Spanish in Argentina

An official certification is granted by Argentina. Therefore, a Consorcio Universitario (Consortium of Universities) responsible for managing and granting governmental accreditation has been set up to that effect.

Teaching Spanish in Argentina

Learning Spanish, or expanding your language knowledge in Argentina is highly recommendable. This country is regarded as having a long-standing teaching tradition during the decades in which the Argentine state was created, and once the civil wars had come to an end and the territory currently identifying our country had been consolidated. (1880-1900)

The endeavours intended to foster the learning of the Spanish language are contemporary to the widespread literacy process inspired by the Common Education Act N°1420, which was enacted in July 1884. Such act set forth that the primary school was compulsory, and required students to acquire a minimum knowledge and develop basic skills.

The above mentioned endeavors were not only targeted at school-aged children, but also at adults, some of whom had been involved in growing urbanization processes and were part of the immigration groups that began to arrive in our country in the 1880-1890 decade.

Such a process together with free-of-charge teaching programs and a widely-known hospitality tradition characterizing our people turned our country into an open society, which rapidly regarded the second generation of Asian and European (not having a Spanish descent) immigrants as hispanic speakers and it allowed the third generation to enter university.

Admission at Higher Education Institutions was followed by migratory movements led by neighboring countries students who therefore managed to have access to a qualified teaching system and to come back to their home country to be professionally engaged, in most of the cases, on an outstanding basis. Such a distinctive mark has been preserved until today and the Argentine state aims at extolling the trust placed upon its higher education institutions.

Read more on Ministerio de Educacion Argentina.

Buenos Aires in images

Check out more pics on Flickr.

Learn These Spanish Phrases. They're really useful!

Read more phrases at Go South Expat

Lessons for living on the CHEAP in Buenos Aires

Photo by John Harris

The dollar might be on the rise, but that’s no reason to overspend while on vacation, studying abroad or living in Buenos Aires. Money saving tips that work in the US are not necessarily going to fly in Buenos Aires, so here are some suggestions to help you make that fat dollar last.

Grocery shopping:

1. Those shopping at the big chains such as Disco, Carrefour and Jumbo are spending almost double the amount they could spend at the little local dive market. The most economical supermarket is called Dia. It is open when everything else is closed on holidays and during the siesta hours. The stores are ugly and the employees hate their jobs, but the food is very well priced. They don’t have a meat counter, but they do have fresh fruit and veggies. You can ask for a “tarjeta Dia” which will offer you extra savings.

2. Canned food is very expensive and can be twice the price of the real deal. A can of corn sells for about $5 pesos and for that amount you can usually buy 3 or 4 ears of fresh corn.

3. Corner fruit and veggie markets generally offer lower prices than the big super markets and can be found every few blocks. Check sidewalk chalkboards for special promotions or sale items.

Eating out:

1. My favorite coffee in the city is sold for $2 pesos by vendors walking the city. You can spot them by their metal cart with steel thermoses and paper bags of sweets. From these vendors, you can order coffee (with or without milk and sugar) and you will be promptly provided with a piping hot cup of joe. Ojo! Many serve very sweet coffee if you ask for sugar. This is also a great chance to try out your Spanish if you’re a beginner. Really, you only need to say a few words, “Quiero un café” (I want a coffee) and be able to understand the price when the vendor replies. They might ask, “con leche” (with milk) or “con azucar” (with sugar), to which you can respond with a simple “sí” or “no.”

2. Sidewalk parillas (grills) are the best deal in town. Are they safe to eat at? If you can see the meat being cooked, it’s safe. No self-respecting porteño would ever cook or sell bad meat.

3. Hot dog huts are hot in Buenos Aires and offer a cheap snack. They are little hole-in-the-wall restaurants that usually have a high counter to sit and eat. Panchos, as they are commonly known, are offered with a variety of salsas, such as four cheese and mayo with various chucks of veggies or ham. These panchos and super panchos are not exactly Hebrew National, but they are safe and quick to eat on the run. This does not go for the sidewalk pancho stands. There was recently a police raid where many strolling vendors were detained for not having changed the cooking water in weeks or months.

Read more on LandingPad BA.

