To get the most mileage in Buenos Aires, it does help to know some Spanish. They speak an unusual brand of Spanish here. I only speak survival Spanish which I can usually get by with in most Latin American countries plus Spain, but Buenos Aires has been different.

I knew that they use the word "vos," but it still does not register with me when I hear it. I think it's because they pronounce it like "bos." Same thing with the word "yo." They pronounce it like "sho," desayuno as deJAuno, ella as eJa, pollo as poJo, etc.

When I was asking about the bus system, they kept on referring to "el colectivo" which took me a few minutes to figure out was the bus. Apparently, this is a term unique to Argentina. I´m finding a lot of words unique to Argentina. I carry a small notepad and write down words that I see on signs or hear around town that don´t make any sense to me and look it up in my dictionary later (often times I can't find it in my dictionary). My notebook is starting to fill up.

They also speak very fast here and they drop off letters, e.g., instead of saying "ochenta", they'll say "chenta." When I first heard the word "chenta," I knew she was quoting a number but it never dawned on me that it was ochenta. My mind went reeling through all the possible options . . treinta, cuarenta, cincuenta, sesenta, setenta, ochenta, noventa. . . until I finally ended up with a massive headache and asked her to write down the number.

While in BA, I've been taking two hours of private Spanish lessons. This is the first time that I've ever taken private lessons and I'm amazed at how much I'm learning versus taking group class. I highly recommend taking private lessons in BA if you have the time and desire to sharpen or acquire some Spanish (as spoken in Argentina) language skills.

There are several language schools in and around BA. There's I.L.E.E. on Av. Callao 339, 3rd floor. This school has a website. For private lessons, they charge US$16 ph plus a US$50 registration fee. Overall, it's the most expensive school around.

There´s Estudio Buenos Aires on Reconquista 962, 3rd floor (near Cutty Sark club). They also have a website that you can find via Google. They charge EURO$10 ph for private lessons with no registration fee.

Another school is IBL or International Bureau of Language, Florida 165, 8th floor. They charge A$30 per hour for private lessons.

If you arrange private lessons through a school or institution, lessons are usually only available in the early morning (9-11 am) or late afternoon (4-6 pm). Most of the instructors are needed for group classes between those hours. Morning lessons could be a problem if you like to party hard at night and late afternoon lessons could be just too late.

If you look in the Buenos Aires Hearld (not their Internet site), there are a number of classifieds offering private lessons for as low as A$18 per hour. This could be an option for those of you who need different hours.

Mayra from the go-argentina travel agency (see Moondog´s guide to BA) can recommend a friend who gives private lessons for A$40 per hour.

For my own personal preference, I prefer taking private lessons through an established school since I'm assured of some teaching standards and if I have a complaint, there´s someone above the teacher who I can complain to.

Whatever you do, I recommend that you NOT sign-up or pre-pay for any Spanish lessons or classes until you get to BA. When you get to BA, you can personally check out the schools or instructors & their locations before making a commitment.

Again, if you´ve got the interest and desire to get more milegage with the chicas, taking some Spanish lessons help. Oftentimes, I end up practicing my newly learned conversational skills with my date for the night. Sometimes it´s a one-sided conversation, but it's a start. I consider it part of my homework.

I have a university degree in Spanish and lived seven years on the Texas-Mexican border. The Spanish spoken in Argentina is the toughest I've ever come across. One of the main tricks is to master the vos form of the verb--No stem changes and accent on the last syllable--as Johnny Carson used to say "weird, wild stuff."

callao...ka-sha-OH
Lavalle..la-va-SHAY

I had a real problem getting cabbies to understand directions until I learned to pronounce the names of these streets like an Argentino...

Ya, they're pretty serious about that Y=SH shit...
I think the funniest part is the first time you're called a SHAN-key. (Yankee)

This chica gave me her email address at sha-HO ... it took me hours to decipher "Yahoo!"

I studied at UBA, "espanol para extranjeros". The price is 200USD per month, 400 USD on the intense level. Well spent money. I found an teacher in BA Herald for 15 pesos an hour. Very professional, researcher in spanish language.