Spanish Phrases

Unfortunately, I'm begining to think that the "red" discussion is almost moot. "Tenés menstruación", "Estás en uno de esos días especiales del mes?" , or "Estás en tus dias?", sadly, no matter how you ask it, they still lie :(. I had another one of those, unfortunately with my favorite girl. DATY went uneventful, but at the end of the main course there was a pink tinge on the condom, and again I noted the not so discretely applied pantyliner.

The best "red alert", IMHO, is to first look at the panties to see if there is a pantyliner present. Now, THAT doesn't lie.

Knuckhead

Regarding how to ask a girl if she's having her period, you can also say "estas indispuesta?" and she'll understand your question perfectly. This is a very polite way of asking the question. Hope this helps, DownBA

Down BA is absolutely right. In fact, this is the only term I have heard in all my trips. This trip, I approached a girl in Rio Cabaña and she immediately told me "indispuesta". I was so familiar with the term that I asked her right away about how many more days she will be unavailable. She told me that she will be able to resume her "job" after two more days. I played safe and got her on the fourth day.

Bandy

A very useful typical Argentinian word I learned during this trip is "Dale" (pronounced as Dah-leh). It is basically used as an affirmative response to an agreement (instead of "si" or "bien"). However, its use is very typical and you got to learn when to use it. After hearing "Dale" for almost all the time for 5 days, (especially during fixing appointment with Internet chicas), I finally asked somebody for its correct use. Towards the end of my trip, I was using it at my heart's content and getting very positive feedback. The local people use it all the time. Another word "Barbero" is also very similar (not sure about the spelling).
Andres or anybody...comments!

Bandy

Dale (DAH-lay) could also be translated as "Let's do it" or "Go for it."

The correct spelling is bárbaro. That translates as "great" or "cool" or "awesome." Note that it means the exact opposite most other Spanish speaking places. My dictionary translates it as "barbarous, cruel, rough, uncouth."

DH

Thanks. I knew I am messing up the spelling of "bárbaro". Live and learn everyday. This particular thread is very helpful.

Bandy

Sure you are not talking about "vale" meaning sure, OK, alright? Used extensively in Spain but very little in Mexico.

Never heard dale. What is the root word? Daler? I want Andres opinion . . .

Cheers, -P

Nope, dale. It is from the verb "dar" or "to give." I've never heard it outside of Buenos Aires. They can't go five minutes without saying it. Like I told Salomé from Guemes that next time I would have her to my apartment. "Dale." I told the gata salvaje I would call her in a few days. "Dale." And so forth.

My bigger dictionary, which is British, translates it as "There you go again!"

DH,

You will be surprised. When I was in Calafate, the desk clerk was using it almost every 10 seconds. I finally had a long talk with her. She told me that it is a typical Argentinian word used extensively on a daily basis. In fact, there was very little use of 'ta bien. I thought the word was important enough (for people like us who travel to Argentina very often) to bring it to everyone's attention.

Bandy

Dale

Dale literally means "give it". It is employed to mean:

- Approval (such as "OK")
- Surprise (such as "come on")
- Order to stop (such as "stop bothering", "drop it", start with it)
- Cheer a sport team (Dale Argentina! = Go ahead, Argentina!)

That is, a wildcard word.

Hope this helps,

Andres

DH,
As a side note, I believe in Spain they say "vale" which means "okay" according to my Spanish textbook. I've also noticed the most common way "dale" is used in B.A. seems to indicate casual agreement, but I'm no linguist, just a gringo... In fact, in conversations with my now ex-novia, anytime I said "dale" she'd chuckle and say, "Oh, you're sooooooooo Argentinian", but in Castellano of course.
-Hap

In Spain, vale means "ok", and is used in exactly the same myriad ways. As Andres points out in Argentina, in Spain, vale is used as a general catch all... Vale,vale = ok, ok (drop it, enough already, agreement, or resignation.)

Again, in Spain, [i]dale[/i] means "give it to him" or "sock it to them" depending on the context. Used alone it is almost always an admonishment to action (give all you have got.)

Of late, it has become hip in some circles to say "o-kay" which I find annoying as there is a perfectly good word to use in castellano. Such is life.

A question to the group. One of the most amusing things I have heard in Spain is a general phrase of approval for a woman after she has done or accomplished something extraordinary or is held in particular esteem.. "Ole tu coño." Literally "Yeah for your c*nt." This is used even in polite but earthy company, and is always a compliment. To my knowledge, there is no comparable phrase for men. Anything like that in Argentina?

Cheers,

Sporadic

Re "dale" and affirmation thing, another affirmation that's used all the time at least in Tucuman province is "tal cual". My friend says "tal cual" all the time when he's agreeing with my point. I've also heard this said in Buenos Aires.

Dale is also used as if to say "go ahead" for instance if I were to say, "may I tell you something?", the answer very likely would be "dale" or if I asked a girl if I could give her a good "chupadita de concha" she very likely would answer me with "dale" as if to say, "bring it on baby".

Hope this helps, DownBA

To get off on a slight tangent, is "concha" the Argeninian word for dick? In Cuba and other countries it's "pinga."

What about the word "conyo (conjo?)" It's an expression in some latin countries which means many things. Literally it means pussy but it isn't used that way. It's kind of used the way we use "fuck" and "shit" to mean anything from "Holy shit" to "It's fucking great to see you!" Is this used in Argentina?

Concha is pussy, not dick. It translates as "shell." Although, some here say choncha instead of concha. Coño translates as c u n t and is insulting when referring to a person. The most common word I hear used for dick here is "pita."