HOTELS DIRECTORY IN ARGENTINA (BUENOS AIRES)

5 STARS

Alvear Palace Hotel
1891 Avenida Alvear,
Recoleta,
Buenos Aires C1129AAA,
Argentina
Phone: 54 11 4808 2100
Fax: 54 11 4804 0034
Email: info@alvearpalace.com
Website: www.alvearpalace.com

Aspen Tower Hotel
857 Paraguay,
Buenos Aires C1057AAK,
Argentina
Phone: 54 11 4313 1919
Fax: 54 11 4313 2662
Email: sales@aspentowers.com.ar
Website: www.aspentowers.com.ar

Caesar Park Buenos Aires Hotel
1232 Posadas Street,
Capital Federal,
Buenos Aires 1011,
Argentina
Phone: 54 11 4819 1296
Fax: 54 11 4819 1121
Email: aaairoldi@ceasar.com.ar
Website: www.caesar-park.com

Claridge Hotel
535 Tucuman,
Buenos Aires C1049AAK,
Argentina
Phone: 54 11 4314-7700
Fax: 54 11 4314-8022
Email: inforeservas@claridge.com.ar
Website: www.claridge.com.ar

Emperador Hotel
420 Avenida Del Libertador,
Recoleta,
Buenos Aires C1001ABR,
Argentina
Phone: 54 11 4131 4000
Fax: 54 11 41313900
Email: info@hotel-emperador.com.ar
Website: www.hotel-emperador.com.ar

Faena Hotel Plus Universe
445 Martha Salotti Street,
San Telmo Quarter,
Buenos Aires C1107CMB,
Argentina
Phone: 30 6290 1111
Email: res@designhotels.com
Website: www.designhotels.com

Feirs Park Hotel
1366 Esmeralda,
Barrio Norte,
Buenos Aires C1007ABT,
Argentina
Phone: 54 11 4131 1900
Fax: 54 11 4131 1950
Website: www.feirspark.com.ar

Four Seasons Hotel
1086 Posadas,
La Recoleta,
Buenos Aires 1011,
Argentina
Phone: 54 11 4321-1200
Fax: 54 11 4321-1201
Website: www.fourseasons.com

Hilton Buenos Aires Hotel
351 Macacha Guemes,
Puerto Madero
Buenos Aires C1106,
Argentina
Phone: 54 11 48910000
Fax: 54 11 48910001
Website: www.hilton.com

Nh Florida Hotel
839 San Martin Florida Street,
Buenos Aires C1004AAQ,
Argentina
Phone: 54 11 4321.9850
Fax: 54 11 4328 4855
Email: nhflorida@nh-hotels.com
Website: www.nh-hotels.com

Park Tower Hotel
1193 Avenida Leandro N. Alem,
Buenos Aires 1001,
Argentina
Phone: 54 11 4318 9100
Website: www.starwoodhotels.com

Read more on Allo' Expat Argentina.

Estancia Tour - Gaucho Party

Our trip steers outside the city.
As we are going, the landscape stars changing.
The plain and plateau gain an important place. We are in the PAMPEAN region.
During the trip, our tourist guides will give you the most important details about the Gaucho life until we arrive to the Ranch.
The gauchos will receive us with a warm and polite welcome to their RANCH.
Following the arrival they will give us empanadas (a typical Argentine meal) juices and local wines.
You can ride horses and enjoy a ride in a colonial carriage.
At midday we will have a delicious lunch based on “RANCH TRADITIONAL BARBECUE” with a wide variety of salads.
The lunch includes sodas, water, beer and wine for free. During the meal, a folkloric show with the most attractive dances of the region will take place.
During the afternoon, you will see spectacular demonstrations: ring races and troop rides.
To conclude this trip they will invite us with a typical afternoon meal based on pies and mate.
AN UNFORGETTABLE DAY TO ENJOY THE GAUCHO LIFE !!!

---

Gaucho Tipical dance

Read more on Buenos Aires Times.

Learn spanish with Bueno, entonces... on Facebook

Check out the Bueno, entonces... fan page on Facebook and learn new words, insults, piropos... and anything you need to speak Spanish conversationally!!!

Become a fan and enter to win cool prizes every week (see contest rules in notes section)!

