovie\u201d was “crappy,” the word boludez<\/em><\/strong> infers that the movie is “crappy” or not worth the time,\u00a0in the context of two friends watching “Anchorman 2” in their underwear covered in Doritos.<\/p>\n

Son boludos, \u00bfno? <\/em>(They are putzes, right?)<\/p>\n

You can also consider\u00a0boludez<\/strong><\/em> a synonym of\u00a0tonter\u00edas <\/em>(nonsense\/foolishness), which becomes\u00a0boludeces<\/strong> <\/em>in the plural form.<\/p>\n

\u00a1Dejen de hablar boludeces! <\/em>(Stop talking nonsense!)<\/p>\n

Isn’t it a fun word?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Forms of Boludo<\/em><\/h2>\n

The three forms of the word boludo<\/em> we went over are outlined below:<\/p>\n

Boludo<\/em> (n.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the form of a noun, boludo <\/em>functions the same way as the English “man” or “dude,” or conversely as an insult similar to “idiot,” “putz” or dumba**.”<\/p>\n

Boludear<\/em> (v.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a verb, boludear<\/em> is used to describe the same as the English “to putz around,” and describes worthless or unproductive activities.<\/p>\n

It\u00a0is used to express the same as the English “to mess with” or “to cheat.”<\/p>\n

Boludez <\/em>(n.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the boludez<\/em> form, the word refers to any activity or thing that is simple or worthless.<\/p>\n

It is also used to describe something that is nonsensical.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You now know seven main\u00a0boludo\u00a0<\/em>meanings in the Argentine Spanish dialect! For more context, you can see this word and many others in use naturally in the videos on FluentU<\/a>.

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

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