Lesson Fifteen: Che, Flaco, Dame la Guita

Today in our Spanish lesson, we learn about how to describe people. Alta, baja, rubia, morocha, linda, fea, etc. We also learn that the terms gordo and flaco are used in a different way here in Argentina.

Flaco is used for people you meet on the street or people you don’t know well. Gordo is a term used among friends—it is a term of endearment. In Argentina (and many other Spanish-speaking countries as well) people are quite open about the obviousness of one’s looks. While in this case the term gordo can be used when speaking with a thin or fat person, if there actually is a chubby kid in the class, he is nicknamed gordo. Same with flaco. People are kinda okay with who they are down here...what a concept.

Aparencias shouldn't fool us, though:




Anyway, David has a hot neighbor in this episode, so he enjoys describing her: alta, flaca, rubia, ojos muy grandes y azules, labios como dos frutillas llena de jugo, piel como sábanas de miel. My favorite Argentine DJ also gets an accidental shout out: Hernán Cattaneo! Again, I’m happy the Bueno, entonces...crew throws in so much of the Argentine culture stuff—really, it shows that the research was done. Cattaneo plays at lots of the music festivals down here, and he's got a huge fanbase...probably because he is AMAZING.

We end with David calling Jimena an alcoholic. She gets defensive and he tells the oyentes to send letters of support to help her through this. David David, David...such a troublemaker.