A new way to learn Spanish - developed specifically for the iPhone and iPod Touch and now available on DVD or by instant download (visit www.buenoentonces.com to purchase). This new technique combines hard-core grammar and vocabulary lessons with a witty and engaging conversational style.

Become a fan on Facebook.com/buenoentonces

J'apprends l'espagnol !

Ça suffit les folies. Je me mets sérieusement à l’étude de l’espagnol. Depuis le temps que je reporte ce projet aux calendes grecques !

Il faut dire que je m’obstinais à vouloir d’abord maîtriser le chinois (OK, « maîtriser » est peut-être un peu ambitieux… lol). Mais même après un an et demi d’immersion et environ trois mois de leçons intensives, je n’arrive toujours pas à soutenir une conversation dans la langue de Mao (par contre, si vous voyagez un jour avec moi en Chine, je pourrai vous éviter l'humiliation de devoir mimer une poule ou un poisson au resto pour vous nourrir !).

Comme j’ai besoin d’un coup de pied au bon endroit pour entreprendre un projet personnel de cette envergure, je m’en suis auto-infligé un en m’organisant un voyage éclair (cinq grosses journées !) à Buenos Aires. Je pars samedi. J’ai trouvé ce qui me semble être la meilleure manière de me faire entrer quelques notions de base dans le crâne : Bueno, entonces…

Ces 30 leçons d’espagnol peuvent être visionnées à l’aide d’un ordinateur, d’un Blackberry, d’un iPod ou d’un iPod Touch (c’est ce dernier que j’utilise – j’ai acheté les premiers épisodes sur iTunes à 2,99$ chacun plutôt que d’acheter le cours en entier). Des DVD sont également en vente.

La publicité présente Bueno, entonces... comme « the Grand Theft Auto of Spanish Classes ». Plus proche de la série pour ados que du cours magistral, on me promet même quelques gros mots ! Le ton des extraits visionnés me rappelle vaguement celui de L'Auberge espagnole (probablement à cause du personnage masculin, un Anglais qui a une certaine parenté avec William, incarné par Kevin Bishop). Les cours se déroulent toutefois dans la capitale de l'Argentine.

Je n'aurai probablement pas beaucoup de temps pour « étudier » avant mon départ, mais tant pis : les 17 h passées dans l'avion et à l'aéroport de Toronto seront bien rentabilisées ! Pas le choix : les travaux pratiques débuteront dès mon arrivée. Je vous en reparle…

P.S. : Au cas où mon cerveau afficherait les mêmes messages que mon ordinateur en ce moment (« mémoire pleine » !), j’ai aussi téléchargé deux applications de traduction… ;-)

Read more reviews about Bueno, entonces... on En Transit.

Argentina national football team

The Argentina national football team is the national football team of Argentina and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association (AFA). Argentina has won most international titles by any national team - 19, a record shared with Uruguay.

Argentina is one of the most successful national football teams in the world, and is currently eighth in the FIFA world rankings. The team has twice won the FIFA World Cup, in 1978 and 1986. Argentina has won the Copa América 14 times, a record shared with Uruguay, won the Confederations Cup in 1992 and the Olympic Football Tournament in 2004 and 2008.

Argentina and France are the only national teams which have won the three most important men's titles recognized by FIFA: the World Cup, the Confederations Cup, and the Olympic tournament. They have both also won their respective continental championship (Copa América for Argentina, and UEFA European Football Championship for France).

Keep reading about Argentina's football league on Wikipedia.

HOUSING IN ARGENTINA

General

Finding reasonably priced accommodation to rent will be relatively easy in Argentina depending on the area you are looking in. This section gives you information about the Argentinean housing market, as well as a wide range of tips and tricks for your housing search.

Latin America has a high percentage of its inhabitants living in big cities. Argentina is no exception to that. The downtown areas are mainly characterised by apartment buildings. When moving away from the centre a wider variety of housing is found. Argentina is an immigrant country which is clearly noted by the architecture of its housing. For example, in the outskirts of Buenos Aires you are likely to come across English style houses, whereas the downtown area resembles Italy and Spain. Near Cordoba and in Bariloche you will often have the feeling of being in Southern Germany or Switzerland.

