Originally Posted by daveland
I don't know any Spanish and my GF only barely does. I plan to take a one day course before leaving but know that won't do a heck of a lot. It sounds like we'll get by OK. But it is also my first trip to SA at all and I've heard a lot about safety issues. Does the kidnapping of North Americans go on in the city of BsE? Are there any specifics you could give on areas to avoid, behaviors to avoid, etc? I have traveled quite a bit but my lack of knowledge of SA in general gives me some pause and I'd like to be prepared. We live in NYC so we don't lack general city smarts....
I am also originally from New York City and was in Buenos Aires for the first time last May.
Relax. More people probably speak Spanish in New York than in Buenos Aires.
Seriously, you should get along just fine. However, knowing basic Spanish would certainly be useful, especially when ordering food, directing a taxi driver, or asking for basic information or directions. Just remember that the Spanish spoken in Argentina is slightly different from the Spanish spoken in Central America. For example,
amarillo is Spanish for yellow. It is pronounce
amareeyo in many Central American countries, but pronounced
amareejo in Argentina. Also, the word
mantequilla is Spanish for butter, but in Argentina, I have found (please correct me if I am wrong,
Gaucho100K)
manteca is the word for butter.
As in New York, keep your guard up and your eyes open. Nothing happened to me. In fact, I found that the people of Argentina are usually friendly and quite helpful, for the most part.
Enjoy your trip, and eat some beef! You will be amazed at what your dollar will buy in Argentina!