So what are the prominent differences between the porteño dialect and traditional Spanish?
One main contrast is that the word “vos” is used for informal second person singular – not “tú.” Porteño speakers also use a different inflection when pronouncing the tú verb forms. Instead of saying “tú hablas”, they say “vos hablás”, borrowing the inflection of the vosotros verb form, “vosotros habláis”.
Additionally, the letter “ll” makes a “sh” sound in the porteño dialect, rather than the “y” sound used in Castillian Spanish, and “z” often sounds like “s”.
You can also identify porteño speakers by their frequent used of the word “che,” commonly used to get someone’s attention in an informal way.
The Rio de la Plata region is not the only part of the Spanish-speaking world that has its own unique dialect. There are 21 countries that have their own variations of standard Spanish. Linguistics tells us that everyone speaks a dialect that is a variation of a language; no one speaks Standard Latin American Spanish in his or her daily lives. This is true for all languages, but especially for one as widespread as Spanish.
When you learn Spanish in Argentina, it is important to understand the porteño dialect as well as the standard American dialect (Standard Latin American Spanish). By becoming proficient in both dialects, you will be able to understand Spanish speakers around the world as well as the people on the streets of Buenos Aires.