Things to bear in mind on your search
Accommodation prices in Argentina are determined by the size and location. This holds for both renting and buying. Accommodation is measured in square meters. Furthermore, and this may come as shock to some, buying a house or apartment in Argentina means most of time that payment in cash is required. With the economy improving this is slowly changing again.

Another factor to bear in mind is that in Argentina apartment and houses are described by the number of rooms or ambientes. This includes the living room and the bedrooms. Take into account that there can be several living or sitting rooms in a house or apartment. Kitchen, bathrooms and toilets are not included in the room count.

Housing in Argentina is either let furnished or unfurnished. The availability of one or the other ranges from where you want to live. In a mayor city like Buenos Aires or Cordoba both furnished and unfurnished are readily available. In a smaller city like Comodoro Rividavia finding a furnished place will be very hard.

The Rental Market

For many foreigners coming to Argentina finding a place will not turn out to be that difficult since prices are still relatively low. Renting a place also means paperwork.

For Argentineans finding a place to rent is becoming increasingly difficult. Since many Argentineans are not in the position to buy property (anymore) the demand for places to rent is high. To get an idea of rental prices, in the most solicited neighbourhoods in Buenos Aires a two room apartment will have an average monthly rent of AR$ 900 in Recoleta whereas in Belgrano it will range from AR$ 550 to AR$ 2000 a month. In the popular neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires a small place to live will hardly be found below AR$400/month. (Source: ReporteInmobiliario.com).

A development that is taking place in the mayor tourist and business areas in Argentina is the increase in short term rentals aiming at foreigners. Places offered in neighbourhoods like Recoleta in Buenos Aires as well as apartments in places that receive many tourists like Bariloche and Villa Langustura, are offered fully furnished at prices lower than the better hotels. Many of these places can be booked online.

Supply and demand can also vary considerably in the course of the year, particularly in cities with a large student population such as Cordoba and Buenos Aires. At the beginning of the academic semesters, which is around February/March and August/September demand tends to be high.

Read mlore on this on Allo' Expat Argentina.

Bueno, entonces review on Facebook

I have been a student of languages for many years now, and this is far and away the best language tool of any type that I've seen. It's highly entertaining as well as educational... clearly intended for those who want to have fun while learning a language. You'll be laughing in Spanish in no time...

Waiting anxiously for the next language to be released!

Check out more reviews on facebook.com/buenoentonces

Bueno, entonces... Spanish Class 15

Check out more videos on Youtube.

Learn Spanish in BA Plus Spanish School

• Why Spanish?

Spanish is spoken by more than 450 million people today (native or as a second language). Also Spanish is the official language on four different continents. The ability to speak this beautiful language will serve to enrich your travel experiences. Spanish lessons will be your door to new advantages and important opportunities.

• Why Buenos Aires, Argentina?

The second largest country in Latin America (and the biggest among Spanish - speaking Latin American countries), Argentina is a continent in its own right. With its deserts, jungles, mountains, beautiful beaches and wide plains, it's not enough to decide to visit this amazing country; you will have to decide what destination in Argentina is best for you. Its capital city, Buenos Aires, is the gateway to Latin America: incredible food, an unbeatable cultural scene, a friendly environment and an intense nightlife are just a few of the attractions that make this thriving city a traveler's must.

• Why B.A. Plus Spanish school?

Learn Spanish with a select group of language experts in Buenos Aires, each possessing extensive teaching experience with students from all over the globe. Our Spanish School will permit you to choose the program that best suits your needs (Intensive, Extensive, Basic Spanish Course for Travelers and other Special Courses), which you can take in a relaxed atmosphere and comfortable classrooms, while meeting friendly people. The content of our syllabuses has been carefully revised so that each Spanish level satisfies one fundamental step in the student's conversational, grammatical and linguistic ability. Our courses are also flexible enough to be adapted to each student's particular needs. What better way of studying Spanish than by having the chance to practice it with locals? Buenos Aires and BA Plus Spanish School are waiting for you.

Learn more about this school on BA Plus Spanish School.

