A grill is called a parrilla. You can get grilled chicken which is called pollo a la parrilla. Parrilla can be the grill to cook on or it can also be the grill of a car. One forum thread I read suggested that it can be used to refer to the luggage rack on top [...]

I thought I understood quincho based on a quick description from a friend. However, as I have lived in Argentina longer I have heard the word used to describe various structures. Some easy translations could be pavilion, shed or work room. However the actual construction is made it seems to have a connection to the [...]

In Mexico the word for pineapple was piña. Here in Argentina it is ananá. The words refer to the exact same fruit, but the Argentine word comes from the Latin scientific name of ananas comosus.

A couple of weeks ago we spent some time on the Atlantic coast of Argentina in Mar del Plata. Along the coastal highway I saw signs pointing out different balnearios. I could not figure out what the word exactly meant, but I gathered it had something to do with a private beach or resort area. [...]

A placard is a place where you hang your clothes, a closet. It can also mean a cupboard. I have heard the words amario and closet most commonly used in Mexico, but here in Argentina placard seems to be the most common.

When two people have the same name they are called tocayo. Usage is like this: Uno de los alumnos en la clase es tocayo mio. (One of the students in the class has the same name as I.)

While we have the word docent in English, I don’t know that I have ever heard it used. In English it seems to be used to denote a guide or teacher with a seeming undertone that the person is doing volunteer work.  Docente in Spanish refers to an educator, teacher or private tutor.

We arrived in Argentina a couple of days ago. Therefore the DSWU website is active again. What new words we are learning! Peaje can be used to talk about a toll booth or the toll you have to pay when driving on a toll road. In Mexico we used the word cuota which did not [...]

We are moving and will be storing our stuff at someone’s house. I mentioned that I needed to get something to lift the items off the floor in case of a hurricane. The man who will be watching our stuff told me I needed tarimas. Of course I was thinking a pallet. Tarima is a [...]

While watching the Olympics the announcers talked about the accomplishment of one of the athletes. He used the word hazaña. It means a great or heroic deed, an achievement, a feat.