Visitors Planet

How bad is it to leave in Buenos Aires (Argentina) without Spanish?

Is it possible to move to Buenos Aires with only English given that we are not planning to work or have business there?

Public Comments

1. In buenos aires, it is possible to get away without spanish, because most of the people speak it.. however, that being said, always try and know or at least attempt the language, you'll get a lot more respect for it and they will be more willing to help you out. They have a very distinct and strong accent that is hard for most spanish speakers to understand, so it might be better if you learned it while you were down there. Its a great city, awesome culture and night life. The government is corrupt, and sometimes you see some things you rather not. But its okay, its an experience, its a rush, so enjoy it.
2. Now you can survive almost anywhere without knowing the language!! You can go to the grocery store and buy almost all that you need pay with an international credit card and you don't have to even talk! I am going to Taiwan next year and I will do that because I start studding Mandarin and is f.. difficult Depending where you are going to stay, is going to be easy to stay in an Hotel because English is a must for Hotel's employees, in downtown BsAs is easier to find english speakers than in the suburbs, anyway english speakers are no more than 10 %.
3. It helps to know some basic stuff so you can buy stuff, order at restaurants, take cabs, etc. Most people do not speak any English at all so just the basics can be stressful if you don't know ANY Spanish, or Castellano as they call it there. However the good news is that Spanish lessons are really inexpensive there (along with everything else). I was there for 3 months and had a private tutor come to my house 3x a week for about 20 pesos ($5 US) per hour. There are also more immersive schools where you go several hours a day, 5-6 days a week - these are also very affordable and within a month you should have enough Spanish to feel comfortable getting around. One other thing to keep in mind is that Argentines pronounce things much differently than other countries. So for instance "pollo" (chicken) is pronounced almost with a "J" sound, like "pojo".
4. You can move around without speaking spanish but it would be much easier if you speak or at least understand something of spanish. It you move in touristic places you´ll have no problem.