National Universities

"National Universities", also called "Public or State-run Universities", is the name used to refer to all those institutions whose creation arose from the enactment of a National Congress Act, except for those whose creation preceded that of the state itself (as is the case of the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba and the Universidad de Buenos Aires). They lie as Public Law legal entities and their regular operation funding comes from the national state, pursuant to what is set out on the annual national budget act.

National universities hold the largest share of the entire Argentine university system: counting over 80% of the undergraduate population and with campuses stretched throughout to all provinces comprising our national territory, they account for over 50% of the country's scientific research while additionally providing technical assistance to both the public and private sectors.

National universities, currently amounting to 38, are attended by an estimated 1275000 undergraduates.Their Presidents sit on the Consejo Interuniversitario Nacional (CIN -National Interuniversity Council), a stage of coordination and concurrence provided for by the 24521 Higher Education Act No. 24521.

Universidad de Buenos Aires Viamonte 430/444 y Reconquista 694 (C.P.: 1053) Capital Federal Capital Federal Tel.:(011) 4510-1100 / 4511-8153 www.uba.ar Universidad Nacional de Catamarca Esquiú 612 - (C.P.: 4700) S. Fdo. del Valle de Catamarca Catamarca Tel.:(03833) 42-4099 / 43-5177 / 45-0217 www.unca.edu.ar Contacto: subsec.coordinacion@unca.edu.ar Universidad Nacional de Chilecito 9 de Julio 22 - (C.P.: 5333) Chilecito La Rioja Tel.:(03825) 42-6291 www.undec.edu.ar Universidad Nacional de Córdoba Haya de la Torre s/n, Pabellón Argentina, Ciudad Universitaria - (C.P.: 5000) Córdoba Córdoba Tel.:(0351) 433-4072 / 4157 / 3092 / 3094 / 3093 www.unc.edu.ar Contacto: internacionales@pri.unc.edu.ar Universidad Nacional de Cuyo Centro Universitario Parque Gral. San Martín - (C.P.: 5500) Mendoza Mendoza Tel.:(0261) 4494000 al 4020 www.uncu.edu.ar Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos Eva Perón 24 (C.P.: 3260) Concepción del Uruguay - Entre Ríos Tel.:(03442) 421530 / 421500 www.uner.edu.ar Universidad Nacional de Formosa Don Bosco 1082 (C.P.: 3600) Formosa Formosa Tel.:(03717) 430-485 / 434274 / 423922 www.unf.edu.ar Contacto: cooperacion@unf.edu.ar Read more on Ministerio de Educacion Argentino

Learn Spanish in Argentina at ECELA Buenos Aires

Find more Spanish Schools and watch how they look like on Youtube.

Music to help you learn Spanish - Agua (jarabedepalo)

Check out a a mini lesson based on this video: http://bit.ly/1WTPjv
This is the General Linguistics method to teach foreign languages in action! You'll see the lyrics of the song Agua by Spanish band Jarabe de Palo in the "Pizarra Mágica" or Magic Whiteboard and will be able to sing along. Bueno, entonces... is like Rosetta Stone meets South Park! The new generation of language learning.



Check out more videos to learn Spanish on Youtube.

Swearing Translated – Part 8

Hi to all those venturing forth into the land beyond Oz. If you’re going to be spending some time here, you should know both how to tell if you’re being cussed out and how to do it yourself, if the situation is to ever arise.

Here is part eight of some easy guidelines to help you on your way to verbally express your pissed-off emotions or to understand the emotions of an angry porteño.

Phrase	Literal Translation	Our Best Actual Translation
Me da paja hacer eso	It gives me hay to do that	I don’t feel like doing that
Ella es una calienta pija	She is a dick warmer	She’s a cock tease
Tiene más culo que cabeza	He has more ass than head	He’s one lucky fucker
El no da pie con bola	He does not give foot to ball	He’s one unlucky bastard
Me fue para el culo	It went for the asshole	It went like crap

Now, mix and match them to come up with some of your own to use on that special person.

Paul Perry
LPBA.com Staff

For more translations visit LandingPad BA.

From the North of Argentina to the World!

Check out more pics on Flickr.

Che Malambo Traditional Dance

It's a very Argentine dance, not from Buenos Aires though. Look at their feet. They imitate how the gauchos used to dance.




For more videos go to Youtube.

Your Planet Ambassador Program

Description: The YouPlanet Ambassador program enables you to earn money while traveling. As a YouPlanet ambassador, you will approach hotels, restaurants and experience providers and offer them the opportunity to become partners which will enable them to reach travelers worldwide. The Partner pays a yearly fee of which you as an ambassador get a large share, transferred directly to your online e-wallet account.

By being a YouPlanet ambassador, you can travel to places around the world earning instead of spending money. With only a few sign-ups every week you will earn more than enough money to explore the world.

Highlights: We want three things with YouPlanet:

- Enable our users to earn money while they are out traveling

- Our users to have access to a great travel community where they, among other things, will be able to find updated information from smaller hotels, hostels, restaurants and experience providers

- Let these smaller hotels, hostels, restaurants, and experienced providers get online with tools they manage themselves and reach an international base of travelers that has not been accessible before.

Therefore we have created the YouPlanet ambassador program. You will get the chance to finance your trip - while you are on the road!

Qualifications: Social, English language skills

Job Types :

Marketing, Ad, PR Sales Tourism

Salary / Pay: Provision based salary - up to 60 euros per sale!

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to American, Australian, Canadian, European, Kiwi, South African and Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel Independently.

For more info, visit Jobs Abroad.

Book Review: ‘Che Boludo: A Gringo’s Guide to Understanding the Argentines’

By James Bracken, Ediciones Continente, 30 pesos, 61 pages Reviewed by Stephen Page

On a recent sunny spring day, while wandering the streets of Buenos Aires, searching for a café where I could sit outside at a table and sip an espresso while looking at the passers-by (a popular Argentine custom), I detoured into a bookstore.

On the very first shelf I came to, I found a pocket-sized book titled Che Boludo, with the subtitle: A Gringo’s Guide to Understanding the Argentines.

I opened the book and discovered it was a dictionary of sorts, filled with words I had never read before. The words were contemporary Argentine slang, and the definitions were in English. “What a great find,” I thought.

After a decade of living in Argentina, I have been missing some of the slang while talking with friends, or at Sunday family get-togethers (they don’t teach Argentine slang at US universities, or in most of the Castellano classes offered in Buenos Aires). I was growing tired of repeatedly asking, “What? What does that mean?”

The title of the book translates to, “Hey Idiot!” or “Hey Buddy!” or “Hey Friend!”—depending on to whom you’re talking and your tone of voice. “Boludo” literally means “one with big testicles,’which does not mean “ballsy” or “brave,” but instead denotes a lack of cerebral functions. In Argentina, the young as well as the old use slang. You might hear an elderly man with a cane standing on the street corner waiting for the green crossing light mutter “¡miercoles!”—which translates to “shit” or “Goddamnit” or “hell”; you might hear a sophisticated woman in a fur coat call her husband’s new secretary a “puta” (whore) or a “babosa” (horny woman) even if she knows bystanders are listening to her; you might hear a teenager say to his brother, “No me hinchés las pelotas,” which means, connotatively, “don’t be a pain”—but denotatively means, well . . . you’ll have to read the book to know that one.

The book also contains drawings of the more popular hand gestures Porteños use—gestures that have risqué yet non-offensive meanings.

To read more go to The Argentine Post

Glaciar Perito Moreno, Argentina falling down. It's awesome!

Watch more of these videos on Youtube.

ACCOMMODATION IN BUENOS AIRES

B.A. Plus Spanish School has a permanent connection with Argentina Global Rent, Touristango Aparts, Homes B.A. and Welcome2BA, prestigious real estate agencies with extensive experience in the temporary rentals business. If you wish, B.A. Plus will arrange the appropriate residency to suit your needs from our network of houses and apartments. The options you may choose from are:

• Fully equipped furnished apartment (individual or shared).
• Host Family House.

In any case above, you will be placed near the school (Downtown Buenos Aires) or will be just a quick subway trip away. If instead you would prefer to stay at a hostel or hotel, cntact us and B.A. Plus will offer you a wide variety of options to choose from. Once you find the one you like, we will make the corresponding reservations for you.

For more info go to BA Plus Spanish School.